An exhibition that collects artistic visions from five continents and weaves them into a compelling plea to protect our planet has found the perfect home for the first few months of 2025.
At least that’s how Grace Garnica, manager of UC Merced’s La Galería, sees it. And she has a point: The Central Valley and a university committed to environmental research are ideal for “Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology.”*
“We're in this agricultural landscape. We’ve had floods. We’ve had fires,” Garnica said. “And UC Merced has amazing programs that study the ecology and wildlife around us.”
Artists and collectives from Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and elsewhere are represented in the exhibition (among them: Yoko Ono and distinguished Chilean artist and poet Cecilia Vicuña). An opening reception is scheduled for 4-6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30 at the gallery, located on the first floor of El Portal residence hall. “Actions for the Earth” runs through April 19.
The exhibition also kicks off the spring semester of the 2024-25 UC Merced Arts season. The offerings of music, theater and film are listed below.
With climate change, social inequity and public health concerns in the headlines, artists such as the ones represented at La Galería use their unique styles of communication to convey our interconnectedness with the planet and each other. They share their experiences with science, healing practices and lessons from our ancestors. Call it an art intervention.
“Art can speak to someone in a way that words can’t,” Garnica said. “The intervention in this show asks, ‘What role do we play on the Earth? Where did that definition that separated us from nature come from, and how can we redefine it?”
Garnica noted that UC Merced is the exhibition’s first appearance in California. “The people on this campus and the people of Merced can get a lot out of this. We’re so deeply impacted by the climate crisis.
“It's probably one of the first times art like this has been brought to Merced,” Garnica said, “at least in this quantity of contemporary pieces made by artists from around the world.”
Many pieces use motion and video, but one of Garnica’s favorites is slower and more organic. At the direction of Indonesian artist Arahmaiani, a planter box was built on the gallery floor. Kat Corti, a UC Merced Arts intern who also works at the university’s Experimental Smart Farm, will plant seeds from the neighboring vernal pool and grassland. Over the course of the exhibition, the seeds will sprout, forming the shape of a mandala.
“It’s going to be really cool,” Garnica said.
The rest of the UC Merced Arts spring lineup:
UpstART Concert Series
Music lovers can look forward to captivating performances at The Art Kamangar Center at The Merced Theatre as part of the 2024/25 UpstART Concert Series. The second half of the 2024-25 series begins Saturday, Feb. 1 with OkCello, a unique experience featuring the richly layered musical stories and improvisations of cellist-composer Okorie Johnson. The season’s final concert on March 1 welcomes Los Angeles-based band Las Cafeteras and their signature fusion of Afro-Mexican rhythms and modern-day storytelling.
Both concerts are at The Art Kamangar Center at The Merced Theatre. General admission tickets are $15. There is no charge for college students and children. Purchase tickets at arts.ucmerced.edu/boxoffice or at the door on the day of the concert.
Todo Cambia Human Rights Film Festival
Film enthusiasts and human rights supporters are invited to the 2025 edition of the annual festival, March 1-7 in downtown Merced and at UC Merced. Organized and curated by UC Merced Professor Yehuda Sharim, the event sheds light on global and local issues through a curated selection of thought-provoking films, master classes and more.
Shakespeare in Yosemite
The signature UC Merced theater program blends art, environmental awareness and one of the most beautiful natural settings for a play you will find on the planet. This year’s production of “As Yosemite Likes It” is scheduled for April 24-27, with performances at the university’s Wallace-Dutra Amphitheater and Yosemite National Park’s Curry Village Amphitheater. “YosemiteShakes” performances combine the Bard’s immortal storytelling with modern music and a message about our stewardship with nature.
UC Merced Children’s Opera
Rounding out the university’s arts season is a community performance of “Treble Trouble” on May 31 at The Art Kamangar Center at The Merced Theatre. It’s a delightful musical adventure designed to engage young audiences while introducing fundamental musical concepts. There is no charge for admission.
“We’re thrilled to present such a rich and diverse array of artistic programming this spring,” said Collin Lewis, UC Merced’s executive director for the arts. “From world-class exhibitions to lively performances, these events reflect our mission to foster creativity, dialogue and community through the arts.”
For tickets and additional information, please visit arts.ucmerced.edu/season .
* Exhibition note: “Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology” is a traveling exhibition curated by Sharmila Wood and produced by Independent Curators International, New York. Lead funding is provided by the Hartfield Foundation as part of an initiative to support ICI’s commitment to new curatorial voices who will shape the future of the field, and ICI’s Curatorial Intensive alumni as they move through the stages of their career. “Actions for the Earth” is made possible with the generous support of ICI’s Board of Trustees and International Forum. Exhibition graphics by Untitled Agency, Marrakesh. The presentation at UC Merced's La Galería has been organized in collaboration with UC Merced Arts and was coordinated by Grace Garnica, Gallery Manager, and Collin Lewis, Executive Director for the Arts.
