Steeped in History: The Art of Tea August 16, 2009 to November 29, 2009 Steeped in History PhotoTour Hot or iced, bagged or loose, black or green—whatever form it takes, enjoying a cup of tea is an act performed at least three billion times a day. Tea has played many profound roles on the world scene—as an ancient health remedy, an element of cultural practice, a source of spiritual insight, and even a catalyst for international conflicts—so naturally the ubiquitous beverage has been a prevalent theme in the visual arts. Steeped in History brings together magnificent art from three continents and many centuries, including rare Chinese ceramics and paintings, 18th- and 19th-century Japanese ceramics and prints, extraordinary English and Colonial American paintings, historic photographs and documents, tea-serving paraphernalia and furniture from many countries, and much more—to tell the fascinating story of tea. Steeped in History: The Art of Tea is guest curated by Beatrice Hohenegger and presented by Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Major support was provided by the Henry Luce Foundation. Mr. Lloyd Cotsen, in memory of Bob Ahmanson, generously funded the publication. Additional support is provided by Patsy and Robert Sung, The Edna and Yu-Shan Han Charitable Foundation. The accompanying programs are made possible through the Yvonne Lenart Public Programs Fund, the UCLA Asia Institute and Manus, the support group for the Fowler Museum. The official hotel sponsor is Hotel Angeleno. Media sponsorship provided by edible Los Angeles. News Release Link News Release PDF     Fowler in Focus: African Basketry Arts, Thinking outside the Basket September 6, 2009 to January 24, 2010 These beautiful, ingenious works are mostly examples of basketry not created as containers, but rather serving myriad other functions in African life. See hats, masks, shields, elegant screens, sleeping mats, and other household items—presented in counterpoint to a small grouping of conventional containers including divination baskets, treasure baskets, and more—all made by creatively employing a wide variety of basketry techniques and materials. This exhibition is presented as a companion to Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art, opening Oct 4 and is guest curated by Doran H. Ross. News Release Link News Release PDF     African American Life on the Gullah/Geechee Coast: Photographs by Greg Day, 1970-1977 September 20, 2009 to January 3, 2010 In the 1970s, photographer Greg Day lived in the African American basket-making communities along the Gullah/Geechee Coast, documenting a way of life on the verge of change. Casting for shrimp with nets made as they are still made in Africa, making sweet grass baskets, scraping bristles off a freshly slaughtered hog, dancing at a juke joint on a Saturday night—these rural pastimes would soon be displaced by suburban sprawl, hastened by the destruction of Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Designated by Congress in 2006, the Gullah/Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor extends from Wilmington, North Carolina through coastal South Carolina and Georgia to Jacksonville, Florida. It is home to one of America's most unique cultures, a tradition first shaped by captive Africans brought to the southern United States from West Africa and continued in later generations by their descendents. Today many African Americans, including First Lady Michelle Obama, trace their ancestry to this region. Once identified with the Creole language spoken by African Americans in the region, today the term Gullah refers to a whole range of customs and beliefs, cuisine, domestic architecture, and arts, including the sweetgrass baskets in the exhibition Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art, opening October 4. News Release Link News Release PDF     Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art October 4, 2009 to January 10, 2010 Grass Roots PhotoTour In Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art humble yet exquisitely crafted coiled baskets demonstrate one of the enduring contributions of African peoples and cultures to American life. Featuring more than two hundred objects including a myriad of baskets made in the American South and Africa, African sculptures, watercolors from the Charleston Renaissance, historic photographs, and videos of basket makers in South Carolina’s Gullah/Geechee region demonstrating their techniques and telling their stories, the exhibition shows how a simple farm tool once used for processing rice has become a highly collectible work of art and an important symbol of African American identity. Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art is curated by Enid Schildkrout, chief curator and director of exhibitions and publications at the Museum for African Art, New York, and Dale Rosengarten, curator and historian, Special Collections, College of Charleston Library. The exhibition has been supported, in part, by grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Arts, the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, and the MetLife Foundation’s Museums and Community Connections Program. The National Endowment for the Humanities honored Grass Roots with a “We the People – America’s Historic Places” designation. Additional funding for the video components has been provided by The Henry and Sylvia Yaschik Foundation, the South Carolina Humanities Council and the South Carolina Arts Commission. Grass Roots: African Origins of an American Art is organized by the Museum for African Art, New York, in cooperation with Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture at the College of Charleston, McKissick Museum at the University of South Carolina, and the Sweetgrass Cultural Arts Festival Association. The Los Angeles presentation is made possible through the generosity of Barbara Goldenberg and the Shirley and Ralph Shapiro Director's Discretionary Fund. Funding for the accompanying programs is provided by the Yvonne Lenart Public Programs Fund, and Manus, the support group for the Fowler Museum at UCLA. Media sponsorship provided by edible Los Angeles. 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