For questions or to participate as a performer, please contact Reed Rickmers at (530) 804-3044
Spoken Word & Open Mic
Event
Art Trivia Night
At Chico Art Center!
The format is single player competition. There are four rounds of questions and there will be prizes for different rounds as well as a grand prize. Players are given an answer sheet. Questions or projected on the screen and they have a certain amount of time to answer, and then we move onto the next question. Come give it a try!
For questions contact Reta Rickmers at rrickmers@hotmail.com
70th Anniversary Gala
Honoring the Past,
Inspiring the Future
Celebrate 70 Years of Creative Community
with Chico Art Center!
Join us for an unforgettable evening as Chico Art Center (CAC) celebrates 70 years of artistic vision, collaboration, and community spirit in Chico and Butte County!
For seven decades, our community of artists, teachers, volunteers, students, and supporters have shaped CAC into a vibrant creative home. Together, we’ve built a legacy of artist-led classes, exhibitions, and events that have inspired generations - and we’re just getting started.
Dress to Inspire!
Embrace the theme with suggested attire. Arrive as your favorite artist or simply in your favorite color. Bring friends, bring family, or come solo — you’ll be welcomed into a joyful celebration of local creativity and the people who make it thrive.
What to Expect:
- A delicious fully catered dinner by OM Foods
- One complimentary drink ticket (with additional beverages available for purchase)
- A silent auction featuring unique, locally sourced art and a raffle for locally sourced treasures
- Honoring supporters who help keep creativity alive
- A video tribute showcasing CAC’s 70-year journey
- Live painting by local artists
- Fun photo opportunities
- Live music with Shigemi Minetaka (keys, flute), Aman Cowell (trumpet) and Aron Linker (bass)
Why This Night Matters
Every ticket, every bid, and every moment of celebration helps support CAC’s ongoing programs and expansions — ensuring that creativity, community, and artistic expression continue to flourish for the next 70 years.
Let’s come together in gratitude and inspiration for the future.
We can’t wait to celebrate with you!
July 2025 | Pizza My Art
Call For Pizza Box Art
$800 Cash Prizes + Fun Consolation Prizes announced at Pizza Party. Need not be present to win.
*Auction Ends at 6:00 PM, then awards given after and auction winners are welcome to pay and pick up their purchases.
Makers of all ages transform the common pizza box into extraordinary objects
This is our 5th Annual Community Art Competition & Auction and this year all the artwork will be on exhibit in our main gallery for two weeks. This will give our audience time to view the art and to bid on their favorite entries over an extended time. This delightful event and silent auction is a fundraiser for the Chico Art Center.
Pizza My Art is a playful way to engage with art and our community and over the last three years entries have really become quite extraordinary. For anyone entering the competition, it is a chance to stretch your imagination and to win cash awards, gift certificates for pizza, and consolation prizes. For art lovers and collectors, this exhibit and silent auction is an opportunity to view and acquire fun art for home or office.
As in previous years, our sponsors are Mountain Mike’s, Grana, Mulberry Station, Woodstock’s Pizza, Tio's, Rione, Burbon Kitchen and Farm Star Pizza. They have donated pizza boxes, gift certificates and in-kind prizes. Cash prizes were donated by Becky Williams, Marion Hunziker-Larsen and Nicolai Larsen.
Special thanks to Marion Hunziker-Larsen and Nicolai Larsen for graciously producing this fundraiser.
Competition Rules
- Pick up pizza box at CAC & pay entry fee.
- Box can be flat, open or closed, constructed or deconstructed, or incorporated in art. Pizza Box Art can be 2D or 3D or Popup. Medium can be painting, drawing, collage, popup art, mixed media, wall or table sculpture, or anything else you can imagine or create. All attachments must be secure.
- Must be ready to hang or to be placed on a pedestal.
- Write your name (+ age if kid) on the back of the piece AND enter artwork on online drop-off form.
- All pizza box art will be on display and auctioned off to the highest bidder at CAC from July 26 to August 8.
- To get any Pizza My Art entries during the auction, including your own, you will need to win the final bid.
- Any artwork not picked up or claimed by August 9 at 4pm can be reclaimed by the artist.
- Pizza box art still unclaimed after Sunday, August 10 will be recycled.
Grow with Us Open House
We have officially signed a lease with the City of Chico to take over the additional spaces on the south end of the historic Southern Pacific Railroad depot, which has been vacant for many years. This expansion will allow Chico Art Center to offer more arts-related opportunities to its members and the broader community.
To celebrate this exciting milestone and gather community input, the Chico Art Center will host an open house on Sunday, March 23rd, 2025, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Community members are invited to tour the newly acquired spaces, share their ideas, and help shape the future of this expanded arts hub.
“For over three decades, the depot location of the Art Center has been a creative home for artists and arts supporters alike,” said Lisa Freeman-Wood, President of the Chico Art Center board of directors. “This expansion opens the door to new possibilities and more opportunities to engage. We’re eager to hear from our community about how we can best use this space to serve and inspire.”
Since its founding, the Chico Art Center has played a vital role in fostering artistic expression through rotating gallery exhibitions, a vibrant gift shop, hands-on workshops, classes, and special events. The additional space at the depot will enable the organization to expand its offerings, develop new programs, and further enrich Chico’s cultural landscape.
The Open House will be an interactive event, where visitors can explore the new areas, provide input on potential uses, and connect with fellow artists and community members. Whether you are a practicing artist, an arts enthusiast, or simply curious about the future of arts in Chico, your voice matters! Join us as we embark on this exciting new chapter and help shape the future of arts in Chico.
Event Details:
📍 Where: Chico Art Center, Historic Chico Train Depot,
450 Orange Street, Chico, CA
📅 When: Sunday, March 23rd, 2025
⏰ Time: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Maker’s Muse
