MARYSVILLE, CA (MPG) – The endless popularity of dinosaurs has only increased over the decades thanks to film franchises like “Godzilla” and “Jurassic Park” and all the related spin offs and variations. Dinosaurs feed the imagination and provide fodder for those looking for anything from pure fantasy to those inclined more towards the actual paleontology and even zoology about the various species.

Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture was recently presented with a unique opportunity thanks to someone fairly new to Yuba-Sutter, “art-trepreneur,” Chris Bolton. Chris has an extensive background in electronics and robotics and is the kind of guy who was building his own computers back before you could just order an off the shelf housing and components and bolt it all together.  Chris was looking for a home for his collection of half-life-size animatronic dinosaurs.  He met with YSAC about a space to refurbish them and possibly set up workshops to teach modeling, sculpting and robotics and the result was the formation of “The Dinosaur Factory” in Yuba City.

Chris is a self-described “Jekyll and Hyde” to explain his artistic, creative side in contrast to his electronics and IT business side. These two skill sets seem to co-exist somewhat compatibly for Chris although he admits to being partial to the creative side of what he does. He needed a workspace and Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture had just opened Kalakara Art Studios.  Chris looks at the project as a form of Career Technical Education which is an important option for students in the area. As funding becomes available through grants or sponsorships, the plan is to create a menagerie of dinosaurs that can be used for events and festivals for edu-tainment purposes and endless selfie opportunities.

“I first got into the dinosaur business in the late 80s in Los Angeles when I teamed up with a bunch of guys who wanted to build animated museum exhibits, so we formed ‘Dynamation’,” he said.  “We didn’t make any money, but some of the team like Jose Fernandez of Ironhead Studio, went on to great careers in the film industry. Jose was even hired by Elon Musk to design the astronauts’ suits for SpaceX,” he added.

Chris is a native of Texas with stints along the way in Arizona and southern California. He married into the area and has been here for almost two years.  He has joined the South Yuba County Rotary Club and has been helping Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture update its IT infrastructure.

Soon, Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture hopes to announce Phase One of opportunities to get involved at The Dinosaur Factory.  For updates and other information about local arts and culture including virtual programs during the pandemic, follow Yuba Sutter Arts & Culture on Facebook or go to yubasutterarts.org.  You may also contact us at [email protected].

About YSA: Yuba Sutter Arts is a non-profit organization whose mission is to provide arts programming, education, advocacy, assistance and service to artists, organizations and residents of Yuba and Sutter Counties. The official agency for Yuba and Sutter of the California Arts Council, its programs include the Murals of Live Oak, Cover It! Utility Box Murals, Shakespeare Readers’ Theatre, Veterans Initiative in the Arts projects, Very Special Arts Festival, Harvest the Arts, Arts in Education, Poetry Out Loud, Arts in Corrections, Art Everywhere and many more.