An expansive lineup of prominent artists, writers and curators whose work illuminates issues of race, identity and representation comprise the virtual fall season programs from the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at the University of California, Davis.

As the museum building remains closed during fall quarter, the Manetti Shrem Museum is “Bringing the Conversation to You” through a variety of museum-presented and co-sponsored public programs, including film and theater series, all free. Click on time, day and date to register. Download the museum’s fall calendar.

Editors: Photos available upon request; see media contact below.

Programs

• LaToya Ruby Frazier in Conversation With Sampada Aranke — Acclaimed photographer LaToya Ruby Frazier, whose work features voices and perspectives traditionally erased from the American narrative, will be in conversation with Manetti Shrem Museum scholar-in-residence Sampada Aranke. Co-sponsored by the Department of Art and Art History’s Art Studio Visiting Artist Lecture Series, and Cultural Studies Graduate Group. 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8.
• Conversation and Book Launch for Young, Gifted and Black: A New Generation of Artists, The Lumpkin-Boccuzzi Family Collection of Contemporary Art — This event celebrates the recent publication of this survey of the work of a new generation of Black artists that accompanies the “Young, Gifted and Black” exhibition, which will travel to the Manetti Shrem Museum in 2022. Associate Curator Susie Kantor will be in conversation with collector Bernard Lumpkin, writer Antwaun Sargent and curator Matt Wycoff. 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29.
• Claudia Rankine Reading and Lecture, Just Us: An American Conversation — Award-winning writer Claudia Rankine’s timely new book, Just Us: An American Conversation (Graywolf Press, 2020), questions what it means to interrogate white privilege, liberal politics and much more in a genre-defying work that is being hailed as her magnum opus. Organized by Professor Allison Coudert, Paul A. and Marie Castelfranco Chair in the Department of Religious Studies; English Professor Katie Peterson, director of the Creative Writing Program; and the Manetti Shrem Museum; and co-sponsored by 23 other UC Davis departments, centers and offices. 4-5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4.
• Introducing “Wayne Thiebaud Influencer — A New Generation” — Museum Founding Director Rachel Teagle and Associate Curator Susie Kantor provide an inside look at this upcoming exhibition featuring works by contemporary artists as well as former students who learned directly from the master teacher. 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19.

In keeping with the museum’s interdisciplinary and educational focus, the season also includes programs organized by other UC Davis academic departments and co-sponsored by the Manetti Shrem Museum.

• Catalyst: A Theatre Think Tank — After three seasons as the Ground and Field Theatre Festival, this group has reimagined itself as a creative space where world-class theater artists, passionate UC Davis students and thoughtful audiences meet to foster important narratives as they move forward onto the national stage. Sponsored in part by the UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance. Next reading: This Is How It Happened, 5 p.m. Thursday-Friday, Oct. 15-16.
• Ariana Reines Reading and Conversation: A Sand Book — A reading by the spiritual poet who reckons with profound questions, followed by a conversation with English professor Katie Peterson. Organized by the Department of English and Creative Writing Program. 4:30-5:45 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13.
• Njideka Akunyili Crosby — This artist whose work negotiates the cultural terrain between her adopted home in America and her native Nigeria in collage and photo transfer-based paintings, will give the seventh Betty Jean and Wayne Thiebaud Endowed Lecture. This year’s lecture celebrates Wayne Thiebaud’s centennial. Organized by the Department of Art and Art History. Co-sponsored by the College of Letters and Science. 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12.
• UC Davis Humanities Institute Human Rights Film Festival — Five films that bear powerful and moving witness to local and global human rights issues will be available for viewing, Nov. 12-24. Five question-and-answer sessions, one for each film, will be held over five nights, 5:10-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, Nov. 16-20, featuring filmmakers and scholars. Presented by the UC Davis Humanities Institute. Co-sponsored by UC Davis Human Rights Studies and the Human Rights Watch Film Festival. More information.
• Art Studio Visiting Artist Lecture Series — Organized by the Department of Art and Art History. Co-sponsored by the College of Letters and Science.
  • Kyle Dunn, whose work combines sculptural and painterly traditions, including bas-relief and trompe l’oeil, to express the vibrancy of the masculine emotional landscape. 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3.
  • Rita Gonzalez, head of Contemporary Art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, who has curated numerous high-profile exhibitions. 4:30-6 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10.

Art Wide Open

The Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at the University of California, Davis, is a contemporary art museum and cultural resource dedicated to making art accessible and approachable to all. It builds on UC Davis’ legacy of exceptional teaching and practice of the arts to offer engaging experiences and exhibitions that reflect and serve the community, now and for generations to come. The museum shares the university’s core values of innovative research, interdisciplinary experimentation, and a commitment to educational programming: It’s a hub of creative practice for thinkers, makers and innovators. One-third of the museum’s 50,000-square-foot space is devoted to instruction, including a 125-seat lecture hall, classroom space, and the drop-in Carol and Gerry Parker Art Studio. Opened in November 2016, the museum has earned LEEDv3-NC Platinum status, and has won numerous awards for its distinctive architecture.