Fowler Museum
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| Fowler Museum | |
|---|---|
 Fuzzy901 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source | |
| Name | Fowler Museum |
| Established | 1963 |
| Location | Los Angeles, California |
| Type | Art museum, Ethnography, Anthropology |
| Director | E. TBA |
Fowler Museum
The Fowler Museum is a museum at a major public university in Los Angeles focusing on the arts, cultures, and histories of Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas. It houses collections and mounts exhibitions that engage with communities, artists, scholars, and institutions across global networks, drawing on collaborations with museums, universities, archives, and cultural organizations. The museum is noted for outreach to museums such as the British Museum, partnerships with universities like University of California, Los Angeles, and loans to institutions including the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
History
The museum traces its origins to campus collections founded in the 20th century and institutional developments linked to figures associated with UCLA and donors from Los Angeles philanthropic circles. Its growth involved collaboration with curators who worked previously at the Smithsonian Institution, Victoria and Albert Museum, and regional institutions such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. Expansion phases intersected with exhibitions organized with curators connected to National Museum of African Art, Field Museum, and scholars active in projects funded by foundations like the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Key moments included acquisitions from collectors tied to markets in Paris, London, Lagos, Lima, and Mexico City, and conservation efforts informed by protocols from the Getty Conservation Institute and collaborations with the Library of Congress for archival practice.
Collections
The museum’s collections encompass material culture, visual arts, and performance-related objects from regions including sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, Mesoamerica, and Andean South America. Holdings range from textiles and ceramics to masks, ritual regalia, musical instruments, photographs, and contemporary installations. Significant comparative strengths connect to ethnographic holdings comparable to those of the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, American Museum of Natural History, and the Royal Ontario Museum. Specific object types include West African masks associated with traditions in Nigeria and Benin, Oceanic tapa cloths from Samoa and Fiji, pre-Columbian ceramics from the Moche and Nazca cultures, Andean textiles akin to collections at the Museo Larco, and Asian bronzes resonant with holdings in the Shanghai Museum and National Palace Museum. Photographic archives include negatives and prints linked to fieldworkers associated with Franz Boas-influenced networks, and contemporary art holdings feature works by artists connected to the Diaspora such as those who have exhibited at the Studio Museum in Harlem and the Tate Modern.
Exhibitions and Programs
The museum organizes rotating exhibitions that have been co-curated with artists, community groups, and curators from institutions including the Brooklyn Museum, Getty Research Institute, National Gallery of Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Past shows have addressed colonial histories tied to events such as exhibitions about objects from the Transatlantic slave trade, displays contextualizing material from the British Empire, and contemporary projects engaging artists who have participated in biennials like the Venice Biennale and the São Paulo Biennial. Public programming features lectures with scholars from Harvard University, Columbia University, and University of Cambridge as well as performances connected to ensembles with roots in West Africa, Indonesia, and Mexico. Educational series have included film screenings in partnership with festivals like the Los Angeles Film Festival and symposia co-hosted with centers such as the Center for the Art of Africa and its Diasporas.
Research and Education
Research at the museum occurs through fellowships and residencies funded by entities such as the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the National Science Foundation. Scholarly output connects with departments across campus including Department of Anthropology, Department of Art History, and area studies centers focusing on Latin America, African Studies, and Asian Studies. The museum supports object-based research, conservation projects modeled after work at the Getty Conservation Institute, and digital initiatives akin to collaborations between the Smithsonian Institution and major research libraries like the Bodleian Libraries. Educational outreach includes school programs aligned with Los Angeles Unified School District curricula, teacher workshops produced with the California African American Museum, and internships produced in collaboration with archives such as the UCLA Library Special Collections.
Building and Facilities
Housed in a purpose-adapted facility on a university campus, the museum includes climate-controlled storage, conservation laboratories, a photography studio, a gallery complex, and a public auditorium. The design and adaptive reuse of the building were informed by standards promoted by the American Alliance of Museums and seismic upgrades consistent with guidelines from the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Visitor amenities include a museum shop and a café, with gallery spaces equipped for multimedia installations similar to those required by contemporary art institutions such as Hammer Museum and Walker Art Center.
Governance and Funding
The museum is governed through a board structure linked to the university administration and works with advisory committees composed of scholars and community leaders from institutions like the Getty Foundation, Knight Foundation, and regional arts councils. Funding sources combine university appropriations, endowments established by local philanthropists, competitive grants from agencies such as the National Endowment for the Arts, and earned revenue from admissions, publications, and facility rentals. Collaborative fundraising campaigns have been modeled on capital drives led by partners including the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture and private donors associated with cultural institutions like Walt Disney Family Museum and MOCA.