For K-12 Students & Teachers
The primary mission of the Fowler's Education Department is to strengthen global arts and humanities education – particularly at the K-12 level – by helping to increase understanding of our world's cultural and artistic traditions.
School Visit Program
Encourage students to explore the diverse peoples of the world – their arts, traditions, and beliefs – with a visit to the Fowler Museum at UCLA. Our school visits offer many opportunities to excite, engage, and challenge students of all ages and abilities. As you plan your trip to UCLA, explore different options for your school visit below.
Guided Visits
| Highly interactive student-centered learning distinguishes the Fowler's School Visit Program. Trained museum educators facilitate in-gallery lessons that utilize dynamic questioning strategies, small-group interactions, peer teaching, and object-centered approaches. All programs are exhibition-based, and are followed by a hands-on session of age-appropriate art-making and writing experiences. |
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All tours meet California State Grade Level Content Standards.
Guided visits can be scheduled for any of the Museum's current exhibitions :
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Intersections: World Arts Local Lives
Pre K-12 students have the opportunity to experience 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 works from the Fowler's collections in a long-term exhibition. It celebrates the richness of world arts and considers the roles these works play in peoples' lives. In-gallery discussions explore the themes of ART and ACTION, ART and KNOWLEDGE, ART and POWER, and ART and TRANSFORMATION. The visit culminates in an in-depth object study in the Fowler in Focus gallery, a rotating installation of new acquisitions, special collections, and particular artistic genres.
Reflecting Culture
Fifth grade classrooms are especially encouraged to invigorate their American History curriculum with a visit to the Fowler's collection of silver. Comprising 251 objects representing sixteenth through nineteenth century continental Europe, Great Britain and the United States, this exhibition interprets silver in its social contexts. Highlights of the tour include vessels both whimsical and utilitarian from renowned workshops—such as those of American patriot silversmith Paul Revere (c.1760), British silversmith Paul de Lamerie (c.1800), and Russian jeweler Karl Fabergé (c.1900). Tours of Reflecting Culture are offered on the first Friday of every month at 9:30 and 11:30 am.
Special Exhibitions
Two of the Museum's four galleries are dedicated to dynamic temporary exhibitions. Class visits to these special exhibitions engage students in exploring a culture, artistic tradition, or contemporary artist in depth through in-gallery discussions and age-appropriate hands-on learning activities in the Fowler's art studio. Students investigate themes such as identity, memory, community, traditions and change, globalization, and arts activism.
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In-gallery lessons are built around set themes that are appropriate for a range of grade levels. When scheduling a visit, teachers are encouraged to share specific content requests and alert us to any special needs of your students.
COST: This is a FREE program.
Schedule a Guided Visit:
Programs for K-12 students are held Tuesday through Friday at 9:30 and 11:30 am. The Museum can accommodate up to 70 students per visit and requests one adult chaperone for every fifteen children. In-gallery sessions and hands-on artmaking workshops are approximately an hour and a half In duration.
Guided visits must be scheduled in advance . Call (310) 206-5663 or download the Visit Request Form. Requests are processed on a first come, first served basis. Schools are responsible for providing transportation to the Museum.
If you and your students would prefer to learn at your own pace, please sign up for a self-guided experience at the Fowler. We encourage you to explore our Curriculum Resource Units, which are available for most major exhibitions at the Fowler, and which may be useful as you prepare for your students' visit. Self-guided visits are available Wednesday to Friday from noon to 5:00 pm . Call 310/206-5663 to schedule a visit.
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Multi-Visit Program
In conjunction with the Fowler's permanent collections exhibition Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives a special three part program is available for fifth-seventh grade classrooms. This pilot program in 2007-2008 will introduce students to the role that art plays in people's lives, and explores the purpose and responsibility of museums. Through three lessons— Defining Identity , Collecting Memory, and Representing Power —students will explore the notion that who we are is a reflection of our connections with family, neighborhood, community and culture, and shaped by our encounters with new ideas.
This three-hour program is offered on Tuesday mornings from November through May, and culminates in a Family Night held in early June.
COST: This is a FREE program. Subsidized bus transportation is available upon request.
Schedule a Multi-Visit Program
If you would like to participate in the Multi-Visit Program, please call 310/825-7325.
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Curricular Materials
Curriculum Resource Units are offered for many of the Museum's major exhibitions and are intended to broaden and deepen teachers' and students' engagement with the arts, through the lens of the Fowler's diverse collections. Intended for use by K-12 teachers, these units stress students' active exploration of selected cultures and encourage ongoing dialogues about the meanings of the arts in our lives.
Curriculum Resource Units are in-depth courses of study that feature interdisciplinary lessons, learning objectives, and background information. Many units come with slides and other supplementary materials. Lessons closely correlate with the National Standards for History and with the California State Frameworks for History and Social Sciences, Visual and Performing Arts, and Language Arts.
The Curriculum Resource Units can be used both as preparation for a class visit to the Museum and as sustained resources for teachers in ongoing curricular planning. A list of available Curriculum Resource Units can be found below.
Materials for Current Exhibitions
Curriculum Resource Units are available for the following current exhibitions:
Materials from Past Exhibitions
The following curriculum resources are available for past exhibitions:
- THE ART OF RICE: Spirit and Sustenance in Asia
Rice is a staple food for more than three billion people, mostly in Asia, but this staggering statistic only hints at the cultural significance this grain has for the diverse peoples of South, Southeast, and East Asia. This curriculum investigates the complex ways rice culture informs the expressive arts bridging sacred, secular, agricultural, political and economic domains. Themes include The Sacred Grain ; Celebrating Rice , Celebrating Life; Rice Agriculture—Cycle and Spread ; and Rice, Self, State, and What's Ahead . 8.5” x 11”. 39 pages, illustrations, 20 slides, bibliography. 2004. Spiral-bound. Cost: $30.
- ART OF THE LEGA: Meaning and Metaphor in Central Africa
The Art of the Lega unit investigates the culture and the arts of the Lega peoples of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Among the Lega, art is created for and used by the Bwami Society, a complex organization essential to political, social, and religious life. Lessons focus on Art as a Mirror of the Environment ; Art as a Link to the Past ; Art as an Expression of Beauty-and-Goodness ; Art as a Code of Ethics ; Art as a Badge of Leadership ; and Art as a Metaphor for Knowledge and Wisdom .
8.5” x 11”, 110 pages, 96 illustrations, 20 slides, poster, bibliography. 1999. Spiral-bound. Cost: $30.
- BEADS, BODY, and SOUL: Art and Light in the Yoruba Universe
The brilliant beaded traditions of the Yoruba peoples of Nigeria and their descendants in the Americas are the focus of this unit of study, developed in conjunction with the Museum's major exhibition on Yoruba beadwork. Teachers may explore a broad study of the Yoruba culture through lessons titled The Beaded Universe of the Yoruba Peoples ; Points of Brightness, Signs of Power— Beads for the Gods ; Diviner's Regalia—Beads and Ancient Wisdom ; Marks of Authority: Beads for Royalty ; Egungun —Honoring Ancestors ; and Beads: History and Activities .
8.5" x 11", 98 pages, 66 illustrations, 20 slides, bibliography. 1998. Spiral-bound. Cost: $30.
- CERAMIC TREES OF LIFE: Popular Art from Mexico
This unit investigates the Fowler's collection of Trees of Life, ceramic candelabra-like constructions whose elaborate decoration and structure often appear to defy gravity and the pottery medium itself. The trees embody aspects of ancient and indigenous traditions like those of the Maya, Aztec, and Mixtec. This unit explores the historic roots and narrative elements of this vibrant art form in addition to providing cross-disciplinary lessons, including Hanging on the Branch of History ; In the Shade of the Science Branches ; Beneath the Math Bough ; On the Language Arts Limb ; and Art and Arboles .
8.5" x 11", 22 pages, bibliography. 2003. Cost: $15.
- ISN'T S/HE A DOLL?: Play and Ritual in African Sculpture
This Curriculum Resource Unit was developed in conjunction with the Fowler exhibition Isn't S/He a Doll? Play and Ritual in African Sculpture and examines the rich variety of forms and functions that characterize African conceptions of dolls. The unit contains four comprehensive lessons titled What is a Doll? ; Dolls in Play ; Dolls in Ritual ; and Dolls in Collections .
8.5" x 11", 74 pages, 20 illustrations, 20 slides, bibliography. 1997. Spiral-bound. Cost: $25.
- A QUIET SPIRIT
This curriculum resource unit presents a study of the Amish community and uses the construction and art of the pieced quilt as a metaphor for understanding Amish society. Sacred Patches ; Growing up Amish ; A Sense of Community ; and The Amish Quilt provide a framework around which teachers may design their studies of the Amish. Developed in conjunction with the exhibition, A Quiet Spirit: Amish Quilts from the Collection of Cindy Tietze and Stuart Hodosh, lessons are particularly well suited to larger discussions of American social and religious history.
8.5" x 11'', 70 pages, 34 illustrations, 20 slides, bibliography. 1996. Spiral-bound. Cost: $25.
- A SAINT IN THE CITY: Sufi Arts of Urban Senegal
This unit provides background information about Islam, the dynamic work ethic and inspirational devotion of Mourides, and the central place of the arts within daily life in Senegal. The goal of this unit is to familiarize teachers and students to the many faces of Islam and its positive and peaceful place in Senegalese society, and to promote greater religious tolerance and respect for cultural diversity. Seven sections focus on The City and the Saint ; The Heritage of Islam ; The Lives of a Saint ; Work as Prayer ; Healing Words ; The Dress of Devotion ; and Global Networks .
8.5" x 11", 66 pages, 30 illustrations, 8 slides, bibliography. 2003. Spiral-bound. Cost: $40.
- WAYS OF THE RIVERS: Arts and Environment of the Niger Delta
This unit explores the arts and cultures of the Niger Delta. Emphasizing the importance of water and environment in daily and spiritual life, this major exhibition and curriculum resource unit focus on a multicultural assemblage of large-scale masks, water spirit headdresses, warrior figures, puppets, and ritual dress. Themes include Streams and Spirits : Ways of the Niger Delta ; Palm Oil, Petroleum and Pirates ; Ivri and Identity: Individuality in Niger Delta Art ; Life on the Delta ; Crosscurrents: Shared Traditions in the Niger Delta ; and Celebrating a Watery World .
8.5" x 11", 85 pages, set of 12 slides, bibliography. 2002. Spiral-bound. Cost: $30.
- SLIDES: $10 per set if purchased separate from curriculum.
To order Curriculum Resource Units email our Education Department or call 310/825-7325.
Professional Development Opportunities
The Fowler Museum is renowned for its exemplary and diverse professional development offerings and resources for teachers.
ARTalks
| ARTalk is a series of interdisciplinary, humanities-based workshops designed to enrich, refresh, and recharge K-12 educators. Using the Museum's unique collections as catalysts, teachers are engaged in direct learning through dialogues with scholars, guest artists, and colleagues. Museum educators model exhibition-based lesson plans and art-making activities. |
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All ARTalk workshops are linked to state and district standards and are approved by the Salary Point Unit of Los Angeles Unified School District. Teachers are eligible to receive one or two multicultural general or specific salary point credits, depending on the course requirements. Teachers from other districts will receive a certificate verifying professional development hours.
A nominal fee for materials is charged, usually $45-75.
These workshops are held once per quarter and are announced in our e-news (sign-up at link on the left side of this page).
Summer Institutes
Every summer, the Fowler Museum holds a weeklong professional development course for educators. Summer Institutes focus on particular topics related to exhibitions and the museum's collections and present opportunities to join with other teachers in in-depth explorations and study of the arts and humanities.
Through lectures by guest speakers, art-making projects, field trips to other cultural institutions and sites in Los Angeles , and the exploration of objects in our galleries with trained educators, teachers have ample time to develop fresh curricula for the coming year.
LAUSD teachers who complete the Summer Institute can earn 2 salary points for their participation.
Space is limited to 25 participants. |
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