The College of Arts and Sciences Art Passport is an online course that allows students to experience the depth of Idaho’s arts and cultural scene.
The one credit course, which can be taken as a 200 or 400 level class in order to meet individual student needs, requires students to attend at least seven art-related events over the course of the semester. After each event, the student writes a reflection about their experience.
Amanda Ashley, the director of the School of the Arts, said she was pleasantly surprised at the student interest the Arts Passport has gained since its spring 2024 launch. She stressed that students were “hungry” for opportunities to connect with the arts and cultural scene not only on campus, but within the city of Boise.
“Something that is really special about Boise is that [in most other cities,] the arts community is not typically connected to universities and higher education,” Ashley said. “My experience [at Boise State] has been that [the art community] cares deeply about our students. This program helps the art institutions, our students, and the university. It’s a lovely synergy.”
Morgan Kelly, a junior majoring in Theater Arts and minoring in Music and Arts Entrepreneurship, took the Arts Passport course at both the 200 and 400 levels.
“This class has been really awesome for forcing me to get out of my bubble and learn about more things and events that are happening locally,” Kelly said. “I’ve seen films and attended events I wouldn’t have ever known about or seen if it hadn’t been for the class.”
While Professor Sue Latta provides students with a list of potential events they could attend, students are able to choose events outside of that list.
Kelly noted that taking the online course was incredibly convenient. As an aspiring creative, Kelly was able to obtain credit for writing about her attendance at events and productions she was already planning to be a part of. An example of this was when she wrote about attending an A1 Conference in the New York City area — making this course accessible to students with already packed schedules or those who may travel out of state frequently.
“My ultimate goal has been to build an audience for the various art happenings that we have on campus and in the community,” Latta said. “There are so many events on campus that are happening on campus that students could complete [the entire class] without ever leaving campus. We also have community partners that have offered student discounts or free tickets to students, offering a broader spectrum of events to students taking the class.”
These community partners include, but are not limited to: Duck Club, Boise Philharmonic, The Flicks, Boise Art Museum, Idaho Fish and Game and the Boise Bicycle Project.
Duck Club is offering students enrolled in the Arts Passport course two free shows a semester — one at Treefort Music Hall and another at the Shrine Social Club. The Boise Art Museum continues to offer free admission to students as well — regardless of their participation in the Arts Passport course.
Benjamin Burdick, the Boise Contemporary Theater’s artistic director, is excited to continue opening the theater’s doors to college students.
Boise Contemporary Theatre offers steeply discounted tickets for students participating in the Arts Passport programs, with tickets ranging from only five to ten dollars each. If ticket prices are a barrier for student attendance, Burdick said students can reach out to him directly to receive a waived ticket upon entry.
“I encourage students to check things out in their community. I have a feeling that Ballet Idaho, Boise Contemporary Theater and a lot of these other organizations are not the theater, ballet companies or spaces that you might have in your head,” Burdick said. “We’re not your mom and dad’s theater — we are brand new with interesting stories. I think if younger audiences gave it a shot, I think they would fInd it’s something they really enjoy and want to come back for.”
The College of Arts and Sciences Passport Program has proved to be such a success that it is now expanding to include three new online courses, launching this semester — the Culture and Ideas Passport, Environment Passport and Explore Passport.
“The [passport program] has been extremely successful and has had an impact on mattering and belonging — which we know from research has a direct impact on student retention,” Kelly Myers, the College of Arts and Sciences associate dean said. “This program has been so important that our Dean recently asked us to expand it. The Arts Passport has been the inspiration for the [sections] that have gone live this semester.”
