Exhibit Title: "Eye/I Witness to Insight" Dates: May 10 - May 31 Where: African American and African Studies 2215 Hart Hall University of California, Davis Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday Reception: 1 p.m. Sunday, May 16 Artist Talk: 2 p.m. Sunday, May 16 Artist: Ella M. Ray A solo exhibition of mixed media and ceramic sculpture by UC Davis assistant professor Ella M. Ray will be held this spring in the UC Davis African American and African Studies department. The exhibition invites viewers to explore the relationship between the seen and the unseen world of family and community. When we look anyone directly in the eye, we are seeing not just the person, but all those who have come before that individual, and their shared experiences, Ray says. Ray's sculptures emerge from a commitment to acknowledge the ways in which continental and New World Africans share cultural commonalities, while simultaneously expressing cultural distinctions. As an anthropologist and visual artist, Ray is interested in the vision diasporic Africans create for themselves and for all of humanity as we approach the 21st century. Consequently, she says, her muse requires that she look at eyes as a unit of profound expression. Ray is a member of the African American and African Studies department. Earlier this year, she participated in a Bay Area group show, "Eclectibles," brought together with the assistance of Cay Lang, well-known photographer, educator, and director of the Taking the Leap Visual and Literary Art Program. The Hart Hall exhibit is free and open to the public.