Fifty and fine

The current “Golden” members’ exhibit celebrating 50 years of continuous operation of the Chico Art Center is an eclectic feast of images and objects. And to a bicyclist on a 100-plus-degree afternoon, it is also a haven of coolness and beauty that can provide a soothing interlude on a searing ride.

The gallery started out as the Northern California Creative Arts Center on Nov. 1, 1955, and has moved a few times in its existence before settling at its current Orange Street location (next to the train depot) in 1992.

The main gallery at the center is bathed in golden light that complements the many pieces hanging on the walls and mounted on pedestals throughout the 800-square-foot gallery.

Entering the show proper through the gallery foyer, which contains a small gift counter as well as donation receptacle and guest book, the first piece that caught my eye was Deborah Smith’s “The Bluebird of Happiness Chair,” a whimsically decorated child’s wooden chair, its blue-painted frame embellished with orange stripes, pink and magenta flowers and green leaves, its back festooned with a multicolored papier-mâché figure depicting the titular bird ($400). If this wasn’t art it would make the finest addition to a child’s playhouse imaginable.