Jan Isaac Shrem, whose passions spanned publishing, winemaking, collecting art, and philanthropy, passed away peacefully in September at the age of 94 after a long illness. Shrem leaves a legacy of art at the University of California, Davis, that will live on for generations.

He and his wife, international arts patron Maria Manetti Shrem, built a longstanding partnership with UC Davis to support arts, art history and design programs at the university. The San Francisco resident is remembered for his dedication to making the arts and education accessible.

In a testament to Maria Manetti Shrem’s continuing commitment to the arts and education internationally, the “Maria Manetti Shrem Arts Renaissance” will be created at the University of California, Davis, with a pledge of more than $20 million to further the art patron’s longstanding philanthropic partnership with the university.

UC Davis art professor Beatriz Cortez has been invited to participate in the prestigious Venice Biennale arts and culture showcase, marking the first time in 40 years a current faculty member has been tapped for the honor.

Cortez’s participation continues the university’s rich legacy of innovation, exceptional teaching and practice of the arts. She joins the ranks of art department faculty including William T. Wiley (1972 and 1980) and Roy De Forest (1980), to exhibit at the world-renowned exhibition. The Biennale list was announced earlier this month.

The Department of Art and Art History at the University of California, Davis is pleased to invite applications for two Visiting Professors in The California Studio: Manetti Shrem Artist Residencies.  We encourage artists to apply who work in all disciplines, traditional or non-traditional. The program welcomes artists who conduct original research and pursue unique artistic inquiries.

The UC Davis Department of Art and Art History will launch its 2023–24 public lecture series with talks by artists Katya Grokhovsky (Oct. 12) and Sky Hopinka (Oct. 26) at the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art. The talks are free and open to the public. 

The Department of Art and Art History at the University of California, Davis is pleased to invite applications for two Teaching Artists in Residence in The Manetti Shrem California Studio. We encourage artists to apply who work in all disciplines, traditional or non-traditional, especially those who focus on drawing, painting, print and their expanded practices. The program welcomes artists who conduct original research and pursue unique artistic inquiries. We support artists who seek to incorporate the vast resources of the university into the classroom.

The UC Davis Department of Art and Art History in the College of Letters and Science will host an extraordinary lineup of visiting artists in the coming months. Making art that explores contemporary issues related to race, the environment, gender and national identity, this year’s visitors will work closely with students and deliver public talks. This fall’s visiting artists are Jessica Segall, Xu Bing, Christina Quarles and Tarrah Krajnak.

The UC Davis Department of Art and Art History will host Ann Hamilton, Michael Mercil and Beatriz Cortez as the spring quarter artists in residence in The California Studio: Manetti Shrem Artist Residencies. Launched in fall 2021, The California Studio brings artists to campus in residencies focused on teaching and studio art education.

The California Studio: Manetti Shrem Artist Residencies in the UC Davis Department of Art and Art History will welcome acclaimed painter Jennifer Packer to campus in February. Packer currently has solo exhibitions at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. She will work with students and give a public talk.

The Department of Art and Art History at the University of California Davis is pleased to invite applications for two Teaching Artists in Residence in The California Studio. We are looking for artists in all disciplines, traditional and non-traditional, who are passionate about their research and eager to incorporate the vast resources of the university and the Northern California region into the classroom. Visiting artists will teach an upper division art studio class and a graduate seminar, deliver a public lecture and further their creative work and/or research while on campus.