Office of the University Art Curator

Fonda Portales joined the Division of Campus Operations in 2016 to fill the newly created role of University Art Curator and Collections Manager. Prior to this position, she served as Adjunct Faculty in the Art Department for eight years, teaching survey and upper-division Art History. She continues to be a passionate educator and enjoys developing student engagement with the visual arts on campus.

In her role as University Art Curator and Collections Manager, Fonda manages the University’s permanent visual art collection, curates Student Union Building gallery spaces, and directs public art commissions on campus. As Chair of both the University Arts Advisory Committee and the Student Union Fine Arts Advisory Board, she works with faculty, researchers, students, and community leaders to seek out and approve new acquisitions and exhibitions, and writes policy regarding visual arts culture on campus.

Prior to joining the university, Fonda worked as the Director of Development and Public Education at the ACLU of Idaho, a Marketing and Development Associate with the City of Los Angeles’ Department of Cultural Affairs, and a Resident Artist at the archaeological site of Urkesh, in Mozan, Syria, where she established an on-site museum of artifacts.

Fonda earned a bachelor’s degree in English Education from Northwest Nazarene College, in Nampa, Idaho, and master’s degree in Art History from California State University, Los Angeles. Her academic focus is on the transcultural iconography of Mesoamerican and Spanish influence. Her drawings of Aztec and colonial works can be found in the Oxford University Press Handbook to Life in the Aztec World.

Ainsley Gunstream is a BFA student with an academic focus in Drawing and Painting. She expects to graduate in the Spring of 2025. She has grown up in the Boise/Nampa area and fell in love with art at a very young age. She is excited to continue networking and getting involved in the art community in Boise. She additionally works as a Promotional Artist for Boise State’s Student Involvement and Leadership Center, creating sidewalk art as well as window paint displays for all the campus’ student events.

Ainsley is interested in large scale artwork. She uses her time outside of work and classes to grow her freelance business providing window and mural art for local businesses. Gunstream is also involved in upholding Boise State spirit, as she is a member of the Blue Thunder Marching Band, as a colorguard performer. She enjoys visual as well as vocal and dance arts and takes advantage of many of those opportunities at Boise State.

As Permanent Collections Assistant, Ainsley is responsible for cataloguing, researching, and documenting the Forrest and Lynn Geerken Print and Drawing Collection, a collection of over 1,000 works from the early Renaissance to the the early 20th century.

Eden Sanborn is a BFA student majoring in Illustration. Her journey at Boise State University started in 2021, and she is expected to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in 2025. Eden grew up and has lived in Boise her entire life. She enjoys traveling inside of the United States and experiencing life outside of Idaho. 

Eden lives a very active life. She enjoys spending her time outside of school and work by being out in nature, crafting, and spending time with her friends, family, and her dogs. She became interested in art from her grandmother and older brother and has continued on the path. 

Eden takes inspiration from unique art when creating. She experiments with a variety of mediums but tends to lean toward watercolor, sculptures with found materials, and recently she has become very excited practicing digital art. Her favorite style is surrealism, but she appreciates every style. Eden has an eye for details, colors, and individuality. 

As a curatorial assistant, Eden assists in the planning of exhibition events, social media and online promotion of exhibitions, and she helps to organize exhibition collateral.