A milestone in construction of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art at the University of California, Davis, will be marked with a “topping out” ceremony and celebration March 13.

The event is free and open to the public. Everyone attending is invited to sign a building beam that will be installed that day and remain visible when the museum is completed. The event starts at 2 p.m. on the site of the new museum at Old Davis Road and Alumni Lane.

UC Davis Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Ralph J. Hexter, and Shrem Museum Director Rachel Teagle will speak at the event. Those attending can sign the beam between 2 and 2:45 p.m., and then watch it being hoisted into place. A reception and tour of the site will follow.

“With its inspirational design and dedication to education and the arts, the Shrem Museum will stand as a monument to creative expression and discovery for our university and beyond for generations to come,” said Katehi. “This special ceremony provides the chance to participate in its construction, and I hope that the campus community will come out and be part of this historic event.”

The topping out — a tradition in construction — is a chance for everyone to connect with the museum in both a literal and symbolic manner.

“We very much want this to be a celebration for everyone at UC Davis and the larger community,” Teagle said. “The Shrem Museum will be a unique and distinctive cultural resource for the university and the entire region. This is an opportunity for us to offer a warm welcome to everyone to join us at this milestone event and to become engaged in the life of this new museum.”

The museum is named for Jan Shrem, founder of Clos Pegase winery in the Napa Valley, and his wife, arts patron Maria Manetti Shrem. Jan Shrem made the museum possible with a $10 million gift.

The museum, located in the UC Davis Gateway District, will include a “grand canopy” that floats over 30,000 square feet of interconnected interior and exterior spaces. The design was created by associated architects SO – IL, based in New York City, and the San Francisco offices of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. The museum is scheduled to open during the 2016-2017 academic year.