The Gallery at the Linen Building Grand Opening

Introducing The Gallery at the Linen Building

Second-floor loft-style art gallery in Downtown Boise’s Linen District debuts on Friday, Aug. 14, with Corrin M. Olson’s “Urbanscapes” exhibit and afterparty

Art will have a new home in Downtown Boise when The Gallery at the Linen Building debuts on Friday, Aug. 14, with Corrin M. Olson’s “Urbanscapes” exhibit. The opening-night event begins at 5 p.m. on the second floor of the Linen Building, 1402 W. Grove St. in Downtown Boise’s Linen District. 

Admission is free for the show, which ends at 9 p.m. An afterparty with DJ will follow at 10 p.m. Admission to the afterparty is $10, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Treasure Valley Institute for Children’s Arts (TrICA). Olson will give away one of the pieces from the “Urbanscapes” exhibit at the afterparty. A full bar (I.D. required) will be available at the show and afterparty.

With natural light, warm sunsets and bird’s-eye views of Downtown Boise and the Linen District, the second-floor, loft-style Gallery offers artists and art lovers a fresh, unique urban space in which to display and view art.

The Gallery is the latest realization of Linen Building Owner David Hale’s vision for a chic multi-use arts and cultural center in the heart of Boise’s Linen District. Earlier this year, the Linen Building launched its Live at the Linen concert series, which in two months’ time already has succeeded in bringing unique live music events to the district.

Opening The Gallery is the logical next step, as the two-story special events center has been a showcase for cultural activities since Hale began refurbishing the building in 2005.

“The Gallery at the Linen Building is a natural transformation of the existing second-floor space into something that’s needed in our community and where I can continue my efforts to support the local arts,” Hale said. “There’s almost 100 years of history in the building, and I am very proud to have been able to transform it into a modern amenity while still honoring the significance of its architectural integrity.”

The work of Corrin M. Olson (corrinmolson.com) is a fitting debut exhibit for The Gallery, as the Boise artist/sculptor/designer was previously commissioned by the Linen Building to create artwork for the building’s downstairs concert space.

Olson, who owns Guigon Olson Studios (gospad.com) with her husband, Christophe Guigon, has had her work featured in several exhibitions and collections in Idaho and California. She explores technique and medium in her art, believing an artist needs the right materials to express thought by visual means. Olson’s work is typically abstract, ranging in concept from organic to urban and meant to further engage people in their surroundings. She is particularly interested in society’s built environment from both the structural (physical) and social (human interaction) perspectives.

The “Urbanscapes” pieces were created using oil paint, a medium that visually and viscerally represents the industrial aspect of society, the inner workings of the system. Some of the pieces also incorporate collage using newspaper articles chosen for their content, including terrorist attacks, economics, corruption, fundamentalism and product. Each painting is completed with a steel frame, a nod to a material used widely in industry. 

With the “Urbanscapes” series, Olson is commenting on the layers within society, our interaction, and the values we create through our own understanding, an understanding that, admittedly, is influenced by mass media.

“Corrin Olson’s work represents the underlying importance and identity found within The Gallery,” Hale said. “Blending the importance of our urban landscapes and the spaces that exist into the experience one finds when becoming a part of that fabric is truly significant. What the history, architecture and art bring together is the foundation of that urban experience.”

“Urbanscapes” will be available for viewing from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays Aug. 14 to Sept. 20. Contact the Linen Building for a private showing.

For more information on The Gallery at the Linen Building, contact David Hale at 208.385.0111 or info@thelinenbuilding.com. Visit thelinenbuilding.com and interact with the Linen Building on Twitter, Facebook and MySpace.

ABOUT THE LINEN BUILDING: Built in 1910 and originally known as the American Laundry Building, the Linen Building Event Center has been transformed into an architecturally unique special events center. The two-story facility hosts art and fashion shows, music concerts and events, weddings and receptions, corporate meetings and functions, proms and many other events. The Linen Building offers clients catering, full bar, audio/video, lighting and many other customized services.