Attendees are invited to explore the gallery’s history through a variety of works
By JONAH BERMAN – arts@theaggie.org
On Feb. 21, the Pence Gallery opened its exhibit, “50 Years at the Pence: A Visual History.” Running until March 1, the exhibit commemorates five decades of the Pence’s development, from a small and fledgling gallery to the community mainstay it is today.
Always free to the public, the Pence opened in 1976 in the former dental office of Dr. Joseph Pence, who donated both the land and the building on 212 D St. to the City of Davis in 1968. Natalie Nelson, director of the Pence Gallery, remarked on the institution’s humble origins.
“The original building was one-sixth of the size of what we’re currently at,” Nelson said. “It was old, World War II-era. It was a temporary structure, really.”
After multiple fundraising periods, the gallery’s main building was rebuilt and expanded at the same location in 2004. Nelson joined one year later.
“It’s changed a lot since then, obviously,” Nelson said. “It’s grown tremendously.”
The exhibition spans a wide array of media, tracing the history of the Pence Gallery through decades of donated works and archived artifacts.
“I want to show how we connect to people through art,” Nelson said. “I hope [attendees] have an appreciation for how far we’ve come.”
The show explores the full history of the Pence, and even includes artwork from its very first exhibit, such as a lithograph of a dentist who resembles Dr. Pence himself. The show is not the first to celebrate a milestone in the Pence’s history; it includes a colored pencil drawing of a reception from the Pence’s 10th anniversary, in addition to “birthday cards” crafted by local artists in 1996 to commemorate the Pence’s 20th anniversary.
Within the wide range of represented artists, the illustrations of Davis locals such as Pete Scully, Yan Nascimbene and Heidi Bekebrede are also prominently featured.
Throughout its years, the Pence has cultivated a flourishing and symbiotic relationship with a variety of local artists, highlighted by Davis Resident Janice Purnell.
“It’s a vibrant place — it’s a go-to place on the second Friday of each month,” Purnell said. “I’m so glad that it’s lasted 50 years. They’ve got the community’s support and they’ve got the artists’ support.”
The show also includes work from UC Davis arts faculty, such as the late Wayne Thiebaud and Seymour Howard, who both taught in the Arts Department for multiple decades.
Nelson noted the Pence’s pride in their connection with both staff and students of the university.
“We’re always really glad for the students coming by, and we appreciate their support,” Nelson said.
In addition to traditional artworks, the show unveils multiple documents that give insight into the Pence’s storied history, including a detailed ledger from the first five years of the gallery.
“The original ledger was from 1976 to 1981,” Nelson said. “And it was done in this woman, [Marilyn Judson’s], calligraphic handwriting, which is just gorgeous. It’s kind of the recording of who was who in the small community Davis was back then. So I wanted to show that little book because I think it’s really neat, and I don’t think anybody’s ever really looked at it.”
50 years after its inception, the Pence remains steadfastly focused on its connection with the town, which it pursues through workshops, classes and public lectures. Development Manager Hollie Malamud noted this community-oriented approach as one of the Pence’s core tenets.
“I’ve been here for a year, and it’s an amazing place to be,” Malamud said. “I love the fact that we’re a non-profit and we’re really about providing arts education to the community.”
Throughout their time in Davis, the Pence Gallery has not only displayed works of local artists, but also helped to bolster their careers as well. Specifically, Nelson highlighted the Emerging Artists Award, which began in 2016 to confer a yearly grant and solo exhibit to new artists.
“That’s one of the things that I’m most proud of, because it does give someone their foot in the door, and what I’ve seen people do with that has allowed them to skyrocket their career very quickly,” Nelson said. “It makes me happy that 10 people I know got this opportunity to have their work seen by the public.”
The show displays how much the Pence has grown in the past half-century, as the gallery has expanded its reach and delved into new ventures that support artists and locals. Nelson hoped that the gallery will continue to diligently work towards its community-based mission in the years to come.
“It’s been a hard road in some ways, but it’s also been a fun road,” Nelson said. “I hope that it can offer more things and serve more people. That’s always our goal.”
Written by: Jonah Berman — arts@theaggie.org
