Gala sculpts unforgettable evening around arts community

It was a night to celebrate “community and creativity,” filled with live performances from some of the valley’s most prolific and recognizable performing arts entities.

The Boise Metro Chamber of Commerce’s 2024 annual gala and auction Sept. 27 at the Boise Centre helped raise $17,500 for multiple, local nonprofit and performing and visual arts partners, according to Sandy Anderson, vice president of member services for the Chamber.

More than 800 attendees took part in the dinner and auction at the 141st gathering of the yearly event. Geared to bringing local businesses together and helping to enrich the Boise community, this year’s gala focused its bright lights on the local arts community.

“This is our biggest fundraiser and an incredibly important event for us,” Bobbi-Jo Meuleman, Chamber president and CEO, said. “Without this event, we can’t continue to do all the great things we do to support our members and the community and advocate for the business sector of the Treasure Valley.”

Sharing the stage as emcees for the night, Erin Anderson, executive director for the Idaho Botanical Garden, and Laura Kendall, executive director of the Morrison Center for the Performing Arts, stressed the important role the performing arts play socially, and as economic drivers within a thriving business community.

“The arts create millions of dollars in revenues and help create jobs in adjacent industries such as service and hospitality, marketing and communications firms,” Anderson said.

In her role overseeing the Morris Center, Kendall enjoys a front row seat to Boise’s “vibrant cultural arts scene.

“It attracts, talent, tourism and spurs investments,” she said. “It creates a community where people want to live, work and play, all of which contribute to our local economy and overall exuberance.”

Guests were treated to live performances from the Boise Contemporary Theatre, Idaho’s only professional theatre focused on contemporary performances, Ballet Idaho, Opera Idaho and the Oinkari Basque Dancers, a group that began locally 64 years ago and continues its mission to keep Basque dance and culture alive and well locally and statewide.

Keynote speaker Andrew Scoggin, CEO of Scoggin Capital Investment, and a Boise transplant, offered his insights into the relevance of communities that strongly support the arts.

“The artistic offerings such as the ones we are seeing tonight, enhance our business success,” Scoggin said. “And the arts industry itself, putting aside the help it provides to our businesses, is an economic force within our city on its own merit.”

As a young attorney, Scoggin came to Boise from the San Francisco Bay area in 1993, working for the Albertsons Corporation where he spent 27 years helping grow the longtime and highly recognizable grocery chain.

Witnessing the growth of both the retailer and the Boise community the past three decades, Scoggin told the crowd that it’s vitally important to “appreciate the power of the arts in a thriving community.”

“Vibrant cities grow outward like onions, not in a straight line,” he said. “But when a city grows in a circular fashion, new growth connects with previous growth, providing significant incentive to maintain the older sections and these types of cities grow in healthier fashion.”

Referencing a recent Wall Street Journal article, “Why Boise Might Secretly Be the Coolest City in the Pacific Northwest,” and quoting from Forbes Magazine, Scoggin highlighted why Boise must continue to support all aspects of the arts, from music to visual and performing arts.

“Businesses across the nation have witnessed that an investment in arts and culture, not only enhances quality of life, but also stimulates economic development,” he said.

Hart Gilchrist, board chair for Visit Boise, and the vice president of Safety, Improvement and Operations Systems for the Intermountain Gas Co., said the gala helps bring local leaders and collaborators together under one roof.

“It’s a great event to help bring all the business members in the community together,” he said. “We’re all working to take care of things in the valley.” And what I really love about this year’s gala is the focus on the local arts.”

As an ambassador for the chamber, Michael Shepard, dressed in a stylish velvet suede jacket, energetically greeted gala attendees. When not helping to promote the chamber, Shepard, serves as the Rehab and Asset manager for NeighborWorks Boise, a local nonprofit that works to provide affordable housing options throughout Idaho.

“This is my third gala, and this event is all about the community coming together to network and fundraise for some deserving agencies,” he said. “Tonight, it’s the arts.”

Scoggin helped wrap up the evening, reinforcing the notion of community while touting the array of opportunities and factors that make living in Boise and the Treasure Valley such a unique experience.

“We are fortunate to live in a city, that by design or happenstance is like an onion,” Scoggin said. “Tonight is a great opportunity to critically highlight what is such a valuable part of our community, our city. Art in its many forms is a key part of that constant renewal. Stay cool, Boise.”