Exhibits

Current

Her Side of the Story: Tales of California Pioneer Women

Extended by Popular Demand!

January 16th through April 7th April 28th

Her Side of the Story
Credit: Subject Unknown. Courtesy of the Society of California Pioneers.

Illuminating the hardships, joys, and lives of female pioneers, Her Side of the Story: Tales of California Pioneer Women features 30 first-person accounts collected from women who traveled by land or sea to settle throughout California prior to 1854, including prior to California's statehood in 1850. Over 800 handwritten accounts from The Association of Pioneer Women of California were preserved and compiled in a single ledger, which is the starting point for this traveling exhibition. These personal memories, quotes, and photographs will be showcased along with local objects from the Sutter County Museum collection representing the area's pioneers.

Traveling exhibition Her Side of the Story: Tales of California Pioneer Women is the product of a partnership between the Society of California Pioneers and Exhibit Envoy.

Upcoming

Check back for info on upcoming exhibits.

Past

2023

Gadgets Galore! Transforming the American Household

Stereoscope

Gadgets are an important part of our everyday lives, and they are often objects that we take for granted. Take a closer look at historic household gadgets from the Sutter County Museum's collection and consider how the gadgets of yesteryear informed our modern technology. Stereoscopes, rug beaters, and strops? At one time, these gadgets were new inventions - the latest and greatest item, and something everyone wanted to own. Uncover the histories of these strange objects and how their invention led to the gadgets that are integral to our lives today!

Gadgets Galore! is a traveling exhibition for historic houses from Exhibit Envoy and Heather Farquhar. The exhibition is based on the initial iterations at the Hayward Area Historical Society and Los Altos History Museum.

The 2024 Sutter Buttes Calendar Exhibit

2024 Sutter Buttes Calendar Cover

The calendar is an annual publication and fundraiser of the Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust. This exhibit celebrates and shares the work of photographers chosen for inclusion in the 2024 Sutter Buttes Calendar.

Potter the Otter: A Healthy Adventure

Potter the Otter Exhibit Card

Based on the popular children's book series Potter the Otter, published by First 5 Santa Clara County, this hands-on, interactive exhibit was developed especially for kids 5 and under and their families. Visitors can explore at the market, cook in the play kitchen, enjoy swan races, and play in the crawlers' garden in this interactive, STEAM-based experience. Join Potter this summer at the Museum to play and learn on your very own healthy adventure!

Potter the Otter: A Healthy Adventure was developed by the Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose. This traveling exhibition was made possible by a grant from First 5 Santa Clara County and local support from the Sutter County Children & Families Commission.

Unbroken Traditions: Basketweavers of the Meadows-Baker Family in Northern California

Lilly Baker working with basketry materials in her home

Basketry traditions are often passed down through generations, with basketweavers incorporating their own personal and cultural connections to the land. The baskets featured in this exhibit were made by several generations of women from the Meadows-Baker family. Many members were Mountain Maidu, and their baskets drew from a deep understanding of ecology, incorporated intricate weaving techniques, and employed creative and meaningful design elements.

Unbroken Traditions is an exhibit developed by the Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology at California State University, Chico by faculty, staff, and students in the university's museum studies courses. The baskets on display in this exhibition were generously loaned to the Sutter County Museum by the Kurtz family.

Chinese Pioneers: Power and Politics in Exclusion Era Photographs

Chinese Women and Children at Immigration Station, Angel Island. Photographer unknown, after 1910, Gelatin silver print. <br>California Historical Society Collection.
Chinese Women and Children at Immigration Station, Angel Island. Photographer unknown, after 1910, Gelatin silver print.
California Historical Society Collection.

This temporary exhibit explores the social, political, and judicial disenfranchisement of Chinese Californians, as well as moments of Chinese agency and resilience, in the decades before and after the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act.

Chinese Pioneers is an exhibit by the California Historical Society and is touring through Exhibit Envoy. Institutional support provided by San Francisco Grants for the Arts and Yerba Buena Community Benefit District. The Henry Mayo Newhall Foundation generously supported the first 6 bookings of this exhibition.

2022

Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers and Climate Change

Carson Pass, El Dorado National Forest <br>Photograph by Rob Badger and Nita Winter
Carson Pass, El Dorado National Forest
Photograph by Rob Badger and Nita Winter

Breathtaking photographs address climate change and its effect on a universal symbol of beauty: the wildflower.

The 2023 Sutter Buttes Calendar Exhibit

The Sutter Buttes Calendar 2023 Cover

The calendar is an annual publication and fundraiser of the Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust. This exhibit celebrates and shares the work of photographers chosen for inclusion in the 2023 Sutter Buttes Calendar.

The Newest Americans: New Citizens Reflect on What America Means to Them

Elyvanie Mukangog
Elyvanie Mukangoga, country of origin Rwanda.

The Newest Americans features 29 portraits by Sam Comen and interviews by Michael Estrin, capturing the experiences of immigrants from 23 countries of origin and promoting discussion on America's legacy as a nation of immigrants.

Disrupted Life: Replica Barrack from the Tule Lake Internment Camp

Tule Lake Replica Barrack at the Sutter County Museum

Disrupted Life discusses anti-immigration sentiments in the United States and the executive order by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1942 that ordered the relocation of Japanese Americans to internment camps like the Tule Lake Relocation Center in northern California. The exhibit includes a replica barrack to demonstrate what daily life was like at the Tule Lake Internment Camp.

2021

She Sang Me A Good Luck Song

She Sang Me A Good Luck Song at the Sutter County Museum

She Sang Me A Good Luck Song: The California Indian Photographs of Dugan Aguilar is an exhibition revealing the richness and vibrancy of Native California cultures as Aguilar (Mountain Maidu/Pit River/Walker River Paiute) speaks his heart through his photography.

The 2022 Sutter Buttes Calendar Exhibit

2022 Sutter Buttes Calendar Cover

The calendar is an annual publication and fundraiser of the Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust. This exhibit celebrates and shares the work of photographers chosen for inclusion in the 2022 Sutter Buttes Calendar.

Steve Lim Artwork

Steve Lim Art

Steve Lim is a local artist, born and raised in the Yuba-Sutter area. A hidden gem, his artwork has not been exhibited much until the last few years. Proficient in a variety of mediums, Lim’s work is always surprising.

Wherever There’s A Fight: A History of Civil Liberties in California

Biddy Masion
Former slave Biddy Masion became a midwife, property owner and philanthropist in Los Angeles.
Credit: Courtesy of Security Pacific Collection, Los Angeles Public Library

Spanning the period from the Gold Rush to the post-9/11 era, the exhibition tells the stories of brave individuals throughout California who stood up for their rights in the face of social hostility, physical violence, economic hardship, and political stonewallling.

Wherever There’s a Fight is a traveling exhibition from Exhibit Envoy, funded by California Humanities, a Searching for Democracy Project.

We Are Not Strangers Here: African American Histories in Rural California

Members of the Carver Garden Club
Members of the Carver Garden Club, Oakland, Dec. 2, 1960. African American Museum & Library at Oakland Photograph Collection.

Starting during the Gold Rush and continuing through today, Black Californians have been part and parcel of rural areas. In this exhibit, little-known stories of African American farmers, ranchers, and rural residents challenge myths about California history.

We Are Not Strangers Here is a collaboration between the Cal Ag Roots Project at the California Institute for Rural Studies; the California Historical Society (Susan Anderson); Exhibit Envoy; and Dr. Caroline Collins, Post-Doc Researcher from UC San Diego. This project was made possible with support from California Humanities, a non-profit partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the 11th Hour Project at the Schmidt Family Foundation.

2020

The 2021 Sutter Buttes Calendar Exhibit

2021 Sutter Buttes Calendar Cover

The calendar is an annual publication and fundraiser of the Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust. This exhibit celebrates and shares the work of photographers chosen for inclusion in the 2021 Sutter Buttes Calendar.

Black and White in Black and White:
Images of Dignity, Hope, and Diversity in America

Backyard Picnic
Backyard Picnic
Courtesy of the Douglas Keister Collection.

The beginning of the 20th-century was a time of great promise and hope for race relations in America. This optimistic era was fueled by what was known at the time as the “New Negro Movement,” a period which set the stage for the Harlem Renaissance. No one better captured the essence of this time of advancement than African American photographer John Johnson.

Black and White in Black and White: Images of Dignity, Hope, and Diversity in America is curated by Douglas Keister, presented with support from California State University, Chico, and traveled by Exhibit Envoy.

In the Fields of the North / En los Campos del Norte

Two farm workers pull weeds in a field of organic potatoes. / 
                  Dos trabajadores agrícolas arrancan mala hierba en un campo de papas orgánicas.
Two farm workers pull weeds in a field of organic potatoes. / Dos trabajadores agrícolas arrancan mala hierba en un campo de papas orgánicas.
Photograph by David Bacon

Traveling with migrant workers as the fruit and harvest season moves from the Mexican border north to Washington state, In the Fields of the North / En los campos del norte reveals the stories of contemporary migrant farm workers on the West Coast. The exhibition attempts to shed light on some basic questions: How much do we know about the lives of the people who feed us? Where do they live? How does it feel to do some of the hardest repetitive labor imaginable? And, what answers do farm workers themselves have to end their poverty and endless migration?

In the Fields of the North is a series of evocative photographs accompanied by moving oral narratives - fully translated into both English and Spanish - that take visitors into the contemporary world of migrant farm workers. Photographer and journalist David Bacon has spent over three decades documenting the lives of migrant workers and organizing with United Farm Workers, and this documentation has been used by FIOB and CRLA to advocate for the rights of migrants and farm workers. His book of the same name will be released by UC Press in May of 2017.

2019

Simple Objects: An Excavation

Paradise Hammer

This exhibit is a collaboration between Sacramento artist Stephanie Taylor, who was born in Butte County, and writer Christy Heron-Clark, who was born and raised in Paradise. Together, the pair visited Christy’s two adjacent family homes in Paradise, after the Camp Fire, to find objects that might have survived. While Christy responds to these simple objects with recollections of her treasured childhood, Stephanie ponders each as it exists now, altered and transformed.

The exhibit is an installation of written recollections, photography, drawings, and rescued objects. It tells a story of the intimacy of personal loss and the impact of wildfire on communities. Simple Objects explores the concepts of what we retain when we lose, and how we can move forward with resilience.

The 2020 Sutter Buttes Calendar Exhibit

2020 Sutter Buttes Calendar Cover

The calendar is an annual publication and fundraiser of the Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust. This exhibit celebrates and shares the work of photographers chosen for inclusion in the 2020 Sutter Buttes Calendar.

Frida Kahlo's Garden

Frida with Picasso Earrings
Photo by Nickolas Muray, © Nickolas Muray Photo Archives

Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) is considered one of the most significant artists of the twentieth century. Her body of work, consisting of some 250 paintings and drawings, is at once intensely personal and universal in scope, and relies heavily on the natural world. The exhibition Frida Kahlo’s Garden transports visitors to Kahlo’s garden to experience her world as she did.

This exhibition is made possible by NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Frida Kahlo’s Garden is adapted from the exhibition, FRIDA KAHLO: ART, GARDEN, LIFE, organized by guest curator Adriana Zavala at The New York Botanical Garden. It was made possible with major funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Karen Katen Foundation, The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust, MetLife Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, National Endowment for the Humanities, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature, and Gillian and Robert Steel. It was adapted and toured for NEH on the Road by the Mid-America Arts Alliance.

Scholastic Art Awards

Scholastic Art Awards Logo

Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized talented youth from around the country. Sutter County Museum is proud to be hosting the Scholastic Art Awards for 7 counties in Northern California. Students who earn the top level of award in the regional competition automatically move up into the national competition.

The Super Parents: Caring for Children with Special Needs

April Villafaña and her daughter, Isabella
April Villafaña and her daughter, Isabella, at their home in San Marcos, CA
Photograph by Deanne Fitzmaurice

A new exhibition chronicling the constant care provided by families for their children with chronic medical conditions. Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Deanne Fitzmaurice shadowed families living in 10 cities throughout California whose children have conditions ranging from type 1 diabetes to neurofibromatosis. The exhibition features her photographs, accompanied by first person descriptions from the “super parents” themselves, documenting a day in the life of their family.

The Super Parents: Caring for Children with Special Needs features photography by Deanne Fitzmaurice. The project was originated by the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children’s Health; Exhibit Envoy developed and travels the exhibition.

2018

Structures

Agricultural Geometry by Dolores Mitchell

This exhibit features the work of Michelle Andres, Paul Boehmke, Dolores Mitchell, Antony Montenino, Frank Ordaz, and Patris.

The 2019 Sutter Buttes Calendar Exhibit

2019 Sutter Buttes Calendar Cover

The calendar is an annual publication and fundraiser of the Sutter Buttes Regional Land Trust. This exhibit celebrates and shares the work of photographers chosen for inclusion in the 2019 Sutter Buttes Calendar.

Natural Wanderment: Stewardship – Sovereignty – Sacredness

Darkfeather Bibiana Ancheta Tulalip

Matika Wilbur’s newest Project 562 collection Natural Wanderment: Stewardship – Sovereignty – Sacredness is an exhibition of Native American portraits and stories that honors and seeks to protect ancestral ways of life and lands in North America. Project 562 offers a creative relationship with people from 562+ Tribal Nations in the United States that builds cultural bridges, abandons stereotypes, and renews and inspires our national legacy.

Yuba College: 90 Years of Service

Yuba College Logo

Yuba College opened its doors on September 13, 1927 on the corner of 7th and G Street in Marysville. From sharing a building with Marysville High School to building its own campus and expanding to other nearby counties, Yuba College has been part of the Yuba-Sutter area for 90 years. Come and celebrate the 90 years of history.

Scholastic Art Awards

Scholastic Art Awards Logo

Since 1923, the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized talented youth from around the country. Sutter County Museum is proud to be hosting the Scholastic Art Awards for 7 counties in Northern California. Students who earn the top level of award in the regional competition automatically move up into the national competition.

Tattooed and Tenacious

Tattooed and Tenacious poster

While many may think of tattoos as a recent trend, inked women have a long history in California. From the working-class Tattooed Ladies who performed in circus sideshows to the upper-class inked women who helped popularize the tattoo craze; visitors will discover the largely unknown history of women and tattoos through photographs, personal histories, and artifacts.

Permanent

Entrance Gallery Paintings

Entrance Gallery Paintings

These are the first of ten paintings that will be commissioned and installed. Paintings visually welcome visitors to the Museum with vibrancy, creativity, and drama while showcasing the skill of local visual artists. These paintings serve as an introduction to exhibit themes and topics that are covered within the rest of the Museum. On display (left to right) are Working Together by Madelyne Joan Templeton, Jewel of the Valley by Nicolai Larsen, and Working to Better Our Land by Madelyne Joan Templeton.

Sutter Buttes

Sutter Buttes Relief Map

The 3D relief map of the Sutter Buttes allows for close study of the peaks, canyons, and valleys of this natural landmark in the Sacramento Valley. Built in the 1960s by William Greene, this handmade map is a favorite of many Museum visitors. The Sutter Buttes are volcanic peaks dating to 1.6 million years ago. They have been known by many names over time, from the indigenous Histum Yani, or “Mountains in the Middle”; to the Spanish Los Tres Picos, “the Three Peaks”; to the “Marysville Buttes". The nonprofit organization Middle Mountain Interpretive Hikes offers educational, guided hikes within the Sutter Buttes.

The Nisenan: A History of the Sacramento Valley

The Nisenan: A History of the Sacramento Valley Exhibit

The Nisenan are indigenous Californians whose lands stretch from the Sacramento River to the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. They have called this region home for the entirety of their history. Nisenan means “from among us.” This exhibit tells the story of our region's Nisenan people, their history and cultural survival to the present. Created with tribal partners, The Nisenan: A History of the Sacramento Valley includes items specifically made for display at the Sutter County Museum.

John Sutter

John Sutter, a Swiss immigrant, first began using land between the Sacramento and Feather Rivers for agriculture in 1841, between present-day Nicolaus and Yuba City. This farm, Hock Farm, was the first large-scale agricultural effort in what would become Sutter County.

Agriculture

Agricultural Wing

The largest industry in the Sacramento Valley has always been agriculture. In the 1850s and ‘60s, wheat was the primary crop. In the 1880s, this shifted to peaches, which remained predominant until the 1920s. Sheep and cattle ranching were also widespread in the late 1800s. In 1908, rice replaced wheat as a staple crop in the Valley. Cherries, figs, and walnuts were also popular. Many agricultural innovations took place in Sutter County, including the development of the Thompson Seedless Grape in 1872, Proper Wheat in 1868, and the Phillips Cling Peach in 1888. Supporting businesses, such as canneries, were an integral part of this industry.

Multi-Cultural Gallery

This gallery was created to share the history and stories of diverse peoples with sizable populations in Yuba-Sutter. It includes exhibits on the Chinese Americans, Hmong Americans, Japanese Americans, Mexican Americans, and Punjabi Americans. An exhibit on African Americans in Yuba-Sutter is scheduled to open in 2024.

Chinese American Exhibit

Chinese American Exhibit

Many Chinese immigrants initially came to the region due to the Gold Rush and work opportunities from the railroad. Afterward, many turned to agriculture. The Chinese population in Sutter County grew from just two in 1860 to 274 by 1900. Many Chinese farmers leased or owned small acreages with more working on farms, orchards, vineyards, and in hop yards. Sutter County’s Chinese community often relied upon the Chinatown in Marysville that provided business, spiritual, and social resources. The exhibit is displayed to look like the kitchen of a Chinese farmer or ranch cook in Sutter County, c. 1900. This exhibition was made possible by the work of consultants Der Hsien Chang, Janice Nall, Jane Russell, and Gordon Tom, with special thanks to volunteers Patty Justus, Steve Justus, and Art Worledge.

Hmong American Exhibit

Hmong American Exhibit

Many Hmong Americans reside in the Yuba-Sutter region. The Hmong were originally from Central China before expansion of Chinese civilization and repeated conflicts pushed the Hmong people to Southern China; further clashes drove many Hmong into Laos, Cambodia, or Vietnam. After the Vietnam War, many Hmong fled to Thailand beginning in the 1970s before immigrating to the United States and other nations. By 2010, the largest number of Hmong in the United States lived in California, especially in the Central Valley, with approximately 3,500 Hmong residents in Yuba-Sutter by 2020. This exhibit includes embroidery, jewelry, and other cultural objects. It was developed in partnership with Phillip Alvarado as his Eagle Scout Project.

Japanese American Exhibit

Japanese American Exhibit

Japanese-owned business and farming operations were established in Yuba-Sutter by the 1890s, including near Yuba City. By 1906, 300 Japanese laborers worked at the Durst Hop Ranch near Wheatland. Japanese American farmers in the region made significant contributions in diversifying crops such as sugar beets, kiwi, persimmons, Fuji apples, nectarines, cherries, tomatoes, and asparagus. This exhibit, developed in partnership with the Marysville Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League, explores historical topics such as farming, the Japantown in Marysville, and the community, including the Buddhist Church in Marysville, Japanese-owned businesses, and baseball. On display are local objects related to daily life, farming, and the history of Japanese American internment during World War II.

Mexican American Exhibit

Mexican American Exhibit

Although John Sutter relied heavily on Mexican vaqueros for his ranching operations at Hock Farm, careful analysis of the U.S. Census records reveals that there were very few Mexicans and people of Mexican descent in the Yuba-Sutter region until the Bracero Program that began in 1942. The Bracero Program was created by the U.S. and Mexican governments to bring in agricultural and railroad laborers from Mexico, with the agricultural program continuing until 1964. Since then, immigration from Mexico has continued until today, with approximately 29% of the Sutter County population listing Mexican or of Mexican descent by the 2020 census. This exhibit, developed in partnership with the local Alliance for Hispanic Advancement, features household objects, kitchen items, and clothing.

Punjabi American Exhibit

Punjabi American Exhibit

Punjabi Americans began migrating to California from India in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Punjab translates to “the land of the five rivers” and references the rich agricultural land of the Punjab region. Sutter County offered similar farming opportunities, leading to immigration to the area with the ability to farm crops that were familiar to many Punjabi families. The growing number of Sikh residents led to the need for a local place of worship, and the Gurdwara Sikh Temple opened in 1969. This exhibit was developed in partnership with the local Punjabi American Heritage Society and includes objects such as fulkaari embroidery, household objects, items associated with immigration to California, and a display on the Sikh wedding attire and ceremony.

Black History in Yuba-Sutter

Sutter County received a $25,000 grant from California Humanities for the Yuba-Sutter Black History Project at the Sutter County Museum.

Working with the LOFT Institute community nonprofit and other community partners and volunteers, the Humanities For All Project Grant will support the research, development, design, and installation of a permanent exhibit about Black History within Yuba and Sutter counties. Utilizing the research and artifacts uncovered through this project, the Museum will offer free public programs for the community related to the exhibition and its themes. Learn more about the project here. More information about the grant program and awards is available from California Humanities.

Flood & Fire Exhibit

Vision for Sutter County Museum's future flood exhibit. Rendering by Brent Johnson Design.
Vision for Sutter County Museum's future flood exhibit. Rendering by Brent Johnson Design.

The Sutter County Museum has been awarded $383,183 in grant funding from the California Cultural and Historical Endowment state agency. The grant is administered by the California Natural Resources Agency. This support will allow us to add a comprehensive flood exhibit, make upgrades to the Nisenan and Gold Rush exhibits, and create educational programming that more directly supports our local schools and teachers.

Development and installation of the flood exhibit will take up until March of 2026. During that time, the Museum Association, the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization which supports the Museum’s educational programs and both temporary and permanent exhibits, will be eagerly seeking participation from community donors, funders, and volunteers. Funds raised by the Museum Association could add technology upgrades, finance additional buses for increased school tours, and provide other enhancements to this project. More information on this project and ways to get involved will be shared when events and other opportunities for input are scheduled. To learn more, download the full press release here.