Arts and humanities students at the University of California, Davis, engage with the world in new, thoughtful and imaginative ways. In the Arts & Humanities 2025 Graduate Exhibition, students from across the College of Letters and Science are creating public spaces for connection and storytelling, questioning long-held assumptions and histories, and using artistic expression and design to suggest new pathways to a more sustainable future. 

The multidisciplinary showcase will be on view June 5–22 at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art and feature graduate students in art history, art studio, comparative literature, design, English, environmental science and policy, music and performance studies. 

A free, public opening reception will take place June 5 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. at the museum, and will include several live performances and the presentation of four awards to art studio and design students. Art history students will present their research on June 6. In all, 30 Master of Fine Arts, Master of Arts and doctoral students are participating. 

“The graduate exhibition shows off and celebrates the work of our students — not only their artistic talents, but also the way they think about society and the role we all play in it,” said Estella Atekwana, dean of the College of Letters and Science. “This type of nuance and critical thinking is especially important to celebrate now. During a time when the value of higher education is being questioned, it is the students in the College of Letters and Science who remind me of our purpose and give me hope for the future.”

This year’s participants utilize photography, painting, sculpture, video, performance and textiles to explore relationships between humans and technology, the environment, and one another, and engage the public in dialogue.

“UC Davis arts and humanities students elevate the arts every single day, inspiring us with their innovative thinking and experimentation,” said Rachel Teagle, the museum's founding director. “We are proud to showcase the culmination of their creative output and scholarship alongside the Office of the Chancellor and Provost, and the College of Letters and Science Dean’s Office that supports it.”

A sampling of what the public will see and experience:  

Mei Blundell (Ph.D., environmental science and policy) uses dance and music to explore how kelp life stages contribute to environmental resilience following marine heatwaves. Through a live performance on June 5, attendees will see and hear motifs representing kelp’s four life stages. The performance features music by Max Gibson (Ph.D., music), who will also be exhibiting work.

Latrell Broughton (design) is an artist and academic synthesizing practices of photography, interactive design and digital storytelling. His work highlights the African diaspora in Colombia through lush landscapes and vibrant portraits of local artists, designers and entrepreneurs.

Cella Costanza (art studio) constructs skewed narratives that expose fault lines in our perception of reality. Using sculpture, painting and drawing, she unmoors the myth of forward motion, as if pausing to ask “Which way is tomorrow?”

Josephine Sundari Devanbu (art studio) improvises with the materials and circumstances around her, creating public platforms for emotional exploration and erotic prayer. Devanbu will exhibit sculpture, performance and video inspired by a medieval Tamil poem.

Isadora Goldschneider (design) uses fabric manipulation, deconstructed and reconstructed textiles, hand-machine knit pieces and projected imagery in her installation investigating themes of care, personal transformation and grief.  

Zarina Majidova (design) is a UI/UX designer who explores how future care systems can blend empathy, expertise and intelligent support to hold space for healing. Her work “Ottera Health” imagines a collaboration between AI and therapists.

Joel Taylor Murnan (art studio) develops sculptures using a wide variety of mediums. He is drawn to the mood of place, exploring themes of land and control through the lens of the monster, which embodies collective fears.

Praveen Maripelly (Ph.D., performance studies) will create an informal public space on June 5 where transient and diverse publics can share stories and memories in exchange for a free cup of inclusive chai as part of his “Chai Stories” project.

Magda Rojas Valdez (design) is a multidisciplinary designer from Baja California, Mexico, whose practice integrates architecture and visual communication. Her research explores thermal comfort as a human need and proposes nature-based solutions and behavioral adaptations for a future less reliant on fossil fuels.

Awards and colloquium presentation 

The winners of the LeShelle & Gary May Art Purchase Prize, the Keister & Allen Art Purchase Prize, the Letters & Science Prize, and the Savageau Award in the Department of Design will be announced at the June 5 opening celebration. The purchase prizes enable the Manetti Shrem Museum to purchase graduate student work for the university’s Fine Arts Collection, and the Letters & Science Prize and Savageau Award recognize and further the careers of graduates in art and design. The Annual Art History Graduate Colloquium and Reception will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. on June 6.

Read about last year's winners and what they're doing now in L&S Magazine.

Update: Read about this year's winners in L&S Magazine.

YOU MAY ALSO BE INTERESTED IN:

Inside the Planning of an Art Exhibition

In this stunning student curated and designed exhibition, pieces from Maria Manetti Shrem's private art collection were intended to be experienced in new ways — none of them wrong! Not only did the exhibition, "Light into Density: Abstract Encounters 1920s–1960s," feature abstract paintings by renowned artists, it sought to expand how viewers see and interpret artwork.

Textile Exhibit Weaves Story of Shared Human Existence

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.

Stories Archive