On Jan. 22 at 7 p.m., the Nelson Gallery on campus will host the Davis Art Salon: Vive Le Public. The event is an art show, which exhibits submitted artworks from individuals of the greater Davis community. During the event, those in attendance will be given an opportunity to vote, and the winning artist will win a two-week exhibition at the Nelson Gallery beginning on Jan. 25. The event will also feature refreshments and live music.
The event is presented by the Nelson Gallery, in conjunction with the UC Davis Art History club.
Vive Le Public translates to “long live the public,” and the event is based on the empowerment of the public.
Art history and psychology double major, Ben Castle, is a member of the UC Davis Art History club and is also the organizer of the event.
“The Davis Art Salon is defined by the fact that it is a collaborative effort of the community,” Castle said. “That is why the name of this iteration of the event is Vive Le Public.”
In addition, Castle said the purpose of the event is to counter the traditional exhibition format.
“It challenges the traditional concept of the salon, which is historically chosen by an elite group,” said Hillary Fong, a third-year religious studies major and member of the UC Davis Art History club.
Castle hopes the event will be able to expand the definition of an art salon.
“The purpose of this event is to challenge the current paradigm of an art exhibition as a show put on by a curator and to extend the definition to encompass open-source events such as this,” Castle said.
Rachel Teagle, director of the Shrem Museum and Nelson Gallery on campus said that she feels that the event will help further some of the objectives of the gallery itself.
“I really like their idea because it’s focused on generating dialogue about art, between artists and the public, between students and the public,” Teagle said. “I believe that the gallery’s highest purpose is to create community dialogue.”
If successful, Teagle said she thinks the event has much in store for the fine arts community at UC Davis. Castle said that if the event goes as planned, they plan to hold another similar event during Spring Quarter.
Additionally, the event has greater prospects for the UC Davis fine arts community, beyond the Nelson Gallery.
“As the Director I’m excited by this experiment because it’s unlike anything we’ve done before at the Nelson Gallery,” Teagle said. “The event might become a model of programming for the new Shrem Museum.”
Castle said that he feels it is important for the event to thrive as it provides an unusual opportunity for artists in the Davis and Sacramento areas.
“I think this event is especially important for UC Davis students because it provides a way for new artists in Davis to achieve acclaim without any sort of connections,” Castle said. “A new artist can submit her work and if it is well received by the community, they can get an in-depth exhibition.”
Ultimately, the organizers of the event hope that it will unite the public after which it is named.
“It can be a way for students and community members alike to get involved in shaping its future,” Castle said.
The last day to submit artwork is Jan. 10. For more information on submitting art to The Davis Art Salon: Vive Le Public email davisartsalon@gmail.com.
