UC Merced Arts

12/10/2024

We’re thrilled to announce the next artist in the 2024/25 UpstART concert series - !! The performance will be on Saturday, February 1 at 3pm at The Art Kamangar Center at The Merced Theatre. Tickets are $15 General Admission and FREE for all college students (with ID) and children!

Okorie “OkCello” Johnson is an Atlanta-based cellist-composer, looper, improviser, and storyteller. His work centers on themes and expressions of the African Diaspora, while also exploring the phenomenon of musical prayer. Drawing upon his experience as a teacher and writer, Ok Cello immerses his audiences in vivid stories and songs, creating a richly layered, transcendent cello experience.

A huge thank you to our UpstART Season & Concert Sponsors!

The 2024/25 UpstART Season is co-sponsored by UC Merced’s Division of Equity, Justice, and Inclusive Excellence (EJIE)
The OkCello concert is co-sponsored by a Friend of UC Merced Arts

12/09/2024

As we wish a fond farewell to our Fall '24 exhibition, we're preparing for La Galería's upcoming Spring '25 exhibition – "Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology," an exhibition curated by Sharmila Wood and produced by Independent Curators International (ICI) on view from January 30 – April 19, 2025 (Opening Reception: January 30, 4 – 6 PM).

Actions for the Earth is a traveling exhibition that considers how artistic practices use kinship, healing, and restorative intervention to foster a deeper consciousness of our interconnectedness with the earth.

Actions for the Earth presents the work of eighteen intergenerational artists and collectives who place action, instruction, reciprocity, and exchange at the forefront of their practices. By sharing their participatory artistic interventions and healing strategies alongside research in ecology, science, and ancient beliefs, these artists remind us that we are connected within a constellation of living networks, inseparable from the planet and its environments.

Artists & Artworks in this post:
1. Lhola Amira, IRMANDADE: The Shape of Water in Pindorama, 2018-2020, HD video, single channel sound, film still. Image courtesy of SMAC Gallery, copyright Lhola Amira. .amira
2. Arahmaiani, Memory of Nature, 2013, Singapore. Courtesy the artist.
3. Hylozoic/Desires (Himali Singh Soin & David Soin Tappeser), As Grand As What, 2021, 3 channel performance video; color, stereo sound, video still from As Grand As What (2021). Image courtesy of the artist.
4. Tabita Rezaire, Premium Connect, 2017, video with LED glow, still from Premium Connect (2017). Courtesy of the artist and Goodman Gallery, South Africa.
5. Cecilia Vicuña, Semiya (Seed Song), 2015, color, sound, HD video, 07:43, Courtesy Electronic Arts Intermix (EAI), New York.
6. Zheng Bo, Ecosensibility Exercises, installation view, 2021, Gropius Bay, Berlin. Photo: Eike Walkenhorst. Courtesy the artist; Gropius Bau; Edouard Malingue Gallery.

Learn more

12/04/2024

Due to unforeseen circumstances, we unfortunately must cancel tonight’s “Late Night” event. Thank you to all who came out to this Fall’s Late Nights, and we look forward to hosting more in the Spring!!

Alma, Corazón y Vida: Latinx Art Legends from the Mike “Surito” Echeverría Collection is on view at La Galería and through December 6.

12/03/2024

It’s our LAST week with the incredible Alma, Corazón y Vida exhibition at La Galería and 📍
Don’t miss out on your last chance to spend time with this incredible artwork from Chicanx Art legends!

La Galería will be open today through Friday, December 6th from 10am to 6pm at El Portal 120.

Slide one: Gronk, A Jetter
Gronk, Backdrop for Los Faustinos

Slide two: Exhibition photo featuring Jose Orozco’s Kinesthetic Toys and artworks from Los Four

Slide three: Gronk, Set Piece for Ainadamar

12/03/2024

Come out for Auditions for Shakespeare in Yosemite's As Yosemite Likes It this Friday!!

Auditions this Friday at 5:00 for Shakespeare in Yosemite's As Yosemite Likes It. DM us or email Katie Brokaw [email protected] for details. Performance dates: April 24-27.

12/02/2024

Join us this Wednesday, December 4th for our last Late Night at the Gallery of the Fall Semester!
We will be revisiting some of the art workshops from our previous late nights for those of you who couldn’t make it or want to try something new.
See you then!

11/26/2024

UC Merced Arts has received a $15,000 grant from the California State Library’s Groundwork Grants Program!

🌦️ With California’s rainy season upon us, it’s important to make sure artworks and collections are properly stored and plans are in place for any kind of weather emergency or disaster. We’re thrilled to announce that and La Galería were selected as recipients of the California State Library’s Groundwork Grant! This grant funds important disaster-planning supplies, environmental monitoring sensors for our exhibition and storage spaces, training and consultations for gallery staff, and more! We are so grateful to the Groundwork Grants Program and the California State Library for this honor and opportunity.

The Groundwork Grants program is administered by the California State Library in partnership with Myriad Consulting and Training and is part of the library’s “Ready or Not: California Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness Project,” funded by the State of California.

11/25/2024

La Galería will be closed November 24th through December 2nd.
Visit us when we re-open for our last week of Alma Corazón y Vida, December 3rd through 6th!

11/15/2024

Are you ready for our next Late Night at La Galería? 🌙

Next Wednesday, November 20th, join us in El Portal 120 for a screening of ‘Margaret Garcia: Against All Odds’.

Afterwards, we will be making artworks inspired by Hojalata: the tin art made in Mexico that creates both practical and ornate objects. Mexican artisans and craftsmen draw on their imagination to mold inexpensive, readily available tin into elegant, delicate works of art. We can’t wait to make our own!

Alma, Corazón y Vida is open until December 6th at La Galería and (excluding 11/26—11/30)
See you soon!

11/12/2024

Artist, Muralist, Printmaker, Performer... Gronk does it all!

With the final month of the Alma Corazón y Vida exhibition, UC Merced Arts wants to highlight some of the artists featured in this collection.

This week we are looking at the artist Gronk! Glugio Nicandro, more famously known as Gronk, is an artist from Downtown Los Angeles known for his Chicano performance art, expressionistic paintings, large-scale murals, and prints.

Gronk is also well-known for his set designs, which are an extension of his overall body of work and reference his dedication to researching films, literature, philosophy, politics, and urban life into visual language.

Visit La Galeria, and
to see some of his work in person.
La Galería is open from 10am to 6pm Tuesdays through Saturdays. Plan your visit today!

10/04/2024

🎶✨ Get ready for an unforgettable performance by , the world’s first LGBTQ+ mariachi band! 🎺🌈 Join us as they bring the rich traditions of Mexican regional music to life in a powerful and dynamic way.

📅 Saturday, October 12
🕓 3:00 PM
📍The Art Kamangar Center at The Merced Theatre

🎟️ Tickets (available at Box Office link in bio):
$15 General Admission
Free for Students and Children under 18
🎫 Season Tickets: $50 (Save $10 when you buy 4 concerts together!)

🌟 Special Opening Act: Madeira Unified Mariachi
🎉 Sponsored by UC Merced Division of Equity, Justice & Inclusive Excellence and Cal Pride

Celebrate the vibrant sounds of mariachi with a unique twist. Don’t miss it!

10/02/2024

The Merced Symphony returns to the UC Merced campus for a concert of captivating music from the Americas. With multiple ticket prices available, choose the seating option that best suits your preference and enjoy a delightful evening with the Merced Symphony!

Where: Wallace-Dutra Amphitheater, UC Merced Campus

Julia Morris, conductor

Program:
Jose Moncayo: Huapango
Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings
Arturo Márquez: Danzon No. 2
Jessie Montgomery: Strum
Aaron Copland: 4 Dance Episodes from Rodeo

Ticket Options:
- $40 Orchestra Seating (General Admission): Enjoy the concert from a comfortable, fixed chair with an excellent view of the stage. Includes a reserved parking spot for your convenience and complimentary golf cart rides to and from the Amphitheater for easy access.
- $10 Lawn Seating (General Admission): Experience the concert from the lawn of the Wallace-Dutra Amphitheater. Bring your own picnic blanket or low-profile lawn chair to relax and enjoy the music in a more casual setting.

For Tickets - scan the QR Code or visit: https://ucmerced.hometownticketing.com/embed/event/251

09/23/2024

This Friday for One Night Only!!

presents Train Station trios feat. ._fe , , and !!

In this one-of-kind Merced event, this trio of Silkroad artists, along with UC Merced Faculty & Staff, will explore untold stories and musical traditions from the African American, Chinese, Indigenous, Irish, and other immigrant communities that created the Transcontinental Railroad across the United States.

Thursday, September 26
6 – 7 PM: Campus Talk with Silkroad Artists and UC Merced Faculty & Staff
Ruiz Admin Center Rm 306, UC Merced

Friday, September 27
4:30 – 5:30 PM: Pre-Concert Talk with Silkroad Artists and UC Merced Faculty & Staff
7:00 PM: Train Station Trios Concert
FREE and Open to the Public - Advance Reservations Required
Reserve your free tickets through the link in our bio

Thank You to our Lead Sponsors!

Department of History and Critical Race and Ethnic Studies



Dr. Susan Amussen

09/20/2024

You’re invited to a special unveiling ceremony for ‘s latest public art installation, the Big Rufus Monument! Please join us as we celebrate our mascot, our community, and this iconic addition to our campus.

Please RSVP using the link in our bio!

Date: Wednesday, September 25
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: University Plaza, UC Merced

The ceremony will open with short remarks from campus leaders representing students, staff, and faculty, as well as from sculptor Dan Medina. A light reception will follow the unveiling, and attendees are encouraged to stay and enjoy the refreshments as we celebrate this new public artwork on our campus.


This event is open to all, and we look forward to sharing this memorable moment with you!

09/13/2024

UPDATE: The Keynote Reading and Book Signing with Dorothy Allison at 7pm has unfortunately been cancelled, due to circumstances out of our control. The rest of the schedule from 1–5pm will continue as planned.

Merced’s inaugural LitFest is TOMORROW!! Readings by local writers will be taking place from 1-5pm at 4 different locations in downtown Merced, followed by the Keynote Reading with Dorothy Allison at the Multicultural Arts Center (The MAC) at 7pm. Swipe through to see the full lineup!