ART IS EVERYWHERE IN DAVIS

Local events celebrate the joy of community

By Wendy Weitzel

You don’t have to wander far to witness Davis’ creative forces. The city is blooming with vibrant art, with murals, sculptures and galleries galore, while live music and theatre abound.

And, after multiple years of COVID and the trauma brought by a series of stabbings this spring, locals are looking for positive ways to come together for healing and joy.

Rachel Hartsough, the city’s arts and culture manager, said the local arts sector is alive and growing, after a challenging hiatus during the peak of COVID. She noted how the arts are helping people gather and celebrate the simple joys of community, beauty, resistance and resilience.

“We have an amazing wealth of cultural resources for a city of our size,” she said. “There is movement afoot to transform our public spaces through art and engagement with artists.” Additionally, grant money from the California Arts Council and increased city funding for the arts is expanding the scope and boosting outreach, cultivating Davis as an arts destination.

Davis Mayor Will Arnold is grateful for the support. “From community wellness to mental health, local artists play a critical role in enhancing quality of life and economic vitality. We appreciate and recognize the value of retaining artists who call Davis home.”

Have no fear of missing out: We’ve got an update on the latest city art endeavors, sharing some of the magic that makes the Davis art scene so special.

Visual arts

Second Friday ArtAbout, a free monthly evening of open galleries and artists’ receptions at businesses, galleries and other art-friendly venues in downtown Davis is from 5 to 9 p.m. on the second Friday of each month. This event promotes emerging artists in many di dsciplines, and provides informal opportunities for the public to connect with art and artists.

Street murals: Davis takes its art to the streets – literally. Local artists coordinate projects where community members design and paint murals onto their neighborhood streets, creating a sense of community, strengthened connectedness and new friendships, all while adding beauty to the area.

There are five street murals in Davis: “Street Mandala,” at K and Fourth streets, from lead artist Mark Rivera, 2014; “Naturehood,” at M Street and Duke Drive, from lead artist Danielle Fodor, 2016; “Symbiosis,” at Chapman Place and Madrone Lane, also led by Fodor, 2017; “Elemental,” between Bianco and Hacienda courts, with lead artist Fodor, 2018; and “Elmwood Street Mural,” on Elmwood Drive, coordinated by artist Judy Catambay, 2021.

“The community-build movement has really taken a hold of Davis,” said Natalie Nelson, director of the Pence Gallery. Another example includes the Compassion Bench at Third and C streets, which now stands as a memorial to our local champion of Compassion, David Breaux, who in late April was the first victim in the stabbing series that killed two and seriously injured a third. “These projects are artist-guided, but usually designed and executed by nonartists.”

Rainbow crosswalks: Volunteers with the Davis Phoenix Coalition use temporary chalk to paint rainbow colors on crosswalks around Central Park, in the lead up to the annual Davis Pride Festival on June 4. This year’s painting is set for the morning of Sunday, May 28. These rainbows are a symbol of LGBTQ+ pride and social movements, peace and diversity.

Wall and bench murals: Another community-building project is Statement of Love’s mural mosaic, installed on a wall of the Davis Odd Fellows Hall downtown by Sarah Rizzo and the late Mark Rivera. A local artist team led by Kate Mellon-Anibaba, invited the public to paint heart tiles for the mosaic border. The mural, painted by Toni Rizzo, is designed to explore what inclusion, love, community and support mean to the various diverse intersections of the Davis community.

Along the Putah Creek Parkway there are several murals and mosaic art benches. Pedestrians can enjoy them starting at the “Shovel Gateway” by Christopher Fennell, behind Davis Commons, and running under the Amtrak tunnel to the Interstate 80 undercrossing.

Alongside Logos Books, 523 Second St., is a series of murals by Jose Arenas, Elyse DoyleMartinez and Marina Contreras. Painted public pianos: In the Key of Davis provides vibrantly painted pianos, free for anyone to play. Year-round locations include the Stephens Branch Library, 315 E. 14th St; and Wyatt Deck along the UC Davis Arboretum. During the summer, you can also find them at The

Davis Food Co-op, 620 G St; Central Park, 401 C St; and the Dresbach-Hunt-Boyer House at 604 Second St; and other pop-up locations. Also, keep an eye out for the artist-designed utility boxes around town.

Centennial Seal: This 6.5-foot circular bronze seal designed by Davis artist Susan Shelton is surrounded by commemorative bricks in front of the DresbachHunt-Boyer House at 604 Second S. It celebrates the 100th anniversary of the 1917 incorporation of the city, and honors all inhabitants of this place, over time.

Davis Needle: A 25-foottall obelisk created from reclaimed bicycle parts points the way between UC Davis and downtown. Artists Mark Grieve and Ilana Spector designed and built the sculpture to celebrate the biking culture that is Davis’ signature feature.

Performing arts

Music and theater: Music and theatre are alive and well, and the newly improved Veterans Memorial Theatre is a perfect venue for many such events. Acme is a teenrun theater company tackling challenging themes of our times. Davis Musical Theater Company hosts year-round programs for children and adults, and has sent more than 40 young people on to become Broadway performers. Bike City Theatre Company presents theatrical experiences at local breweries and other venues. Davis Repertory Theatre Company produces accessible performances that inspire people to work toward a more equitable society.

Davis Shakespeare Festival has pivoted its programming to produce readings, podcasts and other theatrical initiatives under the No Vacancy Collective.

The Davis Live Music Collective is a cooperative that boasts year-round performances and an annual three-day music festival each Father’s Day weekend in June.

Davis Hootenanny, a disability-inclusive music event features the Team Davis Singers, an open mic set and a guest performer from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at every Second Friday ArtAbout, in front of the Dresbach-Hunt-Boyer House at 604 Second Street.

Peregrine School hosts a Second Saturday Concert Series from 10 a.m. to noon during warmer months at its South Davis campus, 2650 Lillard Drive.

Storytelling and poetry: Storytelling is a powerful medium in Davis as well, exploring new ways to share our stories with each other to promote community wellness, social justice and compassion. Stories on Stage Davis, at the Pence Gallery, takes fiction off the page and brings it into a live venue where it is introduced by authors and interpreted by actors. Dates for the 2024 season have not been announced, The John Natsoulas Gallery hosts a Poetry Night on the first and third Thursday of each month, at 7 p.m.

Festivals

Look forward to long-time favorites and new community events that celebrate local arts and culture all year-round. Here are just some upcoming events to get you started:

Mellon Music Festival, May 26-28 also offers classical music in non-stereotypical settings, to challenge traditional notions of the genre.

The Davis Phoenix Coalition organizes Davis Pride events. The community-focused, family-friendly weekend includes a skate night, fun run, music festival, drag queens, vendors and more – June 3 and 4 in Central Park.

Yolo Juneteenth Celebration, honoring African American freedom and achievement, is June 4 at The UC Davis Conference and Welcome Center. Local artists offer a selfguided Davis Art Studio Tour June 10-11 at studios all over town.

The annual Davis Music Fest is Friday through Sunday each Father’s Day weekend. The multi-venue, multi-genre live music event showcases local, regional and touring artists, June 16-18. Proceeds support arts education in local schools.

Make Music Davis, June 21, is a free celebration of music around the world, encouraging anyone to make music on that day.

Community resources

Arts Alliance Davis: Bringing together more than 300 participants in the arts community, Arts Alliance Davis encourages collaboration, promotes the arts to residents and visitors, and advocates for public and private support of the arts in all facets of the community. In the past few years, the arts sector has shown up for the whole community, advocating for support for the arts and artists in a huge way. The results of this work can be seen everywhere, from murals, to poetry, to programs in the parks.

Shelly Gilbride, executive director of International House Davis, is chair of Arts Alliance Davis. “The arts and culture community in Davis is vibrant, creative and extremely collaborative, even though sometimes the artistic process can be an insular one. (We give) the creative community the opportunity to meet, share, network, cross-pollinate and problem-solve,” she said.

“Theatre makers, dancers, visual artists, singers and all the organizations that make culture happen come together to help and uplift one another, and make sure all of the great artistic work is promoted in the broader community,” Gilbride said. “We all share the belief that arts and culture bring a community together and create the human connections that we all need to thrive.”

The Alliance has steadily grown, and has a website to celebrate the wealth of cultural resources in Davis: www. artsalliancedavis.org. There’s a calendar, directory, resources and a chance for artists to connect and share. Join the group on Facebook, follow it on Instagram, or subscribe to the email list to receive updates.

Davis Art Map: A map of citywide public art is available, thanks to collaboration between the city and the UC Davis design department. Beautiful and functional, it calls attention to features that make each neighborhood special, and celebrates more than 170 pieces of public art throughout the city.

Memorable public art dots the scenery everywhere you go. Notable ones include the Caterpillar Sculpture in the Central Park Gardens, The Davis Needle at Third Street and University Avenue, and the Davis Centennial Seal, in front of the Dresbach-Hunt-Boyer House at 604 Second St. Besides the print map, everyone is invited to find, record and share creative expressions of all kinds on the city’s Map It! Storymap program. Find this and more about the local arts scene at www.cityofdavis.org/arts.

For more information about arts and culture in Davis, contact Rachel Hartsough at RHartsough@cityofdavis.org.