Inside the Janet Turner Print Museum, inked images line the walls in quiet conversation, waiting for someone to interpret them aloud and someone finally has. 

Jasmine Lezama is an art history major, a museum intern and creator of the Cultural Canvas website. A project focused on making northern California’s art scene more accessible.

The student-led exhibition tour, Through an Art Historian’s Lens, will take place Wednesday from 5-5:30 p.m. This tour will talk about printmaking at Chico, as well as encourage students to view art more deeply.

“The Turner is a space for student learning, including students learning from their peers. The student exhibitions are a valuable opportunity to put this into practice,” said Rachel Skokowski, director of galleries and curator for the Janet Turner Print Museum.

Dylan Charlton, the museum’s education and outreach assistant, said interns are encouraged to help shape programming around their own interests.

“I try to let the interns shape their events as much as possible to make sure that they are doing something that they are interested in,” Charlton said.

For Lezama, that opportunity became a chance to approach art from a new perspective.

“What inspired me most was the opportunity to offer a new perspective on artworks and share that with others,” Lezama said. “I find it really meaningful to help people see something in a way they might not have considered before.

In preparation for this tour, she spent time in the gallery, closely observing each art piece. From those, she narrowed it down to the three that she felt personally stood out most to her, which she focused on as the center points of her tour. 

“I want people to leave with questions; whether about artworks themselves or their own thoughts and experiences,” Lezama said.

This tour is shaped by her art history background, which gives her a more nuanced way of interpreting works.

“Art History encourages you to look deeper into symbolism, materials, context, and detail so you can better understand the ‘why’, ‘how’, and ‘who’ behind what you’re seeing,” Lezama said.

Student involvement is reflected in this year’s exhibition, Skokowski said.

“The prints on view respond to students’ personal experiences and histories, which I hope will resonate with visitors,” Skokowski said.

Lezama hopes viewers relate the art to their own experiences and leave having learned something new about the work or themselves.

The Turner hopes that visitors will leave the tour with a deeper appreciation for the artwork, as well as for the dedication and skill of student printmakers who put in extensive work in the studio to create the pieces on display, Skowoski said.

The museum expands access to printmaking by sharing works with audiences across northern California and beyond through exhibitions, programs and educational initiatives. 

It was established in 1981 in honor of Janet E. Turner, a professor of fine arts and art education at Chico State and founder of the university’s printmaking program.

Turner collected prints for 40 years to expose students to a wide range of printmaking practices. She later donated her collection to Chico State. Her own work is also held in major national institutions, including the Smithsonian.

Turner also tours for students of all ages. Currently, they are preparing for a multi-tour class tour for a local elementary school that will provide the opportunity for students to start learning about art in a new context, said Charlton.

“Students in that age group are always excited for art class, but they rarely get the opportunity to think of art as a potential professional pathway,” Charlton said. “That is definitely an experience I wish I had gotten earlier in my career.” At its core, the Turner continues to position students not just as learners, but as interpreters, by giving them the space to shape how art is understood, experienced and shared with the community.

Lucy Bakowski can be reached at [email protected]