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Jane Goodall would have loved this: a dog depicted among the flowers and insects in the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program’s ceramic-mosaic mural, “Nature’s Gallery,” in the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden.

Goodall (April 3, 1934-Oct. 1, 2025), the trailblazing primatologist and conservationist who dedicated her life to studying chimpanzees, loved chimps but she said she loved dogs more. 

In fact, she told the Wildlife Conservation Network that she wanted to spend her 90th birthday with dogs, so they organized a 90-dog salute on March 23 at Carmel Beach. Goodall attributes her childhood dog, Rusty, as being instrumental in convincing her that dogs, just like chimpanzees, have personalities, minds, and emotions.

Deep Appreciation for Art

In addition to celebrating dogs, Goodall nurtured a deep appreciation for art and creativity, viewing it as an essential part of the human and animal experience.

So, how to honor Jane Goodall, dogs, and art?

One way is to donate to the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program, which is involved in a UC Davis crowdfunding project this month to raise $10,000.

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Founded in 1997, it is the brainchild of UC Davis entomologist/artist Diane Ullman, now a UC Davis distinguished professor emerita, and her close friend and colleague Donna Billick, a self-described "rock artist."  

Together they taught the entomology course, ENT 001, Art, Science, and the World of Insects,"  fusing art with science and creating spectacular ceramic-mosaic murals around campus and beyond. 

“Connecting art and science to create lifelong learning for students and community members has been a passion for me since Donna Billick and I first taught ENT 001, Art, Science, and the World of Insects in 1996," Ullman said. "The Art/Science Fusion Program has been very meaningful to me since its inception, and I am thrilled that Dr. Emily Meineke (Department of Entomology and Nematology) has taken the helm following my retirement last year."

The Art/Science Fusion Program is known as "a hotbed of innovation," bridging art and science through undergraduate courses, exhibitions, performances, and colloquia—fostering collaboration among design faculty, science faculty, museum educators, professors, artists, and students. 

Currently, undergraduates in the course Art, Science, and the World of Insects are building four ceramic mosaic murals (15-feet wide, five-feet high) behind the UC Davis Arboretum Nursery, adjacent to the Climate Adaptation Living Laboratory (CALL) garden. The murals focus on various California ecosystems and response to climate change. (See more)

"We are excited about the crowdfunding campaign and the visibility it will bring to our work," Ullman said. "It has been an important part of my life and is something I believe in ardently." 

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"Our goal is to raise $10,000 to provide more opportunities for UC Davis students across campus," the coordinators wrote on the website. "Funding will support supplies to enhance student-fueled public art, such as our large-scale murals, educational signage for murals that will enhance the experience for students and community members, the opportunity to pilot ceramic and screen-printing workshops, development of a website, and a volunteer recruitment and training program."  

Ullman, like Goodall, loves dogs. "Who could be a better studio companion? My dogs, Emmylou and Rico, often join me in the studio, very happy to add to the creative spirit," she said. "On rare occasions, they deign to serve as models! Definitely an artist's best friend! Rico loves students and a time or two accompanied me to the labudio (at UC Davis) where he turned out to be a fantastic therapy dog." Ullman created a bust of her "favorite-ever" dog, Jesse. It is on his grave. 

And as for the Corgi in the Nature’s Gallery? It’s sort of in a bed of roses--red hybrid tea roses, also known as Rosa Macauck, or Rosa Olympiad,  an All-America Rose Selections winner in 1984, and the recipient of the Portland Gold Medal in 1995. It's featured in the UC Davis Arborertum and Public Garden. 

Next to the beloved dog is a Painted Lady, Vanessa cardui. The panel itself is in between two “Goldens”: one panel featuring the California golden poppy, the state flower, Eschscholzia californica, and the other, the Aquilegia chrysantha, the golden columbine, native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico.

Donors can access the campaign website at https://tinyurl.com/3f467uxv. The UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program is closing in on its goal. It's now at about $6800, with $3200 more needed to reach $10,000. "Any size donation is appreciated," Ullman said. Every dollar helps.

Let's do this. Let's donate in memory of Jane Goodall, her love of dogs, her love of art--or the love of our own pets. Let's help the UC Davis Art/Science Fusion Program reach its goal.