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Hooper lives in the North End and has strong roots in
Idaho and Boise. He has a store-front gallery on Idaho
Street in the heart of Boise’s downtown. His shop is a
mix of his art in canvas, prints, t-shirts, magnets and
mugs with vintage furniture, knick-knacks and clothing.
“[I] take a little bit of vintage American advertising
and some European poster art and my Idaho upbringing,
mix it all together and you will get what it is I do.”
Recently, he loaned an image of current Idaho governor, C.L. “Butch” Otter, to Boise Pride for fundraising
efforts.
The image is provocative and will cause a deliberate reaction, good or bad, when seen. It is a portrait of
Governor Otter with a “made-up” painted face, earrings
and the word “butch” in a bright yellow, bold font below
the image.
The image is political satire. It will cause a stir. It
is directly aimed at a political cause and message to
engage the viewer.
“It has probably been about a year. About the time
the whole…all the things over at the statehouse were
going on. At the end, when it was getting ridiculous”.
Hooper is referring to the Add the 4 Words protests
that began in February of 2015, at the state capital,
which resulted in multiple arrests for social disobedience. In March of 2015, Gov. Otter’s office was also
protested and arrests were made during that demonstration. Gov. Otter was quoted as not understanding
why his office was being protested and that the demonstrators are hurting themselves.
“I can’t do anything; I can’t do anything down here.”
Was this the breaking point for Hooper to create his
“butch” piece as a social commentary on a Governor
he feels didn’t understand the plight of human rights
in Idaho? Was this a Call to Action for Hooper and his
talent?
OutBoisemag.com | Issue 18 | April 2016
Art and Politics