Esther Oppenheimer ’76, ’84, ’89

Meet Esther Oppenheimer

Licensed professional counselor, early childhood art therapist and artist

College of Arts and Sciences
College of Education

Esther Oppenheimer grew up in Boise, where she lives and works today. After living in San Francisco and traveling internationally, she married Skip Oppenheimer and returned to Boise. Together they have two sons and their families (Joshua and Erin, and Matthew and Emily), and three granddaughters (Jane, Alice and Lizzie).

In the 1970’s, Esther studied the Japanese clay tradition with Boise State professor John Takehara and had a large-scale porcelain strands installation exhibition at the Ochi Gallery. She earned her Bachelor’s in Visual Arts in 1976 and then returned to Boise State University for her Master’s in Early Childhood Education (1984) and Master’s in Art/Painting (1989). In 1990 Esther had a one-person show at the Main Gallery in Old Boise. In 1993 she earned her Master’s in Counseling from the College of Idaho and became a Board Certified Art Therapist in 1999. Esther worked as an art therapist, mental health counselor and supervisor of interns at Warm Springs Counseling Center from 1995 to 2001. She received the Idaho Supervisor of the Year Award and the Stick Your Neck Out for Children Award from the Idaho Association for the Education of Young Children.

Esther believes there is significant value in introducing children to art at a young age and facilitated weekly art lessons with her son Josh, a teacher, to his third grade students for many years. She has been a docent at the Boise Art Museum and served on its board of directors, including as chair. In 2022 Esther was appointed to the National President’s Advisory Committee for the Arts. In 2023, she held solo exhibitions at Boise State University and at KIN.