Public Art

Apr 30 2022

Zoo Boise Gorongosa merchandise

By melissasasichambers Gorongosa, Public Art

The Summer of 2019 I installed the permanent outdoor Public Art piece for Zoo Boise’s new site expansion, the Gorongosa Exhibit. The artwork was completed that Spring and I had several conversations with Friends of Zoo Boise, the Zoo Boise Gift Shop as well as the company that purchases the concessions for the Gift Shop, in the hope of setting up a Licensing Agreement that would allow us to produce merchandise using my copyrighted images. To no avail.

I decided in the end to set up an account with Redbubble. They offer a panoply of products using my images — all of which you can view (and buy) at my page on the Redbubble website.

They will create everything from T-shirts and Hoodies, to Coffee Mugs, Shower Curtains, Duvet Covers, small pieces of furniture, Tote Bags, you name it, they make it. Phone cases, Face Masks, Fanny Packs, Pillows, Floor Cushions. Go see for yourself!

These photos are just screenshots from the website so, my apologies for the quality. I have zero apologies however for the Actual Quality of the real things. Having become my own best customer by solving 2020’s Christmas shopping purchasing a variety of these products, I can vouch for how well made they all are.

In fact here’s a sneak peak into our bathroom’s Leopard Shower Curtain. Meowow!

Feb 23 2015

“City of Trees” — TVAA Metamorphosis Exhibition

By melissasasichambers Exhibitions, Public Art

TVAA had an exhibition called Metamorphosis and for it I put together a triptych of the paper cut-outs I made as prototypes for the Treefort Tarp project. I titled my piece “City of Trees.”

This triptych has three paper cut-outs which used 3 colors of paper. Before I made “City of Trees” I did cut-outs which only used 2 colors and those were photoshopped into a photo of the location where the actual Treefort Tarps Picadas would hang.

Feb 22 2015

Treefort Music Fest Tarps Picadas 2014

By melissasasichambers Public Art, Tarpage

I was one of three artists selected to produce ephemeral public art for the Treefort Music Fest 2014. For the event I created seven 8′ X 10′ two layered polyvinyl “tarps picadas” which were stapled, and taped with colored Duck Tape. They were hung outside on the back wall of the Record Exchange in Boise, and stayed there with only one serious interruption for 6 months from March to mid-August.

“Granny Squares”

“Night and Day”

“Orange You Glad”

“Red Tree – (Ill Wind)”

“Tree Houses of the Rising Sun”

“Winter Trees’ Dreams of Spring”

“Treefort Blues”

“Treefort Blues” was on the cover of the March 19,2014 issue of The Boise Weekly, and the tarp itself later sold in the Weekly’s annual Cover Art Auction.

Aug 11 2013

Featured Artist: Chalk Art for July 4, 2013

By melissasasichambers Public Art

For the last few years the Idaho Statesman has sponsored a chalk art festival at Ann Morrison Park in Boise, Idaho. Kids, amateurs and professional artists alike get down and dusty together, creating masterpieces on the sidewalk for their own, and the public’s pleasure.

July 4, 2013 I was one of the Featured Artists. That meant lots of coverage in the Idaho Statesman, free chalk, all the water I could drink, and a parade of delightful people passing by while I worked who actually believed I knew what I was doing!

Jul 21 2013

“Y Not Ride the Bus” Bus Shelter

By melissasasichambers Public Art

A year after completing our first two bus shelter ceiling designs Will Spearman and I were commissioned to design a third. This bus shelter is directly adjacent to the downtown YMCA in Boise, Idaho so we wanted to include people playing sports. This is our computer design:

Not long after the bus shelter was installed it was hit by a drunk driver and the entire structure had to be rebuilt. Well over a year later they were able to completely restore our design. I’ve got just one question for any driver in that position: “Y Not Ride the Bus?”