Philanthropy

Philanthropic goals

Since opening over two decades ago, the John Natsoulas Center for the Arts has played an active role in the local community. One of the major roles of the John Natsoulas Gallery is to provide a place for cultural meetings, conferences, and public activities, which foster community dialogue through a variety of visual, literary and musical events. The John Natsoulas Gallery has considerable success engineering events focusing on philanthropy.

The Historic Log Cabin – A Free Space for Public Use!

Located kitty-corner to the gallery at 616 F Street, is an original 1926 Boy Scout log cabin. The gallery has preserved the historical integrity of the building while bringing the interior into the twenty-first century. The Log Cabin Gallery is open by appointment, and also available for the use of local groups for free. In the past, the Log Cabin has been used for the AIDS Foundation, Cystic Fibrosis Benefit, the Optimists and other groups. We encourage Davisites to consider using this great space for your next fund-raiser or benefit! If you are interested in using this space please contact the gallery for the proper forms and additional information.

Amnesty International

Natsoulas’ drive to help others led him to Amnesty International. Amnesty is an NGO with the inspirational goal to undertake research and action focused on preventing and ending abuses of the rights to physical and mental integrity, freedom of conscience and expression, and freedom from discrimination, within the context of its work to promote all human rights. It is here that Natsoulas began to focus on that which he could give back to the larger global community.

Natsoulas has enjoyed considerable success raising funds for various Amnesty causes. In fact, it is his work with Amnesty International that paved the way for Artists for Amnesty, with the first Artists for Amnesty International Benefit Series in 1985. These benefits were the first major philanthropic event to harness the power, publicity and excitement generated by famous artists of all genres. It was used as a fundraising example in the Amnesty International 1987 Handbook for chapters around the globe. Today this concept has grown into a project mobilizing the power of artists such as Nicholas Cage to promote human rights worldwide.

Natsoulas has been heavily involved in other capacities with Amnesty. For instance, he worked on the project for Chilean Relief in the 1980s. He also worked on benefits for the Ivan Morris Fund, which provides monetary support for prisoners of conscience and their families. Additionally, Natsoulas assisted in the release of several prisoners of conscience in North Africa.

The John Natsoulas Gallery has also worked with Amnesty International. In June of 1987, the Gallery co-sponsored and hosted an Amnesty benefit featuring an exhibition of Chilean artist Danilo Bahamondes donated by Chilean Humanitarian Aid Project. Other co-sponsors included Congressman Vic Fazio, Davis Mayor Dave Rosenberg, Father William Coffey, and Professor Arnold Bauer.

Education and the Arts

The John Natsoulas Gallery has fostered an important relationship with local youth. With the decline in funding for arts programs at public schools, children are getting less and less exposure to art. We work with local schools and kids groups in an attempt to inspire and educate our most important resource- children.

Kids-in-Clay Program

The John Natsoulas Center for the Arts hosts a Kids-in-Clay program which features free workshops for children. Workshops, lead by Kevin Nierman, are scheduled throughout the year and are open to kids of all ages.

Hands-on Workshops and Tours

The John Natsoulas Gallery also offers programs for local schools to visit us for educational tours combined with hands-on art workshops. Recently the gallery did a Kids and Printmaking workshop with Merryhill Elementary School. The artwork created by the children was displayed in a special exhibit, here at our gallery. We would like to extend a warm invitation to all schools in the area of any level to come for free gallery tours as well as educational support in the exciting realm of art and culture.

Davis High School Photo Expo

This year we have our second Davis High School Photo Expo. This will be an opportunity for high school students to exhibit at the John Natsoulas Center for the Arts. All photographs sold to benefit Davis High School’s Photography Department.

Families First

The John Natsoulas Gallery, artists Troy Dalton, Jean van Keuran, Donna Billick and Gerald Heffernon, students, and kids from Families First collaborated to create the large mural located at the corner of Fourth Street and “G” Street on the original Davis Enterprise building. The mural was created over a three-month period and given to the city of Davis.

John Natsoulas coordinated the creation of the “Secret of Dogmore Island,” a 168-page book that resulted from collaboration between artists, writers, the students of Families First, and California artist Roy de Forest. Natsoulas organized and orchestrated the book, bringing together Peter Beagle, Heidi Bekebrede, Clarence Major, Troy Dalton, Barry Marcus, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Nixon, and Ira Watkins.

Nurturing the Development of Young Ceramicists

The John Natsoulas Center for the Arts has created the largest Clay educational week for high school and college students in the country. Many students come to the exhibitions and decide which colleges that they are interested based on the program. Many California Universities and Junior Colleges select students and instructors for group exhibitions. Teachers are available to answer any inquiries from students.

Participating Schools Include:
Academy of Art University
American River College
Arizona State University
Cabrillo College
California College of the Arts
California State University, Chico
Citrus College
College of Marin
Cosumnes River College
CSU Long Beach
Cypress College
Davis High School
Diablo Valley College
Emerson Junior High School
Humboldt State University
Los Angeles Pierce College
Los Medanos College
Mendocino Art Center
Mendocino Junior College
Pierce College
San Diego State University
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco State University
San Jose State University
Santa Rosa
Sierra College
Solano College
Sonoma State University
University of California, Berkeley
University California, Santa Cruz
University of California, Davis

Community Events

Davis Jazz Festival

The first annual Davis Jazz Artists Festival in 2007 marked a significant milestone in the cohesive dynamic between music and the visual arts while serving as and educational event for younger artists and musicians.

The Jazz Festival features jazz musicians in collaboration with performance painters painting to jazz music. The Jazz Festival was influenced by contemporary painters such as Jason Pollock and French Fauce painter, Henri Matisse, who found inspiration by listening to the eclectic rhythms of jazz.

Team Davis

Team Davis has expanded its reach of involving culture and community and is a benefactor of over five annual events that the John Natsoulas Center for the Arts hosts each year. These events include of the center’s poetry and Jazz Nights at the Gallery. The JNCA is committed to supporting a diverse group of individuals locally as well as internationally.

Team Davis is a year round competitive sports and recreational program for children and adults with developmental disabilities in the Davis area. The team also sponsors social and community service events, including dances and parties. Through all these activities Team Davis helps people with disabilities build physical skills, a sense of camaraderie, and a connection to the community.

Team Davis also participates in Special Olympics’ tournaments with other teams from Northern California. For information in joining Team Davis or on becoming a volunteer or community partner, contact Team Manager, Robin Dewey at 530-753-8649 or rdewey@berkeley.edu. Team Davis is a 501©(3) tax exempt organization.

Benefits Response to Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina had devastating consequences for the residents along the Gulf of Mexico. The John Natsoulas Gallery hosted an art and wine auction featuring over 50 artists. Our photographer, Michael Trask, organized this event. This benefit raised thousands of dollars for the relief of Hurricane Katrina victims.

Response to 9/11

The events of September 11th marked a trying time for Americans, but none felt the blow more significantly than the families and victims of 9/11. Yoshio Taylor’s class from Cosumnes River College and artists of the John Natsoulas Gallery’s collaborated to create ceramic flags, flag pins, and flag pennants to benefit the families of the victims of 9/11.

Catholic Health West

The Natsoulas Gallery has been an integral part in working with Catholic Health West and Woodland Health Foundation to create an aesthetic environment through lighting and artwork. Natsoulas has donated artwork in addition to playing an instrumental role in the gifting of artwork by gallery collectors.

Animal Rights

In 1990, The John Natsoulas Center for the Arts established an annual exhibition to celebrate the role and companionship of animals and the efforts brought forth by organizations such as the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and the SPCA. The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine is running the Community Surgery Program where senior veterinary students attend to and treat shelter animals and pets of low-income households. This program gives animals otherwise without hope for recovery from serious medical conditions the care they need, while also allowing Vet Med students the opportunity to master common yet critical surgical procedures. The majority of the proceeds from this exhibition will benefit the UC Davis Veterinary School.

UC Davis

Natsoulas won the UC Philanthropist’s Award in 1996 for his work on the Arneson Endowed Chair position at UC Davis.

Shields Library Art Collection

John Natsoulas organized and developed the UC Davis library art collection in Shields Library. Comprised of individual gifts, the collection aims to create a museum inside the library that highlights the work of past art faculty of UC Davis. John Natsoulas and Marilyn Sharrow joined forces to create this museum and have created a working tool for all art students studying at Davis. Their efforts have resulted in one of the most important art collections in the nation.