Open Inquiry: UC Arts
A new generation of artists from the renowned art programs at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, Davis, and the University of California, Los Angeles.
March 14, 2026 – April 12, 2026
Open Inquiry: UC Arts
Exhibition
Mar. 14 - Apr. 12
Opening Reception
Saturday, March 21
4:00PM to 6:00PM
RSVP here
University of California DEANS Panel
From Studio to Society: The Value and Future of UC Art Education
Sunday, March 22
1:00-3:00 PM
Open Inquiry: UC Arts brings together a new generation of artists emerging from the renowned art practice programs at the University of California, Berkeley, the University of California, Davis, and the University of California, Los Angeles. The art departments at these universities have long been recognized as seminal hubs of artistic experimentation and critical thought, consistently incubating artists who leverage academic investigation with artistic rigor. This exhibition features current students and graduates from the last two decades, whose innovative practices carry forward the artistic legacy of the UC arts.
Grounded in the idea that research is not limited to laboratories or archives, Open Inquiry frames artistic practice as a vital mode of inquiry. Through multi-disciplined, critically engaged studio practices, the exhibiting artists question, test, analyze, and interpret—performing acts of research with their making processes. The art studio becomes a site for creative problem-solving, where painting, sculpture, installation, performance, and digital media operate as tools of critical inquiry.
While support for arts funding and academic research faces mounting challenges, Open Inquiry underscores the essential role of public arts education. Across the UC system, art departments cultivate spaces for alternative learning rooted in material experimentation, social justice work, and personal exploration. Within these spaces, artists embrace the creative process as a methodology for challenging dominant narratives or making visible that which is obscured or dismissed, and many retain that research ethos throughout their careers.
Open Inquiry asserts that now, more than ever, the graduates of the UC arts programs are creating essential work for an uncertain world. Their practices embody the values of intellectual and creative freedom, reminding us of the crucial role of the arts within the broader landscape of higher education. The exhibition aims to center artists as researchers who challenge our expectations, generate debate, and lead us to vital discoveries.
Check back for a full calendar of activities including panel discussions, film, and special invitation events.
Read more about the exhibition in this Press Release
Participating Artists
UC BERKELEY ARTISTS
Eleni Berg - Juliette Fifi Rae Berman - Viviana Martinez Carlos - Kristiana Chan - Reniel Del Rosario - Priyanka D'Souza - Ricki Dwyer - Tanja Geis - Nicki Green - Emily Gui - Ahn Lee - Isabella Manfredi - Merissa Mann - Hector F. Munoz - Sofie Ramos - Lucy Stark - Becky Suss - Bryant Terry - Eli Thorne - Shirin Towfiq - Samuel Wildman
UC DAVIS ARTISTS
Nicole Irene Anderson - Jose Arenas - Jordan Benton - April Camlin - Zach Clark - Jodi Connelly - Cella Costanza - Rachel Deane - Justine Di Fiore - Julia Haft-Candell - Mercy Hawkins - Gracianne Kirsch - Amy Lincoln - Will Maxen - Kelley O'Leary - Darcy Padilla - Sofia del Pedregal - Helia Pouyanfar - Nitheen Ramalingam - Luka Vergoz - Marina Darcy Weiner
UCLA ARTISTS
Alex Anderson - Quintin Atchison - Bradley Bell - Max Cleary - Maya Davis - Yi Gao - Sonia Hauser - Keegan Holden - Alex Kerr - Audrey Leshay - Amelia Lockwood - Naima Lorelei - Nick Lowe - Justin Muegge - Richard Nam - Mae Noland - Gozie Ojini - Jake Stutz - Violet Treadwell Hull - Shoshi Watanabe - Arthur Wechsler - Haniko Zahra
Special Guest, Roger Herman
Events
University of California DEANS Panel
From Studio to Society: The Value and Future of UC Art Education
Sunday, March 22
1:00-3:00 PM
Panelists:
Sara Guyer - Dean of Arts and Humanities and Professor of English at UC Berkeley
Noah Guynn - Associate Dean of Faculty for Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies and Professor of French and Comparative Literature at UC Davis
Lionel Popkin - Professor and Interim Dean of the UCLA School of Arts and Architecture
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
