by Jack
Here’s a story that is a little ahead of it’s time,but it could be important to our City if it works out. Chico may be getting a new art museum… if talks conclude successfully. Right now negotiations are on track.
Life long resident, Reed Applegate, is offering his private collection consisting of over 400 paintings and other art forms to the public. They’re all done by Northern California artists, some well known and some not so well known, but all great artists in their own rite and they cover a very wide span of art mediums.
The old VFW hall on the Esplanade is the proposed site. However, considerable renovation work would have to be done on the 18,000 s.f. building to bring it up to suitable condition for the public, including ADA compliance.
This is going to take some time and even if the proposed plan is accepted by the City, it may take two or three years before it’s completed and ready for the public. Currently, the City is surveying the outside of the VFW building for possible repairs and surprisingly, so far it looks pretty good, not much to be done. The inside would be renovated by Reed and that would be a major project.
Some of the more famous art that would be featured are done by notables like Wayne Thiebaud, Richard Hornady, Sal Kassa and Robert Arnnessen. Reed Applegate’s collection includes, sculptures, oil and acrylic paintings, metal etchings, photography, prints, drawings and even art glass.
Mr. Applegate believes the museum would help Chico increase tourism (helping with city revenues) by adding to the existing art in away that could become a walking tour of art in the downtown. If you know Chico this would be from the Hands sculpture at City Hall on the South end, past Plaza Park to the Diamond Hotel and alli the sidewalk art. Then walking West to the Chico Museum across from Madison Bear, then on to the Bidwell Mansion, the Science Museum, and then concluding at Fine Arts museum in the VFW building. But, the art tour is far from over and for those with a vehicle; we have the Chico Air Museum in the far North at the airport as well as other art displays near the portals to Chico.