1. The Egghead Series
UC Davis Campus
2. The Dominoes
Senda Nueva Greenbelt
3. The Joggers
Third and F St.
Although some may overlook or neglect its presence, public art can serve a vital role in maintaining a city’s certain characteristic or charm. For Davis in particular, a few familiar faces have become the symbolic emblem of campus life. In fact, they are quite hard to miss.
Robert Arneson’s sculptural egg-like characters have taken quite a beating after being vandalized multiple times this year alone. But despite the repetitive harassment, voters chose The Eggheads as the best public art on campus.
The Eggheads is a series of pieces, with each individual sculpture entitled Bookhead (in front of Shields Library), Eye on Mrak (in front of Mrak Hall), See No Evil Hear No Evil (east of King Hall), Stargazer (behind North Hall) and Yin and Yang (in front of Wright Hall).
“I like The Eggheads because they make our campus unique compared to other schools,” said Victoria Gilland, a sophomore psychology major. “They seem to add humor to all the stress of studying and sitting through classes all day.”
However, Arneson’s aesthetic might not bode well with all viewers.
Jesse Vasquez, the photo lab technician for the UC Davis art department, walks past Arneson’s Eggsheads about seven times a day. In his opinion, The Eggheads isn’t necessarily a town gem to be viewed with such admiration.
“I think they’re awful but I don’t live in Davis so it’s not an embarrassment I have to bear,” Vasquez said.
The second top-voted public artwork is The Dominoes. The large-scale sculptural pieces were constructed by Eddie Hood and are located at Senda Nueva Greenbelt.
The Joggers, by Tony Natsoulas, placed third. The sculpture depicts two individuals running in opposite directions, and is located outside Bistro 33 at Third and F St.
— Uyen Cao
