This week, you'll find a slew of activities in music, art and culture. Read about them all in the UC Davis Arts Blog Weekender.
Just opened: ‘Olé Ham Nees: We Call Him Coyote’ at the Gorman Museum of Native American Art
On view from Wednesday, Feb. 12 through Sunday, Aug. 31, Gorman Museum of Native American Art, UC Davis
The solo exhibition “Olé Ham Nees: We Call Him Coyote” features the artwork of Harry Fonseca drawn from the Shingle Springs Band Collection. Embracing the lifework of this former tribal citizen, the Shingle Springs Band of Miwok Indians acquired an important collection of works spanning his career.
The exhibition considers multiple series and stylistic shifts from his earliest pieces reflecting his Maidu heritage, the Coyote Series for which he is most recognized, the influences of rock art in Stone Poems, the political views of Discovery of Gold and Souls in California, to the abstraction and examination of painting in the Stripes and Seasons series.
For more information on the exhibit, visit Olé Ham Nees: We Call Him Coyote | Gorman Museum.
Ongoing Exhibitions at UC Davis
Read about ongoing art and design exhibitions in the Arts Blog. Note: the Manetti Shrem Museum will be open on Monday, President's Day.
Heloísa Fernandes Quartet brings newly composed program to Jackson Hall stage
Thursday, Feb. 13 through Saturday, Feb. 15, performances at 7:30 p.m., Jackson Hall, Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts
Sonho das águas (Dream of the Waters)
Strong and original, ancient and modern, Heloísa Fernandes’ music blossoms with rhythmic vitality and melodic delicacy, a style that has garnered her worldwide attention.
Fernandes brings her quartet with a newly composed program – Sonho das águas (Dream of the Waters). “The story,” she says about Dream of the Waters, “will be told in frames or chapters, which reflect moments of observation and reflection on the beauty, immensity and life that exists in the Amazon.
Her original compositions are profoundly influenced by literature, poetry, nature, classical music, jazz and Brazilian music. The Post and Courier describes her unique talent as “beyond categorization.” One listen and it’s easy to see why.
Tickets for Feb. 13: Heloísa Fernandes Quartet | Mondavi Center
Tickets for Feb. 14: Heloísa Fernandes Quartet | Mondavi Center
Tickets for Feb. 15: Heloísa Fernandes Quartet | Mondavi Center
Michael Spiro performs percussion for Shinkoskey Noon Concert; workshop in evening
Thursday, Feb. 13, 12:05 p.m., Recital Hall at the Ann E. Pitzer Center, free
Internationally recognized percussionist, recording artist and educator known for his work in the Latin music field. Program selections will be announced from the stage.
Spiro leads Latin percussion workshop Thursday night
Thursday, Feb. 13, 6-7:30 p.m., Recital Hall at Ann E. Pitzer Center
Learn how to play percussion with Michael Spiro, an internationally recognized percussionist, recording artist, and educator, known specifically for his work in the Latin music field. He has performed on hundreds of records, co-produced several instructional videos for Warner Bros. Publications (featuring such renowned artists as David Garibaldi, Changuito, Giovanni Hidalgo, and Ignacio Berroa), and produced seminal recordings in the Latin music genre, including Orquesta Batachanga, Grupo Bata-Ketu, and Grupo Ilu-Aña.
Jayson Beaster-Jones gives Valente Lecture on Bollywood soundtrack
Thursday, Feb. 13, 4:10-5:30 p.m., Room 266 in Everson Hall
"Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Bollywood’s Rock Band Aesthetic"
The soundtrack to the film Dil Chahta Hai (2001) was arguably the first hit soundtrack in Bollywood created by a rock band. In this presentation, UC Merced Professor Beaster-Jones illustrates how the collaborative approach for this Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy soundtrack generated momentum for a new kind of Indian film song.
He highlights the changing tastes of India’s urban youth audiences in the twenty-first century and shows how Dil Chahta Haipaved the way for the rock and EDM-oriented compositions of Hindi-language cinema that came to dominate the first decades of the twenty-first century. This influence, he argues, makes Dil Chahta Hai among the most influential soundtracks in Indian cinematic history.
Celebrate Love at the Crocker ArtMix: Sweethearts
Thursday, Feb. 13, 6 p.m., tickets free for members at the Crocker Museum and $25 for nonmembers, for adults 18+, O Street, Sacramento
Break free at ArtMix, the Crocker’s fun-filled evening extravaganza bursting with live performances, DJed music, festive food and drinks, art activities, and so much more!
Grab your Valentine or palentine or come looking for love at ArtMix: Sweethearts. DIY Valentines, local chocolate tastings, and speed dating sprints fill out the evening’s bouquet. Enjoy cabaret-style performances and join the cupid shuffle to the beats of DJ Hustle at this ArtMix made for love.
Get tickets here: ArtMix Shopping Cart | Crocker Art Museum
Shop for unique art at Pence Gallery’s Seconds Sale
Reception is Friday, Feb. 14, 6-9 p.m., Exhibition through Friday, Feb. 28, 212 D Street, open 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Sundays
The Pence Gallery will be selling artwork from over 25 professional artists that have either have too much overstock or experimented with a new art form that doesn’t quite fit in with their current project. At the Seconds Sale, you can find unique pieces including ceramics, paintings, and textiles that are just waiting to spruce up your home (or make a perfect gift for your Valentine).
Next week
Bereishit Dance Company brings worlds of martial arts, dance together
Thursday, Feb. 20, 7:30 p.m., Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts
Founded in 2011 by acclaimed choreographer Soon-ho Park, the Bereishit Dance Company is known for their contemporary approach to traditional Korean culture with work that beautifully connects the forms and themes of sports and traditional arts.
Through dance and rhythm, Judo shows how sports can mediate and transcend our inner turmoil. It reflects competition, cooperation, conflict, and harmony in society.
In Balance & Imbalance, dancers seamlessly partner and then hurtle through space, employing the laws of physics to illustrate the constantly turning wheel of opposition and harmony at the heart of all relationships. The piece is set to traditional live Korean percussion and pansori, a kind of musical storytelling.
“A dance battle executed with the explosive force of gymnasts and the smooth exactitude of a K-pop boy band." — The New Yorker
Download the digital program PDF here: Bereishit Dance Company.
This year’s Templeton Colloquium highlights a conversation on cultural heritage
Friday, Feb. 21, 4-6 p.m., reception from 6-7 p.m., at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, 254 Old Davis Rd.
Cultural Heritage at Stake: Between Conservation and Criminality
Threats to cultural heritage are on the rise globally, due to factors such as war, intentional destruction, unfettered development and climate change. Join two of the most incisive voices in cultural heritage debate at the 2025 Templeton Colloquium, exploring the stakes for cultural heritage protection worldwide.
Lynn Meskell, Richard D. Green Professor of Anthropology in the School of Arts and Sciences at University of Pennsylvania, also serves as professor of Historic Preservation and curator in the Middle East and Asia sections at the Penn Museum. Her talk, "RUINED: How and Why We Weaponize the Past," examines the roles of two intersecting international organizations, UNESCO and NATO, that seek to combat the fallout from ruin warfare and their respective aspirations for mission success.
Hrag Vartanian, is editor-in-chief and co-founder of Hyperallergic, a leading digital platform for contemporary art criticism as well as the recipient of the Susan C. Larsen Lifetime Achievement Award 2024. He is widely recognized for his curatorial work, writings on the intersection of art and politics, and extensive lecturing.
This discussion is organized and moderated by Heghnar Watenpaugh, professor of art and architectural history. Watenpaugh is an expert on the preservation of art and its cultural importance. To learn more about her work and a lecture she gave at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles, go to this Arts Blog story .
“The Templeton Colloquium is a forum where the most incisive voices weigh in on a crucial topic in art history. We are very fortunate this year to have two extraordinary speakers — one from the world of academia and one from the world of journalism and art criticism, to discuss this issue from multiple perspectives.” — Heghnar Watenpaugh
Read more about the 2025 Templeton Colloquium in this story: Speakers Present on Threats to Cultural Heritage Around the World.
For parking information for the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art: Parking and Directions.
The world renowned London Symphony Orchestra comes to the Jackson Hall stage
Saturday, Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m., Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts
Ranked among the world’s top orchestras, the London Symphony Orchestra is built on the belief that extraordinary music should be available to everyone, everywhere.
Joining the iconic orchestra is Dutch violinist Janine Jansen, whom The New York Times declared “among the world’s star soloists.” Their dynamic program consists of Walker’s striking final composition, Mahler’s symphonic poem and Bernstein’s Serenade, after Plato’s ‘Symposium,’ which Bernstein himself called “a series of related statements in praise of love.”
Featuring Uncorked
An exclusive reception for Inner Circle Members featuring a local winery and gourmet Nugget appetizers & desserts, in partnership with the Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science. Become a member here.
Tickets are limited so get them while you can here: London Symphony Orchestra | Mondavi Center
Read the digital program PDF here: Program PDF: London Symphony Orchestra
Media Resources
Arts Blog Editor, Karen Nikos-Rose, kmnikos@ucdavis.edu
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