CHICO ART CENTER:

Services to accomplish our mission include: community engagement, education, and artist support. Providing opportunities to see art, talk to artists, to make and show art are paramount to successful community engagement. An annual open studios event gives people behind the scenes perspectives on artists by visiting their studios. We sponsor free art-making activities at a weekly community concert during the summer and other special events. We collaborate with organizations like our county Office of Education or the downtown business association to put on displays to engage new audiences and display art in unexpected places. The Center applied for, and received, multi-year funding to host public mural projects, which now grace our downtown district.

We seize every opportunity to help people know who is making art, and why, and how that adds value to our community. The sheer variety of artistic expression and different mediums showcased annually in our gallery is a vital way to expand understanding and appreciation of art. Exhibitions include artist and juror statements to aid understanding what motivates artists. We field exhibitions that give artists an opportunity to respond to current social issues (fire devastation, COVID isolation, social justice) and to help viewers process their own reactions to these issues. Technology affords the opportunity to educate and expand our audience, beyond those who visit the Center, through a robust website, Zoom presentations, and social media updates.

We support artists through opportunities to show and sell art, earn money by teaching classes, classroom space for group studio sessions. We seek out artists not widely represented and share their art and ideas in our gallery, website, and on social media. Through donations we are able to offer free art supplies and free access to use our facilities.