Even as the temperatures heat up, UC Davis museums have plenty on tap, especially for the next few weeks. The Arts Blog is publishing this story on ongoing and ending exhibitions this week instead of the usual weekender. Watch for a variety of arts stories in the summer as various events at the Mondavi and music venues, for example, go on hiatus.

Indigenous art photography and more at Gorman Museum through September

More than two dozen Indigenous artists from North America, Aotearoa and Australia from a diversity of backgrounds are represented at the Gorman Museum of Native American Art’s exhibition at the UC Davis. “Reflecting Lenses: Twenty Years of Photography at the Gorman Museum.” The Gorman Museum of Native American art is one of the few museums of its kind in North America.

The pieces are highlights of the Gorman photography collection alongside new works on loan from several artists. The exhibition runs through Sept. 1.

For decades, the museum has hosted artists who advance Indigenous visual sovereignty — understood as the assertion of Indigenous autonomy through visual media. Photographs are now central to the museum’s collection of contemporary art. Themes that are prevalent in the collection relate to social and environmental justice, connection to homeland and Indigenous empowerment in the contemporary world. 

Many Indigenous artists have examined issues of self-representation through their artistic practice. In response, the museum uses the artists’ own words to present their ideas and artistic strategies. More information in the full story here. See the Gorman website for more information on hours, days and their exhibitions.

The Collections Gallery 

The Collections Gallery features a selection of artworks from the Gorman Museum Collections on a rotational basis. The current exhibition is a survey spanning across the collection to include artworks by Native American foundational artists such as Oscar Howe, Allan Houser, Allan Sapp, George Morrison, Kenojuak Ashevak, Bill Reid, Benjamin Haldane, Jennie Ross Cobb, and Lee Marmon. These works are also on display through Sept. 1.

Manetti Shrem Features ‘Hatched’ Eggheads; Grad Exhibition through late June

The Manetti Shrem Museum of Art features an “Aggies with Eggheads” photo display, scrapbook style, on its front windows and a special lobby display “Hatched: The Making of Robert Arneson’s Eggheads” showcasing early clay models of Arneson’s iconic sculptures. The museum also features a new Eggheads pop-up shop featuring exclusive Egghead products. These are available through June 30.

The Arts and Humanities 2024 Graduate Exhibition features the work of graduate students across eight disciplines, including anthropology, art history, art studio, comparative literature, creative writing, design, and English as well as Spanish and Portuguese. Final projects are on view through June 24 at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at UC Davis. Learn more about those who won that exhibition competition in four categories in this story. 

Shields Library: The UC Davis campus library hosts special egg-xhibits, featuring historical news and views about the Eggheads from The California Aggie and photographs of the installation and dedication of Bookhead through the fall.

Catch the last days of Butterfield’s 'horses'

Deborah Butterfield’s exhibit “P.S. These are not horses” is available to view until June 30. Butterfield is one of UC Davis’s most recognized alumni artists.

Read this excerpt from a recent Arts Blog review of the exhibition:  

In a piece labeled Untitled made in 1978, Butterfield uses materials that could be found on a farm near horses to create a small horse-like sculpture. The implementation of steel, chicken wire, mud, paper pulp, dextrine, grasses, and sticks give the piece a very rural element that truly makes it feel inspired by the life and location in which horses live.

In the gallery adjacent to the entrance, three life-size horse sculptures command the attention of museum goers. The pieces John (1984), Maluhia (1986), and Uha’Ula’Ula (1986) are created using found steel that has been welded together. What differentiates these pieces from other sculptures is the realistic poses and attitudes of the horses. …

Read the full review in the Arts Blog. 

Discover how Butterfield's use of materials has evolved during her 50-year career, reflecting her lived experiences and artistic evolution. Delve into her work's abstract, material and lyrical dimensions. Visit the immersive Poetry Lounge and contribute your reflections inspired by the exhibition.

Learn more about the Manetti Shrem Museum, their location, and hours here.