Basement Gallery

The Basement Gallery opened in 1988, founded by Perry Allen - launching the careers of many young Boise artists - and becoming a cornerstone of the Boise art scene. Allen sold the gallery to Brumfield LLC in January 2010.

Brumfield LLC is a husband and wife team, Mike and Jane Brumfield. The couple moved to Boise in December 2008. They already own the Weekend Gallery in Hastings on the English South Coast and were keen to become actively involved in the art scene at their new home.

The two galleries now work in partnership through an exchange program, offering increased opportunities for artists both side of the pond. Both galleries are curated by Jane, and there is a definite leaning towards contemporary figurative and narrative art which shows eccentricity and has a definite edginess.

"We favour work which demonstrates the eccentricities, fragilities and irrational nature of the human condition. Although some of the work may lean towards the strange and/or macabre there is always a thread of humour or glimmer of optimism."

Mike Brumfield comes from a different field, having worked if the oil and gas drilling industry for 30 years. His input gives the gallery a second eye, and serves to keep the selection fresh. His focus is more on the business side of keeping a gallery afloat, and he has become a very skilled custom framer.

The Basement Gallery remains an active provocateur on the Boise scene and is perhaps one of the most exciting spaces in Idaho's State Capital with its mix of contemporary American and British art.