The arts' shining moment

January 3, 2022—The arts are prospering at UC Davis. Since 2016, the art scene on campus has grown monumentally with the opening of the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art, the renovation of the C.N. Gorman Museum, reimagined arts education programs and more—all made possible by donor support.

Even through the pandemic, one of the hardest times in the history of museums across the world, donor and community support ensured that the tradition of arts on campus is not just here to stay, but becoming greater than ever.

Gifts to the Manetti Shrem Museum

In 2019 Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem put out a challenge to the community: If donors collectively gave $3 million to support the museum’s endowment, they would contribute another $3 million to match.

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Since then and throughout the pandemic a group of philanthropists rallied to the cause and contributed more than $4.25 million—exceeding the challenge’s goal by nearly 50 percent.

“In the time of our greatest need, the Manetti Shrem Museum Partners stepped up in extraordinary ways to ensure that the museum would be free for all forever, and that arts are alive at UC Davis not just now, but long into our future,” said Rachel Teagle, founding director of the Manetti Shrem Museum. “I am so unbelievably grateful and truly proud to serve our community.”

Along with other dedicated museum supporters, impactful donors to the Manetti Shrem Museum inspired by the challenge include:

• Jeff ’79 and Kellie Hepper: $1 million to Hepper Family Exhibition Fund—The largest gift made to the museum by an alumnus, the Heppers’ gift will help create public exhibitions and exhibition-related programming for all to enjoy at the Manetti Shrem Museum.
• Janet and Clint Reilly: $1 million to the Janet and Clint Reilly Acquisition Fund—The San Francisco-based couple provided the museum’s first fund dedicated to purchasing and acquiring new art, supporting the museum’s Fine Arts Collection.

Support for the Gorman

Another museum that has seen generous donor support since the beginning of the Expect Greater campaign is the C.N. Gorman Museum, which has brought Native American and Indigenous art and artists to the UC Davis campus for more than 45 years, and broke ground on new renovations this past April.

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Impactful contributions to the C.N Gorman Museum have been made by Nancy and Bill Roe, Christel and Jürg Bieri, Selig and Gloria Kaplan, and Carol and Don Tallman. Their gifts, along with gifts made by other museum supporters, help the C.N. Gorman Museum in its dedication to the creative expressions of Native American artists and artists of diverse cultures and histories, and commitment to exhibiting works by living Indigenous artists.

Top-tier arts education

Support for the arts on campus is also essential to student education. With help from donors, UC Davis has solidified its place as a premier hub for artistic innovation and education.

In fall 2021, UC Davis launched the California Art Studio: Manetti Shrem Artist Residencies, thanks to a new gift from Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem. The initiative brings today’s leading contemporary artists into UC Davis classrooms and is believed to be the most extensive artist residency program of its kind in the United States, helping garner the M.F.A. program top 15 in the nation for “Best Graduate Programs” (U.S. News & World Report).