'Brenda Mallory: In the Absence of Instruction' now at the Gorman Museum of Native American Art

On view through Sunday, Jan. 26, 181 Old Davis Road, Davis, Free

Brenda Mallory, citizen of the Cherokee Nation, was born and raised in Oklahoma where her lived experiences have greatly influenced her art. In her solo exhibition, In the Absence of Instruction, at the UC Davis Gorman Museum of Native American Art, Mallory’s prints and installations guide viewers through power and identity with themes from the past and present. Mallory’s work uses materials such as beeswax, fibers, cloth, and found objects to confront the long-established ideas of nature and humanity. Mallory will speak later this fall, and there are new tapestries in the Collections Gallery. Read the full story. 

Be sure to visit before it’s gone! To find out more, visit Brenda Mallory: In the Absence of Instruction. 

Celebrate fall this weekend at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art

Sunday, Sept. 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., free, at the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art

Celebrate the Manetti Shrem Museum of Art’s extraordinary fall season with a full day of festivities on Sunday, Sept.29. Play big games, make bubble art, and hear a student jazz band at 1 and 3 p.m. on the plaza. Meet and mingle with UC Davis student curators and exhibiting artists and hear their insights from noon to 4 p.m. — and see their exhibitions. As always, the museum is free. 

Featured conversations

Noon–2 p.m.: Light into Density

2–4 p.m.: Entangled Writing and Ritual Clay

Find out more information on event here. Read the full story on the exhibitions.

Halloween shopping at Spirit offers discount

2135 Cowell Blvd.

Get ready for Halloween with a little help from UC Davis. Those looking for some artistic Halloween costumes can look no further than Spirit Halloween located at 2135 Cowell Blvd in Davis. With the coupon below, Arts Blog readers will get 10% off of their purchase and 10% of proceeds will be donated to The UC Davis Children's Hospital.

Next week

Reflections exhibit closing at The Artery

Available until Monday, Sept. 30, 207 G Street, free

The exhibit Reflections with photography by Susan Stoll and metal sculpture by Jay Stargaard will be on display at the Artery, an artists cooperative through Sept. 30. Stoll’s photography of water captures the serenity of water’s reflections while Stargaard’s sculptures invite viewers to reflect on their inner selves. Make sure to visit before the exhibit leaves!

Comunidad Anquari in first noon concert of school year

Thursday, Oct. 3, 12:05 p.m., Recital Hall, Ann E. Pitzer Center, free

Comunidad Anqari performs music of the Kollao Altiplano, a culturally rich region in the heart of the Andean High Plateau (which touches modern day Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Peru and Ecuador). A group of musicians dedicated to the performance of traditional music and dances, Comunidad Anqari is named after the Aymara, deity of the wind. The name is reflective on the repertoire which is played upon indigenous wind instruments and corresponds to the seasons and festivals during which they perform.

Learn more about the ensemble here.  

See and participate in the new  Moo-vin’ Moo-seum 

Friday, Oct. 4, 5-8 p.m., Sunset Fest, UC Davis students only

Saturday, Oct. 5, 9 a.m. to noon at the Davis farmer’s market, for all community members

The new ASUCD’s Moo-vin’ Moo-seum is a public art project which takes place on a renovated Unitrans bus allowing art to be mobile. The Moo-seum’s four primary goals include building community, maintaining sustainability, supporting local artists, and promoting ASUCD. For it’s first installation, participants will create a collaborative mural on what the city of Davis means to them. Everyone is welcome regardless of experience with art. The work is a collaboration between Unitrans and ASUCD.

Moo-vin' Moo-seum information is available on the ASUCD website. 

The Mondavi Center presents Aida Cuevas next week

Saturday, Oct. 5, 7:30 p.m., Jackson Hall at the Mondavi Center

Canta a Juan Gabriel 40 años después

A legendary and powerful voice in Mexican music for more than 40 years, Aida Cuevas is truly the “The Queen of Mariachi.”

We could go on and on about Aida Cuevas and her 47-year storied career. Not only is she known as “The Queen of Mariachi,” but she’s also rightfully earned the titles of “Queen of Ranchera Music,” and “La Voz de México” (the Voice of Mexico). Cuevas is the first and only female singer in the traditional mariachi genre to win a Grammy and a Latin Grammy Award and has received eleven Grammy nominations in the “Best Mariachi/Ranchero Album” category, as well as sold over 11 million albums. Her Mondavi Center performance features a 40th-anniversary celebration of her iconic album Canta a Juan Gabriel, originally produced by her mentor, legendary pop icon Juan Gabriel.

Get tickets here: Aida Cuevas | Mondavi Center 

Screening of 'Before Volcanoes Sing'

Monday, Oct. 7, 5:30-8 p.m., doors open at 5 p.m., Cruess Hall 1002

In Clarissa Tossin’s "Before the Volcanoes Sing," the movement of the Maya people and culture are explored in multiple spaces and temporalities with a focus on wind instruments as a tool to give voice to Indigenous systems of knowledge. 

Tossin is a visiting professor in The California Studio: Manetti Shrem Artist Residences known for her work with moving images, sculptures, and installations to share what places with histories of colonization might be like in alternate narratives.

Organized by The California Studio: Manetti Shrem Artist Residencies in the Manetti Shrem Art Studio Program. 

Find out more here: Screening: Before Volcanos Sing by Clarissa Tossin | The California Studio