The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls opened a new exhibit, The Gathering’, on Thursday.
The new exhibit was developed with the help of Fonda Portales, Boise State University’s art curator and collections manager. Amy Thompson, the director of development for The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho, said the new exhibition pulled art from BSU’s permanent collection.
“There’s going to be a real mix, it’s not just one particular artist, but they’re all going to be around the themes of gathering,” Thompson said.
The new gallery is meant to be different to the traditional art exhibition tour. The exhibition suggests that at least two people walk together to see everything on display, but there is a solo tour option.
“We haven’t done a tour like this before, intended to be done with another person,” Thompson said. “Typically, the tour options are a solo thin and we’re trying to make it a more community-based relationship building kind of thing.”
May is Mental Health Awareness month, and the Museum is mindful of this in its efforts to spread the word about the new exhibit.
“I’m not a researcher, but there’s plenty of data to back this up that just the presence of an art museum in a community has an elevating effect on the community, a positive effect on well-being,” Thompson said. “We have people with Alzheimer’s, and studies have shown that this really helps people that are dealing with Alzheimer’s. It helps them bring memories back. It helps them feel connected in the moment, not so lost.”
The exhibition will be up to view from May 1 until July 12. For more information about the exhibition, visit The Art Museum’s website.
To listen to the full interview with Amy Thompson, go to BYU-Idaho Radio’s Podcast on Spotify, YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.