Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial
The memorial, inspired in 1995 by a travelling exhibit on
Anne Frank, opened in 2002. It was built with private funds and donations of school
children. Remembering and honoring the
struggles of minorities, the memorial promotes equality for all people of all cultures. Verbal and
pictoral history of civil rights struggles powerfully educates visitors.
In a corner of the park edged by the river the memorial is
gently placed in an outdoor setting among the trees. Three circles define the general space of the
exhibit creating feelings of harmony and peace.
Each circle invites visitors to sit on memorial benches of stone or to
wind around the walks and read about Anne Frank and about human rights in general. Soft beige bricks topped with soft grey
concrete capstones gently divide the areas into small rooms.
The first circle encloses a bronze statue of Anne Frank
holding her diary and looking inquisitively out the window of her home in
Amsterdam. Behind her on the ground, lines delineate the size of the tiny rooms that her family lived in during the
occupation. The circle gently guides
visitors toward the back to read the “Universal Declaration of Human
Rights” carved on stone plaques.
Crossing a walkway, ponds and waterfalls connect the two other
circles. Carved into the walls visitors
find quotes from human rights activists offering inspirational messages on
freedom, equality, and human rights.
Stepping back to view as a whole, the texts, pictures and
recorded messages work together to educate and inspire. The setting of vast space and open air
reinforces the notion of freedom and peace.
The diversity of entrances reinforces the concept of human diversity. Honoring all races, genders, religions, and lifestyles, all in one unique space, sends the powerful message of universal human rights to the memorial visitors. Lack of admission fee invites an all-inclusive
feeling as well.
Idaho State Capitol
Building
Two wide sets of stairs lead to the front entrance of the
Idaho Capitol Building set on a park like lot landscaped in flowers and
shrubs. Six monuments and statues are
placed in various spots around the rectangular outdoor space. The building sits under a circular dome and
spreads to the east and west in rectangular wings.
As visitors enter, a blast of light from shiny white marble almost stuns the senses. Central circular walkways around
the rotunda and welcoming circular railings
open each floor to views of the rotunda, the massive marble support
columns, and the dome.
Scattered throughout the building historic treasures and
memorials offer glimpses into the past.
The third floor public lounge exhibit honors Those Who Served. Vitrines
display memorabilia from past military conflicts including weapons, uniforms,
model airplanes and cannons. The rectangle shape of the room is repeated in two story boxes that detail military history from the beginning of Idaho as a territory until the present time.
The fourth floor public lounge titled Statuary Hall holds
wood carvings from various artists. The
title cards for the carvings place the author’s name at the top if the cards in large
letters. Below that the title of the
piece typed in smaller letters. This
confuses the viewer into thinking the name of the author is the title of the
piece. It is constant throughout the room.
Outside this lounge two statues
sit on either side of the entrance. On one side can be found Nike
of Samothrace, a gift from France to the United States after WWII and on the other side of the doorway sits a wood carving of
George Washington painted in gold. These two pieces honoring US history seem a bit out of place in a state capitol building.
The first floor integrates red and black geometric patterns contrasting with the
white marble used everywhere else. The purpose of the black and red escapes me. It's the only place where harsh geometric triangles and squares appear.
The garden level on the ground floor offers two circular walking
tours using story boards, the outside circle about Idaho history and the inside about the system of American
Government.
The overall impression is one of light and welcome. Built with Neoclassical features, its grandeur and beauty recall classical virtue and honor. There was too much to look at in the rotunda. The House and Senate Chambers will need a separate visit to do them justice.
The Boise Art Museum
The Boise Art Museum is a low, flat, angular building on the
edge of Julia Davis Park. The outside is
grey rusticated brick interrupted by horizontal panels of rust colored
concrete. The doorway can be found by
following five neon strips of color. The interior is divided into 16 smaller galleries named for
donors and supporters. Low track lighting
and carpet softens and quiets each room.
Visitors can snake around in and out of the small galleries from one to
the next. The variety of doors and ramps
cause visitors to wander and wind from room to room.
Today there were five different displays spread through out the museum including Vampires and Wolfmen, Ceramics, Lisa Kokin’s exhibit, works Artists of Idaho and Night
Hunter, a movie by Stacy Steers.
To the rear and in the middle
is the Sculpture Court. High ceiling
allow larger pieces room for display.
Today a single bench was placed in the center of the room. The short film, Night Hunter by Stacy Steers, was continuously being projected onto
the wall. The black and white film was
collaged and re-filmed from the 1920s using 35mm film. Lillian Gish starred in this silent
piece. Dramatic, creepy things crawled
out of floors, drawers and other places.
Some dark red was introduced when blood spilled and spread from strange
places. The lone heroine battled the
monsters which left her in a strange mental state. The next gallery room, dramatically darkened,
contained photos from the film and a 6’ tall square doll house. In the house, in diorama form, scenes from the
movie could be seen through the small windows. It took four years for Steers to make this eerie piece.
The final room had the exhibits of Idaho artists. The largest of these was an installation of six human figures, all dressed in white winter clothing, all looking down, and all carrying cell phones looking lifelike, freestanding and creepy.
Overall the Art Museum feels reverent and respectful of the art work. Artfully displayed pieces inspire viewers.
The Idaho Historical
Museum
An angular building of flat, grey concrete houses the museum itself. Visitors first walk past a statue of Sacajawea holding her
infant son. She is standing under the words Idaho Historical Museum.
On the lowest floor of the museum a maze of flat, brown-tone story boards traces the
lives of miners, Native Americans, and loggers. Vitrines hold period clothing and tools.
The middle level divides a rectangular space between Native American and Idaho settler memorabilia. Vitrines hold Native American items such as beadwork, moccasins, glove, belts, painted raw hide, porcupine quill work, and pipes lined up item by item in plain, unimaginative lines. On the other side of the room Idaho settlers guns and cooking utensils are displayed in vitrines. The center
of the room held two cases of antique toys dating from much later in history than the rest of the room, about 19th
century. Another conflict off to the side was a small
room with a huge Idaho potato for kids to play with and on.
On the upper level installation rooms display settings from pioneer homes in
territorial Idaho, a bar room, a printing press, a saddle exhibit, some of
which can be interactive with visitors.
Off to the side on the upper level a more modern exhibit of
sports in Idaho filled a darken room.
Automatic lights went on as I crossed the threshold into the sport room. Totally incongruent with Idaho history, I
didn’t even go into that room. Somehow I don’t think
of a sports exhibit as part the history of Idaho.
The three interior floors of the museum seem to be haphazard
disarray, an amateurish mixture. The
displays go back and forth in time and themes.
The place could be redone in more artistic flair. One idea is to begin on the ground floor with the earliest
items and create displays that move through time from earliest to the most modern, ending on the top floor. All people and artifacts could be blended
together on a time line. No floor plan
or literature was available for visitors.
I’m guessing that this museum is operated on a very low budget.
The outdoors offered a Pioneer Village. There were three model homes ranging from a log cabin
to a more modern settler home. The village ended
with a walkway wandering around landscaped boulders and shrubs contradicting authentic landscape of pioneer days. A few plant and rock exhibits offered a small
bit of natural science information. Also
at the far end a display told the story of language evolution, of the two Native
American languages Sacajawea spoke and translated for Lewis and Clark.
Overall the building was scattered in subject
matter. It really seemed that there is
not much interest in this museum by the managers, especially compared to the
art museum or Anne Frank Memorial.
