The Jan Shrem and Maria Manetti Shrem Museum of Art this week launches Art Bites — inviting faculty and staff to come to the museum during the lunch hour to view and discuss selected artworks. The free program is scheduled from 12:10 to 1 p.m. on four consecutive Wednesdays: Feb. 15 and 22, and March 1 and 8.

 “Visit the Manetti Shrem Museum for a refreshing, sensory experience as we take a slow look at works from our main exhibition, Out Our Way,” a flier states. Out Our Way, one of the museum’s inaugural exhibitions, features artwork by the pioneering members of the UC Davis art department faculty.

“These gallery visits will focus on how we perceive and engage with physical works of art in our digital age.”

If you’d like to participate, please register via the UC Learning Center (search for “Art Bites”).

More at the museum:

• “As Aleppo Burns: Human Rights and International Justice in the Middle East” — Sarah Leah Whitson of Human Rights Watch gives this talk in the Human Rights Lecture Series sponsored by Human Rights Studies and the Manetti Shrem Museum. Whitson, Middle East director for Human Rights Watch, overseeing work in 19 countries, has led dozens of advocacy and investigative missions focusing on issues of armed conflict, accountability, legal reform, migrant workers and political rights. 7-9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16.
• “Playing with Earth and Sky: Astronomy, Geography and the Art of Marcel Duchamp” —  Lecture and book signing by James Housefield, associate professor of design, discussing his recent book, Playing with Earth and Sky, that reveals the significant role of astronomy, geography and aviation in the works of Marcel Duchamp, widely regarded as the most influential artist of the past 50 years. 7-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23.
• Meet the Artist: Tony Natsoulas — Documentary film, A Face in the Crowd (2016), by Benjamin Fagen, exploring the artist’s UC Davis roots and his ongoing work. 2-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25.

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