The Great California Art Movement: UC Davis Fine Art Alumni Exhibition (1960 - 199)

The exhibition is a historical survey of alumni and faculty at the University of California, Davis over the last 40 years. The exhibition will have historical photographs and ephemera and is accompanied by a 200 page book.The University of California, Davis ceramics department, TB-9 is now a historical landmark. The dusty halls of TB-9 became the birthplace of both the Funk and Figurative ceramics movements and was the main studio of Robert Arneson for over 30 years. “There was nothing, and so anything could happen. Arneson taught attitude, not style, and experimentation was encouraged.” The UC Davis Fine Art Department The UC Davis Masters of Fine Art Department maintained their prestigious status of top 2 in the nation, which produced some of the best artists and teachers in the United States. “I remember attending a meeting for the art department from the University of California system, and the first question was, they wanted everybody to define the philosophy of their department. Our philosophy was to not have a philosophy. If you wanted to work, it was marvelous. There was plenty of support. The creative support has been incredibly strong and so we got a lot accomplished.” -Robert Arneson
The Great California Art Movement, 1960’s-1990’s: UC Davis Fine Art Alumni Exhibition is an opportunity to see over 40 years of work from the UC Davis Fine Art Department in one place and what the artists are doing now. The amazing thing about this exhibition is the variety of medium and style that was produced. This goes to show that people coming from different backgrounds can come together to create amazing and influential art that continues through now four generations. The exhibition includes Arthur Gonzalez, Bruce Nauman, Chris Brown, Chris Unterseher, Dan Snyder, David Gilhooly, Deborah Butterfield, Don Fritz, Donna Billick, Frank Damiano, John Buck, John Roloff, Julia Couzens, Kurt Fishback, Lisa Reinertson, Lynda Frese, Rene Martucci, Richard Notkin, Robert Arneson, Robert Brady, Roy DeForest, Steven Kaltenbach, Tom Rippon, Victor Cicansky, Wayne Theibaud, William T. Wiley and so many more.