Los Angeles, with its communities from around the world, is a melting pot of traditions and practices. During this period of Safer at Home, the Fowler is pleased to offer digital programs celebrating world arts and cultures. All programs are free. RSVP to receive the link to join.

Lunch & Learn
The Fowler’s Lunch & Learn series offers easily digestible explorations of charismatic objects from around the world in our permanent collection. This month, the Fowler’s Student Educators are collaborating with museum curators to share the history and cultural context of objects in our permanent exhibition, Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives.

Indonesian Rod Puppets | RSVP
Monday, December 7, 2:30-3pm

Join Student Educator Carolina Guerrero and Senior Curator of Southeast Asian and Pacific Arts Joanna Barrkman for a discussion about the Fowler’s collection of wayang golek (rod puppets). Rod puppets are one of the most popular forms of animation in the rich history of puppet theatre in Indonesia. Don’t miss this “tea time” Lunch & Learn, scheduled at a later time to accommodate our curator Zooming in from Australia.

Carolina Guerrero is a senior at UCLA, double majoring in Linguistics and Anthropology, and Arabic. January 2021 marks her fourth year of working at the Fowler. She was a research intern for NASA, and for the Center for Research Excellence in Science and Technology (CREST) of CSU San Bernardino—all before graduating high school. After finishing college, she hopes to teach language at the K-12 level and pursue linguistic forensics.

Program recording: “Lunch & Learn: Indonesian Rod Puppets,” December 7, 2020.

Fowler Out Loud
Fowler Out Loud is an evening concert series that invites UCLA students from various disciplines to perform at the Museum. The series is taking a special break from hiatus to celebrate the holidays with a performance brought to you in the comfort of your homes.

Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra’s Holiday Concert | RSVP
Friday December 11, 6-7pm

The UCLA Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, led by renowned jazz musician Arturo O’Farrill, celebrates the holidays with the music of Tito Puente, Graciela, Machito, and the great creators of Afro Latin Jazz. Get your best dancing shoes on and join the Fowler to mambo your way through Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, and even Festivus.

Arturo O’Farrill, pianist, composer, and educator, was born in Mexico and grew up in New York City. He is currently Professor of Global Jazz Studies and Assistant Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at UCLA. O’Farrill has received commissions from Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Apollo Theater, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and the New York State Council on the Arts, and has been honored as a Steinway Artist for many years.

In 2007, he founded the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance as a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the performance, education, and preservation of Afro Latin music

In 2020, O’Farrill’s weekly concerts with the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, dubbed “Virtual Birdland,” topped the list of 10 Best Quarantine Concerts in the New York Times.

This program is presented in partnership with the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music.

Program recording: “Fowler Out Loud: Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra’s Holiday Concert,” December 11, 2020.

Festivals in the City of Angels
This series connects museum programs with communities across the city in order to better understand manifestations of lived religions in Los Angeles and honor local expressions of global faiths.

Kwanzaa in Leimert Park Village | RSVP
Thursday, December 17, 5-6pm

Kwanzaa is a relatively new holiday, created in 1966, following the Watts Rebellion, to bring the Black community together. Today, it is celebrated annually around the world, most notably on the West Coast in Leimert Park Village, the vibrant heart of Black culture in Los Angeles. The Fowler has partnered with We Love Leimert for a program honoring Kwanzaa and its seven principles and symbols rooted in the sacred teachings of Asante and Zulu harvest celebrations. We’ll hear from cultural bearers and figures from the Leimert Park Village community who are organizing for Black liberation and self-determination. The program will culminate with a dance class led by Kamilah Marsh and Keti Ciofassa, giving participants an opportunity to embody the principles of Kwanzaa.

This program is co-presented by UCLA’s Department of African American Studies, in partnership with We Love Leimert.

This program is generously supported by a grant from Lilly Endowment Inc.

Program recording: “Festivals in the City of Angels: Kwanzaa in Leimert Park Village,” December 17, 2020.