Los Angeles, with its communities from around the world, is a melting pot of flavors, views, and practices. During a Summer of Safer at Home, the Fowler is pleased to bring World Arts and Cultures to you. All programs are free. RSVP to receive the link to join.

World Movement: We’ve joined forces with UCLA’s Visual and Performing Arts Education Program (VAPAE) to engage their talented Teaching Artists to share their knowledge of movement and dance practices from around the world.

Tuesday, July 14, 4:00pm – 5:00 pm | RSVP

Space, Place and Visions with Jack Ironstone

Explore Tibetan improvisational techniques that enhance sensory awareness. Barbara Dilley’s Five Eye Practices expands a dancer’s use of the eyes during improvisation. Dana Reitz’s Space and Place thesis asks a dancer to “listen” to their space and respond with their entire body. Let’s move together to feel free!

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Jack Ironstone (he/she/they) began their formal dance education at the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts. After attending the Juilliard School, they finished their degree as a graduate of the UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures with a minor in Visual and Performing Arts Education. As a choreographer for queer, non-binary pop artists such as Dorian Electra, they border the commercial and experimental worlds of art-making to embrace the full spectrum of human existence.

Program Recording: “Space, Place and Visions with Jack Ironstone,” July 14, 2020.

Lunch & Learn: The Fowler’s Lunch & Learn series offers easily digestible curatorial explorations of charismatic objects from around the world in our permanent collection. Join us to chew on some sustenance and feed your mind during your lunch break.

Thursday, July 16th, 12:00pm – 12:30pm | RSVP

Dancing with Death

Patrick A. Polk, Curator of Latin American and Caribbean Popular Arts, discusses a remarkable Haitian Vodou ritual banner (drapo) dedicated to Papa Guede, patriarch of a family of Vodou divinities associated with death and resurrection. Exuberantly clicking his heels beside a funereal skull and crossbones, Guede epitomizes the temporality of the flesh and the eternality of the spirit.

Patrick A. Polk is Curator of Latin American and Caribbean Popular Arts at the Fowler Museum at UCLA and also serves as a lecturer for the UCLA Center for the Study of Religion. His research interests focus on Latin American and Caribbean ritual and aesthetic systems, global popular culture, and urban visual traditions. Exhibitions he has curated include “Botánica Los Angeles: Latino Popular Religious Art in the City of Angels” (2004), “In Extremis: Death and Life in 21st Century Haitian Art” (2012), “Axé Bahia: The Power of Art in an Afro-Brazilian Metropolis” (2017-2018), and “Guatemalan Masks: The Jim and Jeanne Pieper Collection” (2019). His writings on drapo Vodou include the monography Haitian Vodou Flags (1997) and the essays “Sacred Banners and the Divine Cavalry Charge” in “Sacred Arts of Haitian Vodou” (1995) and “Remember You Must Die!: Gede Banners, Memento Mori, and the Fine Art of Facing Death” in “In Extremis” (2012).

Program Recording: “Lunch and Learn: Dancing with Death,” July 16, 2020.

A Global Destination for Art: Artists from all over the world flock to work in Los Angeles, drawn by the energy of ingenuity and the space for experimental expression. Join us on Zoom as we visit the work spaces of international artists creating in our City of Angels.

Saturday, July 25th, 12:00pm – 1:00pm | RSVP

The Abstract Language of Memory: Refik Anadol Studio

Join Refik Anadol, internationally recognized media artist and UCLA’s Department of Design Media Arts’ Visiting Researcher, for a live virtual tour of his lab in Frogtown. Refik will give us a behind the scenes look at his Artificial Intelligence research and the tools he has created to enable machines to learn from pools of data and visually dream by creating data paintings. He will also share his progress on neuro-scientific projects that seek to find and duplicate the moment of human memory recollection. Finally, we will have the unique opportunity to accompany Refik into his Infinity Room, an immersive space created through quantum computing. Q&A will follow.

Program Recording: “The Abstract Language of Memory: Refik Anadol Studio,” July 25, 2020.

Global Cuisine Cooking Lessons: Variety is the spice of life. Learn how LA’s favorite international restaurants cook up their most famous, easy-to-make dishes in live cooking classes led by their chefs on Zoom. When food is your love language, some secrets are too good not to share.

Friday, July 31st, 5:00pm – 6:00pm | RSVP

Guerrilla Tacos

If you’re looking for an adventurous, inventive take on street tacos, Guerrilla Tacos in the Arts District is the place to go. This restaurant, which had humble beginnings as a food truck, was recently included in the first-ever 2019 MICHELIN Bib Gourmand restaurant list for Los Angeles. Join us and Chef de Cuisine Steve Londono to learn how to make their famous Cauliflower Tacos with Molcajete Salsa. Ingredients list will be sent upon RSVP. Come with supplies prepared, and ready to cook!

Chef de Cuisine Steve Londono had the privilege to work for Leah Cohan from PIG AND KHAO, Cosme Aguilar at CASA ENRiQUE (where they received a Michelin Star), and Chef Max MNG at SSAM BAR by momofuku. He stumbled upon a documentary called “The Migrant Kitchen,” which featured an interview with Chef Wes Avila, founder of Guerrilla Tacos. Steve sent in his resume and started on day two of opening, working his way up from prep cook to Chef de Cuisine.

Program Recording: “Global Cuisine Cooking Lessons: Guerrilla Tacos,” July 31, 2020.

Click here for the ingredients and preparation instructions to participate in Guerrilla Taco’s Cooking Lesson!