Art & Concerts
We believe that in order to perpetuate land stewardship and our American ranching heritage effectively, we have to learn to be good communicators, not just between ourselves in ranching, but with the outside world. Our art shows and concerts serve the important purpose of bringing together people from varying backgrounds to discuss our shared concerns and desires while enjoying art. We view this dialogue as an essential element to making connections outside of our traditional ranching circles.
Our functions also serve as a great form of recreation and relaxation as we celebrate our daily life through song, traditional visual media, and newer digital forms. Our artist gatherings and exhibitions produce an exciting body of work, and our annual concert series has become a favorite of our crew, our friends, and the surrounding community.
Proceeds from our art show and concerts support the educational work of Ranchlands Foundation.
Artist Gatherings
For Ranchlands Artist Gatherings, we invite professional painters, photographers, and sculptors from across the country to come to our ranches to produce art. During the gatherings, artists live and work at our ranches for several days, gathering material, sharing ideas, and garnering inspiration from the ranch. This material is compiled into a body of work and displayed at our annual art exhibitions, which the public is invited to attend. The show then travels to various venues in our region for several months.
Concert Series
Each year, Chico Basin Ranch hosts the annual Ranchlands Concert Series, celebrating music, songwriting, and our western heritage. Concerts are held in the Bell Park cottonwood grove underneath the light of mason jar chandeliers as musicians perform with the open prairie as their backdrop. Concerts are followed by jam sessions, where we invite guests to join us around the fire and play their own music as the evening winds down. Previous performers have included Steve Earle, Corb Lund, Hayes Carll, Slaid Cleaves, and Colter Wall.
Our concerts are the main fundraisers for our education programs, which bring over 3,000 people to the Chico each year. With the help of money raised from these concerts, many of our education programs for school-aged children are offered for little or no cost.
