If we could start all over again, what would our food system look like? What would we want it to look like? And can we make that dream a reality? These are some of the questions the Thinking Food at the Intersections: Justice and Critical Food Studies seeks to explore in "Imagining and Enacting Just Food Futures” on May 30 – 31. The colloquium will bring scholars, activists, artists and chefs together with students and community members for a sensory rich, immersive experience imagining the future of food. 

Nitheen Ramalingam, a graduate of UC Davis' Art Studio M.F.A. program, speaks about the growth he experienced during his studies — also his first time in the U.S. — and how the legacy of the caste system back home in India continues to influence his art practice.

In this stunning student curated and designed exhibition, pieces from Maria Manetti Shrem's private art collection are experienced in new ways — none of them wrong! Not only does the exhibition, "Light into Density: Abstract Encounters 1920s–1960s," feature abstract paintings by renowned artists, it seeks to expand how viewers see and interpret artwork. On view at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art through May 5.

Dylan Mulder is an award-winning industrial designer, lecturer, consultant and digital fabrication expert whose work encompasses product design, feature films and wearable technology. Mulder will give a talk titled “Weaving Heritage and High Tech: From Wearables to Movie Magic” on May 15 at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art.

In "Rules of Play," the UC Davis Spring Dance Concert for 2025, choreographers and dancers will present work aimed at helping audiences reflect on which "rules" of life benefit society and which may need to be revised or upended. The program is curated by Doria E. Charlson, visiting professor of theatre and dance, and showcases new works developed and performed by undergraduate students.

Shayne Langford, a lecturer in the Department of English in the College of Letters and Science, won the Maurice Prize for Fiction for his unpublished novel, which he's been working on since his days as an undergraduate at UC Davis. John Lescroart, who started the prize, called Langford's manuscript “dark and powerful.”

The flowers are in bloom, the sun is starting to stay out and, with the start of the spring quarter, comes many events throughout the College of Letters and Science. From lectures and workshops to music, art shows and tea gatherings, there is something to learn, see and do wherever you go in Davis this month.

Ever wonder how accurate romantic comedies are or where that comfort food you love so much originated from? Or maybe you want to know what UC Davis students and professors are reading and watching? These are just some of the topics covered in podcasts from faculty, staff and students in the College of Letters and Science at UC Davis.

Non-linear time sounds like something out of a science fiction movie, but what if we could rewrite our histories in ways that feel as if things don’t happen sequentially? Overlapping the concepts of time, memory and the body, Gracianne Kirsch uses many art modalities to explore their own many-sided self. 

From ancient sewing needles and woven baskets to wearable technology, textile production is a uniquely human endeavor. As part of a co-curated exhibit pulled from the Jo Ann C. Stabb Design Collection at UC Davis, "Textiles: The Art of Mankind," puts this shared history — and future — on display at the Fashion and Textile Museum in London.