When you mention the name of Idaho’s capital, Boise, to most out-of-state folks, the first thing they probably think of is football and…well, football. They probably don’t immediately think of the city’s art scene. Most people probably don’t even know Boise has an art scene. Unbeknownst to most, Boise is full of art. Walking down any one of the downtown streets you will probably spot some form of public art whether in the form of a sculpture, fountain, or a painted electrical box.
One of the most prominent forms of public art in the city actually takes up an entire alleyway. It’s typical of pretty much any urban setting to contain graffiti, but this isn’t your typical graffiti. The alley is an attraction in itself and is the largest outdoor gallery not just in Idaho but in the entire Northwest.
The aptly named Freak Alley Gallery is located in downtown Boise in an alleyway between Bannock and Idaho streets. The art contained in Freak Alley goes beyond the term "graffiti" in the traditional sense.
The outdoor gallery began in 2002 when the founder, Colby Akers, began a mural on a doorway in the alley. Soon he got the permission of the other business and building owners to continue using the rest of the alley.
Since then, hundreds of artists have contributed to make Freak Alley what it is today...the largest outdoor gallery in the Northwest.
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Local artists submit their work to the owners of the gallery and are then chosen to paint in the alley. Murals change every year so the alley may look completely different from the previous time you visited it!
Some of the murals take up the entirety of the old and weathered brick building walls. Other pieces are small and tucked away. It could take hours to look at every piece of art the alley has to offer, and you still might miss something.
It's not just the alley's walls that are covered but doorways, dumpsters, pipes, and other miscellaneous street items. Nothing is spared from the paintbrush!
Pretty much every single style of art you can think of can be found in Freak Alley. Some look realistic, some abstract, and some cartoon-like. There's a little bit of everything on display. Some murals are even made of mirrors!
Freak Alley is just one example of how Boise is a city different from any other in the world. An outdoor gallery of this size certainly isn't something you can easily find anywhere else. But more than that, Freak Alley symbolizes the amazing things that can happen when Idaho communities come together to create something the world's never seen before.
