22 May A Message from the Fowler

Dear Friends,

To everyone standing up in protest of centuries of violence against black men, women, and children, we stand with you. To everyone mourning the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many others, we mourn with you. To everyone crying out that black lives matter, we cry out with you.

For over 50 years, the Fowler Museum has shared the arts and stories of peoples from around the world. Artists who’ve made work related to struggles against injustice, oppression, and disenfranchisement have long played an important role in our exhibitions and public programs. We will continue to share these indelible voices with our UCLA community and the broader Los Angeles region we call home. We are proud to be a part of this great university and support the call to action by University of California President Janet Napolitano: “In our role as educators, researchers, and civic leaders, we must prepare our youth to participate vigorously in civic discourse and democracy. A robust civic discourse requires the truth: The killings must stop. The system must change.”

The Fowler launches June’s Pride month in solidarity with those who oppose recent devastating events. Please do not miss Patrisse Cullors’ (co-founder of Black Lives Matter) first digital performance piece on June 13: A Prayer for the Runner, an ode to the memory of Ahmaud Arbery’s senseless murder. A talk-back will follow with Melina Abdullah, the founder of the Los Angeles chapter of Black Lives Matter. Share your fears, grief, and hopes for the future.

From all of us at the Fowler Museum at UCLA