Valentine’s Day art show, sale and party back at UC Davis gallery

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a decorated skeleton mask, a heart-shaped painting and a mixed-media piece shaped like a human heart organ with a teddy bear

These are art pieces are available at the auction: from left, "Love Grows" 2014 by Cassandra Reeves, papier maché, acrylic, ink and mirror; "Specimen" 2014 by Michael Stevens, cardboard, wood and enamel; "Red" 2015 by Linda M. Miller, mixed media.

For several decades the Nelson Gallery at the University of California, Davis, hosted a show and sale of artwork each Valentine’s Day. It was an event that people looked forward to all year, was well-attended and because it was Valentine’s Day it also made for a great date night.

After 10 years away, the art show, sale and party — now dubbed Artists’ Valentine Redux — is back, bringing together artists, alumni, collectors and supporters of the Nelson Gallery and art at UC Davis. The event is sponsored by the Nelson Gallery volunteer group ARTfriends. This will be one of the final events for the gallery, which is closing at the end of the academic year to make way for the new Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art.

“We want this to be a community-building event,” said Rachel Teagle, director of the Shrem Museum. “It brings back a beloved tradition that rallied people around the gallery and art.”

About 100 artists from Davis, Sacramento, the Bay Area and beyond have created one-of-a-kind Valentine’s Day-themed artwork for the event. Most of the art will be priced between $100 and $300.

William Wiley, an internationally recognized artist who taught at UC Davis for several decades, has given a two-sided painting for the event. Sacramento artists including Maija Peeples-Bright, Suzanne Adan, Patrick Marasso, John Yoyogi Fortes, Michael Stevens and Julia Couzens also have donated art for the show and sale. UC Davis art department faculty Gina Werfel, Youngsuk Suh, Lucy Puls, Darrin Martin, Hearne Pardee and Robin Hill are taking part as well.

“We’ve asked the artists to think of it as a gesture, a folly and quite simply a true valentine,” Teagle said. “As a bonus we received many very fine pieces that are high-quality representations of these artists’ work.”

The exhibition is currently on display during regular gallery hours. Bids can be made any time during the run of the exhibition.

Admission to the museum and the Valentine’s Day party are free. The event Feb. 14 starts at 7 p.m. at the Nelson Gallery on Old Davis Road. For information call (530) 752-8500.

Media Resources

Jeffrey Day, Arts, humanities and social sciences, 530-219-8258, jaaday@ucdavis.edu

Rachel Teagle, Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, rteagle@ucdavis.edu

Secondary Categories

University Society, Arts & Culture

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