In April 2009, Avenue 9 Gallery (founded in 2004) became a professional artists’ guild with 20 members who make major decisions collectively, always have representative work on display, and once yearly are ‘featured artist’ in the gallery. The guild also offers group shows open to guest artists, collaborates with advanced students and faculty from California State University, Chico, and Butte College, and co-hosts the Pacific Flyway Uptown-Downtown art exhibition, a part of the annual Snow Goose Festival. Avenue 9 continues to organize programs that bring attention to the natural and built treasures of our local environment and regularly offers demonstrations and other opportunities to make art in the studio.

Avenue 9 Gallery has been honored with a Mayor’s Award for excellence in the arts, two CN&R Best of Chico (Art Gallery and Best Place to Buy Art) awards; and was recently awarded the Turner Prize for its exceptional community outreach.