Grantee Database
Chico Art Center
Grant Year
2025-26
Grant Program
Arts and Youth
Award Amount
$21,000.00
Project Description
With support from the California Arts Council, Chico Art Center will provide an after school art and entrepreneurship program. Creative Futures is a five-month series of workshops designed for high school continuation students who face systemic barriers to educational and creative opportunities. We have partnered with Fair View High School to teach weekly, hands-on visual storytelling, 2D and 3D functional art and sustainable fashion that explore students’ individual and diverse inspirations. The culminating event will exhibit and sell artwork and handmade goods at a local pop up art market.
Grant funds will compensate six teaching artists, pay for art supplies and art market vendor booth fees. By removing barriers like cost and transportation, and creating pathways for artistic and personal development, Creative Futures honors students’ lived experiences and positions them as artists, storytellers, and changemakers.
Organization Summary
CHICO ART CENTER:
The Chico Art Center provides a diverse range of programs and services that foster creativity, support local artists, and expand equitable access to the arts for the community, including underserved and underrepresented populations. Our integrated programming advances community engagement, arts education, and artist support while strengthening the local creative economy.
Core programs include:
• Gallery Exhibitions: Nine to twelve rotating gallery exhibitions annually, featuring emerging and established artists from diverse cultural backgrounds. Inclusive curatorial practices elevate underrepresented voices and encourage dialogue around community issues, engaging local and regional art lovers throughout the year.
• Annual Open Studios Art Tour: Butte County’s only Open Studios Art Tour, featuring over 70 artists. This accessible program invites the public to interact with artists in their studios, increasing visibility and generating income opportunities to participating artists.
• Arts Education: Affordable classes and workshops for youth and adults, taught by local artists. Scholarships, sliding-scale fees, and inclusive teaching practices ensure access for individuals across ability levels and economic backgrounds. Launching in 2026, the public will have access to our new digital arts classroom.
• Community Engagement: Ongoing events including open mic nights, spoken word, live art demonstrations, and Maker Space programming. Free art-making activities and partnerships with schools and community organizations extend access to new and underserved audiences.
• Artist Support: Opportunities to exhibit, teach, and sell work through exhibitions, the Open Studios tour, and a year-round gift shop featuring unique wares by member artists. Additional support includes promotional exposure and access to studio and classroom space.
• Volunteer Program: A robust volunteer base, including students, seniors, and individuals with disabilities contributes hundreds of service hours annually, supporting operations and deepening community connection.
• Together, these programs ensure broad, inclusive access to the arts while sustaining artists and enriching the cultural life of Butte County.
Organization
Chico Art Center
Address
450 Orange St., Ste. 6
Chico
95928
County
Butte
Region
Upstate
Website
Congressional District
California Assembly district 3
State Assembly District
District 3
State Senate District
District California
