Fowler in Focus: Masks of Sri Lanka March 1, 2009 to August 30, 2009 Brightly painted wooden masks transform Sri Lankan dancers into specific characters that appear in curing rituals or popular entertainment. Ranging from comical to fierce, these unusual masks have long played an important role in performance genres that were created through the mixing of local indigenous religious traditions with strains of Buddhism and Hinduism originally imported from the Indian mainland in the first millennium BCE. The Fowler Museum collections include the most important assemblage of nineteenth and early twentieth century Sri Lankan masks in North America. Fowler in Focus: Masks of Sri Lanka presents twenty-five of these rare masks, as well as newly produced masks representing Singhaya (lion) and Mahasona (Great Graveyard Spirit) in full costume. Developed in collaboration with David Blundell, associate professor, National Chengchi University, Taiwan and consultants in Matara, Southern Province, Sri Lanka: Conrad Ranawake, Institute for the Development of Community Strengths, and A. V. S. Ranasinghe, Sri Lanka Mask and Dance Ensemble. The accompanying programs are made possible through the Sri Lanka Foundation and the Yvonne Lenart Public Programs Fund. News Release Link News Release PDF     Daughters of India: Photographs by Stephen P. Huyler March 29, 2009 to September 13, 2009 For a country as vast and paradoxical as India, it is impossible to generalize about the role of women in society. Worshiped as shakti, oppressed as chattel—these seeming contradictions have left many Western observers stumbling into stereotypes and misunderstanding. In Daughters of India, photographer Stephen P. Huyler celebrates the strength, courage, resourcefulness, and creativity of Indian women from a wide variety of backgrounds. Notably, artistic creativity plays an important part in the lives of many of the women, as they express themselves and address others through paintings, sculpture, embroidery, and the creation of decorative elements in their households (including kolam or rice flower drawings executed on the ground in front of their homes). For others, the full force of their creativity is brought to bear simply in overcoming the severe obstacles presented by poverty, caste prejudice, and other hardships. Taken together, these sensitive photographs form intimate portrayals of the lives, activities, and rituals of these remarkable Indian “everywomen.” The Fowler Museum thanks Stephen P. Huyler for providing his images for Daughters of India, also featured in a new publication of the same name. The accompanying programs have been made possible by the Yvonne Lenart Public Public Programs Fund and Manus, the support group for the Fowler Museum. News Release Link News Release PDF     Icons of the Desert: Early Aboriginal Paintings from Papunya May 3, 2009 to August 2, 2009 Icons of the Desert Online Icons of the Desert PhotoTour "An unparalleled object lesson in a particular moment of art history, a breathtaking display of human visual invention, and one of the most moving and aesthetically revolutionary painting shows, Western, non-Western, whatever—I've ever seen." Doug Harvey, LA Weekly, June 26, 2009 In 1971–1972 a group of Australian Aboriginal men began transferring their sacred ceremonial designs to pieces of masonite boards in the tiny settlement of Papunya. This is the first exhibition to focus on this crucial founding moment of Papunya art, which has a unique status in the history of Western Desert painting. Since then Australian Aboriginal art has grown into an extremely popular international phenomenon and has been widely exhibited and acquired by museums, galleries and collectors. Icons of the Desert brings together forty-nine extraordinary paintings—including some of the earliest and finest boards—as well as later works, created by leading Papunya artists Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Johnny Warangkula Tjupurrula, and Mick Namarari Tjapaltjarri, among others. The exhibition and catalogue were organized by the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, with the generous support of the Actus Foundation, New York, NY. The exhibition was curated by Roger Benjamin, Research Professor in Art History, Actus Foundation Lecturer in Aboriginal Art, Power Institute University of Sydney. The Los Angeles presentation is made possible through the generosity of the Ethnic Arts Council of Los Angeles and the Shirley and Ralph Shapiro Director’s Discretionary Fund and Australia's Northern Territory. Funding for the accompanying programs is provided by the Yvonne Lenart Public Programs Fund, The Kelton Foundation, and Manus, the support group for the Fowler Museum at UCLA. Hotel Angeleno is the official Hotel Sponsor of Icons of the Desert. News Release Link News Release PDF     Innovations in Western Desert Painting, 1972-1999: Selections from The Kelton Foundation May 3, 2009 to August 2, 2009 Innovations in Western Desert Painting, 1972-1999 PhotoTour The spectacular flourishing of Australian Aboriginal painting after the mid 1970s is one of the most important developments of twentieth century art. Innovations in Western Desert Painting, 1972-1999: Selections from The Kelton Foundation explores changes such as the move to canvas, the use of non-traditional colors, transformations in content with regard to sacred imagery, the maturation of personal styles by individual artists, and the recognition of women artists. The exhibition begins with enormous canvases by Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, Johnny Warangula Tjupurrula, and Anatjari Tjakamarra, three of the founding fathers of the movement. These stunning works have rarely been seen in the U.S. Works by two women artists, Pansy Napangati and Gabrielle Possum Nungurrayi, conclude the exhibition with the vibrant color palettes that came into use in the 1990s. The exhibition provides a highly informative companion installation to Icons of the Desert: Early Aboriginal Paintings from Papunya, which focuses primarily on the earliest years of the movement from its inception in 1971. This exhibition was produced in association with The Kelton Foundation and was guest curated by Richard Kelton, Kerry Smallwood, and Marcus de Chevrieux. The accompanying programs have been made possible by the Yvonne Lenart Public Programs Fund, The Kelton Foundation, and Manus, the support group for the Fowler Museum. News Release Link News Release PDF     Reflecting Culture: The Francis E. Fowler, Jr. Collection of Silver On permanent display Comprising 251 objects representing 16th through 19th century Europe, Great Britain and the United States, this exhibition interprets silver in its social contexts. Gleaming vessels from renowned workshops—such as those of British silversmith Paul de Lamerie (c.1800), Russian jeweler Karl Fabergé (c.1900), and American patriot silversmith Paul Revere (c.1760)—highlight important styles and techniques.     Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives On ongoing display "Spanning centuries of multicultural creativity, this exhibition is the kind of art experience that might restore your faith in the sad old human comedy. How nice that the installation is on long-term view." The New York Times, Oct. 1, 2006 Intersections Online Los Angeles museum-goers at last have an ongoing opportunity to enjoy one of our nation's most important collections of art from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas in Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives, which features approximately 250 of the finest objects from the Fowler's collections in a long-term exhibition that celebrates the richness of world arts and considers the roles these works of art play in peoples' lives. Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives is made possible by lead gifts from the National Endowment for the Humanities, The Getty Foundation, The Ahmanson Foundation, and Barbara and Joseph Goldenberg. Major support was provided by Patricia B. Altman and the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation; Margit and Lloyd Cotsen, Jay and Deborah Last, the National Endowment for the Arts, Shirley and Ralph Shapiro, the W.L.S. Spencer Foundation, the Patricia and Richard Anawalt Family, and Shani and Milady, daughters of William T. Perry, Esq. Additional support was provided by the Aaroe Associates Charitable Foundation, Anonymous, the Ethnic Arts Council of Los Angeles, Jill and Barry Kitnick, Jim and Jeanne Pieper, the Ceil and Michael Pulitzer Foundation, and Edwin and Cherie Silver. (Only gifts of $10,000 and above are listed here.) Media sponsorship provided by Venice Magazine and KCRW. News Release Link News Release PDF