In exploring the rich tapestry of global cultures, few elements weave as intricate a story as tea. Tracing the spread of tea culture offers a unique lens for art historian Katharine Burnett, professor and co-chair in the Department of Art and Art History, to explore the complex interplay of tradition, globalization, and identity. Burnett’s fascination with tea inspired her to launch UC Davis’s Global Tea Institute for the Study of Tea Culture and Science, which delves into both the cultural and scientific aspects of tea.
Glass artist Josiah McElheny, the winter spotlight artist in The California Studio, explored ideas — and campus — during a week with students and faculty in the UC Davis Department of Art and Art History.
UC Davis art professor Beatriz Cortez has been invited to participate in the prestigious Venice Biennale arts and culture showcase, marking the first time in 40 years a current faculty member has been tapped for the honor.
Malaquías Montoya, a professor emeritus of Chicana and Chicano studies at UC Davis, is being widely celebrated with two major exhibitions at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis and at the Oakland Museum of California. But he is much more than an artist. Montoya, 85, has influenced several generations of students who went on to make art or make a mark on the world in other ways.
The UC Davis Department of Art and Art History will launch its 2023–24 public lecture series with talks by artists Katya Grokhovsky (Oct. 12) and Sky Hopinka (Oct. 26) at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. The talks are free and open to the public.
One of UC Davis’ most famous artist alumnae and an influential UC Davis professor emeritus will have major exhibitions at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art this fall. Both shows open Oct. 1 as part of the museum’s fall celebration from 2:30 to 5 p.m. Admission to the museum is free.
Alumnus Alan Templeton (B.A., art history and psychology, ‘82), a longtime supporter of arts and humanities programs at UC Davis, recently started a program to give an art history graduate student a behind the-scenes-look at the art world. Second year master's student Lawrence Stallman joined Templeton for London Art Week, visiting museums and galleries, meeting with curators, collectors and professors, and attending art auctions at Christie’s and Sotheby’s.
UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May presented the 2023 UC Davis Medal, the university’s highest honor, to international arts patron and philanthropist Maria Manetti Shrem at the afternoon commencement ceremony on June 18 at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento. The award presentation was followed by a ceremonial tree planting on the UC Davis campus and a dinner at the UC Davis Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts.
At this year’s Arts and Humanities Graduate Exhibition, on view June 8-25 at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, students in history, performance studies and English as well as design and art will take part. A free, public opening celebration will take place June 8 from 6 to 9 p.m. Art history students will present their research the following day. In all, 30 Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts and doctoral students are participating.
Professor emerita and groundbreaking multimedia artist Lynn Hershman Leeson returns to campus as a Manetti Shrem California Studio artist-in-residence to screen several of her films and give a talk. At UC Davis from 1993 to 2004, she is a pioneer in the fields of photography, video, film, performance, artificial intelligence, installation, interactive and net-based media art.
