Bowers Museum
Established | 1936 |
---|---|
Location | 2002 N. Main St, Santa Ana, California |
Coordinates | 33°45′48″N 117°52′06″W / 33.76331°N 117.86820°W |
Type | Art museum, cultural art |
Director | Sean O'Harrow |
Website | www |
The Bowers Museum is an
History
Ada Elvira Bowers and her husband, Charles W. Bowers, a late 19th-century Orange County citrus grower and land developer, donated the land on which the museum stands to the city of Santa Ana as well as $100,000 to build the museum. The building was completed in 1932 but was not fully operational for almost four years due to the economic downturn of the
In 1985 the Santa Ana City Council formed the Charles W. Bowers Museum Corporation to form a new governing board to run the museum and to handle fundraising.[10] In 1986 a city study panel recommended an expansion in order to make the Bowers one of the region's top cultural centers and the anchor of a planned future arts district for Santa Ana.[11] The museum became institutionally severed from city governance in this year, becoming its own nonprofit corporation.[12] Many of the museum's galleries went dark in preparation for the renovation, finally closing in January 1989.[13][14] The expansion plan included renovation of the original 1932 structure; a $6-million west wing addition adding over 51,000 square feet of space; and plans to demolish the 1974 addition.[15]
In February 1990, the Bowers' board president announced a new direction for the museum's collection and programming as "the cultural arts of the Pacific Rim".[16] In April 1991, Peter C. Keller, Ph.D., associate director of public programs for the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, was hired as director of the museum.[17] The new museum building reopened on October 15, 1992, as the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art.[18] Since then, the museum's collections, programs, and exhibitions have continued to feature Orange County history, but now reflect the demographics of larger Southern California by celebrating its diverse cultural makeup, with major emphasis on the fine arts of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa, and the Pacific Rim. The Bowers Museum was recognized in the July 1993 issue of U.S. News & World Report as one of nine "must see" museums in the United States.[19]
In February 2007, the Bowers Museum expanded again, adding the $14.6-million Dorothy and Donald Kennedy Wing, named for Donald P. Kennedy, an executive of the
Collections
"Spirits and Headhunters: Art of the
"Ancient Arts of China: A 5000 Year Legacy" features nearly 75 sets of objects from the
"California Legacies: Missions and Ranchos, 1768-1848" features objects related to three historical eras: the settlement of
"Ceramics of Western Mexico" focuses on Pre-Columbian art from the western Mexican states of Colima, Nayarit, and Jalisco, with a particular focus on West Mexican shaft tombs and the cultures who used this means of burying their dead. A selection of the ceramic figures placed inside shaft tombs to accompany the deceased in the afterlife is on display. The exhibition also includes objects depicting imagery from daily life that show the intensity of West Mexican figurative work and that are naturalistic in form like the famously plump Colima dogs. The Bowers' collection consists almost entirely of pottery, with some textile, stone and metal pieces. This collection is strongest in sculpture from the ancient cultures of West Mexico.[24]
"California Bounty: Image and Identity, 1850-1930" examines California's visual history, shaped by a unique mixture of Mexican and Anglo traditions as well as the state's position on the Pacific Rim. The exhibition shows how paintings of California's land, people, fruits, and flowers reflect the state's bounty and the massive advertising campaign by real estate developers, citrus growers, the railroads, and other boosters to bring people out West. Highlights of the painting collection are a group of forty works by William and Alberta McCloskey and California
"First Californians" is an extensive look at the indigenous peoples of California's art and artifacts from the collection, demonstrating the culture and history of the Southern California Coastal Indians. It explores the ways Indians of the region interacted with their environment for food, clothing, adornment, and religion. The Bowers Museum's collection is strongest in the cultures of the west and southwest but does represent native cultures from across the US. Objects in the collection include basketry, pottery, beadwork, stone and shell tools, weapons, and jewelry. These objects range in age from pre-historic to contemporary.[26]
The Historic and
Special exhibitions
The Bowers Museum has partnerships with the
The Bowers has organized several special exhibitions on Chinese history and culture since 2000. The museum board's chair, Anne Shih, who emigrated to the United States from her native Taiwan in 1979, has developed key contacts with Chinese cultural authorities that have given rise to several exhibitions, beginning with "Secret World of the Forbidden City: Splendor From China's Imperial Palace" (2000), an unprecedented exhibit of 350 treasures from China's Imperial Palace that included statues, pottery, paintings and other pieces, as well as recreations of rooms in the Imperial Palace.[29]
"Treasures from Shanghai: 5000 Years of Chinese Art and Culture" (2007) featured objects on loan for the first time from the Shanghai Museum portraying the evolution of Chinese technology, art, and culture. Curated by Chen Kelun, authority on Chinese history and culture and deputy director of the Shanghai Museum, the focus of the exhibit was the ancient Chinese bronzes from late Xia to early Han dynasty, and Chinese porcelains from the Song dynasty to the prime time of the Qing dynasty. This was the third collection brought to the United States from the Shanghai Museum and the first in more than 20 years.[30]
"
"China's Lost Civilization: The Mystery of Sanxingdui" (2015) focused on the art and artifacts of Sanxingdui, a small village that is one of China's ancient mysteries. This international exhibition featured 120 bronze, jade, and gold objects from the village of Sanxingdui, and its highly sophisticated culture unlike any other in China. The exhibition examined the mystery of where the 3500-year-old culture came from and where and why it abruptly vanished. Organized by the Sichuan Cultural Bureau and, the Bowers Museum, the exhibition traveled to the Houston Museum of Natural Science.[34]
The Bowers also partnered with the British Museum after signing a five-year agreement, yielding several exhibitions. "Egyptian Treasures from the British Museum" (2001) presented more than 100 items illustrating the achievements of
For the exhibition "
"Tibet: Treasures from the Roof of the World" (2004) offered a rare glimpse into the sacred culture of Tibet, bringing nearly 200 sacred objects to the Western world for the first time. Midway through its run, about 70 protesters gathered outside the Bowers to complain that the show failed to address the fraught history of Chinese domination of Tibet since the 1950s, including its crushing of a 1959 uprising and ban of the Dalai Lama, Tibetan Buddhism's spiritual leader. The Bowers at the time said that the exhibition's aim was to explore Tibet's art history, not contemporary politics.[38]
"The Baroque World of Fernando Botero" (2009) included more than 100 works of art dating from the 1950s to the present and compiled from the artist's personal collection—many of which had never been seen in public. The Colombian artist, Fernando Botero's unique style is recognized and renowned worldwide for its voluminous forms and sensuous figures. Equally comical, as they are critical, these works take on themes of religion, politics, history, and contemporary life in Latin America through portraiture, still life, and sculpture. Organized and circulated by Art Services International, Alexandria, Virginia.[39]
"Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasure of Ethiopia" (2013) focused on current scientific theory on human evolution and how the discovery of
"First Americans: Tribal Art from North America" (2014) was the first large-scale exhibition featuring the traditional cultures of North America to be shown in China. Organized by the Bowers and drawn from the permanent collection, the exhibition included pottery, wicker objects, beaded items, textiles, and sculpture. The exhibition traveled to the Guangdong, Shanxi, and Hunan Provincial museums in China, as well as the Museum del Oro de Bogota, where it was titled "Tribal Art from North America/Tradiciones y Trasiciones: Indígenas de Norteamérica."[41]
"The Virgin of Guadalupe: Images in
Kidseum
Founded in 1994, Bowers' Kidseum, both an interactive children's museum and learning center, serves as an 11,000 square-foot extension of the main museum. In 2014, Kidseum celebrated its 20th anniversary with a re-opening of the newly renovated high-tech and interactive space.[44] The name "Kidseum" was created by a child in the community in a naming contest.
Controversy
In 2008, the museum was involved in a high-profile controversy when federal agents raided four Southern California museums. Acting on evidence gathered during a five-year undercover probe, investigators seized artifacts which had allegedly been illegally excavated from sites across Southeast Asia and the Americas, smuggled into Los Angeles and donated to the museums.[45][46]
In 2014, the museum issued a statement saying that it had stopped collecting archaeological items years ago, and was instead focusing on bringing archaeological items from foreign museums to the United States for exhibition. The museum also said that it supported the U.S. government's efforts to protect such historic sites, and was willing to work with foreign governments in the repatriation of antiquities. The museum agreed to return 542 ancient bowls and other artifacts to Thailand in exchange for the government prosecutors agreeing to drop criminal charges against the museum's staff.[47] Repatriation of the Thai antiquities occurred in November 2014.[48]
Management
The Bowers Museum is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization. The museums' exhibitions, programming, and operations are member supported and funded through contributions from individuals, corporations, and foundations. Significant funding is also provided by an annual grant from the city of Santa Ana. A board of governors consisting of 32 members governs the museum. The current chairman of the board is Anne Shih. Dr. Sean O'Harrow was instated (August 2023) as president and CEO following the passing of Peter C. Keller, Ph.D. (November 2022),[49] who had been president of the Bowers since 1991.[50]
Selected collection highlights
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Ceremonial Ladle, 19th Century, Austral Islands, French Polynesia, Polynesia
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Wedding Vase, c. 1970, Margaret Tafoya (1904-2001), Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico
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Raven Rattle, late 19th Century Tlingit culture; Fort Wrangell, Alaska
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Untitled (Oranges in Tissue with Vase), 1889 by Alberta Binford McCloskey (American, 1855–1911)
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Marguerite, 1909 by Guy Rose (American, 1867–1925)
References
- ^ "Building Site, Museum Fund Provided in Will". Los Angeles Times. March 1, 1931.
- ^ "Construction Projects Call for Huge Sums". Los Angeles Times. January 1, 1932.
- ^ "Orange County". Los Angeles Times. January 2, 1934.
- ^ "Opening Set for Museum". Los Angeles Times. February 13, 1936.
- ^ "Santa Ana Formally Accepts Museum Gift". Los Angeles Times. February 16, 1936.
- ^ Fister, Nancy (1985). The Art and Facts of Bowers Museum. Santa Ana, CA: Bowers Museum Foundation.
- ASIN B0006BPVQQ.
- ^ Driscoll, Marjie (June 17, 1971). "A Gala Kickoff for Bowers Museum Growth: Bowers on the Grow". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Gettemy, Robert M. (May 28, 1973). "Work to Begin on Bowers Museum Addition, Expansion Will Double Size". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Wong, Herman (April 19, 1986). "Bowers Museum District Proposed". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ Wong, Herman (July 11, 1986). "$8.8-million Expansion Proposed For Bowers". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ Wong, Herman (September 10, 1987). "Bowers Museum Work Set for Spring". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ Curtis, Cathy (December 26, 1988). "Highs, Lows Keep Art World in the Middle". Art. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ Curtis, Cathy (May 18, 1989). "Choice of Architect Put Off in Bowers Museum Expansion". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ Curtis, Cathy (October 19, 1989). "Museum Architects Release Bowers Museum Renovation Plan". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ Curtis, Cathy (February 4, 1990). "Bowers Museum Grapples With Its Identity". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ Curtis, Cathy (April 9, 1991). "Bowers Chooses New Executive Director". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ Curtis, Cathy (October 15, 1992). "Spread Out: The New Bowers Museum of Cultural Art Now Has Lots More Room to Show Off Its Treasures". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ "Must See Museums: A U.S. News tour of the new and noteworthy with local experts in tow". U.S. News & World Report. July 5, 1993.
- ^ Reyes, David (February 18, 2007). "Bowers to salute man who made fundraising an art". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ Muchnic, Suzanne. 2009. "ART; SOUL OF OCEANIA; the Art of Pacific Island Cultures is Gaining New Significance Across the U.S." Los Angeles Times, Feb 22.
- ^ Richard Chang (February 18, 2007) Expanding the possibilities at the Bowers Museum, Orange County Register
- ^ The Huntington museum's "Exploring the California Missions" has a link to the Bowers Museum's website and teacher packet for this exhibition. http://missionhistory.org/#lessons; see also http://gsha-sc.blogspot.com/2016/10/bowers-museum-visit-to-celebrate-viva.html.
- ^ "GSHA-SC : Bowers Museum, a visit to celebrate Viva La Familia Fiesta : Saturday, October 8, 2016". Oct 21, 2016. Retrieved Oct 27, 2020.
- ^ Antonie Boessenkool (June 29, 2016) Bowers Looks at the Sunny Side of California, Orange County Register
- ^ "GSHA-SC : Bowers Museum, a visit to celebrate Viva la Familia Fiesta : Saturday, October 8, 2016". 21 October 2016.
- ^ Cathy Douglas (March 8, 2015) Santa Ana’s Bowers Museum enriches downtown’s cultural life, Orange County Register
- ^ Scarlet Cheng, (June 2, 2002) China's Latest Greatest-Hits Collection, Los Angeles Times
- ^ Andrea Adelson (May 7, 2000) A Chance to be at Home with China's Emperors, The New York Times. Daniel Yi (October 10, 2000) Bowers Dreams Big in Small Space; and Mike Boehm (March 27, 2014) Bowers exhibition to examine "lost" ancient Chinese civilization; and Karen Alexander (February 6, 2000) A Peek into the Forbidden City, Los Angeles Times
- ^ USC Annenberg (February 18, 2007) Exhibition: Treasures from Shanghai: 5000 Years of Chinese art and Culture http://china.usc.edu/calendar/exhibition-treasures-shanghai-5000-years-chinese-art-and-culture
- ^ a b National Geographic Press Room (November 17, 2009) ‘Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor’ to Open at National Geographic Museum on Nov. 19
- ^ China's Terra Cotta Warriors: East Goes West (July 6, 2008) The Washington Post
- ^ Liesl Bradner (October 9, 2011) The emperor's men; Four terra cotta warriors are among the ancient Chinese treasures in an exhibition at the Bowers in Santa Ana, Los Angeles Times
- ^ "China's Lost Civilization: The Mystery Of Sanxingdui | Houston Museum Of Natural Science". www.hmns.org. Retrieved Oct 27, 2020.
- ^ Vivian Letran (October 5, 2000) Pyramid Scheme, Los Angeles Times
- ^ Ann Conway (May 11, 2003) A U.S. British Accord, Los Angeles Times
- ^ William Lobdell and Jack Leonard (October 4, 2001) Showing Israel's Treasures, Carefully; and Vivian Letran (October 7, 2001) Ancient Dispatches from the Holy Land, Los Angeles Times
- ^ Culture Monster (February 3, 2011) China thwarts ‘Silk Road’ exhibition in Philly—and Bowers Museum could be out $27,500, Los Angeles Times
- ^ Patricia Prieto (December 20, 2009) La magia barrocco de Fernando Botero, La Opinion Los Angeles
- ^ Stefan Lovgren (November 1, 2006). "Lucy" Fossil Tour Sparks Controversy Among U.S. Museums, National Geographic News.
- ^ "Museum News, American Indian Art Arrives in China," Tribal Art 73 (Autumn 2014): 50.
- ^ Antonie Boessenkool (October 13, 2016) Sacred Virgin of Guadalupe objects travel to Santa Ana, Orange County Register
- ^ https://www.bowers.org/index.php/exhibitions/upcoming-exhibitions/472-virgin-of-guadalupe-images-in-colonial-mexico; and Zan Dubin (September 15, 1995) A Vision Comes Into Focus : Bowers Exhibits Works Celebrating 450-Year-Old Miracle of Guadalupe, Los Angeles Times
- ^ Corinne Flocken (December 15, 1994) Special Event Please Touch the Exhibits: From the Bowers Comes Kidseum, Where the Learning Is Hands-On, Los Angeles Times
- ^ Murr, Andrew (January 25, 2008). "Inside the Art Museum Scandal". World. Newsweek. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ Felch, Jason (May 18, 2013). "Stolen-artifacts case has cost much, yielded little, critics say". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ Felch, Jason (June 10, 2014). "Victory for Thailand in US". The Art Newspaper. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
- ^ Sreenvisan, Hari (November 23, 2014). "U.S. returns stolen ancient artifacts to Thailand". PBS NewsHour. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- ^ Mosqueda, Sarah (August 9, 2023). "Bowers Museum announces new president and a $1M donation". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
- ^ Curtis, Cathy (January 2, 1996). "Baker's Dozen of Best Bets Promises Diversity in Art". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
Further reading
- Baker, Janet. Seeking Immortality: Chinese Tomb Sculpture from the Schloss Collection. Santa Ana, California: Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 1996. ISBN 978-0963395955
- Bartholomew, Terese Tse; Patricia Berger; and Robert W. Clark. Tibet: Treasures from the Roof of the World. Santa Ana, California: Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2003. ISBN 0967961246
- Cahill, Suzanne E. Warriors, Tombs and Temples: China's Enduring Legacy. Santa Ana, California: Bowers Museum, 2011. ISBN 9780615513966
- Dien, Albert E. Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor. Santa Ana, California: Bowers Museum, 2008. ISBN 9781605857725
- Harada, Kazutoshi, ed. Art of the Samurai: Selections from the Tokyo National Museum. Santa Ana, California: Bowers Museum, 2009. ISBN 9781607435792
- Huping, Xu. Symbols of Power: Masterpieces from the Nanjing Museum. Santa Ana, California: Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2002. ISBN 0967961238
- Keller, Peter C. and Michael M. Scott. Light & Stone: Highlights from the Scott Gem Collection. Santa Ana, California: The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2002. ISBN 096796122X
- Lee, Julie Perlin and Susan M. Anderson. A Legacy of Bounty: Paintings from the Bowers Museum. Santa Ana, California: Bowers Museum, 2016.
- Labbé, Armand. Images of Power: Masterworks of the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art. Santa Ana, California: Cultural Arts Press, Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 1995. ISBN 978-0963395900
- Mair, Victor, ed. Secrets of the Silk Road: An Exhibition of Discoveries from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, China. Santa Ana, California: Bowers Museum, 2010. ISBN 9781616587598
- Moure, Nancy Dustin Wall. Partners in Illusion: Alberta Binford and William J. McCloskey. Santa Ana, California: The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 1996. ISBN 0963395947
- Sacred Gold: Pre-Hispanic Art of Colombia. Santa Ana, California: Bowers Museum: 2012. ISBN 978-0615580678
- Simpson, St John. Queen of Sheba: Legend and Reality, Treasures from the British Museum. Santa Ana, California: The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2004. ISBN 0967961254
- Taylor, John H. and Nigel C. Studwick. Mummies: Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt, Treasures from the British Museum. Santa Ana, California: The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2005. ISBN 0967961262
- Xin, Yang and Zhu Chengru. Secret World of the Forbidden City: Splendors from China's Imperial Palace. Santa Ana, California: Bowers Museum of Cultural Art, 2000. ISBN 0963395998