Welcome to the new year

This month, the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art will open two new exhibitions focusing on women artists, including Ruby Neri, a Los Angeles artist who is the daughter of the late Manuel Neri, UC Davis professor emeritus and sculptor. You will have to wait until next month for the Gorman Museum of Native American Art's mid-winter exhibition, but enjoy now beautiful mixed media in Brenda Mallory: In the Absence of Instruction until Jan. 26. An exhibition offering visual journals belonging to students who participated in the UC Davis Design study abroad program, opens for viewing on Jan. 21 at both the Design Museum and at the International Center on the UC Davis campus. “Visual Journals: 2010–2024” is a partnership between the Department of Design and Global Affairs at UC Davis. Read more about these exhibitions, and more, both in this Arts Blog today and in following weeks as we learn more.

We also bring you news of art in Sacramento and Davis, and there's plenty of performing arts happening this month too.

Karen Nikos-Rose, UC Davis Arts Blog Editor

UC Davis graduate students present “Pushback Collective”

Friday, Jan. 10, 5 p.m., Recital Hall at Ann E. Pitzer Center, free

Ally Smither, soprano
Ben Roidl-Ward, bassoon

Program

• Colin Minigan: TBA PREMIERE

• Joseph Donald Peterson: It Wasn’t So Bad PREMIERE

• Max Gibson: Niahm PREMIERE

• Jacob Lane: Time PREMIERE

• Alejandro Arreola: TBA PREMIERE

• Yi-Ting Lu: Float

• Binna Kim: The Return of the Repressed

Join in on the first ArtAbout of the year in Downtown Davis

Friday, Jan. 10, multiple times and locations

In Downtown Davis this Friday, the first ArtAbout art-walk of the year will be taking place. Thirteen different venues that celebrate art will be participating in this community event. With live music at Outpost Burgers, crafts and jewelry at the Davis Craft and Vintage Fair, and new exhibits on display at the Pence Gallery, there is plenty to see and visit.

For more information, visit ArtAbout – Pence Gallery

At the Crocker

The Crocker Museum hosts an art-filled extravaganza at their ArtMix

Thursday, Jan. 9, 6 p.m., Crocker Art Museum, 216 O Street, Sacramento, tickets starting at $25

The Crocker Museum is hosting ArtMix, an fun-filled night with live music, food, drinks, art activities, and more this Thursday. This year’s theme is Rebellion, inspired by Davis Cerny’s politically charged works on display which bring together punk culture and street art. Note that outside food and drinks other than water bottles will not be allowed inside.

Get tickets for this exciting night here: Shopping Cart | Crocker Art Museum 

The Crocker Museum brings Baroque music to Sacramento

Sunday, Jan. 12, 3 p.m., Crocker Art Museum, tickets starting at $10

As part of their Classical Concert series, the Crocker Museum is hosting Sacramento Baroque Soloists. These performances are meant to be educational and are typically inspired by works on display at the museum. This concert specifically features two violins and continuo presents early Italian sonatas. If you want to further your knowledge on classical music, a Prelude Tour will take place at 2 p.m.

Get tickets here: Shopping Cart | Crocker Art Museum

Listen to the Crocker Museum’s Classical Series playlist on Spotify here: Classical Concert Series

New mixed media exhibits at the Pence Gallery

Running Jan. 10-Feb. 28, 212 D Street, open Tuesdays-Sundays 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visiting the Pence Gallery, Bussie Parker Kehoe’s mixed media exhibit “A Curious Garden” creates bright and vibrant patterns reminiscent of Korean textiles using discarded household paint. Kehoe uses the dried paint to create illusions of growth and colorful patchwork that appears to  blossom off the base of the canvas. The other exhibit joining the Pence Gallery is Kathy Canfield Shepard’s “Quilled Paper Art.” Using the technique of paper quilling, Shepard creates incredibly intricate three-dimensional designs.

The opening reception for A Curious Garden and Quilled Paper Art is on Jan. 10 from 6-9 p.m.

To learn more, visit Upcoming Exhibits – Pence Gallery 

Ongoing at the UC Davis Shields Library

Learn about the exhibits featuring vintage postcards and cookbooks at the Library. Read this Arts Blog story from this week.  

Next week 

Aaron Diehl Trio blurs the lines between jazz and classical music at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Thursday, Jan. 16 to Saturday, Jan. 18, showtimes at 7:30 p.m., Vanderhoef Studio Theatre at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, tickets are almost sold out so get your tickets here!

Pianist Aaron Diehl has quietly re-defined the lines between jazz and classical, building a global career around his nuanced, understated approach to music-making. See him perform at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts next week!

Praised for his “melodic precision, harmonic erudition, and elegant restraint” (The New York Times), Diehl has performed with musical giants such as Wynton Marsalis and Cécile McLorin Salvant, headlined the Monterey, Detroit, and Newport Jazz Festivals and now brings his exceptional artistry and “organic, sophisticated approach” (DownBeat) to the Mondavi Center for a chance to experience this one-of-a-kind talent.

Get tickets here: Aaron Diehl Trio | Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts 

Later this month

Laugh along with Bored Teachers in 'The Struggle is Real!' comedy performance

Friday, Jan. 24, 7:30 p.m., Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts

Bored Teachers “The Struggle is Real!” Comedy Tour features the funniest teacher-comedians in the world. Amassing over a billion views on their viral videos on social media, over 10 million followers, and the #1 ranked teacher-comedy podcast, these comic forces come together on stage for a night of laughter that anyone who has ever been in a classroom can relate to.

This performance uses some adult language and recommends that viewers are over the age of 13. Tickets are almost sold out so make sure to check their availability.

Get tickets for their performance here: Bored Teachers | Mondavi Center 

New exhibitions coming soon to the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art

At the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, the museum will be closed through Jan. 25 to install new exhibits, regular hours are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday-Monday

Two exhibits are moving into the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art with an opening day of Jan. 26. Curated by Ginny Duncan, the exhibit Ruby Neri: Taking the Deep Dive is the first solo exhibition of Neri's work and features personal motifs and the female body. The second new exhibit at the museum is Through Their Eyes: Selections from the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection, which is a mixed media collection by 30 of the most prominent and influential female artists currently working. Some featured artists include Giulia Andreani, Vanessa Beecroft, Berlinde De Bruyckere, June Crespo, just to name a few.

Learn more about current exhibitions here. And keep an eye on more about them in the Arts Blog.

Light into Density will remain on view until May 5

The exhibit, Light into Density: Abstract Encounters 1920s-1960s | From the Collection of Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem, made its debut this past Sept. at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art on the UC Davis campus and will be available to view until May, 2025. This student-curated exhibit, the first of its kind at the Manetti Shrem Museum, features 15 incredible paintings made by renowned artists like Salvador Dalí and Joan Miró. The works of art in Light into Density are from the collection of museum’s founding donors, Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem with the student curators’ goal to demystify abstract art and encourage viewers to create their own interpretations of the artwork.