Becca Stevens sings at Mondavi Thursday night

Thursday, Feb. 9, 2023 – 7:30 p.m., Jackson Hall

Becca Stevens stretches the boundaries of convention with songs that weave together her classical and Appalachian folk music upbringing and her love of the rich rhythms and harmonies of jazz and world music, enhanced by her skill on multiple string instruments. 

The North Carolina native and Brooklyn transplant straddles those two worlds, with music that moves in unpredictably fascinating directions. Smart lyrics and funky beats topped with her remarkable vocal gifts are hallmarks of her most recent album, Wonderbloom, a record that Jazz Magazine described as “sophisticated and sensual pop.” Find more information and purchase tickets for the Mondavi Center event here.

Trio Foss at noon Thursday

Feb. 9, 12:05 – 1 p.m., a Shinkoskey Noon Concert, free, Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center

Trio Foss includes Hrabba Atladottir, violin; Nina Flyer, cello; and Miles Graber, piano.

The program includes György Kurtág: Varga Bálint Ligaturája, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Trio in E Major, K. 542, Johannes Brahms: Trio No. 2 in C Major, op. 87.

Icelandic violinist Hrabba Atladottir has performed as a soloist and chamber musician in several Northern California ensembles, including UC Davis’s Empyrean Ensemble, The New Century Chamber Orchestra, Left Coast Chamber Ensemble, ECO, and the SF Contemporary Music Players. Before coming to California, she spent time in New York, where she played on a regular basis with the Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, and the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra among others. She studied violin with Professor Axel Gerhardt at Künste University, Berlin. After her studies in Germany she participated in a world tour with the Icelandic pop artist Björk and a tour with violinist Nigel Kennedy. She also freelanced in Germany, regularly playing with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Deutsche Oper, and Deutsche Symphonieorchester.

Find more information here.

The “Reckoning” in American Art History and Art Museums: A panel discussion

Thursday, Feb. 9, 4:30 – 6 p.m., Manetti Shrem Museum of Art; followed by student night

Art historians and curators Bridget Cooks and Nana Adusei-Poku discuss art, museums and demands for change in the age of Black Lives Matter with museum educator Stacey Shelnut-Hendrick. They consider the complexities of rethinking art history and museum practices through the lens of Blackness and explore how artists are imagining worlds of Black freedom.

Adusei-Poku is an assistant professor in African Diasporic art history in the Department of History of Art at UC Berkeley. She is the editor of the forthcoming book Reshaping the Field: Art of the African Diasporas on Display and curated the seminal exhibition Black Melancholia at the CCS Bard Galleries, Bard College, New York.

They consider the complexities of rethinking art history and museum practices through the lens of Blackness and explore how artists are imagining worlds of Black freedom.

Cooks is a professor at UC Irvine with a joint appointment in visual culture and African American studies. She is the author of the groundbreaking book Exhibiting Blackness: African Americans and the American Art Museum (2010). She curated the traveling exhibition The Black Index and Ernie Barnes: A Retrospective at the California African American Museum.

Shelnut-Hendrick, deputy director of public engagement and learning at the Chrysler Museum of Art, has held positions at the Crocker Art Museum, Sacramento; the Baltimore Museum of Art; the Studio Museum, Harlem, N.Y.; and the James E. Lewis Museum, Baltimore. She is known for innovative community-based museum programs, such as ArtPower and Block by Block. More information here.

Student Night at the Manetti Shrem

Thursday, Feb. 9, 6 to 8:30 p.m.
New year, new art. Explore Mike Henderson: Before the Fire, 1965–1985, create your own interpretation of a “silver utopia,” and enjoy a sweet treat. Aggie Open Mics will host a special open mic session, “giving a voice to every and all” with a theme inspired by Mike Henderson’s powerful protest paintings.

Valente Lecture: Phil Acimovic, composer, will speak about recent compositions

Friday, Feb. 10, 4 p.m. - 5:30 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center

Composer Phil Acimovic (Ph.D. composition ‘18) will speak about his recent compositions, including a new work (“Echo Flute”) with two instrumentations: one for flute, bass clarinet, harp, and double bass; another for flute and open instrumentation. 

Phil Acimovic is a composer and gamelan musician from Easthampton, Massachusetts. He writes concert music for soloists, chamber ensembles, and orchestra. His recently completed a set of solo instrumental works, inspired by abstract visual artists and their ability to mix unease with quietude. He studied composition with Kurt Rohde, Sam Nichols, John McDonald, Ken Steen, and David Macbride.

Empyrean Ensemble: 'Rzewski’s ‘Coming Together’

Sunday, Feb. 12, 7 – 8:30 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center, free

This program will range widely with a groundbreaking work from 50 years ago and new works by faculty and alumni. Frederic Rzewski wrote Coming Together in 1972 in response to an uprising at Attica prison the year before. It uses lyrics based on letters by Sam Melville, an Attica inmate and uprising leader killed by police. The ensemble of professional musicians will be joined by student musicians and vocalist-actor Omai Tau for the work.

There will be a preconcert discussion from 6:15–6:45 p.m. with Empyrean director Sam Nichols and composers Phil Acimovic and Pablo Ortiz.

The program includes Philip Acimovic (Ph.D. composition ‘18): Echo Flute WORLD PREMIERE, Annea Lockwood: Immersion, Pablo Ortiz: Flying Objects WORLD PREMIERE with video by Daniel Godsil (Ph.D. composition ‘21), Frederic Rzewski: Coming Together (Part I) with Omari Tau, voice.

Slow Looking: Mike Henderson: Before the Fire, 1965–1985

Monday, Feb. 13, 12:10 – 1 p.m. Manetti Shrem Museum, Galleries

Did you know that on average, museum visitors spend just eight seconds looking at a single work of art? Slow looking is an approach based on the idea that if we want to get to know a work of art, we need to spend time with it — and no paintings deserve that more than the work of Mike Henderson. Relax, look closely, reflect and share with others during this facilitated lunchtime conversation on an individual work in Mike Henderson: Before the Fire, 1965–1985. This event will examine Love it or Leave it. 

This monthly Monday series continues through June. Future events include March 6: Non-Violence, April 10: The Last Supper, May 15: Freedom and June 12: Miss.

Cecilia Alemani: Winter Quarter Spotlight Artist in Residence

Tuesday, Feb. 14, 4:30 – 6 p.m., The California Studio: Manetti Shrem Artist Residencies, Manetti Shrem Museum of Art

Cecilia Alemani is the artistic director of the 2022 Venice Biennial. Since 2011, she has been the Donald R. Mullen, Jr. director and chief curator of High Line Art, the public art program presented by the High Line in New York City. During the past 10 years, Alemani has commissioned and produced ambitious artworks for public spaces by artists Barbara Kruger, Zoe Leonard, Faith Ringgold, Ed Ruscha, Nari Ward and Adrián Villar Rojas, among others. 

Alemani is the winter quarter spotlight artist in residence in The California Studio. 

Organized by The California Studio in the Department of Art and Art History. Co-sponsored by the Manetti Shrem Museum.

UC Davis Craft Center Open House features renewed maker space next Wednesday

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 9 – 11 a.m. UC Davis Craft Center, 430 Hutchison Drive, South Silo Bldg. Room 144

Chancellor Gary S. May is scheduled to visit the UC Davis Craft Center during its upcoming open house. The event will include live demonstrations in various studios (including a screen printing demo by the chancellor).

The maker space showcase will highlight the new space and equipment, which includes collaboration between the Craft Center and the UC Davis School of Education. The School of Education will use the maker space as a classroom for students working in the Beta Lab, in which K-12 students are mentored.

The maker space enables students to bring digital fabrication techniques, including 3D printing, laser cutting, and electronics, to wood, ceramics, and screen printing studio projects as well as individual arts and crafts. UC Davis students and community members enrolled in classes at the Craft Center can use the maker space during studio hours, as well.

Additional event highlights include a gallery show of work by students and community members, and studio tours. This event is free and refreshments will be served.

Read the full story on the UC Davis Campus Recreation site.

Coming Up

Ian Jessee, violin, Susan Lamb Cook, cello and Paulo Steinberg, piano at noon concert

Thursday, Feb. 16, 12:05 – 1 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center, a Shinkoskey Noon Concert​, Free

The program includes twentieth-century works by Brazilian composers Camargo Guarnieri, Edmundo Villani-Côrtes, Heitor Villa-Lobos, and the Mexican composer Manuel Ponce.

Student recital: Rebecca Wang, percussion

Friday, Feb. 17, 4 – 4:45 p.m., Junior Recital, Free

The program includes Casey Cangelosi: Meditation No. 1 for Snare Drum, Elliott Carter: March for Timpani, Terry Longshore and Brett Reed: Boom with Jackson Orlando and Keiko Abe: Memories of the Seashore for Marimba.

Art Social Media of the Week from SFMOMA