2009 – 2010 Art Exhibits

“Myanmar Life through Art” – Max Harrington and others (7/10/09 8/11/09)

Max Harrington, a photographer, and eight Myanmar artists, painters in watercolor and acrylic, will display their work during the month of July. The subject matter includes Myanmar culture, the beauty of the Myanmar country side, and daily life in Myanmar. Max will also show his photographs of Myanmar daily life.

“California Vistas” – Harriet Blodgett (8/14/09 – 9/8/09)

My aim as artist is to capture the visible world in its never ending variety and frequent beauty. Everywhere I look I see potential paintings. I try to depict the essential qualities of my subject in a harmonious composition that is neither a photographically accurate representation nor an abstraction, but rather something intermediate, accurate enough to be my chosen subject and no other, yet interpretive and therefore distinctive.

“Portraits of a Mexican Farmscape” – Kraig Kraft (9/11/09 – 10/8/09)

Kraig Kraft “Portraits of a Mexican Farmscape” – 9/11-10/8 I’m completing a Ph.D. in Agricultural Ecology at UC Davis. As part of my dissertation on Mesoamerican chile pepper genetic diversity, I conducted a survey investigating seed selection and seed saving methods amongst chile pepper farmers in the Central Mexican state of Aguascalientes. When I began the project, I wanted to collect more than data. I wanted to capture something of the culture of agriculture and represent these farmers and their personal stories in a more evocative way. I chose to take portraits of each of my survey participants (with their permission) and the resulting exhibit represents a current snapshot of Mexico’s Central Valley farmscape. My survey data illuminated the difficulties involved in chile farming in Mexico – the increasing costs of production, the diminishing returns on labor, the disappearance of traditional and heirloom varieties, and the aging of Mexicos farmers. Against the pressures of the increasingly capital-intensive agriculture and in the face of other challenges to traditional farming systems, these men, many in their 60s, still choose to plant traditional varieties of chiles – the guajillo and pasilla – using the same seed saving techniques as generations before them.

“ A Closer Look” – Hannah Hunter (10/9/09 – 11/10/09)

“A Closer Look,” curated by Sara and Tomas Post, features Davis artist, Hannah Klaus Hunter. Hunter, who trained as a painter at the University of Iowa and the California College of the Arts, found in recent years that the medium of collage best enables her to capture her fascination with language and diverse cultures.

“The Built Environment” – Photography Club of Davis (11/13-12/8)

Our lives unfold within the natural environment – and the environment that we build. Most of our time is spent within structures that include our homes, our places of work, and the spaces that we share with the community. The built environment is a reflection of the history of the humanity and its aspiration towards new forms of expression. The images from the Photo Club of Davis illustrate the many forms that the built environment can take from all the corners of the world. Our works take the viewer from the ancient world of the middle east and Greece, to the temples of Asia, to the flowering of architecture during the Renaissance in Europe and finally to our own contemporary built environment.

“She Lives” – Shannon Ledford (12/11/09 to 1/5/10)

When I die, I want those who memorialize me to say, “She lived…” Through my travel and interactions with the women of this world, I have lived and I know now how much they live, too. Through my adventures, I’ve realized how much there is to learn from women who seem different than me in every describable way—geography, socioeconomic status, culture, ethnicity, language. And yet, we still communicate. We laugh, we smile and we fall into the deeper human rhythm that we all share.

“The Creative Process Illustrated” – Helge Olsen (1/8/2010 – 2/9/2010)

Imagine the interior walls of the I-House Community room as being the walls of a furniture designer’s studio – covered with graphic statements. The objective of the exhibit will be to present quality sketches, drawings, perspectives, renderings and photos, which are used as tools in the furniture design process.

“Memories and Shadows” – Kristen Rose Jones (2/12 – 3/9)

“Memories and Shadows” is about exploring the human psyche through depictions of a wide spectrum of emotions with an emphasis on the difficult emotions and experiences. As painful as certain events may be, they are often the ones that bring people together the most as they share in each other’s grief and healing. During difficult times, people realize how much they need one another. This exhibition delves into themes such as confusion, sorrow, and hope through figurative watercolor paintings to better understand one another and connect through shared experience.

“Ray’s Flowers” – Ray Borton (2/12 – 3/9)

Finding and recording artistic moments in nature has been the goal of my photography for more than half a century. A rock, a flower, a reflection – each becomes something worthy of being seen again when captured by my camera.

“Elements and Seasons” Nina Thomson (3/12 – 4/5)

I live and work on the Garden Highway (a levy of the Sacramento River) and am inspired by what I see around me every day. I work to paint in a way that changes how others see the air, the light, the fog, the seasons, the ocean, the plates, the hills and fields. I see the earth, its elements, its seasons, its beauty, its blemishes. I see the roads, telephone polls, signs, gates, fences and structures placed on the land by man both as evidence of man’s visiting on the land and as providing architectural geometry to the landscape.

“Inspired by the Crocker” – Jeffery Granett (3/12 – 4/5)

I am a volunteer docent at the Museum and give tours and presentations to school-aged children. Though there are several themes for tours, their main goal is to have the children look at art, understand what they are seeing and try to relate to the story-line of the piece. So after discussing with the students what they see and what the art piece might mean in its historical, cultural context, I will frequently ask, how they, as part of a modern, multicultural society might rethink the picture. As with any teaching, the teacher learns more than the students. For the pre-20th century pictures I learned that they would update them to include cars, computers and cell phones with the people dressed in blue jeans and sneekers. The portraiture would be of people they know. The story lines would be adjusted to fit their own current day circumstances and happenings. The primary technique is linoleum block printing with brushed ink wash for color.

“Exploring Nature with Line and Color” Dennis Neu (4/9 – 5/10)

Dennis Neu has spent fifty years dedicated to exploring and cultivating fine arts. Dennis studied art at the University of The Pacific and the University of California at Davis and has continued to broaden his skills with coursework, workshops and independent study throughout his career.

“Truly India” – Priya Kurup (5/14 – 6/8)

I hail from the west coast of Southern India, Kerala, shaded by the coconut palms and fringed by sandy beaches and tranquil backwaters and lush green hills. Much of my childhood was spent overseas and the short vacations back in India were revitalizing. My family, traditions, and rituals have always been an integral part of my art.

“Little Beats of Life” – Txell Genesca (6/11-7/5)

Little beats of life is a compilation of some of my favorite moments and scenes encountered during my travels; little creatures in their own habitat. My only intention with this show is to share the spontaneity and authenticity of some of these moments and the story behind them.