Theatre puppet production from 2018 streaming this Saturday
The UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance production of The Bluest Eye will be streamed this Saturday, Sept. 5, at 1 p.m. (PDT) as part of this year’s online Dragon Con event. Dragon Con is “...the largest multi-media, pop culture convention focusing on science fiction & fantasy, gaming, comics, literature, art, music, and film in the universe…” UC Davis’ 2018 production of the Toni Morrison novel, The Bluest Eye was renowned for its use of South African puppetry. Read more about the play, which explores themes of racism and community, here. And read a full feature about the production on the UC Davis news page here.
The novel foreshadowed the late author’s rise to fame as “a beloved novelist of black life,” as described in a New York Times headline upon her death in August 2019. She won a Pulitzer Prize in 1988 for Beloved and was the first African American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.
The Department of Theatre and Dance staged The Bluest Eye in Main Theatre in May 2018, marking the first time the play had been performed with puppets. Students had visible roles, too, manipulating the puppets and giving them voice.
Read more about the play here. And read the full feature about the production on the UC Davis news page here.
Manetti Shrem at home
This week, the Manetti Shrem Museum At Home newsletter invites you to ask questions:
Check out a list of recent museum articles and webinars. The questions you'll see are consequential: "Museums are finally taking a stand. But can they find their footing?" "How do we reinvent museums?"
More content from the newsletter:
- Museums have long positioned themselves as repositories of knowledge and spaces of care. But to interrogate their fraught history requires a fundamental rethinking of this role and rebuilding of weak foundations, writes Yesomi Umolu, director and curator at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, University of Chicago, on Artnet.com.
- The Catalyst: A Theatre Think Tank student ensemble used dance, movement and dialogue to provoke discussion and critical responses to the Manuel Neri sculptures installed on the west side of the museum. Watch their video, “Asking Questions: Barriers and Points of Access.”
- This week’s art activity, Dancing Drawings, asks you to take inspiration from the Manetti Shrem Museum Songs of Summer playlist. Let your drawing materials dance across the paper!
- Today, the Manetti Shrem Museum staff is sharing our mission guiding our anti-racism work, and launching the interACT webinar platform. We invite campus community groups to utilize this new resource for amplifying BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) voices through virtual gatherings with museum staff support.
More here.
Davis Varsity Theatre movie theater offers movies via streaming
While the big screens remain closed, Davis Varsity Theatre is offering movie rentals to stream at home. Click here to rent a movie. Half of the proceeds from each rental will go to the Davis Varsity Theatre. What better what to support your favorite indie movie theatre during the pandemic?
Pence Gallery open Sunday, Tuesday through Friday, Art auction is in full swing
- The Pence Gallery is now open Tuesday through Friday, and Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. No appointment necessary. Visitors must wear a mask and practice social distancing.
- The Pence Gallery is hosting their Art Auction 2020 from Sept. 1-26. Go to their website pencegallery.org on Tuesday, Sept. 1 to view the 150-plus available pieces and place your bids.
New exhibit at the Crocker Art Museum
While the Crocker Art Museum remains closed, you can still view several exhibits online via their blog The Oculus. In the Oculus’ latest post here, learn about an unexpected art form: colorful and elaborate carousel animal sculptures from the early 20th century.
Craft and vintage fair canceled through October
The Square Tomatoes Craft and Vintage Fair will be canceled through October. However, if you’d still like to purchase from your favorite vendor, you are invited to contact the organizers and inquire about online purchasing options. Click here to message the organizers through Facebook.
All content compiled and written by UC Davis News and Media Relations Intern Leigh Houck