Pennie Baxter, "Go Ask Alice", 2021, Original photographs printed on two layers of textured glass, 13x15 inches

IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN?

July 2 - August 8

Pennie Baxter

Victoria Davila

Timothy Havens

Kim Preston

Lucky Preston

Marisa Segovia

The Discovery Series is designed to encourage northern California artists in the exploration of their respective media and conceptual development by exhibiting juried bodies of work.

This year's call for art requested artwork and social engagement activities that demonstrate awareness of social justice issues and inspire conversation. The title of the exhibition refers to the words of civil rights activist and US Representative John Lewis, featured in one of Marisa Segovia's prints. Juried by photographer and Chico Art Center Board Member, Carolyn Arredondo.

This exhibition is generously sponsored by Betty Lusina

Watch the recorded Artist Talk from Sunday, July 18

RECEPTION

Joining us for the artist reception is Pedal Press, a mobile community based art project that supports social justice community work.

Pedal Press will be live printing, so bring a T-shirt, make a $10 donation and take home a custom design! Proceeds go to Traditional Ecological K nowledge and Safe Space Chico.

Screenprint Designs

Artists in the Gallery on the Weekends!

Marisa Segovia is live screen-printing onto t-shirts, paper, etc. and invites the public to print onto whatever surface you bring in.

Victoria Davila is making Owls for Justice at her work table in the gallery.

Kim Preston loves sharing her experience with prehistoric archaeological sites like "Newspaper Rock" and invites you to draw petroglyphs on the gallery wall.

Lucky Preston is passionate about petroglyph symbolism and advocacy for indigenous peoples human rights issues.

Pennie Baxter, "Go Ask Alice", 2021 Original photographs printed on two layers of textured glass, $375 - It seems like these lyrics, written by Grace Slick in 1965/66, all happened this past year. “When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead and the white knight is talking backwards and the red Queen’s “Off with her head!” remember what the dormouse said, “Feed your Head. Feed your Head.” During the upheaval of the past year (and prior), today’s youth did not drop out. Instead they, like the guerrilla girl pictured here, banded together to fight for positive social change. I am so very proud of all the young women and men who took to the streets demanding change.

Pennie Baxter, "On the Way to Equality", 2021 Original photographs printed on two layers of textured glass, $375 - We’ve come a long way with marriage equality, but there’s still quite a distance to go the on journey. I’m looking forward to the end of the debates about cakes, florists, adoption, and equal rights for same sex couples.

Pennie Baxter, "You and Me Against the Storm", 2020 - Original Photograph printed on two layers of textured glass Not For Sale Most days this is how social justice feels to me, sandcastles verses waves. The current power structure and dynamic is just so strong some days, it seems hopeless. But we band together, we join our voices, and we pool our resources regardless as we must keep standing up to the storm, standing together, and standing proud.

Pennie Baxter, "Dolls of Paradise #2", 2020 Original photographs printed on two layers of textured and iridescent glass $375 This is from a series of work addressing the Campfire. The doll parts were recovered from a destroyed home in Paradise. This piece represents the Herculean effort needed to prevent further devastating fires.

Pennie Baxter, "Hands Up", 2020, Original photographs printed on two layers of textured glass, $375 - I watched the tv, transfixed, as Black Lives Matter protesters marched with hands in the air, chanting “Hands Up”. That imagery of all those hands in the air inspired this work. The glass layer in the front is of old rotting rope, a binding element meant to portray the struggle people of color have always faced at our hands. The glass layer in the back is of dolls hands, which survived the Camp Fire. They represent the innocence and purity we’ve battered for centuries, evidenced by the distress to the hands. The hands are still whole, despite the pervasive abuse they’ve weathered.

Marisa Segovia, "John Lewis", 2020, Screen print with acrylic, ink & chrome paper, $40

Marisa Segovia, "Untitled", 2021, Relief-printing with water-soluble inks & Hosho paper, $90

Marisa Segovia, "Untitled", 2021, Screen-print, 6" x 4", $25, "BLM", 2020, Screenprint with acrylic inks & BFK paper, $35

Marisa Segovia's work table with linocut materials

Marisa Segovia, "3%"

Marisa Segovia, "BLM"

Marisa Segovia's work table with linocut materials

Julia Murphy of Pedal Press drying a screen print on a t-shirt for a reception visitor.

Artist Marisa Segovia and friends

Christian Victoria Davila, "That’s all it took", 2021, 3D printed polymer armature, laser cut book pages from "On the Other Side of Freedom" by DeRay Mckesson, Pepsi can, $200 - Pepsi’s 2017 ad about BLM Protest was very tone deaf. The ad quickly became a multitude of memes, with phrasing such as “when the cops come and you only got Coca-Cola in the fridge” with an image of Malcom X peeking through the window with a gun. That’s All It Took is my take or meme on Pepsi’s commercial.

Christian Victoria Davila, "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing", 2021, 3D printed polymer armature, laser cut paper, $150 - 25 companies that co-opted Pride branding for commercial gain while investing thousands in anti LGBTQ+ organizations.

Christian Victoria Davila, "A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing" (detail), 2021, 3D printed polymer armature, laser cut paper, $150 - 25 companies that co-opted Pride branding for commercial gain while investing thousands in anti LGBTQ+ organizations.

Christian Victoria Davila at her work table with CAC Vice President, Daniel Donnelly and President, Lisa Freeman-Wood.

Lucky Preston, Untitled (Petroglyphs), 2021, Monoprint, Not For Sale

Lucky Preston and Kim Preston standing in front of their interactive project, "Newspaper Rock", 2021, This interactive display invites the visitor to draw on the canvas and tell a story through symbols and designs. We recognize the cultural and creative value of these artifacts. Our ceramic pieces: totem, rattles and bowls depict petroglyph images of actual rock art found worldwide. Rock art is found throughout the world in deserts, forests and caves. Vandals have defaced and ruined a great many of these delicate images, by scratching, gouging, chiseling or painting over them.

"Newspaper Rock" (detail)

Lucky Preston, "Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women", 2021, Ceramic and mixed media. These pieces carry the red handprint over the mouths to draw attention to the “Silent-No-More” of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Movement. For decades throughout the world, thousands of Indigenous women and girls have disappeared without a trace and without follow-up by the authorities, leaving families heartbroken. The Red-Hand icon serves to bring awareness to the issue. Recently, President Biden declared May 5th as Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women Awareness Day.

Lucky Preston, "Totem", 2021 , clay, slab formed hollow globes, 24.5” h x 7” w, This spinnable sculpture is adorned with many images of petroglyphs found on rocks and in caves worldwide. Deer, sheep, insects, human forms, stars and planets are depicted, which were important to them.

"Newspaper Rock", 2021, This interactive display invites the visitor to draw on the canvas and tell a story through symbols and designs. We recognize the cultural and creative value of these artifacts. Our ceramic pieces: totem, rattles and bowls depict petroglyph images of actual rock art found worldwide. Rock art is found throughout the world in deserts, forests and caves. Vandals have defaced and ruined a great many of these delicate images, by scratching, gouging, chiseling or painting over them.

A visitor drawing a petroglyph on "Newspaper Rock"

Tim Havens with his work

Timothy Havens, "Red & Black", 2019, $100, "Ring of Fire", 2019 Acrylic on canvas, $100 - Art is a free flow of who we are. Like so many artists, I love to create. But unlike so many artists, I suffer from a hand disability. In the last few years, my hands have developed a tremor. This could have been a breaking point for me, but I wouldn’t allow it to be. Instead, my mark making is evolving from steady brushwork to more free form splatters, using tools like chopsticks, squeeze bottles and squeegees to create my artwork. I learned to face adversity as an opportunity for creative problem solving! I won't ever give up, and neither should you.

Timothy Havens, "Full Color", 2019, $800 - Art is a free flow of who we are. Like so many artists, I love to create. But unlike so many artists, I suffer from a hand disability. In the last few years, my hands have developed a tremor. This could have been a breaking point for me, but I wouldn’t allow it to be. Instead, my mark making is evolving from steady brushwork to more free form splatters, using tools like chopsticks, squeeze bottles and squeegees to create my artwork. I learned to face adversity as an opportunity for creative problem solving! I won't ever give up, and neither should you.

Timothy Havens, "Orange Burst", 2021, Acrylic on canvas, $300 - Art is a free flow of who we are. Like so many artists, I love to create. But unlike so many artists, I suffer from a hand disability. In the last few years, my hands have developed a tremor. This could have been a breaking point for me, but I wouldn’t allow it to be. Instead, my mark making is evolving from steady brushwork to more free form splatters, using tools like chopsticks, squeeze bottles and squeegees to create my artwork. I learned to face adversity as an opportunity for creative problem solving! I won't ever give up, and neither should you.

Timothy Havens, "Ocean", 2021, Acrylic on canvas, Sold - Art is a free flow of who we are. Like so many artists, I love to create. But unlike so many artists, I suffer from a hand disability. In the last few years, my hands have developed a tremor. This could have been a breaking point for me, but I wouldn’t allow it to be. Instead, my mark making is evolving from steady brushwork to more free form splatters, using tools like chopsticks, squeeze bottles and squeegees to create my artwork. I learned to face adversity as an opportunity for creative problem solving! I won't ever give up, and neither should you.

Time Havens, "Enigma", 2021, acrylic on canvas, 38x48 inches, $300

Timothy Havens

Art is a free flow of who we are. Like so many artists, I love to create. But unlike so many artists, I suffer from a hand disability. In the last few years, my hands have developed a tremor. This could have been a breaking point for me, but I wouldn’t allow it to be. Instead, my mark making is evolving from steady brushwork to more free form splatters, using tools like chopsticks, squeeze bottles and squeegees to create my artwork. I learned to face adversity as an opportunity for creative problem-solving! I won't ever give up, and neither should you.

Biography

Tim Havens was born in the California surf town of Santa Cruz. Havens was introduced to art by his grandmother. It wasn't until the last decade that he decided, as an Army Veteran, to give painting a chance. His love for creating grew with each new painting he did. Then the unexpected happened.

In 2020, he started to have hand tremors, it was these tremors that caused his art style to shift. Not letting his hands stop him, he found a new love for drip and splatter paintings. A year later, he was given his first shot at displaying his art at the Redding Art Center. With each new step, he has grown more passionate and driven to make art his main focus.

Marisa Segovia

These three recent artworks that I have created are through printmaking techniques. They address various social justice issues such as racial injustice, gun violence, hunger & food security, climate justice, and much more. The first print depicts a glock 22, the most common gun used by law enforcement and wildflowers that represent strength. The second print depicts an old and worn faucet spewing out the most common contaminants in our drinking water. The third print depicts a fist with multiple skin tones, closed in solidarity and with empowerment.

Biography

Marisa Segovia was born and raised in Modesto, CA. She is currently residing in Chico, CA. A Mexican, Portuguese, German and Cherokee artist, whose work focuses on immediate surroundings, specifically objects and surfaces. Segovia tends to create primarily through printmaking and glassblowing techniques. She spends time recreating objects and surfaces which become worn and marked, acting as evidence of time passing by. Her work elevates the unnoticed and brings attention to the beauty and history of such immediate surroundings.

Newspaper Rock

Newspaper Rock Historic Monument is located in San Juan County, Utah and is a treasured artifact featuring a rock panel carved with one of the largest known collections of petroglyphs. 200 square foot rock of the blackish manganese-iron patinated sandstone reveal layers upon layers of petroglyphs. The first carvings were made around 2,000 years ago, and although a few are as recent as the early 20th century, left by the first modern day explorers of this region, the main groups have been assigned to the Anasazi (AD 1 to 1300), Fremont (AD 700 to 1300) and Navajo (AD 1500 onwards). The actual meanings of the images are not widely known, but through oral tradition, have been associated with stories of tribal history, climate change, astronomy, animal migrations, plant species and space visitors, hence the name, “Newspaper Rock”. Rock art was created by painting, etching, or pecking. Various plant, earth and animal substances resulted in a variety of colored pigments that were pecked into boulders and cliff walls world-wide, and to the peril of lost history when such "newspaper rocks" are damaged by vandalism.

This interactive display invites the visitor to draw on the canvas and tell a story through symbols and designs. We recognize the cultural and creative value of these artifacts. Our ceramic pieces; totem, rattles and bowls depict petroglyph images of actual rock art found worldwide. Rock art is found throughout the world in deserts, forests and caves. Vandals have defaced and ruined a great many of these delicate images, by scratching, gouging, chiseling or painting over them. The totem sits on a lazy susan and can be rotated by hand. The rattles can be handled and shaken and the bowls are for display.

Kim Preston is lifelong artist practicing a wide variety of disciplines; painting, life drawing, fiber arts, Native American regalia, dichroic glass and jewelry-making. Ms. Preston has worked for 17 years as an Archaeological Site Monitor for California State Parks, the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service, protecting prehistoric archaeological features on public lands.

Lucky Preston is an enrolled member of the Pit River tribe of northern California. He holds a BS in Native American Art from UC Davis and an MA in 3D Art from CSU Chico. Mr. Preston is a practicing artist and instructor in jewelry-making, Native American regalia, and multi-media sculpture.

Pennie Baxter

As a high school art teacher, I found enormous satisfaction watching and guiding the creative process of my students. Now, in retirement from Chico High School, I am enjoying allowing my own love of artistic creation to develop. After years of having to segregate art media, due to curriculum restrictions, I have developed a way to combine my love of sculpture, photography, and stained glass. I use new print technology to create a three-dimensional art form that tells a story in a dynamic and emotional way. The resulting artistic freedom, while combining media, has been incredibly satisfying, albeit a struggle to perfect. My artwork is deeply influenced by growing up in rural upstate New York, being raised by my lesbian Mom, her partner, and my grandfather.

Christian Victoria Davila

Christian Victoria Davila is a Mexican-American artist born and raised in Stockton, California. Davila grew up surrounded by art. Her family goes to Mexico every summer to visit family and learn skills like painting, papier mache, candle making, metal work, and beading. When she started community college at Stockton (2010) she joined a local gallery and developed her first bird out of clay, covered with paper as a way to stand out. Inspired by piñatas and taxidermy, her love of her craft developed more as she moved to Chico (2014) to earn a BS in Computer Animation and Game Development. Learning 3D modeling and 3D printing helped her create lighter and more detailed birds faster. After graduating (2017) she stayed in Chico to be a part time faculty in Butte College’s Makerspace. She has exhibited in a few small shows and freelance work at the Idea Fab Labs, Chico State and the Anthropology Museum. Her work usually revolves around admiring birds and this is her first time using them to express her interest in topics that she is passionate about.

Click on the image below to learn more about the memes and topics Davila's work addresses in this exhibition.

Call for Art Prospectus