Sandra Riddell Shannonhouse — an artist and University of California, Davis, alum whose generous contributions and advocacy for public art and historic preservation helped shape vibrant art communities — has died. Known as Sandy to friends and family, she was instrumental in sustaining the legacy of her late husband, the artist and professor Robert Arneson. She died Oct. 30 in Benicia, California.

Shannonhouse studied art, ceramics and design at UC Davis, earning her bachelor’s degree in 1969. After a stint at Accademia Costume e Moda in Rome, she returned to UC Davis and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1973. She married Arneson, a member of the first generation of art department faculty, in 1973. The couple were dedicated donors to the Fine Arts Collection at UC Davis. In total, they gifted 178 artworks, including 43 by Arneson and two by Shannonhouse, from their joint collection. They contributed works by Funk movement contemporaries David Gilhooly, Arneson’s colleagues Manuel Neri and William T. Wiley, as well as students and peers. 

The Arneson Archive was established by Shannonhouse following Arneson’s death in 1992 along with his son, Kirk. The archive holds the most complete records of Arneson’s studio practice and images of his work, and is a resource for scholars, curators and researchers looking to gain insight into his ongoing impact as an artist and educator. 

The Egghead legacy

Arneson’s legacy arguably finds its most public expression in his iconic Egghead sculptures throughout the UC Davis campus. The Eggheads use humor to embody and reflect values of freedom of speech and critical thought. In 2024, UC Davis commemorated the 30^th anniversary of the installation of the final Egghead with events, an exhibit and a line of Egghead-themed products. The accompanying documentary, “Unexpected Legends: Arneson, Eggheads and Arts at UC Davis,” features Shannonhouse discussing the counterculture milieu of campus in the 1960s. 

"Her unique and thoughtful artistry, her creativity and her devotion to the arts truly reflected the spirit of UC Davis,” said UC Davis Chancellor Gary S. May. “Sandy Shannonhouse’s influence will live on through the many artists and students who continue to learn from and be inspired by her work and stewardship.”

UC Davis Fine Arts Collection

The university’s Fine Arts Collection, which had been stewarded by the Nelson Gallery beginning in 1979, was transferred to the Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art before its opening in 2016.

“Sandy was a driving force behind the creation of the Manetti Shrem Museum,” said Founding Director Rachel Teagle. “She nurtured the dream of our museum, enabling us to tell the story of UC Davis and its maverick spirit.” 

Shannonhouse’s copper and bronze-cast sculptures that resemble skirts — “Copper Cage” and “Rosemary Place,” both from 1994 — are installed in the museum’s courtyard and have frequently been activated by student performances. Her masterful ceramic works depicting candy were exhibited in “New Flavors: Collected at the Candy Store” at the museum in 2021 and will be featured in the upcoming exhibition “Backstory: Digitizing the Museum Collection” this winter. Shannonhouse created public art commissions for Davis’ Central Park, the Benicia Public Library and Davis Community Church. Her work is also in the collection of the Oakland Museum of California, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in Napa, among others. 

Shannonhouse was born May 19, 1947, in Petaluma. She grew up on the longtime family farm as the eldest of four children. Her artistic talent emerged early on, according to the family’s obituary. At age 13, a Sonoma County 4-H lamp she created out of a manzanita tree branch and redwood burl base won Best Farm Mechanics Project. 

Known as an indomitable spirit who would fight endlessly for causes she believed in and championed, Shannonhouse said that she learned early on to stand up for herself and her beliefs. According to the obituary, “That tenacious spirit was well-exemplified by her survival from breast cancer more than 40 years ago, from ovarian cancer 20 years ago, and her valiant fight to survive lung cancer this year.”

Shannonhouse is survived by her husband, Art Schade, M.F.A. ’70, and her daughter Tenaya Arneson (Colin Peck). She was married to Arneson until his death in 1992, and loved his sons, Derek and Kirk Arneson, as her own. Another son, Kreg Arneson, predeceased her.