Anyone concerned about not having enough art opportunities will be heartened by the treasure of online opportunities offered at UC Davis and throughout the region during this time.
Check out this opportunity for emerging artists
Calling all California artists! Don't miss your chance to apply for the Pence Gallery's Emerging Artist Award. The award offers $3,000 and a solo exhibit at the Pence Gallery in Davis in 2021.
The deadline to apply has been extended to 9 p.m. PST on April 17, 2020.
The application is open to California artists working in any medium, with the exception of video and sound art. All applicants must submit a CV, an artist statement, and 10-15 jpegs of recent work. For more information, see pencegallery.org or apply directly at callforentry.org.
Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art continues its virtual world
While the physical museum on campus is closed, the newsletter Manetti Shrem Museum At Home continues to bring art to the sheltering-in-place masses. The museum, before closing due to COVID-19, was presenting the exhibition Stephen Kaltenbach: The Beginning and The End. This week’s newsletter offers readers the chance to virtually explore Kaltenbach’s work and enter “...the timeless and ethereal world of Conceptual art.”
Catch a sneak preview of renowned art curator Lawrence Rinder’s yet-to-be-published backstory. Rinder discusses how Kaltenbach’s magnum opus, Portrait of My Father, aims for and achieves a level of universality.
Read a piece from Constance Lewallen, co-curator of the Kaltenbach exhibit, on how the changes forged by the first generation of Conceptual artists changed everything.
Everything you wanted to know about Conceptual art but were afraid to ask is explained in this PBS Digital Studios video.
Take a deep dive into the life and career of artist Stephen Kaltenbach in this expansive profile from Sactown magazine.
The online appreciation of Kaltenbach’s work is apropos to the artist’s own worldview. The newsletter states that “Kaltenbach envisioned a world of art outside of the museum, unbound by time and place. As we move now from experiencing art on-site in our galleries to connecting with it from our homes, we are grateful for the artist's wisdom. We appreciate the opportunity to notice that every end is a beginning.”
- The new Manetti Shrem Museum At Home home page has each week’s content, sign-up link and archive of past issues.
Mondavi Center offers virtual concerts
All upcoming concerts at the Mondavi Center have been canceled. However, Mondavi is offering free virtual concerts instead. The virtual concerts will be shared on the dates the shows were scheduled to occur. Click here to view the schedule of virtual concerts.
A concert of the Yamato Drummers from earlier this week is viewable.
Also, Mondavi Executive Director Don Roth offers a tribute to musician John Prine here.
Stay tuned to the Arts Blog for an upcoming article describing the unique experience of a virtual Mondavi concert.
There’s a treasure trove of online art alternatives featured in the community
- SFMOMA: Watch artist interviews, tour artist studios, make art at home
- While the physical SFMOMA is closed, they have compiled virtual resources they hope will “...give you food for thought, a reason to smile, or a moment of connection.”
- You can watch a wide variety of artist interviews here
- Take short virtual tours of artists’ studios here
- Use your time at home to hone your creativity with free activities designed by contemporary artists.
- Many artists are struggling financially in these uncertain times. Artists can access a list of resources compiled by SFMOMA here
- Crocker Art Museum: View an online photography exhibition, hear from a curator
- While the Crocker Art Museum is closed, their website is still up and running. They moved the exhibition Voices: Speaking with Your Photographic Eye online. The exhibition is presented in partnership with the Viewpoint Photographic Art Center. This photography exhibition includes portraits and landscapes as well as still lifes and creative photographic edits.
- Still missing the Crocker? Want to see more art? You can view the museum through the eyes of its associate curator, Jayme Yahr, in the article “A Brief Tour Taken from a Curators iPhone”
- Sacramento Virtual Art Tours: Explore local art via Instagram
- “Sac Virtual Art Tours prioritizes showcasing exhibitions that were closed due to COVID-19, and artists that have been affected by it in the Sacramento Region.”
- Instagram @sacvirtualarttours
- “Making Sacramento artwork available to the masses while social distancing”
- Artists who have been affected by COVID-19 are invited to submit a short exhibition or studio tour along with a description of themselves here.
- UnOpen Studios: Watch short videos by local artists online
- UnOpen Studios, a website created by local gallery director D. Neath, is a creative space for artists to post short videos about themselves and their works during this uncertain time. Go here.
There’s even more opportunities to enjoy local art virtually. Fairfield Suisun Visual Arts Association has created The Quarantine Gallery with many of the pieces available to purchase. YoloArts also offers virtual art galleries of a variety of exhibits, from Art & Ag to Fashion Forward: Women’s Wear and Social Reform.
Art Tweet of the Week
Art Critic Charles Desmarais tweets about how Bay Area museums, from the San Francisco Conservatory of Flowers to the SFMOMA, are handling coronavirus shutdowns.
