ABOUT

ABOUT

Our mission as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit is to engage the public in dialogue about contemporary art, craft, and design through the exhibition of work by emerging makers and educational programming. 

Located downtown in Chico, California—just 1.5 hours north of Sacramento and a scenic 3-hour drive from the San Francisco Bay Area—our exhibition programming seeks to build connections between California’s Central Valley and the global community.  

We are a gallery, but we’re also more than that. With a commitment to audience education, we plan to host lectures, critiques, workshops, and film screenings. Our space will be designed both conceptually and functionally to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment where visitors can deeply engage with the work. 

We are dedicated to fostering a relationship between art, craft, and design. At Second Cousin, we reject hierarchy and embrace interconnection.

We acknowledge that Second Cousin stands on the unceded lands of the Mechoopda Maidu people in the Koyom:k’awi (Konkow/Northwestern Maidu) territory. We recognize their relationship—both historic and contemporary—with this land, the flora, the fauna, and the waters, including Ótakim Séwi, or Big Chico Creek, which runs just one block away from our building. We stand in solidarity with Indigenous people’s movements, and are committed to supporting Indigenous-led solutions and organizations in our community, not only through our words, but through our actions.

Mechoopda Indian Tribe of Chico Rancheria

Board of Directors