A series of six guided, embodied exercises by Zheng Bo that invite participants to move beyond a human-centered view of the world and connect with other living things, especially plants. They include Collecting Tree Qi, Drinking Sun Exercise, Drawing Weeds Practice and Sacred Grove Ritual; some are the artist's own, and others draw on practices from other cultures. The series was presented in 2021 in his exhibition Wanwu Council at Gropius Bau, Berlin, and Zheng Bo is among the artists in Actions for the Earth: Art, Care & Ecology at La Galería, UC Merced (2025).
This gallery presents exhibitions that connect the UC Merced campus with artists, ideas and communities from across California and beyond. Located in El Portal, the gallery is free and open to students, campus visitors and the public.
Environmental communicators, people who can turn research into stories that move the public, are what this UC Merced major and minor set out to train. Coursework centers on literary, artistic, and creative works about the environment, and students make creative work of their own. The program gives particular attention to Indigenous ways of knowing and Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Black ecology, BIPOC perspectives, and decolonizing frameworks.
Permanent and rotating exhibits on the history of Merced County and the Central Valley fill this volunteer-run museum. It is housed in the county’s 1875 Italianate courthouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Merced County Arts Council’s mission is to nurture and inspire the arts and artists in Merced County by cultivating places for creative discovery, community, and dialogue. We strive to show the community that art is around us all the time, and can be experienced in anything and everything.
Incorporated in 1978, the Merced County Arts Council was originally operated from a small office space on Main Street. In 1996, the City of Merced entrusted the Arts Council to manage the Merced Multicultural Arts Center. In addition to operating this 28,000 sq. foot, multipurpose arts center, the Arts Council manages an arts-in-education program; an arts facility for adults with developmental disabilities; performances and visual/performing arts classes for children and adults; professional support for artists through fiscal sponsorship; exhibits year-round in the four galleries; and newfound coalitions for visual and performing artists.
