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Bird art exhibit takes over MONCA

Artwork displayed at MONCA for "Birds, Birds and More Birds" on Jan. 15 in Chico, Calif.
Angel Huracha
/
NSPR
Artwork displayed at MONCA for "Birds, Birds and, More Birds" on Jan. 15 in Chico, Calif.

Bird enthusiasts may want to put down their binoculars and flock to this year's “Birds, Birds, and More Birds” exhibit at the Museum of Northern California Art (MONCA).

The show features a captivating collection of 100 pieces of art created by skilled artists who delve into the vibrant existence of birds through paintings, sculptures and photographs.

Pennie Baxter, the chair of the exhibition committee, said the exhibit is an example of the many ways people care about birds.

"There are a lot of bird lovers, and this is how they show their love and appreciation for all the birds, and it's a labor of love from the artists," Baxter said.

Artists submitted works from all over Northern California, ranging from the Oregon and Nevada borders to the Bay Area.

Artwork displayed at MONCA for "Birds, Birds and More Birds" on Jan. 15 in Chico, Calif.
Angel Huracha
/
NSPR
Artwork displayed at MONCA for "Birds, Birds and, More Birds" on Jan. 15 in Chico, Calif.

"There's more sculpture, I think, than we've ever had," Baxter said. "There's still quite a lot of photography, amazing photography but I think the one thing that's really different is sculpture and less abstract work than what we've had in the past."

Pat Macias, the executive director at MONCA, said the exhibit continues to grow every year and is moving toward providing a wider scope of artistic representations of birds.

“It was photography of birds, and what we've been pushing the fact that it could be birds in any medium,” Macias said. “So, it could be sculpture, it could be painting, it could be prints, it could be anything that kind of fits the idea.”

The exhibit began six years ago in collaboration with the Snow Goose Festival and has grown significantly.

Sophie Smith's "Reddish Egret and White Heron" at MONCA on Jan. 15 in Chico, Calif.
Angel Huracha
/
NSPR
Sophie Smith's "Reddish Egret and White Heron" at MONCA on Jan. 15 in Chico, Calif.

“They were looking for a place that could really do justice to the work they were getting in, so in 2019 we did our first exhibition here,” Macias said.

This year, 94 artists submitted 234 works. The selection process is rigorous, with only 64 artists having their work chosen.

“It's heartbreaking because it's good, and every year it's getting better and better work being submitted and more unusual work, and it's just getting harder and harder to figure out what we can include,” Baxter said. “Because the walls stay the same size, but the entries are going up and up. It's a very painful process.”

The exhibit includes a reception where attendees can meet the artists along with Snow Goose Festival field trip leaders.

Angel Huracha has been a part of the journalism field since 2006 and has covered a range of topics. He is a graduate of Chico State with a Bachelor's degree in news-editorial and public relations with a minor in English.