Fowler Museum at UCLA

As director of the Fowler Museum at UCLA, Dr. Silvia Forni’s office is a collection of its own. Step inside and discover the stories behind these remarkable pieces.

The Mohn Art Collective (Hammer Museum, LACMA, MOCA | The Museum of Contemporary Art), partnered with East West Bank Foundation, joins a coalition of major arts organizations and philanthropists in L.A. led by the J. Paul Getty Trust to create the LA Arts Community Fire Relief Fund, a resource for artists and arts workers across disciplines who have lost residences, studios, livelihoods, or have otherwise been impacted by the devastating Los Angeles fires. This fund—supported by national and international institutions—has launched with $12 million and is continuing to grow. Beginning Monday, January 20, artists and arts workers can apply for an emergency grant through the Center for Cultural Innovation, which will administer the fund. We are following other similar initiatives and we understand this fund is one step in a long road to recovery for our creative communities. Our hearts go out to all who have been displaced, lost residences and studios, and now face enormous challenges caused by this tragedy. For more information on the fund and how to apply, visit https://bit.ly/3WkjVwO.

Opening on January 12, “Fire Kinship: Southern California Native Ecology and Art” centers on southern California Indian communities' fire-based land management practices. “Fire Kinship” counters the attitudes of fear and illegality around fire, arguing for a return to Native practices, in which fire is regarded as a vital aspect of land stewardship, community wellbeing, and tribal sovereignty. The exhibition presents a living history that centers the expertise of Tongva, Cahuilla, Luise?o, and Kumeyaay communities and will include baskets, ollas, rabbit sticks, bark skirts, and canoes along with commissioned videos, sculpture, portrait paintings, and installations by contemporary Native artists. “Fire Kinship” will be on view from January 12 – July 13, 2025 and is among more than 60 exhibitions and programs presented as part of PST ART: Art & Science Collide. Learn more: https://ucla.in/3ASsGqk?

Honoured to attend this significant event

"Taming the Desert: Resilience, Religion, and Ancestors in Ancient Peru," features 34 Moche and Nasca ceramics and textiles drawn from the collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) and the Fowler. The works depict fantastic creatures, powerful ancestors, and mythological beings—illustrating how ancient Andean societies looked for spiritual meaning and numinous help in an unpredictable and challenging world. This exhibition offers a rare opportunity to glimpse two parallel pre-Hispanic modes of artistic expression in dialogue; and to reflect on contemporary crises of climate, scarcity, and human resilience. Learn more: https://ucla.in/4el1aPN

Check out the latest storymap from our ongoing research at the Fowler Museum at UCLA! This time looking at Wellcome's purchase of over 11,000 works in 5 days from the former collection of Antwerp-based dealer, Henri Pareyn.

A ceremony was held today in California to hand over 14 First Nations ancestors to start their journey home to Australia. The ancestors have been held by Fowler Museum at UCLA, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology and Oakland Museum of California. This repatriation brings the number of ancestors returned home from overseas collecting institutions and private holders to approximately 1,730. #Repatriation #FirstNations #Revive . . . Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Australian Consulate-General in Los Angeles Ambassador for First Nations People National Indigenous Australians Agency

UCLA has been ranked the nation’s #1 public university by US News and World Report! 8 years in a row and it’s all thanks to you, Bruins. ?????? #1UCLA Learn more: https://ucla.in/3XqxYAB

Last week we were honoured to welcome to Los Angeles a delegation from the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS), led by Interim CEO Leonard Hill, together with Warumungu Elders Cliff Plummer Jabarula and William (Bill) Ah Kit Jakamarra. The delegation formally received cultural heritage materials to bring home to their Traditional Owners in Australia. ???? This was the first return of cultural heritage materials from California to Australia. Our sincere gratitude to the Fowler Museum at UCLA, KELTON FAMILY FOUNDATION and AIATSIS for ensuring the safe return of these highly significant materials to their original custodians, and for demonstrating that the process of return is one that requires meaningful conversations, respect, and genuine partnership between collecting institutions and communities. To mark the AIATSIS visit and celebrate these historic returns, we hosted a reception at Consul-General Tanya Bennett’s residence, bringing government, community and cultural institutions together. We were privileged to have First Nations, Native American and community leaders at our event and to take part in a week of events that promoted healing, truth-telling and reconciliation. ????????????

The Fowler Museum at UCLA has?returned 20 culturally important objects to members of the Warumungu community of Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory, Australia. In February of this year, the Fowler returned items?in its collection to the Asante kingdom in Ghana. Fowler Museum Director Silvia Forni stated that "these ethical returns, alongside the museum's exhibitions and programming, demonstrate the Fowler’s commitment to responsible stewardship and the preservation and exploration of global arts and cultures. 'By returning these items to their communities of origin, we honor their cultural significance and foster mutual respect,' she said. 'This approach to cultural stewardship ensures the Fowler Museum remains a space for learning and collaboration.'" https://lnkd.in/dbHXPAh3