Due to financial losses associated with the upkeep, Great Northern Coffee will no longer be in business as of December 31, 2019. Chico Art Center Board of Directors have loved sharing this adventure with the community. A volunteer transitioning committee will be developing new, income-based options for utilizing the train car. For questions or comments please inquire to Lisa Freeman-Wood lmfreemanwood@yahoo.com.
Butte County Art on Wheels is a mobile art studio that aligns displaced artists from the Campfire with positive community oriented projects for the betterment of physical, emotional, and mental health. Partnering with schools, companies, and community members!
Jessie Mercer is a local visual artist from Paradise. The 2018 Camp Fire claimed her art studio as well as her parents home. She has always wanted to help people and believes in the power of community. She's found her visual voice after many years of working in the field of foster care, youth counseling and special education, creating set design in collaboration with artists with developmental disabilities. Through her community passions, she received funding from the North Valley Community Foundation, with 501c3 affiliation with Chico Art Center and was loaned a utility vehicle from Phoenix Solar to produce her concept, Butte County Art on Wheels.
Jessie Mercer has been partnering with displaced artists and students to paint 11 murals at schools effected by the Camp Fire. Mercer also worked with the new Boys & Girls Club facility to create a mural with the children. She has also stationed Art on Wheels at local public events like Pioneer Day to offer art activities to one and all.
Jessie Mercer can be emailed at jessiemercer15(at)gmail.com.
Action News Now featured Jessie Mercer and Butte County Art on Wheels as an independent community arts project that Butte County Office of Education has recognized as a proven value and used as a model, along with Sonoma County's Arts Residencies for Schools to apply for grants to implement a similar program for Paradise K-12 Schools.
Follow Butte County Art On Wheels on Facebook
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Featured Artist: Jessie Mercer brings Camp Fire community together through art, The Orion, May 10, 2019
Awarded "2019 Champion of the Arts" by Chico Arts & Culture, April 18, 2019
After Camp Fire, An Artist Helps Students In Hard-Hit Town Cope Through Color, Here & Now, WBUR April 3, 2019
Artist Jessie Mercer Paints Murals With Kids Who Are Camp Fire Survivors, NSPR MAR 21, 2019
#UnlockPossibilities – Paradise Arts Creates Town Memorial Out Of Keys, WNIN Dec 27, 2018
Paradise Artists Creates Piece for Town Made of Keys, Action News Dec 13, 2018
Paradise artist to make Phoenix from keys of Camp Fire victims, Dec 9, 2018
