A new collaborative photography project centered at Boise State University is systematically documenting the visual transformation of Boise and Garden City, creating what participants call a living archive of how the Treasure Valley is evolving. The Boise PhotoGrid, launched in 2025, pairs 14 photographers—most with ties to Boise State—to capture neighborhoods, commercial districts, open spaces, and residential areas across a divided grid covering both cities.
How the Boise PhotoGrid Works
The project divides Boise and Garden City into 42 equal squares, each spanning approximately 1.7 square miles. Each month, participating photographers are randomly assigned a grid square and photograph it using their preferred artistic techniques. The collection includes work shot in multiple formats: 360-degree panoramas, Polaroid film, scientific-style documentation, and shallow depth-of-field artistic captures. This methodical rotation ensures that over time, every section of both cities receives regular visual attention and comparative documentation.
John Francis, Professor Emeritus in Boise State’s art department, conceived and initiated the project. “I started thinking about Boise and how it’s changing. And I had always wanted to develop a community of photographers who could support each other,” Francis said. The PhotoGrid draws inspiration from a similar long-running project in Portland, Oregon, which has operated for approximately three decades.
The Photography Team and Their Backgrounds
The 14-member photographer roster reflects the project’s strong Boise State foundation. Participants include Shawna Donahue, a 1993 Boise State BFA graduate in studio art and art history; Sue Latta, a lecturer in the School of the Arts who holds both BFA and MFA degrees; Weston McGhee, who earned a BFA in photography in 2015; Jason Sievers, a 2002 BFA graduate in graphic design; and Gregg Mizuta, a 1984 Boise State business and finance graduate. Michal Temkin Martínez, a professor of linguistics, also participates. This blend of alumni, faculty, and professional photographers creates a diverse creative perspective on the region’s physical character.
Documenting Ada County’s Hidden Details
Early discoveries by PhotoGrid photographers reveal unexpected and distinctive features of the Treasure Valley that many residents pass by routinely. Francis noted an unusual residential property near Overland Road decorated with distinctive rock formations, bowling balls, and bowling pins—an example of how the project unearths the distinctive character of neighborhoods. Similarly, the Hyatt Hidden Lakes Reserve in West Boise emerged as a focal point; the preserve occupies land that was formerly operated as a gravel excavation site before being restored and managed as a wildlife refuge.
Francis observed that the project addresses a common challenge for urban residents. “I think most people get into a routine. We will go the same way to work, to school, to the store,” he explained. The PhotoGrid deliberately breaks that pattern by requiring photographers to visit unfamiliar grid squares each month and document them with intentionality.
Building a Visual Record for Ada County
The Boise PhotoGrid functions as both a contemporary snapshot and a historical archive. As Boise, Meridian, Eagle, and other Ada County communities continue to experience residential and commercial development, the project creates a layered visual record of how neighborhoods appeared during this particular period of growth. Future comparisons of the same grid squares—photographed month after month across years—will document architectural changes, vegetation patterns, infrastructure development, and how the visual character of individual neighborhoods shifts.
For Ada County residents and planning professionals interested in how the region is transforming, the PhotoGrid offers a community-driven perspective that complements official land-use data and development records. The project invites participation and engagement from the public, turning professional and semi-professional photographers into documentarians of local change.
What Comes Next
The Boise PhotoGrid continues its monthly rotation of grid assignments. Residents interested in viewing the growing collection or learning more about the project can contact Boise State University’s art department or visit campus resources related to the initiative. For those curious about how specific neighborhoods in Boise or Garden City are being documented, the grid-based structure makes it easy to track which areas have been recently photographed and how they compare across multiple months.
As Ada County continues to develop and change, projects like the PhotoGrid serve as a reminder that visual documentation—beyond real estate listings and development renderings—captures the lived experience and aesthetic character of communities over time.