The museum hosted winter season celebration featuring artist Ruby Neri
By ALMA CULVERWELL and ELIZABETH BUNT— city@theaggie.org
The Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art welcomed visitors to a free community celebration on Sunday, Feb. 2, showcasing its winter season exhibitions. The event featured an artist talk with Ruby Neri, the debut of a new interactive gallery experience and a selection of contemporary and historical artworks.
The museum presented “Through Their Eyes: Selections from the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection” and “Ruby Neri: Taking the Deep Dive.” In addition to these exhibitions, “Light into Density: Abstract Encounters 1920s-1960s,” an ongoing display from the collection by museum namesakes Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem was also included.
Neri participated in an artist talk with curator Ginny Duncan, offering insights into her background and inspirations for the works on display.
Born to artist parents, Neri has creativity in her blood. Her father, Manuel Neri, is a sculptor associated with the Bay Area Figurative Movement while her mother, Susan Neri, is a graphic designer. Her exposure to art came from all sides.
In 1992, Neri began attending the San Francisco Art Institute to study painting while her father worked there as a professor. It was during this time in her career that Neri became associated with several other artists like Alicia McCarthy, Barry Mcgee and Margaret Kilgallen who would also become founding members of the “Mission School” art movement.
The Mission School emerged in the early ‘90s and centered around the Mission District of San Francisco. The artists at the heart of this movement were in or around art school just before the digital age took off and while the San Francisco art scene was at the height of its bohemianism. Neri, along with several other artists of the period, often crossed over into the city’s vibrant graffiti and street mural scene.
The aesthetic of the Mission School movement is very present in Neri’s work and is easily seen in her latest exhibition, “Taking the Deep Dive.” Despite switching her main medium to ceramics, Neri’s work still feels as if you could walk around a city block and see one of her pieces jumping off a wall at you.
This latest series of sculptures depicts figures of women in states of ecstasy, destruction and despair, exploring the female body as a conduit of both pleasure and terror. The self-containing nature of humanity is mirrored in the ancient use of ceramics as vessels. Through her work, we get a glimpse at the artist’s view of what it means to be a woman in contemporary society.
Jessica Perelman, a Davis community member, explained her reasoning behind attending the show.
“I came to the museum on Sunday because of the Ruby Neri show, ‘Taking the Deep Dive,’” Perelman said. “I like her sculptures a lot. And as an artist who works in clay, I never skip the chance to see ceramic art in person. I really appreciate Ginny Duncan’s curatorial work as well. Ruby Neri’s artistic talk was both enjoyable and inspiring. The whole of the day was fantastic.”
Perelman continued by discussing the importance of attending museums and viewing artwork in person.
“I think that, especially now, it’s very important to see artwork from a wide range of women’s viewpoints,” Perelman said. “I would highly recommend visiting the museum for everyone. All of the current exhibitions were worthwhile in their own way. But altogether it gave me a lot to think about the way we create narratives in art and new ways to own that as artists.”
Attendees also engaged with “POUR ME,” a newly commissioned interactive piece by Danish artist and UC Davis Ph.D. student Dorte Bjerre Jensen, which explores art through relational presence and sensory engagement. The celebration highlighted the museum’s commitment to presenting diverse artistic perspectives and fostering community engagement through accessible programming. Attendees left with a deeper appreciation for contemporary art and the unique contributions of artists like Neri.
For those who missed the event, the exhibitions will remain on view at the Manetti Shrem Museum through the spring. “Ruby Neri: Taking the Deep Dive” is open until May 5, 2025 and “Through Their Eyes: Selections from the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection” runs until June 22, 2025. The museum encourages visitors to explore these compelling showcases of artistic expression.
Written by: Alma Culverwell and Elizabeth Bunt — city@theaggie.org
