Ciarlo letter: JUMP lacking

We recently had the opportunity to tour the new JUMP facility. Congratulations, Boise. You now have a great place to throw birthday parties for 7-year-olds. When we first started hearing about this project it was touted as a gathering place for the arts. Artists were invited to give input. Which, apparently, were universally ignored. Boise is desperate for a place where theater arts can be performed. Dance studio space is at a premium, performance space is a rarity and very expensive. This would have been a perfect place for a black box theater, with lights, sound systems and dressing rooms. None of which is in place at JUMP. The 6th floor was supposedly for aerial arts, but because no one asked the aerialists it is useless. Simple things can be performed but the aerial points can’t hold the weight required to perform complex moves. One room for dance is clearly not enough and getting rehearsal time is hard, as it (apparently) is already booked. Boise has a vibrant arts community. It would have been nice to have a building that met their needs. Tractors no one can climb on and big empty rooms are not it.

This story was originally published January 13, 2016 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Ciarlo letter: JUMP lacking."