More Outdoors: At Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve and the California Raptor Center

The arboretum and the arts have long shared a common thread: They both aim to make the work of students and faculty accessible to the public, and to engage audiences in rich sensory experiences and interactive learning.

Now, for the first time, this common thread gets a celebration all its own, during the Arboretum GATEways Arts Festival, scheduled for Oct. 23 — a day filled with music, theatre, dance, painting and poetry, and the arboretum's beautiful landscape, of course. The festival is free and open to the public.

GATEways refers to the GATEways Project, with GATE standing for Gardens, Arts and The Environment), and envisioning the arboretum as a campus portal, welcoming visitors and showcasing the university's creative work and spirit of inquiry.

For example: Students of Hearne Pardee, associate professor of art, will be practicing plein air painting on the north shore of Lake Spafford from 3 to 5 p.m. — and their subject will be an art installation (11 a.m.-5 p.m.) by Minoosh Zomorodinia, working with Robin Hill, associate professor of art, and students.

Zomorodinia is an Iranian artist who is particularly well known for her environmental installations and documentary photography in Iran. She called her recent installations “Investigating in my Unconsciousness” and “Destruction of Nature, Destruction of Human Being.”

Lake Spafford, by the way, is a good place to land for a picnic (you need to bring your own!) — or you can opt for a picnic table in the nearby redwood grove.

Two other events are being held just a hop, skip and jump from the arboretum:

• A screening of the entries from the UC Davis Film Festival of 2010 — 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Dance Studio, University Club.

• The Wonderers photography exhibition — 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Nelson Gallery, 124 Art Building. Read more about the exhibition.

Wyatt Deck is the venue for a number of performances, every half-hour starting at noon:

• Gamelan Ensemble — Music lecturer Ed Garcia, assisted by Henry Spiller, associate professor, leads this traditional Sundanese ensemble. It will accompany dancer Ben Arcangel as he portrays multiple characters (using a mask) of Javanese mythology. Noon.

• Samba School — Music lecturer Chris Froh (percussion) leads this traditional Brazilian "school" in which students play traditional instruments, such as the tambourim (a very small, handheld drum), caixa (similar to a snare drum) and surdo (similar to a bass drum). The school plays multiple styles, such as the enredo, in which the musicians accompany a singer. 12:30 p.m.

• Tilly No-Body: Catastrophes of Love — Excerpts from this show that opened Oct. 14 and runs through Oct. 24, a production of the Sideshow Physical Theatre Company in collaboration with the Department of Theatre and Dance. 1 p.m. Read more about the production.

• Chamber music — Excerpts or movements from larger chamber music works by classical composers such as Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak or Mozart. 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.

• Slaughterhouse Five — Students of John Zibell, graduate student, and Bella Merlin, professor of acting, perform excerpts from a recent project. 2 p.m.

• Original student choreography and music — Choreography and dance by students of Professor David Grenke, and music by graduate student Ching-Yi Wang. 2:30 p.m.

• Monologues — Arboretum-inspired works by students of Granada Artist-in-Residence Lucy Gough. 3 p.m.

• DeNNiS SOmeRA — The sound poet present excerpts from some of his works. 4 p.m.

MORE AT THE ARBORETUM

Folk Music Jam Sessions — Pull out your fiddles, guitars, mandolins, penny whistles, pipes, flutes, squeezeboxes — you name it! — and join your fellow musicians during the lunch hour for a little bluegrass, old-time, blues, Celtic, klezmer and other world music. All skill levels welcome. Listeners, too! Noon today (Oct. 15) and Fridays, Oct. 29 and Nov. 12, Wyatt Deck.

Plant sale — "Fall Is for Planting," with experienced gardeners available to help you choose the best plants for your garden designs and conditions. Organizers said the sale will include many California native plants and Arboretum All-Stars, plants selected for their beauty, reliability, heat and drought tolerance, and value in attracting butterflies, hummingbirds and other pollinators. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 16, Arboretum Teaching Nursery, Garrod Drive south of La Rue Road (the nursery is just beyond the Unitrans bus yard and across from the School of Veterinary Medicine). Members of Friends of the UC Davis Arborertum receive a 10 percent discount; you can sign up at the gate, thereby receiving the discount as well as a free plant. (See below for membership details.) Admission is free.

Birds That Winter in the Arboretum — This program, about bird-friendly gardening, including plants that attract birds, comes at a time when most of the fall migration should be completed, and birds have settled in to the arboretum for the winter. The program will start with a photo slide show of birds you might see in winter in the arboretum, and, then, weather permitting, the program will move outside to look for some of those birds. 11 a.m. Sundays, Oct. 17 and Nov. 21, arboretum headquarters, La Rue Road.

Fall in the Storer Garden — Texture, color and form in the autumn garden. 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 30, gazebo.

Poetry in the Garden: Susan Kelly-DeWitt — A reading by the author of The Fortunate Islands (2008), eight small press collections and the forthcoming Afghanistan, A Window into the Tragedy. Noon Wednesday, Nov. 3, Wyatt Deck (or 126 Voorhies Hall in the event of rain).

Native American Uses for California Plants — A family-friendly tour exploring Indian uses of plants for food, medicine, construction and ritual. 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 6, Buehler Alumni and Visitors Center.

Walk With Warren — The arboretum's retired superintendent returns to lead another of his popular walking tours. Noon Wednesday, Nov. 10, gazebo.

The Oak Lifecycle — In fall, the oaks are ending their cycle, preparing to drop their seeds and hunkering down for the winter. 11 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 27, gazebo.

All programs are free and open to the public. More information: (530) 752-4880 or arboretum.ucdavis.edu (for directions, click on “Plan Your Visit”).

Annual membership: $15 student, $40 individual, $60 family/household. Membership can be arranged online, or call (530) 752-4880.