April Fettuccine Forum: Boise Art Museum Celebrates 75 Years

Boise- BAM is celebrating 75 years of creating exceptional visual arts experiences.  In the depths of the Great Depression, Boiseans wanted a place to display outstanding works of visual art, as well as a place for people to explore creativity and curiosity. After more than seven decades, BAM still nurtures visual art and creativity for the community. Melanie Fales, executive director of BAM, will explore the history of the organization and how it is marking its commemorative year.
 
Melanie Fales has led the Boise Art Museum (BAM) as Executive Director since 2008.  Fales began her career at BAM in 1996 as an art educator and was named Curator of Education in 2002. She served as BAM's Interim Executive Director from 2006-2007, and lead the process for successful national re-accreditation. Fales holds a bachelor's degree in art and a master's degree in education concentrating on art museum education from Boise State University. She studied art history and museum studies at the Ecole du Louve in Paris, France as a Rotary International Ambassadorial Graduate Scholar. Ms. Fales believes that art museums play an important role in preserving the past, shaping the present, and helping to determine a positive future, and wants to strengthen public understanding that art museums are educational institutions with education at the core of their missions and places where free-choice, lifelong learning is interactive and fun.
 
The Fettuccine Forum is a free public lecture series on six First Thursdays throughout the academic year.  
 
When and Where:

1. April 5, 2012:  Doors open at 5:00 p.m. and the presentation begins at 5:30 p.m.
2. RoseRoom, in downtown Boise's historic Union Block, 718 W. Idaho Street
3. Food available for sale by Simply Pizza
4. Beverages, for a cost, are provided by Jo's Traveling Bar

The Fettuccine Forum is produced by the Boise City Department of Arts & History. This season the Forum is sponsored by the Idaho Humanities Council with support from the Office of the Mayor, Boise State Public Radio, Platform Architecture-Design, TAG Historical Research, Preservation Idaho, Idaho State Historical Society, Trademark Sign, and Landmark Impressions.  Lively and informal, the monthly lecture series supports the Department's mission to engage the public. The Forum offers a wide range of topics and speakers, from politicians, artists, historians, and professors, to planners, food specialists, and activists of all sorts.