Boise City Arts & History Commission outlines depot centennial, staffing, survey and branding plans

The Boise City Arts & History Commission used its April meeting to review a package of program updates, staffing changes and strategic communications work tied to an upcoming Depot centennial and the city's yearlong America 250 commemoration.

The most immediate public program is a four‑day Depot centennial planned for April 13–16 that will include a new permanent exhibition at the Depot, nightly projection installations on the building's façade and guided tours with Spanish translations, Commission members were told. Organizers said the Depot events will include family programming on the final day and evening projection displays each night of the celebration.

Why it matters: The centennial and related public programs are serving as a focal point for the department's busiest season and are driving outreach, media relations and volunteer needs. The commission also discussed longer‑range items — a city branding and website redesign, a NEA grant application that would increase the city's grant pool for America 250 programming, and results from a wide creative‑industries survey that city staff plan to use in upcoming listening sessions.

Department operations and staffing

Staff told the commission the department is relocating temporarily while offices are remodeled and will return to the building on June 10. Two part‑time tour guides and a mayor's‑office‑sponsored intern will join programming this summer; the communications team will manage the internship. The commission was also told of recent personnel actions: Ashley O'Hara has been hired to fill the city historian vacancy and will join the department after defending…