Railroad depot houses variety of art

Chico's gallery at the train tracks

By Jose Rojas

For more than 50 years the Chico Art Center has been at the forefront of art galleries and free expression in Chico. Since its inception, the non-profit organization has helped to foster local interest in the realm of visual graphic art.

Originally known as the Creative Arts Center, the organization promotes awareness of the arts by presenting lectures, hosting art classes for local art students and housing a gallery of post-modern art.

Located in the historic railroad depot on Orange Street, the center is home to one of Chico's oldest art galleries. Gallery director Jon Cummins has made it his goal to establish the center's gallery as a place for displaying the innovations of the post-modern art movement.

"I want people visiting the art center to see what else is going on in the art world," he said. "I would like to bring a balance between the avant-garde and something more conservative."

Cummins doesn't see the center's gallery as being in competition with some of Chico's more provocative galleries, he said. The gallery's board of directors wants to make sure that the exhibits shown at the center represent a more family friendly attitude.

"I want people visiting the art center to see what else is going on in the art world." -- Jon Cummins

"Membership prefers art of the past," Cummins said. "So I have to be careful not to piss too many people off. I'm trying to bring some change without chasing too many people away."

Currently showing at the center is a national juried exhibition of mixed media called "Me, Myself, and Eye." The exhibit includes a wide variety of art - including paintings, photos and sculptures from five different states.

The exhibit's Award of Honor was given to a piece of art that had at least one of the center's board of directors apprehensive.

"Blue Sewer" by Illinois artist Aunia Kahn

is a mixed media image depicting a bleeding young woman screaming at the base of a stair well.

Cummins said the implication of rape presented in the work of art had one member of the center's board concerned about the piece's presence in the gallery for public exhibition. Cummins defended the piece.

"I don't believe in censoring art," he said. "I don't see rape when I see this. I just don't get that."

Regardless of what more conservative members of the local art world think, Cummins wants to bring fresh ideas to the local art scene.

"I want to bring a young audience here," he said. "I want to bring local artists here and have this diversity of names coming through."

Jose Rojas can be reached at jrojas5@mail.csuchico.edu