artist bio

Matilda “Tilley” Rose Bubb, Ph.D., is a cultural systems thinker, public administrator, artist, author, and educator based in Boise, Idaho. Trained as a visual artist and holding a doctorate in public administration and policy, she works at the intersection of studio practice and civic design — building the cultural frameworks that allow artists and communities to flourish.

Over a 25-year career in public service, Tilley founded and led Boise’s Public Art Program, co-authored major cultural and public art master plans, and helped shape policies that integrate arts, history, and identity into the city’s long-term growth. She co-founded Surel's Place, an artist -in-residency program, and was a founding board member and director of the Alexa Rose Foundation. Her work bridges creative practice and governance, combining strategic planning with embodied, material and community-based inquiry.

In addition to her civic leadership, she teaches design thinking in Boise State University's Executive MBA program and leads intimate encaustic and creative process workshops. Her current studio practice explores presence, mark-making, materials, and the alchemy between systems and soul.

She is interested in creative ecosystems, artistic reinvention, and the evolving role of artists as civic architects.