Exhibit Title: "Mythical Creatures: A Festival of Dragons and Dragon Boats from Around the World" Dates: Jan. 27 through March 7 Where: Design Gallery, 145 Walker Hall University of California, Davis Hours: Noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, 2-5 p.m. Sunday Reception: 2-5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26 Lecture: Guest curator Sam Carter will give a lecture on the exhibition at noon on Wednesday, Feb. 12 at the Davis Art Center, 1919 F St. A preview of a major international traveling exhibition, "2000 -- Year of the Dragon" will open the year for the Design Gallery. Treasured dragons from around the world have been selected from the collections of members of the Canadian Society for Asian Arts and the Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival for a spectacular exhibition-celebration for the year 2000. In the Asian zodiac, 2000 is the year of the dragon. Dragons and other dragon-like creatures crafted from wood, metal, paper, glass, textiles, and other diverse media will express the universal nature of this mythical animal. The earliest dragons can be traced to China, but mythical and other dragon-like creatures existed in both early Eastern and Western cultures. While the dragons of the East are often friendly and may bless you with wealth, wisdom, and happiness, the Western dragons are generally mean spirited and conquering. The exhibition is planned to provide understanding and knowledge regarding this fantastic creature from an international perspective. Guest curator Sam Carter is an internationally recognized designer and curator and is a faculty member of the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, Vancouver, British Columbia. The exhibition is sponsored by the Canadian Society for Asian Art, Canadian International Dragon Boat Festival and the British Columbian government.