My youngest daughter and I decided to go see the Hallowed Absurdities:  Work by Theodore Waddell at The Art Museum of Eastern Idaho.

In the CHC Gallery, we looked at the Dryland Trout made of straw.  The Twelve Gauge Teresa had Heinze tomato ketchup loaded in its chamber.  The BNFL Gallery showcased the Firestone Single Shot made of wood, and the Reese Gallery had roadkill plastered in various forms (coyote, rabbit, kingfisher bird) on the walls.  It’s not your average exhibit as Waddell sought to make points about death on the range, gun control, and land management.

Stretching down the hallway, we enjoyed the work of local artists, Sonja Johnson, Dava Dahlgran, and Lisa Lau, etc., those who connected with District Chapter 217 of the Colored Pencil Society of America.

Discreetly, we wandered in the class room featuring Gallery 12 – the Gallery without Walls; Marla Swanner Ward is one of the 12 artists in this group.  I especially liked Gary Lords’ watercolor, “Snake River Waterfalls”, priced at $400.  In this room also, a class of four young, budding artists were listening to their teacher.

At the end of our visit inside, we purchased a creative drawing board in the gift shop and expressed our thanks to Liz, a volunteer, and Miyai Griggs, the executive director of the museum.

Overall, this is a pretty cool place.  And the outside landscaping is impressive.  Amble on back to the river behind the museum.  It’s worth it.  The water is a teeming source of life and beauty.