Department of Art and Art History | lettersandsciencemag

A display of film posters is used as a photo backdrop at the 2024 Film Festival at UC Davis in Cruess Hall.

UC Davis Student Directors Discuss Inspiration for Short Films

by Maria Sestito
July 24, 2024

Arts & Humanities

Students and recent graduates of the College of Letters and Science discuss the 2024 Film Festival at UC Davis, sharing the inspiration behind their films and the films themselves. The festival is produced by students in “CDM 189: Where Do Films Go: Film Festivals and Distribution,” which is taught by Associate Professor of Cinema and Digital Media Julie Wyman.

A little girl looks into a white box, her hands up by her eyes keeping out any outside light.

Art and Design Students Recognized at Graduate Exhibition

by College of Letters and Science
June 12, 2024

The Arts & Humanities 2024 Graduate Exhibition features an array of thought-provoking and sensory stimulating displays. Four students were awarded prizes during the exhibition's opening reception. The work is on display through June 24.

Alan Templeton, smiling and arms crossed, with an orange and white or gray structure behind him.

Alan Templeton Reflects on Art History, Being a Collector and His Favorite Place on Campus

by Maria Sestito
April 23, 2024

Arts & Humanities

In this Q&A, UC Davis alumnus Alan Templeton gives insight on the art trade, his passion for 18th-century European art and the influence attending UC Davis had on him. Templeton, also a philanthropist and art collector, recently returned to campus to give a free public lecture called “Observations of the Art Trade.”

People pass by the Egghead 'Bookhead' sculpture, which features a head with its nose in a book

UC Davis Honors Its Iconic Eggheads and Arts Heritage

by Karen Nikos-Rose
April 01, 2024

Beginning April 1, the UC Davis campus is celebrating the Year of the Eggheads, marking the 30th anniversary of the campus installation of Robert Arneson’s iconic Egghead sculptures. The works, installed at five sites on campus during the 1990s, depict Eggheads working, playing, resting and conversing.

A Cup of Culture

by Becky Oskin
March 15, 2024

Arts & Humanities

Katharine Burnett, professor and co-chair in the Department of Art and Art History, explores the complex interplay of tradition, globalization, and identity through tea culture. Burnett’s fascination with tea inspired her to launch UC Davis’s Global Tea Institute for the Study of Tea Culture and Science.

Latina artist Beatriz Cortez with long brown hair flowing, metallic sculpture behind her

UC Davis Art Professor Tapped for International Venice Biennale Exhibition

by Laura Compton and Maria Sestito
February 14, 2024

Arts & Humanities

UC Davis art professor Beatriz Cortez, a multidisciplinary artist and sculptor, has been invited to participate in the prestigious Venice Biennale arts and culture showcase, marking the first time in 40 years a current faculty member has been tapped for the honor.

Malaquías Montoya is standing in front of his artwork at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art

Malaquías Montoya’s Multi-Generational Impact

by Jeffrey Day
November 20, 2023

Arts & Humanities

Malaquías Montoya, a professor emeritus of Chicana and Chicano studies at UC Davis, has influenced several generations of students. His art has addressed social and political issues: farmworkers rights, the Vietnam War, U.S. intervention in Central America, and the torture of prisoners by many governments. Montoya's art was recently celebrated at exhibitions in Davis and the Bay Area.

Ukrainian and Native American Artists Explore Cultural Identity in Talks at UC Davis

by Leah Theis
September 28, 2023

Arts & Humanities

The UC Davis Department of Art and Art History will launch its 2023–24 public lecture series with talks by artists Katya Grokhovsky (Oct. 12) and Sky Hopinka (Oct. 26) at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. The talks are free and open to the public.

2023 UC Davis Medal Goes to Maria Manetti Shrem

by
June 26, 2023

UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May presented the 2023 UC Davis Medal, the university’s highest honor, to international arts patron and philanthropist Maria Manetti Shrem. Manetti Shrem is one of the largest supporters of the arts at UC Davis, funding projects such as the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, artist teaching residencies, and new arts curricula in the College of Letters and Science.