CHICO, Calif. - A reception is planned from 6 - 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 6, at the Museum of Northern California Art in Chico to kick-off two new exhibits that will be on display until October 28.

"Silence Out Loud: Contemporary African American Portraits" features members of the Three Point Nine Art Collective, an association of African American artists, curators and writers dedicated to drawing attention to the San Francisco Bay Area's dwindling black population.

The exhibition explores non-traditional presentations of the Black image. Portraits that present abstract and conceptual works of art using a variety of materials, including neon and fabric.  

As the title implies, artists in the collective are not silent about the power of art to express important issues and concerns central to African Americans.

The other exhibit is "Black and White in Black and White," a collection of large scale photographs taken by African American photographer John Johnson in Lincoln, Nebraska between 1910-1925.  The collection is owned by Chicoan Doug Keister.  

He acquired the 280 glass negatives at a garage sale in 1965. He stored the treasures until 1999 and did not realize the treasure he acquired until 1999.

Thanks to decades of research, many of the people and places where they were photographed have been identified.

To learn more about the history of the "Black and White in Black and White"exhibit, CLICK HERE. 

You can also visit the museum website at www.monca.org.