Davis Archives - until suburbia!

Watch Otters Frolicing, at the UC Davis Putah Creek Riparian Reserve

March 8, 2024Silvia

The UC Davis Putah Creek Riparian Reserve is a gem amidst agricultural land south-west of Davis. The 640-acre natural riparian, meaning wetlands adjacent to rivers and streams, and grassland ecosystem is a model in wildlife protection and restoration. Right now you’ll be enjoying the wildflowers during your walk along the river. But a surprising movement in the river – a family of river otters playing. Because there are many species of wildlife you should leash your dog.

In 2000 a lawsuit mandated year-round flow of the creek and was an invitation for wildlife. In fact, this scenic pass by the water is a green oasis that now hosts woodpeckers, kingfishers, and other birds. A paper on ecological restoration found that during the year 1999 and 2012 a significant increase in “the abundance of 27 breeding bird species as well as increases in the size and diversity of the entire breeding bird community”.

This is a reserve owned by the UC Davis and you can see student volunteers and interns removing invasive species and helping out with repairs. Nonetheless, it is open to the public for swimming, boating, fishing and hiking. They seem to have had trouble in the past with people vandalizing benches, and destroying experiments. This was especially true in 2020 when people sought nature as an escape from the shelter-in-place policy. Please be mindful of this model for riparian restoration.

There are four parking lots with gravel roads for the Putah Creek Riparian Reserve. The parking lots, due to recent rain, might be a bit bumpy. We entered Pedric Rd, which had space for maybe 10 cars. Please note that the south side of the creek is private property.

Still…Racism in America, UC Davis

February 2, 2024February 6, 2024Silvia

No one should be flabbergasted by the notion that there is still racism in the United States. We’ve all seen the pictures of white-supremacist storming the Capitol, Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. We know about gentrification, gerrymandering, redlining, tokenism, and other catch phrases explaining inequality. That these concepts still define racism in America postulates an exhibit at the UC Davis Design Museum.

The complete title of the new exhibit at the UC Davis Design Museum is: “Still…Racism in America: A Retrospective in Cartoons”. On display are cartoons by the father/daughter duo Brumsic Brandon Jr. and Barbara Brandon-Croft. Brumsic created the comic strip Luther in the late sixties. His daughter Barbara was the nation’s first black female cartoonist. She is known for: Where I’m Coming From.

The Design Quarterly outside of the Design Museum are mock-up newspaper pages about the exhibit. Listed are the subject matters of the exhibit: The Original Sin, White Supremacy, Racial Subjugation, Voting Rights, Racial Disparities, Redlining, Politicians, Extremism, Domestic Terrorism, Affirmative Action, Tokenism, Policing, (Mis)Education, Black History, Self-Reflection/Hope. And yes, everything is STILL there.

Inside are cartoon panels mixed from both artists, the year they were published, underneath. I get the stagnation, feel how exhausting it must be, smirk at the sarcasm. But I am still hopeful. The way to equality is to uncover the inequality and make people understand.

The UC Davis Design Museum is open Monday thru Friday noon to 4pm. Admission is free. Located at Cruess Hall, #124, Davis, CA. Still will be on display until April 21, 2024.

A sandwich board for the Pence Gallery announcing it to be open with a note about the Holiday Market. Admission is free

Shop for Holiday Gifts, Pence Gallery, Davis

December 8, 2023Silvia

Now we are definitely in the midst of the Holiday season. Do you have all the gifts already lined up? If not, you might want to check out the Pence Gallery in Davis and their annual Holiday Market. You have until December 24th to shop for unique gifts from local artists. Over 60 artists enchant you with products from soaps to jewelry to ornaments. I found the egg shaped ornaments by Airy Krich-Brinton surprising! Everything is hand-made by local artists.

Additionally, you can browse their current exhibit: Joseph Bellacera: The Matter of Light, December 8, 23 – February 2, 24 and Adrienne van Summern: Quit Moments, December 8th – 30th, 23. Both exhibits will be accompanied with a reception on December 8th from 6 – 9 pm.

And if you wander upstairs there are some more items for sale. I loved the colorful donuts from Jeff Nebeker!

If you feel spontaneous you can explore the 2nd Friday ArtAbout today! The Pence Gallery with their partners Logos Books and The Artery will hold receptions today! (12/8/23 that is) from 6 – 9 pm.

Pence Gallery’s Holiday Market is open daily from 11:30 am – 5 pm. Located at 212 D Street in downtown Davis.

Are you in the Holiday spirit yet?

The piano at the entrance of the Mary L. Stevens Davis Branch Library, Davis

Hit the Right Keys, Davis

May 12, 2023Silvia

There are three places in Davis that invite you to play a piano in public year round: Davis Food Co-Op (620 G Street), Mary L. Stevens Davis Branch Library (315 E. 14th Street), and Wyatt deck (at the arboretum). Wyatt deck is the most recent addition to the ‘In the Key of Davis’ program. This public art program puts out colorful pianos for the public to play. Because these three locations are covered over it allows the pianos to be out year round. The city will roll out additional pianos to the Manetti Shrem museum and other downtown locations in mid June.

In 2015, two sisters, Isabelle and Hailey Shapiro, then teenagers, launched the program with help from their family and the city of Davis. Thanks to them the pianos get tuned regularly and half of them are hauled to and from their summer location. You can even donate a piano for this creative and interactive public art installation. Check the city’s website for more information.

I envy people that can just whizz in and play a melody on the piano. Since 2015, the City of Davis Arts & Cultural Affairs Program recognizes the social and health benefits that come from playing music together. There are plenty of YouTube videos from pianists delighting their audiences. You can follow along virtually by checking the ‘In the Key of Davis Facebook page or following on Instagram @key_of_davis.

I love the quote on the website:

“The pianos offer a space for improvisational gatherings, spontaneous connections, and celebrations of music.”

When was the last time you spontaneously gathered and made a connection through music?

Render Eggheads as Positive, UC Davis

April 28, 2023Silvia

At UC Davis you might be called an egghead and be proud of it. However. Wikipedia describes eggheads as: “U.S. English slang, egghead is an epithet used to refer to intellectuals or people considered out-of-touch with ordinary people and lacking in realism, common sense, sexual interests, etc. on account of their intellectual interests.”

Large ceramic sculptures collectively known as eggheads can be found across the campus. These seven eggheads were among Robert Arneson’s last works in 1991. Arneson, a former art professor at UC Davis, is considered the father of the ceramic Funk movement.

Tour the eggheads

Like the name, the egghead pieces are many folded, funny, with a wink into sarcasm. There are five stops on the egghead tour around campus. We started at the Welcome Center (550 Alumni Ln) to pick up a campus map. If you follow the road north on Mrak Hall Drive you’ll meet the first two eggheads: See No Evil/Hear No Evil. Notice that both sculptures are missing ears!

If you are touring on a day the administration building Mrak Hall is open you can cut through it to find the next stop: Eye on Mrak (Fatal Laff) The eye that ‘looks’ at Mrak reminds me of the Eye of Providence (also known as the all-seeing-eye). The other side is upside down and laughing.

Next, we turned east towards Lake Spafford and then north through the orange arches of Celeste Turner Wright Hall where you can see Yin & Yang. These two might look familiar. A replicate of them sits on the Embarcadero in San Francisco.

In front of the Shields library you’ll find my personal favorite: Bookhead. The head collapsed over a book, the nose right in the crease of it. I think this egghead needs sleep.

Lastly, Stargazer can be found by going north, then turning right onto Shields Ave. At the next opportunity, turn left on East Quad. Take a right after South Hall. Once you are in the courtyard turn left. Stargazer is near the original entrance of UC Davis, a brick wall from 1908.

Do you think eggheads are funny or have a deeper meaning?

Combine Flowers and Art, Margrit Mondavi Art Garden

April 14, 2023Silvia

Adjacent to the Manetti Shrem Art Museum on the UC Davis campus you will find the Margrit Mondavi Art Garden. A lovely tribute to a main donor to UC Davis, Margrit Mondavi on her 90th birthday in 2015,. A painter herself, Mondavi’s subjects were flowers. Atlas Lab, who landscaped the garden in 100 days, took inspiration from Mondavi’s paintings and planted an array of diverse and colorful flower beds. Curvy small walls with curved benches invite the visitors to sit, to contemplate, or start to sketch.

The sculptures you will encounter at Margrit Mondavi’s Art Garden are William Tucker’s Leda (1989-90), bronze, John Connell’s Earth-Touching Buddha (2002), bronze, Dan Snyder’s The Restoration of Hope II (1983), ceramic with cement, and Andrew Rogers’ I am (2016). Above all, this is a flower garden that even has a rose cultivar named after the gardens namesake “Margrit Mondavi”.

I found this an unexpected but joyful place worth discovering. Best said by Margrit Mondavi herself in the UC Davis Magazine in 2014, “There is so much beauty in the world, if we look for it.”

What is your unexpected but beautiful place?

Entrance to the exhibit Fearless by Ana Lazaro

Celebrate Women’s History Month

March 17, 2023March 17, 2023Silvia

March is Women’s history month. A great way to celebrate is to check out your local library to see if they have anything special planned. I went to the Yolo Library in Davis and they currently have three (3!) exhibits to celebrate women.

The first exhibit is Fearless by Davis based artist, Ana Lazaro, in the Blanchard Room. The Blanchard Room is the left entrance of the library and is open during opening hours. Lazaro’s works are mostly acrylic on wood and depict famous women, like Maya Angelou, Dorothea Lange, and Dolores Huerta. The portrait of Ruth Bader Ginsburg is especially striking. I enjoyed the short biography of the subjects and the notes about the books and other library materials available to borrow. Some of the pieces are auctioned off as giclées (high resolution prints) to benefit the Friends of the Yolo Library.

For the second exhibit you have to go to the other end of the library. Herstory 1 & 2: The Legal History of Chinese American Women is shown until the end of May in all Yolo County libraries. This collection of legal milestones was curated by Dr. Chang C. Chen. An amazing reference to brave Chinese American women from women’s suffrage, to the first Chinese American female to hold the office of Secretary of State, and other less known stories.

I was delighted to see a collage of Riot Grrrls at the teen center. Pictures of women in all shapes and colors ready to riot.

Mary L. Stephens Davis Library

is located at 315 E 14th St in Davis. Opening hours are Monday 12 to 8 p.m, Tuesday to Thursday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Sunday 1 to 5:30 p.m.

Does your library have an exhibit celebrating women?

Shop for Vintage Clothes in Davis

February 24, 2023Silvia

It makes sense that Davis as a college town has lots of ways to shop second hand. There are a few vintage clothing stores downtown. If you are looking for a more social experience check out Davis Craft and Vintage Fair. Besides vintage clothes this fair also features local crafts and jewelry. I saw some cute Amigurumi (Japanese art of knitting or crocheting small stuffed animals and dolls), interesting artwork, and homemade jewelry.

The Craft and Vintage Fair was started more than 10 years ago as the Square Tomatoes Craft Fair by some instructors for the UC Davis Craft Center. The best news is it is usually twice a month from 10 am to 4 pm (only once a month in July and August). Stroll down the covered area at Central Park Pavillion, where you can find the farmers market on Saturdays. There is live music and food trucks, too. But wait there’s more. On the second Friday they move to E Street Plaza from 5 pm to 9 pm, as part of the 2nd Friday ArtAbout.

On my way back home I found a pop-up vintage market in the University Mall parking lot on Russell Blvd. They also had vintage clothing, art, and toys. I really enjoyed my sample of dill pickle flavored popcorn.

Davis is definitely the place to be if you are looking to buy vintage clothes and local art. It is also great for the environment to re-use.

The Davis Craft and Vintage Fair is located at Central Park 301 C St. for their Sunday markets. Find them at E Street Plaza near Baskin Robbins for the 2nd Friday ArtAbout.

The Vintage pop-up market is on Sundays in the parking lot of the University Mall on Russell Blvd.

Where do you go vintage cloth shopping?

Admire Butterfly Art at the Bohart Museum, Davis

January 6, 2023Silvia

I have to admit I’m not a big fan of insects; only butterflies make me smile. The Bohart Museum of Entomology on the UC Davis campus must have known the appeal of butterflies because it uses the California dogface butterfly as its logo. This museum holds the 7th largest collection of insects in North America and the 3rd largest university collection. If you are a fan of creepy critters I saw them advertise an insect zoo. I profess I did not pursue it.

On my visit I was most enchanted with the butterfly artwork. In the Spiral Galaxy of Butterflies Francisco Basso and Brittany L. Kohler arranged tropical butterflies in a swirl and floral patterns. These butterflies are from a donation that did not include collection data and therefore can’t be used for research purposes. As a fun scavenger fact, they also added a fly. Can you find it?

While the first artwork by Basso and Kohler has multiple species, the second, Birdwing Butterfly, is composed of 112 birdwing butterflies into a nymphalid. These were also donated without collection data.

For your instagramable moment you can pose as a butterfly between two adjacent pillars with painted wings or ride on a sculpture of a Tardigrade at the entrance to the museum.

The Bohart Museum of Entomology is located at 455 Crocker Lane in Davis. Opening hours are Monday-Thursday: 9:00 am – noon and 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Admission is free. Or you can tour them virtually here.

Are you an insect fan?

Entrance to the UC Bicycle Hall of Fame, Davis

Commemorate Bike Riders, U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame, Davis

November 19, 2022November 19, 2022Silvia

Since Davis is the bike capital of the US it makes sense that they host the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame.

The non profit charges $5 admission. If you believe that this is just for bike enthusiasts that religiously follow all the main races you might be as surprised as I was to find out it is not.

On the lower level is an exhibit on the history of bikes. I loved the inventiveness of the bike; from the tall wheels with little wheels in the back to the modern race bike, people tried all sorts of ways to upgrade their wheels. The photographs of child messengers by Lewis Hines became the face of the child labor reform movement.

The upper level hosts the Hall of Fame. You won’t find America’s most known cyclist, Lance Armstrong. Due to his admittance of drug use he won’t be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The cyclists they are highlighting have fascinating stories, like Mayor Taylor, the world’s first black superstar, or five-time national champion Nancy Burghart.

The U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame is only open Wednesdays from 4 pm – 6 pm and Saturdays from 10 am – 2 pm. It is right next to the Farmers Market, so a perfect combination on a Saturday while exploring Davis.

Do you have a favorite cyclist?

The U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame is located on 303 3rd St in downtown Davis. Hours are Wednesday from 4 pm – 6 pm and Saturdays from 10 am – 2 pm. General admission is $5, seniors and students pay $3.