That Boise intersection mural that was supposed to last a year? It’ll be gone after 2 months
If you haven’t seen the large mural on the intersection of 8th and Fulton streets, you better make a point to see it soon. You have until Sunday before it’s gone.
The Boise City Department of Arts and History announced in a press release Friday that “Reflections,” the mural painted by artist Jason Keeble in August, will be removed Sunday due to its “unexpected material failure.” The design will be removed at no cost to Ada County taxpayers, according to the release.
According to the Department of Arts and History, recent rainfall was the reason for the mural’s deterioration.
The mural’s removal will briefly shut down the intersection on Sunday; the mural will be paved over with concrete.
The mural was initially slated to stay for a year, according to the release. Keeble, who was selected for the project in 2017, was given a $9,000 budget for the project; it was funded by the Capital City Development Corp., the city’s urban renewal agency.
The Ada County Highway District approved the city’s desire to begin temporarily painting intersections in December 2016.
“We’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the community on Keeble’s ‘Reflections,’ ” Boise City Department of Arts & History Public Art Manager Karl LeClair said in the release. “While the outcome is extremely disappointing for all, we plan to build upon this experience and hope to explore the feasibility of intersection murals like this one in the future.”
As the Statesman’s Dana Oland reported in August, the mural is the first of its kind in Ada County and was, all things considered, “an experiment.”
“It’s scheduled to be in place for one year but no one really knows how the wear and tear from cars and the weather will affect the paint,” she wrote.
The mural was painted with Sherwin Williams’ heavy water-based concrete stain, Oland reported.
“Boise City Department of Arts & History staff are engaging in conversations with the artist and ACHD to determine next steps and if the project model is feasible for this or other locations in the future,” according to the release.
This story was originally published October 26, 2018 at 10:43 AM.