Every year, the City of Boise invites local artists to decorate gray traffic boxes with original artwork, turning once-dull city streets into a public art gallery.
In January, the Traffic Box Art program, now in its 17th year, announced the artists selected to create their own public art designs for traffic boxes throughout the city in 2026, with several being Boise State alumni and faculty.
This year, artists were asked to create designs that “explore the intersection between community and climate” by focusing on one of the city’s seven Climate Action Roadmap Priorities. According to the City of Boise, these priorities serve to guide the community as it works toward being carbon neutral by 2050.
Hailee Parman, a 2024 Boise State alumna who graduated with a degree in Graphic Design, was selected to decorate a traffic box for the Natural Environment category.
“[The categories] were all based on the community and the environment in Boise, and nature is the place I feel most inspired and happy in,” Parman said.
Parman drew inspiration from one of Boise’s most prized natural features — its tree canopy, which earned Boise the nickname, “The City of Trees.”
“Trees have a lot of environmental benefits and provide calmness, health and mental benefits to the people in this city,” Parman said. “The trees in Boise are everywhere and make the city really beautiful.”
As Parman was drafting her design, she sparked her creativity by going on walks and paying close attention to the different kinds of trees she saw. She then sketched her design, added some color and submitted the proposal for her application.
When Parman found out she was selected, she was excited to be chosen for a public art program she had long admired.
“Ever since I moved to Boise, one thing I noticed immediately was the art scene here, and specifically the traffic boxes,” she said. “It’s really cool they’re able to turn something so industrial into a piece of art.”
McKenna Howard, a graphic design specialist for Boise State’s Office of Communications and Marketing, created a design for the Buildings and Energy category.
Her inspiration? The very building she works in on Boise State’s campus.
“The building I work in is heated by geothermal [energy],” she said. “When I started working at Boise State, I learned a lot more about it. We have an installation on campus, an art piece by the Engineering building that shows [how] the process of geothermal energy [works].”
Howard was fascinated by geothermal energy and that much of Boise is powered by the largest municipally operated geothermal heating utility in the country. She wanted to create a design that shows how the system works.
“[It starts with] water falling into the foothills,” Howard explained. “The water gets absorbed into the earth and goes down to the geothermal level, and that’s where the water gets heated. Then, there’s a pump on the east side of Boise that takes it back up, and then from there, the water goes through the pipes into each building.”
Howard’s design will showcase prominent buildings from Boise and Boise State’s campus which are heated by geothermal.
Howard said she resonated strongly with the year’s theme and is excited to contribute to the program.
“It’s really important, especially with this winter where the weather is a lot different than we were expecting, to really highlight how Boise is working with our climate and working to preserve our natural resources,” she said.
Another one of Boise’s climate priorities, Food Systems, will be represented in a design by Boise State alumna Sam Archidé, who graduated in 2024 and studied Fine Arts with an emphasis in Illustration. Archidé’s artistic process took inspiration from her connection to gardening.
“My family is really into gardening,” she said. “I have a lot of really fond memories working outside with my parents and different relatives. I also got into a house with a yard two years ago, so I’ve been learning more about the local ecosystem and what plants thrive in Boise and our climate.”
Archidé described her design as a narrative style, showcasing the community garden, Boise Farmer’s Market and the many people who make those programs a reality.
“I hope the traffic boxes spark some good conversations,” she said. “Not only are they visually appealing, but hopefully, people think about how you can grow your own food. How can you feel really independent and know where your food comes from?”
For Archidé, her education at Boise State prepared her to contribute to public art programs by helping her hone her artistic skills, challenge herself and grow confidence as an artist.
“I feel very fortunate that I [studied] at Boise State,” she said. “Repetition is the key thing with art — doing it over again. You get more comfortable doing the more challenging things.”
Another one of Boise’s most treasured natural resources, the Boise River, will take center stage for the Water Climate Priority.
Annika Kalak, a 2022 Boise State graduate with a degree in Fine Arts and an emphasis in Interdisciplinary Studies, created a design focusing on how Boise’s water resources bring the community together.
“Water is a huge source of recreation and third space gathering, especially in the summertime here in Idaho,” she said. “I chose water, thinking about what brings us together as a community and more specifically the history of the Boise River.”
Kalak is using a multimedia collage technique to tell a story of the past, present and future of the Boise River.
Having previously created art for the City of Boise, including an installation for the Boise Depot’s Centennial celebration in April 2025, Kalak explained that her Boise State education prepared her for a career of creating public art as a local artist.
“The art program at Boise State, specifically the faculty I took classes with during my time as BSU, is really focused on thoughtful critique and making sure students are ready to enter the professional field as an artist,” she said. “The program and the faculty themselves have built a really meaningful and constructive environment for you to create work that matters to you and get constructive feedback.”
For several of the artists in this year’s lineup, a Boise State education helped pave the way for them to make their mark on the local art scene.
