The space integrates values of the Davis community at the core of its mission

By CLARA FISCHER — arts@theaggie.org

UC Davis’ very own Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art was recently named one of the 25 best museum buildings of the past 100 years by ARTnews. The distinction becomes especially poignant considering that only four museum spaces located in the U.S. made the list.

“The Manetti Shrem Museum was really born out of a dream of lots of people who thought it was important to have contemporary art on the university’s campus,” said Randy Roberts, deputy director of the Shrem. “There was a spirit of experimentation and innovation in art that’s very much aligned with a lot of the work that continues to come out of UC Davis.” 

The space, created by architectural design firms SO-IL and Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, as well as contractor Whiting-Turner, was designed with the values of the university and its surroundings in mind. The design was inspired by and was meant to emulate the Davis landscape, with “elements of interior and exterior fluidity [that were chosen] because of where we are,” as described by Roberts.

The mission of the Shrem is multifaceted and designed with visitors in mind every step of the way.

“It’s really about centering art experiences in the ways that people are finding their place in the world,” Roberts said. “The notion being that art is about ideas, and that artists are asking questions that are of importance to all of us.”

Roberts cited the Grand Canopy as an example of these integral aspects of the museum’s design. As the main spectacle of the Shrem, not only is the massive 50,000-square-foot aluminum structure visually stunning, but it also “creates shade in a place that’s very hot. It’s very much about being here, serving students, but it also is of a building that ranks among the top in the world for seeing art.” 

This duality is exactly what makes the museum so special. Both intended as a place to view art and as a place for the community to come and unleash its creative side, the Shrem was created with purpose in mind from its conception. 

“One of the important things about the Manetti Shrem is that we are here to serve all disciplines,” Roberts said. “Like the library or the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, the idea that we bring forward is that art is central to all of our lives and can be a way that we are all exposed to new ideas and new questions and learn how to look in different ways.”

This all-encompassing approach to education and art appreciation is what sets the space apart from traditional informal educational settings — perhaps this is what made the Davis institution stand out from its more world-renowned peers.

“It isn’t the biggest museum; it doesn’t have the largest collection, but what this museum does is put education at the center of what we’re doing,” Roberts said. “There’s a third of the museum space dedicated to education, and the exhibitions themselves are positioned as a way for people to interact with art as a way to open their lives.”

Given that UC Davis prides itself on being a well-established research institution, it logically follows that the Shrem would build on this hands-on method of learning.

“Art makes sense when somebody is connecting and interacting with it,” Roberts said. “Everything is built around the idea of people in the space, which is different than a lot of art museums.”

For example, the Community Education Room has a glass door that opens up and recedes into the ceiling, allowing for the room to be transformed from a traditional classroom setting into a larger space where communities can come together.

Through collaboration with the Design Construction Management Unit at UC Davis, the Shrem was conceptualized with sustainability in mind. The building is LEEDv3 NC-Platinum certified and has achieved both a 57% reduction in irrigation water use and a 44% reduction in general water use through efficient fixtures. It also hosts a cutting-edge light system that is both environmentally friendly and in service of the best art-viewing experience.

“We have a very advanced LED lighting system where we can adjust the brightness from one piece of art to the next — we can show all different kinds of work,” Roberts said. “Who knows what the next form of media will be? [The architects] wanted to tie in as much flexibility as possible so that we could show whatever comes next.”

Above all, the Shrem is a place meant to be available for everyone. Describing museums as “holders of shared culture,” Roberts emphasized what is truly special about the unique space on campus.   

“We really want people to leave feeling like museums are for them,” Roberts said. “It’s important that people see that the museum is for all of us — regardless of whether you’re an artist or not an artist or an art historian.”

Admission to the Shrem is free for all — as per the museum’s mission — which is made possible by the university and a variety of donors. 

While traveling to far-off places with a rich offering of museums and galleries alike is no doubt worthy of its own merit, it is certainly exciting that one of the most well-lauded sites of the past century is so near to home. The Shrem has a multitude of exciting offerings hosted by the museum for students and non-students alike to take advantage of, all from the comfort of this very own little town.  

Written by: Clara Fischer — arts@theaggie.org

“The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited” at the Contemporary Jewish Museum is everything any fan of his work could ask for (and more)

By ANGIE CUMMINGS — arts@theaggie.org

The Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM) in San Francisco exalts Jim Henson’s various fantastic and vibrantly colored puppet-populated worlds in their current exhibition, “The Jim Henson Exhibition: Imagination Unlimited,” on view now through Aug. 14. The show is a part of a traveling exhibition made by the Museum of the Moving Image that has been put on across the country for over four years now — the CJM being the penultimate stop along the national tour. 

At first look, the exhibit just seems to be a comprehensive chronology of Henson’s life and career, from his humble beginnings as a cartoonist in high school and college, and through his incredibly successful career as a puppeteer and filmmaker. Once you are within the technicolor walls of this exhibition, it is abundantly clear that Henson and the legacy he set was so much more than an amalgamation of psychedelic felt animals, monsters and aliens. As Head Curator Heidi Rabben puts it, “[Henson] went into the space of television and saw how to make it successful and was really innovative, but he retained an element of artistry that he really continued to push.”

Whether your main interest in visiting this show is simply seeing some of Henson’s most famous puppets in person, checking out the early sketches for these iconic characters or learning how Kermit was able to ride a bike, you will come out the other end of the exhibit having a new (or renewed) appreciation for Henson’s bright and joyful story of success. Henson is what seems to be a rare case in the world of Hollywood and commercial entertainment — there is no point in his career that he lost sight of the reasons why he began in the first place. At his core he was an experimental artist, always pushing what was possible in television through his puppets and later much more sophisticated animatronics. 

While the CJM often features varied contemporary artists regardless of their faith, “[Henson] is the first major pop culture figure that is not Jewish that we have ever presented at the museum,” Rabben said. As is noted on the museum website and introductory wall of the exhibition, there really is no question about why this show belongs in the CJM. “It’s actually not about Jewish identity, it’s about the values that are more important and the ways in which those continue to transcend and live on,” Rabben said.

From the educational and social topics tackled on Sesame Street to help children learn and grow in enjoyable ways, to the visually and temperamentally diverse ensemble that makes up The Muppets, “Henson shared characters and stories that represent diverse identities and abilities, allowing people of all backgrounds to see themselves reflected on screen,” as the main title wall of the exhibition states, making it crystal clear as to why his creations have been (and continue to be) adored by fans of all walks of life for over 50 years. 

A second part to the show, titled “Jim Henson: Making a Difference,” functions as a perfect complement to the main exhibition, created entirely by the curatorial team at the CJM. In a smaller room on the same floor as “Imagination Unlimited” there is a continuous screening of selected clips, episodes and films by Henson and his team that especially highlight how his legacy aligns so well with the museum’s core values. With just the large projection screen and cushioned benches in the center of the beautifully designed room, it is a great way to unwind and reflect after going through the exuberant main show. 

At his core, Henson was a creative force with no fear of what was new or different: “that element of play and experimentation that was with him from such a young age, and that is such a credit to how successful he was,” Rabben said. Although Henson’s life was sadly cut short at the age of 53, so many of his creations live on, both in the hearts of his fans and on screen.

From learning to count with Elmo, or singing along with Kermit, to entering the magical worlds of “Labyrinth” (1986) and “Dark Crystal” (1982), Henson has been the man behind so many favorite childhood characters — all of them imbued with his joyful and creative vision of the world. 

Considering Henson’s innovative and inclusive forms of entertainment and his place in pop culture, Rabben reflected on the artist’s life: “He already has such an incredible legacy that continues, had he lived long what else would he have done?”

Written by: Angie Cummings — arts@theaggie.org

What does it mean to say that the pop-punk princess has returned?

By CORALIE LOON — arts@theaggie.org

It’s the year 2002: Mount Nyiragongo Volcano erupts, a new type of black hole is discovered and — clearly most important of all — Avril Lavigne’s debut single “Complicated” hits the streets along with its accompanying album, “Let Go” (2002).

It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what it is about Lavigne that makes her so iconic — besides being a central emblem of pop-punk music in the early 2000s, her presence in the public spotlight led to her becoming a fashion icon for grunge and skater-girl styles. Whether or not any of these facts interest you, you have still likely bobbed your head to a radio broadcast of “Complicated,” and for many of us, her early songs remain poignant and nostalgic touchstones of musical eras within our lives.

Her latest album “Love Sux” (2022) was released on Jan. 25 of this year, serving as a reminder of the pop-punk icon of my generation’s early years. Many have viewed her newest album as a return to her roots. But what does it mean for the pop-punk princess to be back?

In my opinion, what makes Lavigne iconic was always her ability to explore different dimensions of music. Even the label “pop-punk” can be limiting; Lavigne herself has rejected the term “punk” to describe her music. “You can’t label people, give them a word and say ‘this is what you are,’” she said in a MIX iT interview.

 Lavigne’s older work — consisting of the period between “Let Go” and “Under My Skin” (2004) — combined electric guitar and punk elements with the more easy-going vocals and acoustics of early 2000s pop. Then came “The Best Damn Thing” in 2007, which paired an exaggeration of sassy lyrics in songs like “Girlfriend” and “The Best Damn Thing” with the album cover, characterized by a pink and black palette.

This clash between “bubblegum pop” and more traditional pop-punk eventually sided more with the pop side in her newer albums,particularly “Goodbye Lullaby” (2011) and “Head Above Water” (2019). The sappy and often slow pop, griddled with piano and acoustic guitar, led some to retract the title of “pop-punk princess,” such as a Spinditty article that claimed “she’s completely changed her sound.” The contrast between this era of Lavigne and the edgy pizzazz of “Love Sux” was enough to warrant The Guardian’s vibe check of her newest album: “Party like it’s 2002.”

But is there a cost to devaluing her newest work to a simple “throwback” whose value lies only in its subjective nostalgia? Is “Love Sux” really just a modern version of “Let Go”?

I would argue that this mentality strives to separate the artist from the artwork, or else to suggest that Lavigne has somehow returned to her old self or, even more problematically, to her “true self,” suggesting that a prominent era of her existence as an artist was somehow fraudulent.

To dismiss one era of Lavigne in favor of another compromises the idea of an artist’s journey. In an article by Nancy Hillis, she suggests that artists “move through developmental cycles much like the stages of human development.” In a continuous stage of evolution, “Love Sux” is nothing like a new version of “Let Go,” because Lavigne is fundamentally a different person than she was in 2002.

More than a throwback to a specific era, “Love Sux” is a culmination of everything Lavigne has explored between then and now. The snappy lyrics of “Bite Me” are reminiscent of “Girlfriend”-era songs, while the fast-paced electric guitar in “Bois Lie” takes me back to heavily punk-inspired “Sk8er Boi.” Even “Avalanche” and “Dare to Love Me” seem to give a shoutout to her more mainstream pop moments in “Head Above Water” (although with a good extra dose of electric guitar).

All in all, “Love Sux” is a bold collection of songs that takes elements of Lavigne’s older music to new (but also nostalgic) heights, once again showing us that she has not forgotten her artistic journey. Reliant on many moments of her past, “Love Sux” is both a time capsule of musical growth and an example of a new moment in Avril Lavigne’s career.

So, party like it’s 2022!

Written by: Coralie Loon — arts@theaggie.org