The compelling visual art forms presented in this section of the exhibition are bearers of knowledge, intended to encode, protect, or communicate particular types of information. Such objects have long been used to evoke proverbial wisdom, impart esoteric teachings, celebrate family genealogies, or express moral values. In contexts such as these, art functions like language, sending messages and safeguarding intellectual heritage.
The motifs found on archaeological objects, for example, can teach us about the practices and lives of peoples who left no written records. Memory devices are designed to assist their owners with the recollection of people, events, and sacred places. Styles of dress and adornment convey aspects of personal and cultural identity. Whether worn, carried, displayed, buried, or performed, these works of art play critical roles in the perpetuation of traditions and teachings from generation to generation, teacher to student, performer to audience.
In the menu to the left, click on the headings nested below Art and Knowledge to learn more.
Not Currently On View in Intersections
Object Name: Ancestor figures (adu zatua)
Artist: Unknown
Place of Origin: North Nias Island, Indonesia
Date/Era: Collected before 1907
Medium/Materials: Wood, plant fiber
Dimensions: W: 69 cm
Credit Line: Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of the Wellcome Trust.
Accession Number: X65.5679
Bark painting
Artist: Dawidi
Arnhem Land, Northern Australia
1960’s
Bark and pigment
H: 94.0 cm, W: 46.0 cm, D: 7.5 cm (H: 37.0 in, W: 18.1 in, D: 2.9 in)
Museum purchase. X67.7
Not Currently On View in Intersections
Bride’s outfit
Memmon or Kutri Muslims
Kotara, western Kutch, Gujarat, India
Circa 1910
Silk, metallic thread, sequins
H: 120.0 cm, W: 108.0 cm (H: 47.2 in, W: 42.5 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Jonathan E. Fielding. X81.319a-c
Tihu of Taatangaya Katsina (Hornet)
Hopi peoples
Arizona
Late 20th century
Wood and paint
L: 25.5 cm, D: 9.5 cm (L: 10.0 in, D: 3.7 in)
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Steve Nelson. X82.932
Stirrup spout bottle
Moche style
North coast, Peru
100-800 C.E.
W: 16.0 cm, H: 30.2 cm, D: 16.0 cm (W: 6.3 in, H: 11.9 in, D: 6.3 in)
Fowler Museum at UCLA. Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Herbert L. Lucas Jr. X86.3934