The UC Davis campus and the city of Davis together offer a connected network of arts venues, collections and creative spaces. These destinations showcase the breadth of artistic expression in Davis and highlight the close relationship between artists, audiences and creative practice.
On the UC Davis Campus
Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art
This contemporary art museum presents rotating exhibitions of modern and contemporary art. It highlights West Coast and California-based artists alongside national and international contemporary work, with a focus on painting, ceramics, photography, printmaking and interdisciplinary media. Together, the programming and architecture create an open, exploratory museum experience that feels less like a traditional gallery visit and more like a space for contemporary art and ideas.
Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts
A major performing arts venue presenting music, theatre, dance, and lectures by internationally recognized and emerging artists. The venue opened in 2002 and includes two performance spaces: Jackson Hall (about 1,800 seats) and the Vanderhoef Studio Theatre (about 250 seats). It is UC Davis’ primary venue for large-scale touring performances and campus events.
Gorman Museum of Native American Art
A museum dedicated to Indigenous and Native American art, highlighting contemporary and historical works by Native artists and communities across North America. Founded in 1973, the Gorman Museum is one of the longest-running Indigenous-focused art museums in the United States. In 2023, the museum celebrated its 50th anniversary and relocated to an expanded, newly renovated space. It presents rotating exhibitions and public programs throughout the year and reflects a long-standing commitment to exhibiting Indigenous art within a university museum setting.
UC Davis Design Museum
The UC Davis Design Museum explores how design shapes everyday life. Its rotating exhibitions feature work across visual communication, interior design, fashion and interaction design. Exhibitions change quarterly and often highlight design as a way of addressing real-world challenges, including sustainability and digital experience, with installations that evolve through changes in layout, materials and display approaches.
UC Davis Craft Center
A hands-on creative studio space where visitors, community members, and students can take classes and workshops in ceramics, printmaking, textiles, glass, metal and other media. The Craft Center offers both structured classes and open studio access with orientation sessions and studio passes. It has been part of campus life for more than 50 years and is open not only to students, but also to faculty, staff and members of the wider community.
UC Davis Public Art Collection
UC Davis supports public art with a campuswide collection of sculptures, murals and installations integrated into everyday walkways, courtyards and green spaces. A defining feature is the series of “Egghead” sculptures by Robert Arneson, a UC Davis professor and pioneering ceramic artist. First installed in the 1990s, these works have become campus landmarks, known for their playful, unconventional character and the sense of discovery they create as they appear in unexpected places. Over time, they have become a distinctive symbol of the university’s creative and experimental spirit.
In Downtown Davis
Pence Gallery
A nonprofit gallery featuring rotating exhibitions of regional artists and contemporary work. Founded in 1984, it is one of the longest-running nonprofit art galleries in the region. In addition to exhibitions, the gallery offers artist talks, workshops, family programs, and community events throughout the year.
John Natsoulas Center for the Arts
A long-running Davis gallery presenting contemporary art, ceramics, sculpture, and large-scale exhibitions. The center is closely associated with Davis’s ceramics tradition and regularly hosts exhibitions connected to UC Davis artists and alumni. The center also serves as a gathering place for the local arts community, hosting artist receptions, poetry readings, and other cultural events throughout the year.
The Artery
A cooperative gallery featuring work by local artists across a wide range of media, with regularly changing exhibitions. The gallery is artist-run and collectively operated by member artists from the Davis community. In addition to exhibitions, The Artery participates in community arts events and artist receptions, creating opportunities to meet artists and engage with the local creative community.
Davis Arts Center
Located in north Davis, this community arts organization is dedicated to arts education and creative development across all ages. Founded in 1960, the center has long played a role in the community's cultural life through classes, exhibitions and community programs. It offers hands-on instruction in visual and performing arts, with a focus on creativity, skill-building and lifelong engagement with artistic practice. Today, it continues to serve as a multi-generational space for learning, making and participating in the arts.
What connects these experiences
These destinations showcase the breadth of artistic expression at UC Davis and in the Davis community, where artists, audiences and creative practice are closely connected. Across campus and city venues, these art spaces function not only as galleries and performance sites, but also as places for workshops, talks, readings, demonstrations and community events. The arts in Davis are highly participatory — inviting you not only to view work but to engage with the creative process itself.
How to use this
- Some people visit one or two locations for a short stop, while others combine multiple sites into a longer half-day experience.
- Accessible routes and parking are available at most locations, please check individual sites for details.
- Public art is part of the landscape, not a separate destination.
- Opening days and hours vary by venue. Please check individual sites before visiting to confirm opening times.