WRITTEN BY LAURA NICE | PHOTOS COURTESY ADRIA DAVIS
a hidden gem in the middle of everywhere The Janet Turner Print Museum is one of Chico’s hidden gems. Located on Chico State’s beautiful campus, the Turner has a collection of over 4,000 prints by artists from more than 40 countries, including works by Dalí, Dürer, Goya, Hockney, Hogarth, Kollwitz, Miró, Picasso, Rembrandt, Renoir, Saar, Tamayo, and many more. The Janet Turner Print Museum’s mission is to advance the art of printmaking by making its international collection accessible to the people of Northern California and beyond. Always free and open to the public, the exhibitions planned for Fall 2021 showcase the artistic vision of founder Janet Turner, as well as the diversity of the collection she entrusted to Chico State, which has continued to grow. The museum warmly welcomes audiences of all ages. From August 16 to September 11, the Turner will feature Janet Turner: Unwavering Naturalist, an exhibition of prints and process materials by the museum’s founder that focus on the natural world. Janet Turner exhibited her work prolifically throughout her long career, and her prints and paintings have been exhibited in every state, and in
over 50 countries. Her love of nature was instilled during childhood summer camps in Cape Cod, and further confirmed during her undergraduate study of botany and art at Stanford University. With nature a dominant feature of her art throughout her career, her deep love of the area surrounding Chico lasted from her arrival in 1959 until her death in 1988. In highly detailed works, Turner celebrated the flora and fauna of our local area, many of which are on display in this exhibition. The exhibition is enhanced by Turner’s own voice, featuring clips from several educational videos she filmed in the 1970s that provide viewers with an intimate look into her process and artistic priorities. From September 20 to November 20, the Turner will feature Figural: Bodies in Print, a collaboration between the museum and Chico State Art and Dance faculty. This exhibition brings the vitality of movement and life drawing into conversation with diverse figurative works from the Turner print collection. Rounding out 2021 is New to the Collection: Prints Acquired, 2018-2021, on display from December 6, 2021 until February 5, 2022, providing
an opportunity to see the exciting range of works recently added to the Turner’s collection, including prints by significant contemporary artists Donna Westerman, Art Hazelwood, Jiha Moon, Aaron Coleman, and Lesley Dill. During the pandemic, in March of 2020, the Turner moved its exhibitions online, and all virtual exhibitions remain available on the Turner’s website www. csuchico.edu/turner. These exhibitions included celebrations of individual artists, such as Wayne Thiebaud and Marion Epting, as well as an exhibition on printmaking and politics. Also available for free online, the Turner has a number of fun art activities designed by Chico State Art Education students. The Turner Museum is located in the Arts and Humanities Building at Chico State and is open from noon-4:00PM TuesdaySaturday during exhibitions, and its archive is open by appointment. For more information about the Turner, including events and collection information, visit csuchico.edu/turner or email turnerinfo@csuchico.edu 23
