Dipu Gupta, Set Designer

July 15- September 15, 2010

Kolligian 2nd Floor East   

  Giuseppe Verdi's Aida, Opera Africa, Johannesburg, 2007; set design & photograph by Dipu Gupta.

Exhibit features photographs of live productions and set models from Dipu Gupta’s prolific career as a set designer.  He has designed scenery for opera and theater companies throughout the country including for the Santa Fe Opera, Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Opera Pacific, Berkshire Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, GEVA Theater Company, the New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, San Jose Rep, the Julliard School, the Manhattan School of Music, the Gotham Chamber Opera, and two productions for Opera Africa in Johannesburg.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  

Gupta is also an architect and the Artist in Residence at UC Merced where he teaches classes in architecture, urbanism and sustainable design.  

July 7- September 30, 2010

Kolligian 3rd Floor East  (display cases)

Come to the Library's 3rd floor to view costumes designed by Dunya Ramicova (Professor of Art at SSHA) for Igor Stravinsky's "opera-oratorio":  Oedipus Rex and Symphony of Psalms.  The designs illustrate the diverse sources of inspiration that are the attribute of contemporary stage design.  The exhibit includes costumes from the production's premiere at Los Angeles Philharmonic in April 2009 and at the Sydney Festival in January 2010 as well as original costume renderings and production photographs.

Honoring Our Faculty Exhibit: Michael A. Hoyt and Jared Stanley

 February 1- May 31, 2010

Kolligian 2nd Floor East  (display case)

The Honoring Our Faculty Exhibit highlights the research interests and public works of selected faculty members at UC Merced with an informal interview and visual display located on the second floor of the Kolligian Library.

Michael A. Hoyt  Assistant Professor of Psychology

"My training and background is in clinical psychology. Thus, my clinical experience with patients  who are facing a chronic illness, injury, or health realted adversity are a tremendous inspiration to my work. Individuals face a variety of emotional and physical challenges and disruptions to their lives when faced with health-realted challenges. Health psychologist have much to offer in way of understanding, preventing, or lessening these burdens. Also, as we learn more about the impact of stress and emotions on the physical body, we can further discover the ways in which psychological changes can improve physical health and work to prevent disease." Michael A. Hoyt

Jared Stanley UC Merced Writing Program

"As a member of the Writing Program, my teaching interests include composition theory, and creative writing courses. I'm very interested in how art pedagogy can be used  in the composition classroom, and intend to publish some of my research in this subject. -As a writer, I'm currently  interested in desert spaces, and their meaning in the history of California, and the world. I'm currently proposing interdisciplinary art installations on the subject of desert land use, using appropriated informational language to produce poetic texts."Jared Stanley

 Long Term - Permanent

The Great Central Valley

Kolligian East Floor 2 (Library Administrative Offices), Floor 3

In 1982, photographers Stephen Johnson and Robert Dawson set out tophotograph the region where they grew up: the heartland of California.Their photographs, alongside historical images by Carleton Watkins,Dorothea Lange, and others, examine such themes as water, agriculture,oil, and industrialization to depict the historical significance,productivity, and transformation of the region. Originally presented atthe California Academy of Sciences, the exhibit is on long-term loan toUC Merced.

Amri Carved Crystal Art

Kolligian East Floors 1, 2, and 4

 The UC Merced Library has recognized our Legacy Circle supporters with carved crystal art produced by the award-winning Amri Studio. See images of the Amri crystal in the Library as well as photographs of its installation.

Enacting Change : UC Merced Arts 71 Student Mural

Kolligian East Floor 2

When asked what they would like to change, the students in Karen LeCocq's intermediate painting class responded: breaking stereotypes, proper education for every child, attitudes toward race, class and gender, equal opportunity, diversity, coming together, more understanding, and less hate. Among the things the students were against: segregation, prejudice, hate, war, destruction, poverty, ignoring social problems, denial, public apathy, capitalizing on the weak and war and violence  as a means to solve problems. They believed in education for everyone, individuality , equal rights for everyone, and they wished for everyone  to live in harmony with compassion for all.

Coming up with images to match beliefs was not an easy task. Someone suggested to do it with children, a positive and a negative portrayal. The images  for the positive became children playing learning, having fun, and relating to one another in a kind and positive manner. The negative  showed real life children soldiers with guns, children with toy guns learning how to be violent, angry children with bad attitudes, all isolated, alone and coping with the world the way they have been taught. 

Creating Awareness: UC Merced Students Environmental Mural

Kolligian East Floor 3

Students enrolled in the spring semester 2008 Arts 71 class taught byKaren LeCocq collaborated to create a mural that addresses concernsover the natural environment. In a truly collective project, thestudents were encouraged to share their ideas through brainstormingsessions and research.  The resulting mural, measuring 6 x 18 ft.,follows the degradation of the environment from pollution andoverdevelopment. A hopeful message is conveyed through therepresentaiton of UC Merced's own Roland Winston, School ofEngineering, surrounded by alternative energy sources from the sun andthe wind, concluding with the remergence of lush plant and animal life.