Our Story
Students and community members create a ceramic tree full of life at UC Davis in the Art / Science Fusion program. Photo / Community Built.
”Nature’s Gallery” is a popular UC Davis Art / Science Fusion project on campus. Photo / Susie Nishio
In 1997, a UC Davis professor and a local artist collaborated to create the UC Davis Art / Science Fusion program.
Since then, it has been “a hot bed of innovation, bridging art and science with diverse undergraduate courses, exhibitions, performances and colloquia with collaboration among design faculty, science faculty, museum educators, professors, artists and UC Davis students,” according to program co-founder Diane Ullman, Ph.D, a professor of entomology.
Throughout the UC Davis campus and beyond, you can see the big, vibrant and enduring projects they have created.
Diane’s co-founder was Donna Billick, a well-known local ceramic artist. One of Donna’s key roles was bringing community members into the collaboration.
Among those she invited to campus was Mary Kaltenbach, a Davis artist and arts educator.
Mary was captivated by the program.
“The experience of being part of this amazing creative process has had a profound impact on my professional life as an educator and artist,” she says. “This inspiration has lead to a career in teaching children about the wonders of nature and our world through observation and hands-on expression through art making.”
With the blessing of Diane and Donna, she created her own Art & Science Fusion program for children ages 3 to 6. For eight years, she has offered the program as an enrichment activity at four schools in Davis.
“I have seen the work that Ms Mary is doing to connect art and science to young people. It is so important for our planet and for their health as human beings,” says Diane. “She is having an incredible impact on the children in her classes.”
“Who knows what wonderful things will happen for Ms. Mary’s students because she has shown them this path to nature, science, culture and artistic expression.”