Change forChange BY ARIANNA CRETEAU
Parking downtown can be expensive, but at FireFusion Studio & Delia Dante Gallery, paying to park supports the community. Five unique vintage meters line the parking lot, each dedicated to a local nonprofit. With each coin and turn of the dial, the meter changes to say “thank you” for your donation. “I had this crazy idea that I’d love to have these parking meters painted for certain nonprofit organizations around town to help support them financially and just add fun, you know? But I’m not a painter. I’m more of a sculptor,” said owner and artist Delia Dante. Individual meters are painted with bright colors and given a detailed personal touch commemorating each nonprofit. Through the meters, patrons can support the Boys and Girls Club, the Women’s and Children’s Alliance, Camp Rainbow Gold, The Wassmuth Center for Human Rights, and the Idaho Food Bank. Donations are matched by the gallery. To bring the project to life, Dante commissioned local Artist Emma McCoy. “I learned so much about adapting art to threedimensional surfaces,” said McCoy. “It’s really cool to repurpose such a solid design. It has brought a lot of awareness and joy to those that do donate because it’s just another form of donating that wasn’t out there before.” McCoy, an artist and suicide hotline prevention volunteer, first met Dante while painting her window for Treefort. “Emma gets so much credit for the design, the three-dimensional design, and the inner mechanism work. She knocked it out of the park! She’s really into helping the community, supporting the community, and helping nonprofits. So I paid her to work with me for a couple of years now. We’ve just installed the meters, so we’re really excited about it,” said Dante. When Dante’s dad, Steve Rizzoi, a welder and collector, first gifted her a vintage parking meter for Christmas, she had no idea what to do with it. Fast forward to 2019, after purchasing the current gallery and studio location in downtown Boise, Dante found the perfect space for her art and her beloved parking meter. Now, she needed more and they had to work. Dante tasked her dad with finding four more meters to complete the parking lot’s collection and asked him to fix the mechanisms to accept change. Because the meters have only recently been installed, Dante isn’t sure how much change they can hold, though she’s excited to see how popular they become. “I’m always encouraged to contribute in whatever way I can as an artist to support nonprofit organizations, especially ones that have to do with helping children,” said Dante. A former Boise art teacher of 12 years, she is inspired by youth, her daughter, and public art. Titled “Donation Meters” this fun, interactive, and meaningful art piece has drawn in nearby neighbors to donate, but Dante encourages the whole community to visit and participate. “I am encouraged to create more public art, at least around my building, that can support nonprofits or just be an interactive piece that the community can find enjoyment with,” said Dante.
“It’s really cool to repurpose such a solid design. It has brought a lot of awareness and joy to those that do donate...” PHOTOS BY KAREN DAY
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