Designed and Led by:
Click on the photo for the Sonoran Dreams Navigation Page and a gallery of close up photos of each tile and the associated artist statements.
Click here to see the process of making Sonoran Dreams!
Gale Okumura, Professional Graphic Designer, Okumura Design and Retired Continuing Lecturer, Department of Design, University of California Davis, okdesign@pacbell.net.
Diane Ullman, Professor of Entomology and Nematology, Cofounder, UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, University of California Davis, deullman@ucdavis.edu.
Installation:
Led by Amanda Larson, Independent artist, amandalarsonart@gmail.com.
Description:
A portal is created around the elevator in the Garden Apartments of the University Retirement Community (URC) by handmade ceramic tiles (4” x 8”, 4” x 4”, 8” x 8”) depicting plants, animals, insects and symbols of the Sonoran Desert. This tile surround complements the previously painted mural of a Sonoran Desert planting that adorns the hallway and wraps around to the elevator. The tile topics and designs were an essential part of the student learning experience in two classes: ENT 001: Art, Science and the World of Insects Honors Section, and FRS 002: Exploring Visual Language and Symbolism with Ceramics and a Community-Engaged Learning Project. In ENT 001, students learned about the natural history of insects and how insects are woven into human culture through art, religion, literature, and film. In FRS 002 students explored how people use symbolic representation in design and visual narrative to enhance expression and understanding of ideas and concepts. Both classes focused their research and design concepts on the Sonoran Desert, and the indigenous communities in this large region.
*Click on the project photo to go to the Sonoran Dreams Navigation Page and a gallery of close up photos of each tile and the associated artist statements.