Famous art pieces by Salvador Dalí, Francis Bacon and others on display for the first time in decades
By NOAH HARRIS — features@theaggie.org
On Sept. 26, hundreds of people gathered at our local museum to view two new art exhibitions that opened the previous week. Works from famous artists are currently showing that have not been displayed in a gallery setting in decades. In addition, a ceramic exhibit is currently showcasing the history and culture of those who created it. While displays like these are usually found in large museums in big cities, the Manetti Shrem Museum on the UC Davis campus has the honor of hosting these recent exhibits.
Preparing for what the museum says will be “an extraordinary fall season,” the fall season celebration aimed to bring the community together to celebrate new pieces on display. There was a catering staff, games for children to play and plenty of space to draw. While the event in its entirety lasted from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., the main part of the festivities occurred between 12 and 4 p.m. During this time, a Q&A was held with the curators of two exhibitions, including four students who helped create an exhibition titled “Light into Density.”
The exhibit opened to the public on Sept. 19 and will be on display until May 5, 2025. This exhibit is a first for the museum, as it is the first student-curated and student-designed exhibition. In total, there were 32 students involved in the curation and design of the exhibit; with the names and pictures of those students being showcased as well.
The art itself was very well-received by the public. Featured works are from artists such as Salvador Dalí, Vassily Kandinsky, Joan Miró and Francis Bacon. There are only 15 pieces, many of which have not been viewed in public for decades, according to the museum. All works in this exhibit are from the personal collection of Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem, the namesakes of the building.
Students did not know prior to enrolling in the class during the fall of 2023 that they were going to be curators and designers for this exhibit. The course, Art History 102: Exhibition Practicum, was supposed to have 15 people.
“There was an administrative snafu, so there were actually 30 students enrolled, and then a waitlist of almost 30,” Alexandra Sofroniew, the instructor of the course, said. “I took as many people as I could.”
The name of the exhibit came from a painting by the same name from Antony Tapies. Sofroniew, who is also an assistant professor in the art history and classics department at UC Davis, explained how the students chose the name “Light into Density.”
“A lot of the paintings are sort of trauma informed and can be quite dark [but] students found hope in the painting,” Sofroniew said. “That particular piece encapsulated the idea that there’s some darkness in these works, but that there’s also a lot of light and hope.”
As part of the Q&A, four student curators took questions from the audience and described their work. They were Kelly Kankowski, a fourth-year design major, Maev Dunning, a UC Davis alum who now works for Manetti Shrem, Madeline Furtado, a fourth-year art history and design double major, and Morgan Strong, a third-year art studio and design double major.
Kankowski still seemed a little surprised that the exhibit was happening.
“I was honestly shocked — I joined the class on a whim [and] did not expect to be part of an actual exhibit that was going to be at the Manetti Shrem Museum,” Kanowski said.
Strong spent months on the waitlist before she finally was admitted into the class.
“There were a lot of people in the class, and [Sofroniew] was trying to scare away people
nicely, and I was sitting there going, ‘Leave, I need to get in this class,’” Strong said.
While working with 32 people might make it hard to collaborate, Dunning noted that the process went smoothly.
“Everyone was really excited about it and motivated about it, which I think made all the difference,” Dunning said.
The art pieces used were set in stone, so for Furtado, the most important part of the exhibition was the guest experience.
“A lot of the artworks were predetermined,” Furtado said. “Our main thing was amplifying visitor interpretation for this space.”
Another exhibition that opened on Sept. 19 features ceramic works by the San Francisco-based artists Cathy Lu, Paz G and Maryam Yousif. Titled “Ritual Clay,” the works share a theme of past cultures as conduits of cultural knowledge.
The meanings of many art exhibitions can be confusing to interpret. Ginny Duncan, the curatorial assistant at the Manetti Shrem Museum and curator of “Ritual Clay,” described what the name of their exhibit means.
“‘Ritual Clay’ comes from the idea that I’m bringing together three artists that are working in ceramics — that would be the clay piece of ritual clay — [and] they’re using clay as a way to reach back to their stories, or [the ritual],” Duncan said.
Duncan also explained how the art exhibition came into existence.
“It came out of conversations with all three artists,” Duncan said. “I realized that there was a deeper thread that connected the three of them, and that they were working with clay for a similar purpose and accessing this cultural knowledge that’s different for each of them. It was realizing that all three of them were thinking about similar themes, even though they were approaching [them] in different ways.”
Duncan was also excited about the displays on show. The exhibit features ceramics of all shapes and sizes with vivid, bold colors.
“Hopefully people will be drawn in by the range of sculptures on show,” Duncan said. “They all look very different; they are, in their own ways, very impressive.”
A third exhibit has been open since Aug. 8, titled “Entangled Writing.” Its sculptures explore themes of immigration, ethnicity, race and gender in 21st century America. It is also said to be “the largest group of works the Manetti Shrem Museum has commissioned at one time.”
If there is no other reason to go see these exhibits, Sofroniew suggests a compelling one.
“A Salvador Dalí is going to [be] hanging here on campus, you can see it for free until May,” Sofroniew said. “Everyone should come see it.”
The Manetti Shrem Museum seems to be a fitting home for all types of art. UC Davis students and staff are recommending that members of this community take advantage of the museum as a resource, as well as a place to appreciate student and staff collaboration and culture.
