AN INTRODUCTION
EXHIBIT 3
ADDRESS
HOURS
MISSION
DESCRIPTION
TICKET & PRICING
bowers museum
Bowers Museum
2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, California 92706
714.567.3600
bowers.org
Bowers Museum & Gallery Store
Tuesday–Sunday,
10 AM – 4 PM
Closed: Mondays, Independence Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day Tangata Restaurant
Tuesday–Sunday, hours vary. Visit bowers.org/dine for details.
Bowers Museum enriches lives through the world’s finest arts and cultures.
One of Southern California’s finest museums and Orange County’s largest, the Bowers Museum promotes human understanding through art. Its state-of-the-art facilities enable the Bowers to present world-class exhibitions from the greatest museums in the world. Its own collections are particularly strong in the areas of African, Oceania, Asian, Native American, pre-Columbian art, and California plein air paintings. Its location, close to four major freeways and four miles south of Disneyland, makes the Bowers an ideal destination for visitors to Southern California.
Bowers Museum General Admission
Adults: $13 $15
Seniors (Age 62 & over) & Students: $ 10 $ 12
Children (under 12): Free Free
(With Accompanying Paid Admission)
*Check www.bowers.org for special-ticketed exhibition pricing Adult Group Tours (15 or more)
Groups of 15 or more receive special pricing and personalized scheduling.
Call 714.567.3680 or email [email protected] for more information.
Free Days
Thank you to the Nicholas Endowment for sponsoring our Family Festivals on the first Sunday of each month. Bowers also offers free admission to Santa Ana residents, with proof of residency, each Sunday, through a generous donation in memory of Dorothy Goerl, and courtesy of the Lockhart Family.
The Charles W. Bowers
Memorial Museum first opened
its doors in 1936 as a city-run
museum devoted primarily to
the history of Orange County.
In 1987, the City of Santa Ana
closed the museum with the
understanding that after careful
study and a great deal of input
from the community, the
museum would be reopened as
a totally transformed museum,
ready to meet the challenges of
the 21st century.
On February 18, 2007, the Bowers Museum opened the new Dorothy and Donald Kennedy Wing which added 30,000-square-feet and increased its total exhibition space. It features two new galleries: The East West Bank Gallery and Anderson-Hsu-Tu Gallery, in addition to the 300-seat Norma Kershaw Auditorium, the John M. Lee Court for events of up to 500 people, the Sharon D. Thompson Foyer, the S.L. and Betty Huang Courtyard, and more to meets the needs of a growing community and audiences. The Bowers Museum has been accredited by the American Alliance of Museums and has been widely acclaimed in broadcast and in print, including many national magazines such as U.S. News & World Report. bowers museum
HISTORY
bowers museum
COLLECTION HIGHLIGHTS
The Bowers Museum’s permanent collection provides an opportunity to examine, compare, and contrast the highly diverse cultures of the world through time. The collection includes more than 90,000 objects, and features notable strengths in diverse areas such as pre-Columbian Mesoamerica; Native American art and artifacts; African and Oceanic art, particularly from Papua New Guinea; and California plein air paintings.
Among the artists that the Bowers has collected are William and Alberta McCloskey, Frank Colburn, William Wendt, Gardner Simons, and Guy Rose. The collection is available for viewing at bowers.org/collections.
EXHIBITION
HIGHLIGHTS
Since its reopening in 1992, the Bowers Museum has earned an international reputation for presenting exhibitions of the highest caliber.
For its opening, the museum presented Tribute to the Gods; Treasures of the Museo del Oro, Bogota, and Porcelains from the Chang Foundation, Taipei.
Since that time, the Bowers’ special exhibitions program has presented more than 50 exhibitions; most notable have been Visions of Guadalupe; Jade: Ch’ing Dynasty Treasures from the National Museum of History, Taiwan; Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur; Secret World of the Forbidden City:
Splendors from China’s Imperial Palace; Egyptian Treasures from the British Museum; Holy Land: Dead Sea Scrolls, House of David Inscription; Remington Russell; Trilogy of Glass; Etruscans; Gems; Symbols of Power from the Nanjing Museum, China; Queen of Sheba; Mummies: Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt…Treasures from the British Museum; Treasures from Shanghai:
5000 Years of Chinese Art and Culture; Ansel Adams: Classic Images; Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor; Secrets of the Silk Road; Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World; Warriors, Tombs and Temples:
China’s Enduring Legacy; Lucy’s Legacy: The Hidden Treasure of Ethiopia; Gems of the Medici; Soulful Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt; China’s Lost Civilization: The Mystery of Sanxingdui; The 1968 Exhibit; The Red that Colored the World; Mummies of the World; Guo Pei: Couture Beyond; Inside the Walt Disney Archives: 50 Years of Preserving the Magic; and Treasures in Gold & Jade:
Masterworks from Taiwan.
bowers museum
PUBLICATIONS
The Bowers Museum prides itself on an aggressive production of scholarly publications related to its mission and permanent collection. Since 1992, the Bowers Museum has published many monographs, books and exhibition catalogues, including Tribute to the Gods, Treasures of the Museo del Oro, Bogotá Colombia; Visions of Guadalupe: Selections from the Museum of the Basilica de Guadalupe; Seeking Immortality: Chinese Tomb Sculpture from the Schloss Collection; Partners in Illusion: William and Alberta McCloskey; Jade: Ch’ing Dynasty Treasures from the National Museum of History, Taiwan; Beethoven: Musical Treasures from the Age of Revolution and Romance; Shamans, Gods & Mythic Beasts: Colombian Gold and Ceramics in Antiquity; Secret World of the Forbidden City:
Splendors from China’s Imperial Palace; Egyptian Treasure; Queen of Sheba; Mummies: Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt…Treasures from the British Museum; Treasures from Shanghai: 5000 Years of Chinese Art and Culture; Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor; and our latest publication, Treasures in Gold & Jade:
Masterworks from Taiwan.
E D U C A T I O N
PROGRAMS
By opening its 11,000-square foot children’s museum, Kidseum, in December 1994, the Bowers Museum made a strong statement about its role in children’s education. In addition, the museum’s docents reach out to more than 80,000 school children each year through school tours of the museum. Bowers’ commitment to engage a broad and diverse audience is evident in the variety of exciting programs. These include family cultural arts festivals, lectures, film series, symposia, and teacher workshops.
Total museum complex size: 158,008-square-feet
Main museum size prior to 2006 expansion: 63,000-square-feet Kennedy Wing Expansion: 30,000-square-feet
Total Exhibition Space: 45,000-square-feet
Kidseum size: 11,000-square-feet
John M. Lee Court size: 5,800-square-feet
Total budget: $5.5 million
Annual attendance: 150,000
Staff size: 85
Membership: 7,000 members
The Bowers Museum is a nonprofit, tax exempt 501(c)(3) organization.
The Bowers’ 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.
Janis Agopian Fountain
Anderson-Hsu-Tu Gallery
Lydia Yang Chou and Jesse B. Chou North Entryway
East West Bank Gallery
First American Corporation Courtyard
S.L. and Betty Huang Courtyard
Dr. David and May Hsu Foyer
Norma Kershaw Auditorium
Dr. Wan-Lin & Assumpta Kiang Family Foundation Rotunda
John M. Lee Court
Donald and Carol Murray Entryway
Anthony W. and Sharon D. Thompson Foyer
Anne Shih Garden
Alice Hsu and Elsa Hsu Garden
Wells Fargo Stage
bowers museum
BUILDING SIZE
MUSEUM OPERATIONS
GENERAL
FUNDING
MAIN PARTS OF
DOROTHY AND DONALD KENNEDY WING
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For nearly eight decades, the Bowers Museum has evolved in many ways. From a relatively small museum focusing on Orange County history, the Bowers is now 8.6 times larger, the largest museum in Orange County, and one of the finest cultural arts museums in the region. Its collections, programs, and exhibitions still include Orange County history, but now reflect the demographics of 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. Shortly after the Bowers celebrated its 50th anniversary in 1986, the museum closed its doors for a period of self-study, evaluation, and rebuilding for the 21st century.
What emerged when it reopened its doors in October of 1992 was a new museum ready for the next millennium. With the addition of the new Dorothy and Donald Kennedy Wing in February of 2007, the museum added a permanent Chinese exhibition, along with additional galleries for special exhibitions, spacious event venues, and a 300-seat auditorium, all to advance its mission to enrich lives through the world’s finest arts and cultures.
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
OUR MILESTONES
Voted “Best Museum in
Orange County” by readers
of the Orange County
Register newspaper for 26
consecutive years (2019).
Developed and opened
in 1994 an 11,000-square
foot children’s museum
subsequently named
Kidseum celebrated its 25th
anniversary in 2019.
Annual budget increased
from $1.5 million in 1989 to
$6.5 million today.
Since 1992, presented
more than 70 special
exhibitions from around
the world including
exhibitions that have
traveled both nationally
and internationally.
Membership growth from
200 members in 1991 to
over 7,000 today.
Negotiated exhibition
protocols with Colombia,
Taiwan, China, Italy, Israel,
Great Britain, Mexico
and Ethiopia.
Facility increased in size
from original 10,080
square-feet to over 100,000
square-feet today.
Served more than
80,000 school children
annually through docent
guided tours, community
outreach programs, and
participatory art classes.
Staff has grown from 38 in
1989 to 85 today.
Volunteer corps of more
than 300 individuals
contributes between
40,000 and 50,000 hours
each year.
Hosted numerous
academic symposia
covering a wide range
of topics including
Former Secretary of
State Madeleine Albright
and Renowned Egyptian
Archaeologist
Dr. Zahi Hawass.
Published many books,
monographs, and exhibition
catalogues, including Tribute
to the Gods, Treasures of
the Museo del Oro, Bogotá,
Colombia; Visions of
Guadalupe: Selections from
the Museum of the Basilica
de Guadalupe; Guardians
of the Life Stream; Seeking
Immortality; Partners in
Illusion; Contemporary
Netsuke; Jade: Ch’ing Dynasty
Treasures from the National
Museum of History, Taiwan;
Beethoven: Musical Treasures
from the Age of Revolution and
Romance; Shamans, Gods &
Mythic Beast: Colombian Gold
and Ceramics in Antiquity and
Secret World of the Forbidden
City: Splendors from China’s
Imperial Palace; Queen of
Sheba; Mummies: Death and
the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt;
Egyptian Treasures of the
British Museum; Mummies of
the British Museum; Treasures
from Shanghai: 5000 Years of
Chinese Art and Culture; Terra
Cotta Warriors: Guardians of
China’s First Emperor; Secrets of
the Silk Road; Sacred Gold: Pre-
Hispanic Art of Colombia; and
Legacy of Bounty: Paintings
from the Bowers Museum.
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.
bowers museum
PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS
CA LIFORNIA BOUNTY: IMAGE AND IDENTITY, 1850-1930
ONGOING
SPIRITS AND HEADHUNTERS: ART OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS
ONGOING
MIAO: MASTERS OF SILVER
ONGOING
SACRED REALMS: TEMPLE MURALS BY SHASHI DHOJ TULACHAN
FROM THE GAYLE AND EDWARD P. ROSKI COLLECTION
ONGOING
California Bounty is the first curatorial interpretation of the museum’s distinguished painting collection since 1994. Viewers will take a rambling journey through California’s visual history, a history shaped by a unique mixture of Mexican and Anglo traditions as well as the state’s position on the Pacific Rim.
Each painting epitomizes California’s land, people and offerings as a place of produce and plenty. The exhibition brings together many of the museum’s most cherished paintings, including works by early artists documenting the Mission and Rancho periods; landscapes by plein air painters portraying California’s coasts and canyons; sumptuous portraits and still-life paintings of flowers and paper-wrapped fruit by Alberta and William McCloskey; and a small selection of works indicating California as a continued place of possibility.
Photographer Chris Rainier guest curated this exhibition of art from an area spanning the geographic region collectively referred to as Oceania. This comprehensive exhibition highlights masterworks from the three cultural regions of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. Particular focus is placed on New Guinea, land of the headhunter, and the rich artistic traditions infused into daily and ritual life. Submerge into a visually stunning world and come face to face with larger-than-life masks, finely crafted feast bowls, objects associated with the secretive Sepik River men’s house, beautiful shell and feather currency, magic figures and tools of the shaman, objects related to seagoing trade routes, gorgeous personal adornments, weapons of warfare and the most precious of human trophies taken in retribution.
Featuring over 250 intricate works of silver, Miao: Masters of Silver features jewelry and textiles primarily made in China’s Guizhou Province, where the largest population of Miao people reside. Male silversmiths create a variety of ornaments through casting, smelting, repoussé (a reverse hammering technique), forging, engraving, knitting, coiling, cutting, and other methods. Concepts such as beauty, unity, fortune, and pride are expressed as visual abstractions and geometric motifs.
The nine oversized paintings shown in this exhibition are all the work of one extraordinary 69-year-old Buddhist monk named Shashi Dhoj Tulachan, a second generation thangka artist living in Tuksche, a remote village located in Mustang, Nepal’s northernmost district adjacent to Tibet. Shashi Dhoj Tulachan has devoted much of his life to the restoration of a nearby 18th century gompo (Tibetan monastery) known as the Chhairo Gompa. The paintings in this collection are not thangkas in the traditional sense. Thangkas are usually much smaller and are rolled on canvas so that they can be easily transported and hung anywhere for teaching. The thangkas exhibited here are similar in size to mural paintings found in monasteries.
PERMANENT EXHIBITIONS
CALIFORNIA LEGACIES: MISSIONS AND RANCHOS (1768-1848)
ONGOING
GEMSTONE CARVINGS: MASTERWORKS BY HAROLD VAN PELT
ONGOING
CERAMICS OF WESTERN MEXICO
ONGOING
THE FIRST CALIFORNIANS
ONGOING
California Legacies: Missions and Ranchos (1768-1848) features objects related to the settlement of Alta California through Spanish land grants, life at the California Missions and the wealth and lifestyles of the first families who flourished under Mexico `s rule of California known as the Rancho period. The collection originating from Orange County`s missions and ranchos includes the first brandy still to be brought to California, a statue of St. Anthony that originally stood in the Serra Chapel at Mission San Juan Capistrano, a dispatch pouch used by Native Americans to deliver messages between missions, and fine clothing, paintings and daily use objects.
For over 35 years Harold Van Pelt has quietly been perfecting the art of carving quartz, rock crystal and agate gemstones. Gemstone Carvings: Masterworks by Harold Van Pelt is a display of his mastery.
Each work in the exhibition is a reflection of hundreds of hours of craftsmanship. Van Pelt’s working of the stone down to paper-thin walls brings out the gorgeous natural quality and colors of agate and gives quartz the transparency of glass. Transformed by one man’s vision and skill from a solid stone to an incredibly delicate work of art, the gemstone carvings of Harold Van Pelt have to be seen to be believed. The Bowers Museum is proud to welcome this collection back to Santa Ana, where it was first exhibited in 2010.
Encounter Pre-Columbian Art from the western Mexican states of Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco. Visitors learn about West Mexican shaft tombs and the cultures that used this means of burying their dead. A selection of the ceramic figures placed inside shaft tombs to accompany the deceased in the afterlife are on display. The exhibition includes artworks that depict 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.
This extensive collection of Native Californian art and artifacts demonstrates the culture and history of the Southern California Coastal Indians. The visitor can explore the ways that Indians of the region interacted with their environment for food, clothing, adornment, and religion. The exhibition is presented in the Richard P. Ettinger Gallery.
bowers museum
E D U C A T I O N A L
PROGRAMS
The Bowers Museum is a resource for
students, adults, and educators alike.
Through its many programs, the museum
provides varied learning experiences that are
innovative and unique.
*Programs are now offered online and onsite
as permitted in accordance with the State and
local COVID 19 health and safety guidelines.
Visit bowers.org for the latest updates.
Tours and art classes at the Bowers Museum are designed for grades K-12 and are available all year to accommodate school districts and school site services with year-round schedules. These experiences provide unique opportunities for students to engage with cultural arts from around the world. Students enjoy an interactive, docent guided or self- guided tour of our permanent and/or changing exhibitions designed to explore critical thinking skills and promote cross-cultural understanding. As part of their tour, students participate in a hands-on art class inspired by themes in our galleries that they are able to take home with them and share with their families.
SCHOOL TOURS
One-hour tours are offered by trained docents for
exhibitions on view. Tours may be booked in advance for groups of 15 or more for a small fee during the weekday and weekend. Free drop-in gallery talks are offered
regularly for adults in English, Spanish or Chinese.
ADULT TOURS
A variety of talks, films, classes, and musical
performances are offered weekly throughout the
museum, including the state-of-the-art Norma
Kershaw Auditorium, the John M. Lee Court, and
outside in the historic Mission-style Margaret and
Cleo Key Courtyard.
Talks are the most popular and provide Bowers’
visitors with access to respected speakers and
experts from around the world. Each offers a
special perspective on the collections, exhibitions
and themes housed and explored by the Bowers
Museum through the varied lenses of archaeology,
anthropology, education, social sciences and the
arts. Talks are mostly offered in educational support
of the themes and topics explored in our visiting
PUBLIC PROGRAMS
exhibitions as well as permanent gallery collections.
Exhibition-related talks usually include perspectives
from experts in related fields of study. We also offer popular lectures in partnerships with Bowers Affiliate
Councils and other community providers to give
visitors a broad range of insight into special interests and popular themes.
After hours programming provides visitors with
the unique opportunity to visit the museum in the
evening while enhancing the experience with a
variety of events including dinner, outdoor movies,
performances and art making. These programs are
produced and promoted in partnership with Tangata
Restaurant and the Patina Restaurant Group.
Special teacher workshops based on current exhibitions
are offered throughout the year. These workshops provide instructional information that can be applied directly
within the classroom; they assist in pointing the teachers to subjects that will stimulate student learning through computer research, hands-on projects and academic
subjects.
EDUCATOR WORKSHOPS
These free family festivals speak to the very core of the Bowers’ mission to enrich lives through the world’s finest arts and cultures. Each month, the Bowers provides visitors with free access to high quality performance and visual arts that celebrate rich cultures from around the world. The festivals occur on the first Sunday of each month from 11am to 3pm. This program serves local, low-income children and adults as well as the broader community. Approximately 19,500 children and adults are served per year, or an
average of 1,625 people each month.
FAMILY FESTIVALS
bowers museum
The Bowers offers a free After School Learning
Center for Santa Ana children grades 1st-8th
(younger sisters and brothers in Kindergarten can
register with an older sibling in 1st grade and above.) It runs from 2:30 – 5:30 Monday – Friday all year.
The After School Learning Center at Bowers’ Kidseum
is an enrichment program that provides year-round
after school care, homework support, and arts and
cultural instruction to underserved students that
reside and attend schools in Santa Ana. When
students arrive in the afternoon, they are served
healthy snacks and then the rest of their (up to)
three hours at the program includes a mixture of
homework support, special art-class and art-making
activities, free play, organized programs with special
guest instructors and/or performances, as well as
scheduled visits to the Bowers Museum to tour
permanent and special exhibitions. At the end of
each school year, students are taken by bus to a local
college to expose them to colleges and develop a
visible pathway to college.
For parents, guardians and teacher, there are even
more reasons to come as our yearly surveys show
the program has a big impact on the lives of the local
children and their families:
• 100% of students improved their math skills
• 91% improved their English language arts skills
• 90% improved their social studies skills
• 85% improved their science skills
• 100% of parents reported improved behavior at
home
• 99% of parents reported improved self-esteem
and confidence in their children
• 90% of parents believe their children have bene-
fited from the program because they learn about
a variety of cultures through art programs and
museum exhibits
This arts engagement program for seniors takes place
every 2nd and 4th Thursday morning and serves over 100
participants at each event. Seniors age 62 and over from the broader community are welcomed to the museum
to enjoy and learn about different cultural art traditions from around the world. The majority of participants
are from the local Vietnamese, Chinese and Latino
communities.
When creating art, the brain is always at work, there
are decisions to be made about subject, placement,
color choice and size. Creating art lessens anxiety into relaxation as seniors become immersed in a project that gives them a feeling of control over their environment.
Evaluations of regular attendees have shown evidence of significant impact and growth in mental health as well as arts and cultural understanding.
AFTER SCHOOL LEARNING CENTER AT KIDSEUM ANNE’S TREASURES
AFFILIATE COUNCILS
Bead Society of Orange County
Provides the community with
educational resources regarding
the artistic, historical and
intercultural significance of beads
through regular meetings and
annual events at the museum.
Collectors Council
Provides experiences in art collection
and connoisseurship. Members
enjoy tours of private collections and
galleries as well as travel opportunities
and special parties.
Bells
Serve as ambassadors of good will
by volunteering at the information
and membership desks at social
and fundraising functions.
Docent Guild
Their 130+ active members provide
tours of museum exhibitions to
visitors, school and adult groups.
The guild performs community
outreach and holds regular meetings
and programs at the museum.
Bowers California Art Council
Provides support by assisting
the museum with conservation,
acquisition and exhibition of
California plein air paintings and
traditional art.
Italian Cultural Art Council
Present the annual Italian Family
Festival celebration in the museum
courtyard, as well as a monthly Italian
cultural film series and educational
programs for adults and children.
Chinese Cultural Art Council
Promotes Chinese cultural arts in
the community through lectures
and activities in conjunction with
the museum.
Museum Councils are special interest groups that support the museum and its programs through fundraising, volunteering and/or providing educational programs. The Bowers Affiliate Councils (BAC) meets as a group once a quarter to share activities and discuss strategies for supporting upcoming museum educational programming and exhibitions.
The current roster for the BAC includes the following groups with more than half participating actively throughout the year:
bowers museum