artist bio

A visual artist who works primarily as an encaustic painter but is skilled in many mediums, Matilda "Tilley" Bubb, PhD, is the City of Boise's Cultural Planner in the Department of Arts & History, where she has worked since 1998 serving the cultural needs of Boise. She serves as a board member of the Mitchell Family Foundation (which gives grants to non-profit arts, environmental, and social service organizations). Bubb earned her PhD in Public Management and Policy with a focus on the creative economy at Boise State University (BSU) in 2024, Masters in Public Administration with a focus on cultural studies and a Graduate Certificate in Community and Regional Planning from BSU in 2008, and a BFA in mixed-media art with a minor in arts history from University of Oregon in 1990. She teaches design thinking and creativity skills for BSU's Executive MBA program.

Tilley is co-founder of Surel’s Place, an artist-in-residence program in Garden City, Idaho, and served on the board from 2011-2020. She helped found the Alexa Rose Foundation, which provides support for artists' creative practice, and was a board member from 2014-2021. Bubb served from 2011-2017 on the national Americans for the Arts Public Art Network Board and in 2012 she was honored with the Idaho Governor’s Arts Award for Excellence in Arts Administration.