Backyard Artists
Backyard Artists empowers emerging artists in Idaho’s Treasure Valley by providing professional opportunities through community-driven exhibitions, literary events, project grants, and strategic partnerships.
Community & Creativity
Our vision is to cultivate a vibrant, inclusive arts community — in Boise and beyond — where emerging artists feel welcome to thrive, collaborate, and have a lasting impact on the developing cultural landscape.
Backyard Artists facilitates a literary publication, visual art events, open mics, readings, community events and more! We welcome artists of all skills and experience levels.
Upcoming Events
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CWI & Backyard Artists Present: The Storyfort Kick-Off Bonanza
Wednesday, March 26th
6:00 -8:00 PMFree Entry
One of Idaho's most storied landmarks, The Bishops' House, will appropriately be housing Storyfort's kickoff mixer. Teaming with Boise's very own Backyard Artists to bring you visual art, appetizers, and a little fun, join writers and storytellers from across disciplines for an opening night of art, food, and a reading from the CWI's 2025 Micro Fiction Contest winners.
Bishops’ House
2420 Old Penitentiary Rd.
Boise, ID 83712 -
First Friday Art and Studio Stroll: BYA x Surel's Place
Friday, April 4th, 2025
5:30 - 8:30 PMFriends! Join us for the first Friday art and studio stroll on April 4th!
Artists Brie Schettle & Megan White are collaborating to create an installation in the Green Box at Surel's Place, and we are so excited to hang out and experience their work!
More details to come.
Surel’s Place
212 E 33rd St.
Garden City, ID 83714 -
Body & Devotion
Opening Reception
April 25th, 2025
Time TBDGallery is Open
April 25th - 27thBody & Devotion is a BYA Visual Art Event. More details to come.
Surel’s Place
212 E 33rd St.
Garden City, ID 83714
Illumibrate Festival March 2024
Backyard Artists brought together a team of 15 local artists to create an immersive, larger than life, multimedia installation. Under the festival’s theme of “DREAMS,” the BYA artists’ team utilized hanging sculptures, lighting design, found objects, dance performances, soundscape, and more to transform JUMP’s Pioneer Room into an ethereal Dreamscape, all centered around the custom-designed inflatable brain.
Paper Plane Press:
Volume 1 Reading
After selecting and publishing 13 emerging authors in the first edition of Paper Plane Press, BYA hosted the Volume 1 Launch Party where authors had the opportunity to read their original pieces to an audience of about 140 people.
