UC Merced Arts

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UC Merced Arts

UC Merced Arts presents a variety of visual art, music, theater, film, and literary arts events for UC Merced and the greater Central Valley community.

09/04/2026

🎶 THREE WEEKS TO OPENING NIGHT! 🎶 On September 24, join us as UC Merced Arts opens the 2026/27 Season with an evening of music, community, and celebration featuring the Merced Symphony and student musicians from UC Merced and Merced College.

Under the evening sky at UC Merced’s Wallace-Dutra Amphitheater, Music Director Ming Luke leads the Merced Symphony in our annual Side-by-Side Concert — bringing professional orchestral musicians together with emerging student artists for a special performance celebrating mentorship, collaboration, and the next generation of musicians in our community.

The program features music by Sibelius, Rimsky-Korsakov, Mendelssohn, Holst, Mascagni, Gershwin, and more — including the sweeping sounds of Finlandia, The Hebrides, and An American in Paris.

✨ Make a full evening of it with our pre-concert Season Opening Dinner Celebration, bringing together artists, university leaders, arts supporters, and community members to toast the season ahead.

TICKETS
- Dinner Celebration + Concert: $150
- Orchestra Seating: $45
- Lawn Seating: $20
- Lawn Seating is FREE for all students and children! ID required for college students.

Three weeks to go. We can’t wait to celebrate the beginning of an extraordinary new season with you! Reserve your tickets through the link in our bio.

The 2026/27 UC Merced Arts Season is sponsored by UC Merced’s Division of Equity, Justice, & Inclusive Excellence (EJIE), with additional support from UC Merced’s School of Social Sciences, Humanities, & Arts (SSHA), and generous support from Friends of UC Merced Arts.

08/27/2026

“These works are a tribute to nature, to culture, and to time itself.”

That’s how UC Merced Chancellor Juan Sánchez Muñoz described William Poulson’s “Four Seasons of Yosemite” during a reception at the Leo and Dottie Kolligian Library, where campus leaders and community members, donors and the artist himself gathered to celebrate the university’s milestone acquisition of the four monumental stained-glass murals.

“Art like this belongs at the center of a public university’s mission,” Executive Director for the Arts Collin Lewis added. “None of it would be possible without the generosity of our donors and supporters, who share our belief that art builds community, improves our wellbeing, and can change our lives and the places around us.”

"This acquisition could not have happened through university resources alone," Collin Lewis, UC Merced’s executive director for the arts, told the crowd. "It happened because of you."

Longtime Merced-area arts advocate Carolyn Vara played a leading role in building community support for the acquisition, spearheading a fundraising campaign that brought together more than 100 donors. Community members contributed gifts ranging from $25 to tens of thousands of dollars toward giving the murals a permanent home at UC Merced.

“Art like this belongs at the center of a public university’s mission,” Lewis added. “None of it would be possible without the generosity of our donors and supporters, who share our belief that art builds community, improves our wellbeing, and can change our lives and the places around us.”

The murals are available for viewing on the 3rd floor of the Kolligian Library at UC Merced. Read the full story at the UCM Newsroom through the link in UC Merced Arts’s bio.

08/13/2026

A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for the opening reception of Permanent Collection: Abstractions at La Galería! It was a joy to share these works with everyone, including the debut of our new acquisitions.

If you couldn’t make it to the opening reception, the exhibition is now on view until October 3rd, 2026.

This academic year we have new gallery hours:

Wednesdays through Saturdays
12:00pm to 6:00pm

[Artwork from left to right:
Untitled by André Butzer, oil on canvas, 2019.
Untitled by John Miller, gold leaf and found objects, 2009.
24 untitled works by Albert Contreras, acrylic on canvas, 2006. ]

[Artwork from left to right:
Untitled by André Butzer, oil on canvas, 2019.
Untitled by John Miller, gold leaf and found objects, 2009. ]

[Artwork from left to right: Despierta (Wake Up) by Richard Gomez, oil on panel, 2021. Portrait No. 138 by Andre Butzer, oil on canvas, 2007. Good Nature by Ariel Bird, acrylic on board, 2019.]

07/29/2026

We’re thrilled to announce that “Permanent Collection: Abstractions” will be on view August 12th through October 3rd, 2026 at La Galería! Join us for the opening reception Wednesday, August 12th from 4-6pm at La Galería (El Portal 120) for an evening of art and community.

Bringing together textile, painting, and sculpture by artists from the Central Valley and around the world, selections from the UC Merced Permanent Collection re-frame narratives of abstract art history while inviting audiences to engage with art through color, form, imagination, and memory.

Gallery Hours:
Wednesday through Saturday
12:00pm - 6:00pm

$2 Parking in Bellevue Lot on weekdays | FREE parking on weekends.

[poster image: 24 untitled works, detail, by Albert Conteras]

07/01/2026

The 2026/27 UC Merced Arts Season is here!

Join us for a new season of live music, visual art, storytelling, student creativity, and community connection across UC Merced and downtown Merced.

Friends First Access: July 1–14
Public On-Sale: July 15

2026/27 Season Calendar:

August 12 – October 3, 2026 — La Galería: Permanent Collection: Abstractions
September 24, 2026 — Season Opening Celebration with the Merced Symphony
September 25–26, 2026 — Merced LitFest: It’s A Wild, Wild World
October 14 – December 5, 2026 — La Galería: Permanent Collection: Chicano Prints
October 16, 2026 — Flor de Toloache
November 4, 2026 — No-No Boy (Concert & Residency)
January 28 – March 13, 2027 — La Galería: In Our Own Words
February 25, 2027 — Electric Root: Let Love Lead
March 31 – May 16, 2027 — La Galería: 2027 Bobcat Art Show
April 9, 2027 — Global Arts in Concert
April 22, 2027 — Sirintip: MYCELIUM (Concert & Residency)
May 13, 2027 — Las Cafeteras: Ritchie Forever
May 22, 2027 — UC Merced Children’s Opera: Quack-a-doodle-doo

Swipe to explore the full season and join Friends of UC Merced Arts for early access.

Thank you to our season sponsors and supporters.

The 2026/27 UC Merced Arts Season is sponsored by UC Merced’s Division of Equity, Justice, & Inclusive Excellence (EJIE), with additional season support from UC Merced’s School of Social Sciences, Humanities, & Arts (SSHA), and generous support from Friends of UC Merced Arts.

Your support helps bring nationally and internationally recognized artists, exhibitions, student-centered programs, and accessible arts experiences to UC Merced and the Central Valley.

PERMANENT COLLECTION: ABSTRACTIONS
August 12 – October 3, 2026
La Galería

Opening the visual arts season at La Galería, “Abstractions” draws from UC Merced’s growing Permanent Collection to explore abstraction as a visual language of color, form, movement, memory, and perception.

More information coming soon.

Featured image: “Untitled” (2014) by Gronk.

SEASON OPENING CELEBRATION WITH THE MERCED SYMPHONY
September 24, 2026
Wallace-Dutra Amphitheatre at UC Merced

Celebrate the opening of the UC Merced Arts season with a special evening of music, mentorship,

06/30/2026

Tomorrow, the season is finally revealed!

Our 2026/27 UC Merced Arts Season Announcement arrives July 1, with first access for Friends of UC Merced Arts before the general public on-sale begins July 15 – learn more through the link in our bio.

Check back tomorrow for the first look at a new season of live performances, exhibitions, and arts experiences at UC Merced.

06/29/2026

Friends get the first look July 1!

The 2026/27 UC Merced Arts Season is almost here. Friends of UC Merced Arts receive early access before tickets go on sale to the general public July 15 – learn more through the link in our bio.

Join Friends before July 1 to be part of the season launch and help support live arts, exhibitions, and community programming in Merced.

06/28/2026

Something unexpected is taking shape...

The 2026/27 UC Merced Arts Season will be announced July 1, with early access for Friends of UC Merced Arts before the public on-sale begins July 15 – learn more through the link in our bio.

From the stage to the gallery, this new season will bring artists, stories, and experiences to Merced that invite us to listen, gather, and discover something new – we can’t wait for you to experience it!

Address

5200 N Lake Road
Merced, CA
95343

Website

https://arts.ucmerced.edu/, https://lnk.bio/ucmercedarts

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