Boise State University – Compiled from school catalogs, 2014, Lee Ann Turner
Art has been part of the school’s curriculum since it was Boise Junior College; at least one Art class has been part of the core requirements since the school’s inception in 1932. The Art program began offering its own degree, an AA in either Fine or Commercial Art, in 1940. A bachelor’s degree was first offered in 1965, the very same year the school attained four-year status. The MA in Art Education was among the earliest graduate degrees, first offered in 1976 two years after the college became a university. As the department grew over the decades, it has occupied 21 different buildings on and off campus. You could even say that the evolution of the Art Department reflects and is closely tied to the evolution of the institution itself.
Timeline
Use the search field to filter table content.
| Year | University Events | Art Department Events | New Faculty (departure date in parentheses) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1932-33 | Boise Junior College created from Episcopal St. Margaret’s School. Bishop Barnwell is president. | Two credits of History of Art required of all students. Courses offered: Drawing, Painting, Modeling. | Catherine Crossman (1934) |
| 1933-34 | – | Classes: Art Appreciation, Elementary Freehand Drawing, Principles of Design, Costume Design, Lettering, Public School Art. | – |
| 1934-35 | Boise Junior College becomes independent. Tuition is $120/year. | Four credits of Art required for the two-year Associate of Art degree. | Mary Hollingshead (1935) |
| 1935-36 | – | Costume Design removed. | No faculty listed |
| 1936-37 | Eugene Chaffee becomes president | – | No faculty listed |
| 1937-38 | – | Classes continue to be listed even though no Art Faculty are named. | No faculty listed |
| 1938-39 | – | – | No faculty listed |
| 1939-40 | Campus switches from semesters to trimesters. Tuition drops to $25/term or $75/year for Ada County residents. | Art instruction resumes. Conan Mathews chair. Classes in Painting, Interior Design, and Commercial/Industrial Art added. | Conan Mathews (1957), made dean in 1946. |
| 1940-41 | The campus moves to its present location; the land is a gift from the city of Boise. The Heating Plant and Administration Building are the only buildings on campus. | Associates degree in either Fine Art or Commercial Art is now offered. Classes taught in the Administration Building . | – |
| 1941-42 | Machine Shop (now Maintenance Shop) built. | First Ceramics class offered. | – |
| 1942-43 | Assembly/Auditorium (now Hemingway Center), Student Union (now Communications), Gym, and two Vocational Technology buildings are completed. | – | – |
| 1943-44 | A Health Clinic is built (near present Micron Business Bldg.). Landing strip and hangars for pilot training described for just this one year. | – | – |
| 1944-45 | – | – | – |
| 1945-46 | – | – | Margery Kallenberger (1947) |
| 1946-47 | – | – | Catherine (nee Evans) Vasquez (1954) |
| 1947-48 | Craft Building (near present LA Building) is built. | Presumably at least some Art classes are held in the Craft Building since it is defunct after Art moves temporarily into the 2nd floor of the new library while the LA Building is planned in the 1960s. | – |
| 1948-49 | Campus returns to semester system. Departments are now grouped into Divisions: Business and Economics, Humanities, Life Science, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences, Vocational Education. | Art Department is part of the Division of Humanities. Ada Hatch is Division Chairperson. | – |
| 1949-50 | – | – | – |
| 1950-51 | Driscoll and Morrison dormitories are started. | – | – |
| 1951-52 | – | – | – |
| 1952-53 | – | – | – |
| 1953-54 | – | – | – |
| 1954-55 | Campus School built as an elementary school for student teacher training. Cunningham Memorial Organ added to the Auditorium (Hemingway Center) and cited as costing 35k-40k. | – | – |
| 1955-56 | PE Building (site of new Bronco Gym) and Science Building (now Math-Geo) built. | – | Louis Peck (1990) |
| 1956-57 | Tuition increases to $50/term or $100/year. | – | – |
| 1957-58 | Tuition increases to $120/year and continues to rise hereafter. | Louis Peck chair | – |
| 1958-59 | – | – | Charles Stubbs (1959) |
| 1959-60 | – | – | LaVar Steel (1967) |
| 1960-61 | College Courts built (now replaced by University Square). | First Art Metals and Printmaking classes offered. | – |
| 1961-62 | – | – | – |
| 1962-63 | – | – | – |
| 1963-64 | – | – | – |
| 1964-65 | Christ Chapel and core of current Library are built. | Watercolor classes now added for a total of 16 art classes. Art, English, and Speech are temporarily housed on the 2nd floor of the Library . | David Oravez (1996) |
| 1965-66 | The school gains four-year status and becomes Boise College | BAs in Art and Art Education are listed in the catalog but no requirements are published yet. 26 classes total. First upper division classes. First Photography and Sculpture classes. | Howard Huff (1999) |
| 1966-67 | Chafee Hall, Ed Tech (now Academic and Career Services), and core of current Student Union built. | Requirements now published for either a BA in Commercial Art or a BA in Art with options in Liberal Arts or Secondary Education Certificate. There is also a Minor in Art. First Art History classes beyond introductory survey. | Larry Cromwell (1970) Jimmie Faulkner (1968) |
| 1967-68 | John Barnes becomes president. Liberal Arts Building completed; | William Shankweiler becomes Chairman of Humanities Division. Art Department moves from the Library into the east wing of the Liberal Arts Building . | Arny Skov (1997) Charles Smith (1969) |
| 1968-69 | The school, now part of the Idaho higher education system, is renamed Boise State College . The college is divided into schools: Arts and Sciences (subdivided into Arts and Letters, Science and Health), Business and Public Administration, Education, Vocational Technology. | Joseph Spulnik is dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. Shankweiler continues as chairman of the Arts and Letters division. BAs are now listed as General Art, Art Education, or Commercial Art. New BFA degrees in Art Education, Commercial Art, or General Art (emphasis in either Drawing and Painting, or Sculpture and Ceramics). First class in Architectural Graphics offered. Art classes now use AR designation. | Alfred Kober (1999) John Takehara (1995) |
| 1969-70 | – | BA and BFA in Commercial Art renamed Advertising Design. Al Kober installs “Spirit of the Bronco” | James Russell (1996) Tarmo Watia (1987) |
| 1970-71 | Vocational Technical Center (now demolished), Business Building (now Riverfront Building), Towers Dorm, and PE Building (now Kinesiology Annex) built. | – | John Killmaster (1998) George Roberts (2002) Paul Schlafly (1978) Boyd Wright (1979) |
| 1971-72 | Graduate School formed. First master’s degree awarded. “G” designation for graduate credit first assigned to some undergraduate upper division classes. | – | Jon Morgan (1976) F. Denis Ochi (1986) |
| 1972-73 | School of Health Sciences formed. | First graduate level Art courses listed in Art Education. | J. Don Douglass (2003) |
| 1973-74 | Student Health Center (now Chrisway Annex) built. | – | Maria Winkler-Green (1976) |
| 1974-75 | The college becomes Boise State University . University Heights built. | Artisanry added to the Sculpture and Ceramics emphasis in the BFA in General Art for 1 year, presumably to reflect a crafts emphasis. | Susan Caldwell (1977) |
| 1975-76 | Mechanical Technology, Special Events Center, Physical Plant, and University Manner built. | Single BFA in General Art with emphasis areas in Painting, Watercolor, Drawing, Ceramics, Sculpture, Printmaking, Crafts, and Photography. | Elmo Benson (2002) Paul Proctor (1981) John Taye (2008) Ronald Taylor (2010) |
| 1976-77 | Science and Nursing Building built. University acquires 13 or more houses near campus. | MA degree in Secondary Education added. Ceramics and Photography move into a small house on Belmont ( Art Annex #1 ) | Betty Culley (1980) Donald Deveau (1979) |
| 1977-78 | – | William Keppler now dean of the School of Arts and Sciences. | James Blankenship (2006) Betty Copeland (1980) |
| 1978-79 | Education Building, Culinary Arts, Diesel Technology buildings built. | Pre-Architectural program added. House on Lincoln previously occupied by Geography is now the Art Graduate Center or Art Annex #2 . | Felix Heap (2004) Gaye Hoopes (2002) Cheryl (nee Shurtleff) Thomson (2013) |
| 1979-80 | John Keiser becomes president. | Changes in emphasis areas: Craft is no longer available but Art Metals and Weaving are. House on Michigan once occupied by Education is now Art Annex #3. | – |
| 1980-81 | – | – | Brent Smith (2007) |
| 1981-82 | – | – | – |
| 1982-83 | The Pavilion is built. | Art History is added as an emphasis area in the BFA in General Art. Second house on Michigan that had housed Developmental Writing is now Art Annex #4 . | Merlin Miller (2005) |
| 1983-84 | NO CATALOG PUBLISHED FOR 1983-84 | – | – |
| 1984-85 | School of Arts and Sciences now College of Arts and Sciences (COAS). Morrison Center built. | The Weaving emphasis area is deleted. History of Photography and History of Architecture classes are added. Art Annex #5 is on Lincoln. Art Annex #6 and Art Annex #7 on Manitou are in buildings previously occupied by Archaeology and Music. | Patricia Machacek (2003) |
| 1985-86 | – | – | – |
| 1986-87 | Simplot Micron Building built. Auditorium now Hemingway Center. School of Social Sciences and Public Affairs (once part of COAS) formed. | – | – |
| 1987-88 | – | Daryl Jones dean of COAS | Charles Egnaczak (1989) |
| 1988-89 | Computer Annex built. | – | – |
| 1989-90 | College of Technology replaces Vocational Technology School (divided into School of Vo-Tech Education and School of Applied Technology). | Mary Witte chair. Senior Show added to curriculum. Art Annex #8 is a Fourplex on University. | Mary (nee Stieglitz) Witte (1997) |
| 1990-91 | – | – | – |
| 1991-92 | School of Social Sciences and Public Affairs made into a College. Amphitheater built. | – | Elizabeth Bauer-Simon (1996) Heather Hanlon (2005) |
| 1992-93 | Campus School is renamed Liberal Arts West. | Dave Oravez chair. Around this time there is discussion regarding a new Art Building because the department is spread across 8 annexes and the LA Building. A rendering was even created. The decision was made, however, to move Painting, Drawing, Illustration, and Printmaking into Campus School . Two Art Annexes continued to be utilized: Belmont Annex for a Ceramics studio and the Fourplex for adjuncts and later graduate TAs. | Teri Micco (1997) |
| 1993-94 | Charles Ruch becomes president. First PhD offered. Liberal Arts West renamed Public Affairs and Arts West (PAAW). | Two new degrees: BFA Illustration and MFA Visual Art. The BA and BFA in Advertising Design renamed Graphic Design. BA and BFA in Art Education split into two tracks: 6-12 and K-12. | – |
| 1994-95 | First separate Graduate College catalogs. | Phil Eastman dean of COAS. | Richard Young (2018) James Budde |
| 1995-96 | – | Gary Rosine chair. | Gary Rosine (2004) Delphine Keim-Campbell (1996) |
| 1996-97 | First Doctoral degree awarded. Health Science Riverside built. | – | Stephanie Bacon Mike Rainey (2001) Bob Winward (2000) Lee Ann Turner |
| 1997-98 | College of Engineering formed. College of Technology renamed Larry Selland College of Applied Technology. | First MFA students enrolled. Multiple upper-division Art History classes added to the catalog. | – |
| 1998-99 | – | Name of BA and BFA General Art changed to Visual Art (emphases: Art History, Art Metals, Ceramics, Drawing, Interdisciplinary, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture). | Bill Carman Lisa Heer (2005) Karen Kosasa (2002) |
| 1999-00 | Multipurpose Classroom Building added to campus. | Preliminary NASAD program review (Jan. 2000). Designation of Art classes changes from AR to ART. Computer Lab Coordinator position added. | Francis Fox Larry McNeil |
| 2000-01 | Morrison Civil Engineering and Micron Engineering Center build. | First MFA Visual Art students graduate. | Laurie Blakeslee |
| 2001-02 | Brady Street Parking Garage built. | BA and minor in History of Art and Visual Culture added. Art History emphasis area in BFA Visual Art deleted. | Thomas Elder John Francis (2018) |
| 2002-03 | New Student Recreation Center built. | Art Minor Certificate Endorsement added to Art Education program. Art History moves into the Hemingway Center . | Nicholas Newman (2006) |
| 2003-04 | Bob Kustra becomes president | Richard Young chair. 1st NASAD evaluation (Nov. 2003) | Dwaine Carver Tudor Mitroi (2010) Kimiko Miyoshi (2006) Anika Smulovitz |
| 2004-05 | University Court housing replaced by University Square. Keiser Hall and Taylor Halls built. | Department granted Associate Membership in NASAD. | Janice Neri (2016) Kathleen Keys |
| 2005-06 | “G” designations removed. | Faculty line converted to Gallery Director lecturer position. | Kirsten Furlong Jennifer Wood (2013) Elizabeth Wiatr (2009) |
| 2006-07 | Caven-Williams Sports Complex built. Former Office Depot now named Fine Arts Building. | Marty Schimpf dean COAS. Designation of classes divided into ART and ARTHIST. BA in Graphic Design deleted. Many old classes deleted: Lettering, Crafts, Interior Design, Weaving, Watercolor. Graphic Design and Graduate Studios move into the Fine Arts Building (previous Graduate Studios had moved almost yearly: Fourplex, Chrisway Annex , Fulton Street warehouse , River and 9th , 601 Rossi , building at end of Leadville behind US Bank). | Niharika Dinkar Jill AnnieMargaret (nee Fitterer) Dan Scott |
| 2007-08 | Interactive Learning Center opens. | BAs in Art Education K-12 and 6-12 deleted. BFAs retained. Photo and studio lab tech positions created. | Jonathan Sadler |
| 2008-09 | Lincoln Garage opens. | 3-2 teaching load begins for faculty teaching in the graduate programs. | – |
| 2009-10 | Stueckle Sky Center opens. Larry Selland College of Applied Technology transitioned to community College of Western Idaho. | 2nd NASAD evaluation (Nov. 2009). Art Minor Certificate Endorsement changed to Art Teaching Endorsement. | Craig Peariso |
| 2010-11 | Norco Building (Nursing) opens. Arts and Humanities Institute founded. | Pre-Architecture program deleted. First Peer Advisor in place. | Caroline Early Chad Erpelding Ryan Mandell (2013) |
| 2011-12 | Environmental Research building opens. Yanke Family Research Park added to campus. | Printmaking lab tech position created. | – |
| 2012-13 | Micron Business and Economics Building and Lincoln Townhomes open. New Foundational Studies Program replaces old Core. Most undergraduate degrees reduced from 128 to 120 credits. | Tony Roark dean COAS. Planning for new Fine Arts building begins. Gateway admission to Art procedures begin. | – |
| 2013-14 | Program Prioritization initiative. “B” sculpture placed in new Administration Building plaza. | Lee Ann Turner chair. Lectureship in Foundational Art added. | Muffet Jones Kate Walker |
| 2014-15 | – | First permanent full-time Art Advisor hired. | Lily Lee Brian Wiley |
| 2015-16 | College of Social Sciences and Public Affairs dismantled with some departments going back to COAS and others to a new School of Public Service. | 3rd NASAD evaluation (Feb. 2016). Senior Exhibition committees end. New two semester culminating experience for BFA students begins. | – |
| 2016-17 | – | Kathleen Keys chair. Gateway admission to Art procedures deleted. | – |
| 2017-18 | Groundbreaking on new Fine Arts Building. School of the Arts created. | MA in Art Education deleted. Executive Space Planning committee approves future space for faculty studios. Neri Gallery is opened as part of the MFA Visual Arts degree program. Planning for moving into the new building commences. NASAD Accreditation renewed. | – |
| 2018-19 | Marty Schimpf interim president. Tony Roark interim provost | Dan Scott interim chair. Leslie Durham interim Dean COAS. Kathleen Keys interim director of SoA. Significant moving preparations continue, new and replacement equipment purchases begin. | Tomasz Gruciecki Astri Snodgrass |