McCall Public Art Plan

Visit www.mccall4art.com to review the draft and make any comments!

When should the Mill Whistle blow again? 

Nominate dates/times to sound the historic steam whistle HERE. 

Mill Whistle: Sound of an Era, a public artwork by Idaho artist Amy Westover - coming to McCall's Brown Park fall 2021.

In McCall’s early years, logging and lumber production were principal industries largely responsible for the founding of McCall as a township. Several lumber mills were built over the years and all of them burned down. A few artifacts were salvaged from the final burn. The mill steam whistle being one of them. 

This public art project is meant to give back to McCall the sound that embodied the character and livelihood of the town for decades. It is meant to create a new “village” tradition of blowing the whistle 3-4 times each year both as a honoring of the past and also a distinct celebration of the present.

Read the full Mill Whistle public art project proposal here.

Our Confluence - 2nd Street Public Art Project by Erica and Jamie Laidlaw

- coming to downtown McCall summer 2021 - 

Local artist/design team Erica and Jamie Laidlaw of Laidlaw Design Company have been chosen to design and fabricate artwork to complement the recently-completed reconstruction of the city's downtown core. Their project, Our Confluence, will celebrate the iconic local waterways of the South Fork and Main Salmon River in this functional concrete and metal bench to be installed at the corner of Lenora Street and 2nd Street at the heart of McCall. Review the full project description here.

McCall's Public Art Collection

Download a map of McCall's entire public art collection here. Below are descriptions of just a few example pieces...

Bridging the Source: Arts and Payette Lake

The City of McCall, in partnership with the McCall Arts and Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, partnered with Boise, Idaho artist Susan Madacsi to create public art for the newly re-built Lardo Bridge at the outlet of beautiful Payette Lake. The artwork, called "Seasons," consists of four forged steel and kiln formed glass sculptures installed on each of the four corners of the bridge. 

Listen to an interview with the artist on BSU Public Radio's Idaho Matters here.

See a video documenting the project here.

Mountain Goats at Play

In summer 2016, artist Matt Babcock of Seattle, WA, installed a grouping of three powder coated aluminum goat sculptures in a newly created pedestrian plaza next to the historic Alpine Playhouse in downtown McCall. The goats jump and play from natural stone seating elements, creating a fun public gathering place. The plaza and public art project was funded thanks to grants and contributions from Idaho Commission on the Arts, Idaho First Bank, Northwest Hardscape Specialties, City of McCall, and many generous citizens of McCall.

Rotary Park Railings

The City of  McCall, in partnership with the McCall Improvement Committee and the  Idaho Commission on the Arts commissioned artist and fabricator Susan Bond to create unique railings for new stairs leading to the lake front in Rotary Park. Look for the hand-forged "Waves of Payette Lake" while you enjoy the view. The artwork was installed in 2016.

Before I Die
In summer 2014, City of McCall participated in the international "Before I Die" public art project that encourages residents and visitors to express their dreams and aspirations by completing the sentence "Before I die I want to..." Entries were written in chalk on a blackboard installed in Legacy Park in downtown McCall on the shore of Payette Lake. Hundreds of answers were given. Here are just a few:

Photos and more information about McCall's "Before I Die" public art project can be found on the international Before I Die web site at www.beforeidie.cc