Terry Buckendorf is a painter and muralist whose work helped shape the visual identity of downtown Davis, California, during the 1970s. He earned an M.F.A. (1970) from the University of California, Davis in 1970, joining a generation of artists associated with the university's influential experimental art program. Buckendorf is particularly known for two large-scale public murals incorporating local history and community life. Commissioned by the City of Davis for the nation's bicentennial in 1976, his Davis Arch mural recreated the historic entrance to the town, which had stood from 1916 to 1924. The mural was destroyed when its building was demolished in 2000. His surviving Columbus Cafe (1978) at 180 F Street depicts a San Francisco North Beach café populated by recognizable members of the Davis artistic community. Restored in 1989 and 2013, the mural remains a prominent feature of downtown Davis, connecting the city's artistic heritage with its public spaces.