Twenty-one UC Davis alumni have been selected to exhibit their artistic works alongside other emerging artists from UC Berkeley and UCLA as part of the Open Inquiry: UC Arts exhibit at Sausalito Center For The Arts, now through April 26.
Open Inquiry: UC Arts brings together a new generation of artists emerging from the renowned art practice programs at UC Davis, UC Berkeley and UCLA. The art departments at these universities have long been recognized as seminal hubs of artistic experimentation and critical thought, consistently incubating artists who leverage academic investigation with artistic rigor. This exhibition features current students and graduates from the last two decades, whose innovative practices carry forward the artistic legacy of the UC arts.
Grounded in the idea that research is not limited to laboratories or archives, Open Inquiry frames artistic practice as a vital mode of inquiry. Through multi-disciplined, critically engaged studio practices, the exhibiting artists question, test, analyze and interpret — performing acts of research with their making processes. The art studio becomes a site for creative problem-solving, where painting, sculpture, installation, performance and digital media operate as tools of critical inquiry.
“There is an ecosystem of dedicated faculty and ambitious students who draw from the energy of a large research university to make work that engages deeply with our contemporary moment,” said Open Inquiry’s co-curator Ginny Duncan.
Drawing on her experience as a former curator at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum, Duncan saw firsthand the transformative power of the Maria Manetti Shrem Art Studio Program at UC Davis.
“The art department has an incredible legacy of artistic experimentation and it is clear that this next generation is taking up that mantle and creating important, boundary-pushing work.”
— Ginny Duncan, 'Open Inquiry' co-curator
While support for arts funding and academic research faces mounting challenges, Open Inquiry underscores the essential role of public arts education. Across the UC system, art departments cultivate spaces for alternative learning rooted in material experimentation, social justice work and personal exploration. Within these spaces, artists embrace the creative process as a methodology for challenging dominant narratives or making visible that which is obscured or dismissed, and many retain that research ethos throughout their careers.
Arts. (Photo by Mike Lewis)
“I believe in the many practical and meaningful reasons for studying art and carrying it into your professional life,” said Jennifer Bailey Wechsler, co-curator of Open Inquiry. She, along with Duncan, chose approximately 60 works in a variety of mediums for the exhibition. “Through the practice of art in our daily lives, minds can be changed, stories can be told, and personal experiences can be transformed into work that can impact the world,” said Bailey Wechsler.
Open Inquiry asserts that now, more than ever, the graduates of the UC arts programs are creating essential work for an uncertain world. Their practices embody the values of intellectual and creative freedom, reminding us of the crucial role of the arts within the broader landscape of higher education. The exhibition aims to center artists as researchers who challenge our expectations, generate debate, and lead us to vital discoveries.
Open Inquiry celebrates the continuation of incisive, relevant, and impactful work after graduation. Said Duncan, “I see this exhibition as a platform that allows us to highlight the value of art and artists within the UC system as well as pay tribute to a larger legacy of arts education that has been foundational to California's artistic landscape.”
Participating artists from UC Davis include Nicole Irene Anderson, Jose Arenas, Jordan Benton, April Camlin, Zach Clark, Jodi Connelly, Cella Costanza, Rachel Deane, Justine Di Fiore, Julia Haft-Candell, Mercy Hawkins, Gracianne Kirsch, Amy Lincoln, Will Maxen, Kelley O'Leary, Darcy Padilla, Sofia del Pedregal, Helia Pouyanfar, Nitheen Ramalingam, Luka Vergoz, and Marina Darcy Weiner.
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