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.

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 share a major UCLA ensemble performance brought to you in the comfort of your home.

Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra’s Spring Concert | RSVP
Friday, March 5, 6–7 pm

The Fowler is pleased to co-present the UCLA Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra’s Spring Concert with the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music. Led by renowned jazz maestro Arturo O’Farrill, musicians will gather virtually to play compositions by Miguel Blanco, Adam O’Farrill, Guillermo Klein, Jason Lindner, as well as music from HBO Max’s Fandango at the Wall. Special guests will include DJ Logic, spoken word artist Christopher ‘Chilo’ Cajigas, pianist and composer Andrew Andron, and others. Put on your dancing shoes or, better yet, dance barefoot!

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 Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at the UCLA Hep Alpert School of Music. 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.

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 with international artists exhibiting in our City of Angels.

Rele Gallery and Orita Meta—Crossroads | RSVP
Monday March 8, 11 am–12 pm

On International Women’s Day, the Fowler is pleased to welcome Adenrele Sonariwo, the founding director of L.A.’s first contemporary art gallery from Africa, and three Nigerian women artists—Marcellina Akpojotor, Tonia Nneji, and Chidinma Nnoli—who are featured in Rele Gallery’s inaugural exhibition, Orita Meta – Crossroads. Fowler Director Marla C. Berns will join Sonariwo in a conversation about her goals for her gallery and other venues showing contemporary African art in Los Angeles. The artists will discuss how their works address issues of concern to women in Nigeria, including purity and sexual autonomy, identity and trauma.

Adenrele Sonariwo is an award-winning gallerist, curator, and founder of Rele Gallery and Rele Art Foundation. She has curated and overseen high-profile art exhibitions in Lagos, Los Angeles, New York, and Venice, Italy, challenging the boundaries of art and engaging in provocative subjects and techniques. Sonariwo curated the first ever Nigerian Pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale.

Marcellina Akpojotor employs collage and traditional painting to produce richly textured and layered works that explore femininity, personal and societal identity, and women’s empowerment in contemporary society. Akpojotor had her first solo exhibition at Rele Gallery in 2018 and has participated in prominent art fairs across the world, including the FNB Art Joburg Fair 2019 (South Africa), Art Dubai 2020 (Dubai), and the 2020 edition of the LA Art Show (USA). She lives and works in Lagos.

Tonia Nneji is known for her work’s bold colors and intricate patterns, and for her exploration of the relationship between the female body and trauma. Nneji was recently among the artists selected for the Art Dubai Residency program. Her works are widely collected locally and internationally. She lives and works in Lagos.

Chidinma Nnoli’s practice draws on personal experiences to challenge stereotypes, psychology, and cultural conditioning of women, while exploring elements of identity, sexuality, and mental health. Her debut solo exhibition, To Wander Untamed, will open at Rele Gallery’s location in Lagos in March, 2021. Nnoli earned her Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Benin. She currently lives and works in Lagos.

Program recording: “A Global Destination for Art: Rele Gallery and Orita Meta-Crossroads,” March 8, 2021

Lunch & Learn
The Fowler’s Lunch & Learn series offers easily digestible 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.

Fantastic Alebrijes by the Linares Family| RSVP
Monday March 15, 12:00–12:30 pm

Join Patrick A. Polk, Fowler’s Senior Curator of Latin American and Caribbean Popular Arts as he discusses a chimerical papier-mâché alebrije crafted by Miguel Linares (b. 1946) of Mexico City. While the Linares Studio artists are best known for their images of skulls and skeletons, they have long crafted figures for the Day of the Dead (Dia de los Muertos) observances. They have garnered acclaim for sharp-fanged, deadly-clawed, and winged creatures that merge characteristics of mundane and otherworldly animals. Learn the sources of inspiration for this artistic tradition, considered by many to occupy one of the highest perches in Mexican popular art.

Patrick A. Polk is Senior Curator of Latin American and Caribbean Popular Arts at the Fowler Museum and a lecturer for the UCLA Center for the Study of Religion. His research interests include material religion and visual piety, religion and healing, popular religion in North and Latin America, and African Diasporic sacred arts. He has curated such Fowler exhibitions as Botánica Los Angeles: Latino Popular Religious Art in the City of Angels; Sinful Saints and Saintly Sinners at the Margins of the Americas; and Axé Bahia: The Power of Art in an Afro-Brazilian Metropolis.

Program recording: “A Global Destination for Art: Rele Gallery and Orita Meta-Crossroads,” March 8, 2021

DISRUPT the Fowler
DISRUPT is a UCLA student design organization that aims to establish inclusive spaces and create opportunities for students of all backgrounds to engage in creative collaborations. The Fowler is honored to partner with DISRUPT to offer programs that break down barriers in the art world and promote innovative ideation through inclusivity, diversity, equity, and accessibility.

Mister Cartoon | RSVP
Friday March 19, 4–5 pm

Mister Cartoon is a DISRUPTOR in the fine arts. His refinement of the fine line technique in graffiti, canvas, murals, and – most famously – tattoos, challenges the boundaries of art and brings Los Angeles street art style into galleries and international exhibitions. Mister Cartoon also infiltrates corporate design through partnerships with such companies as Microsoft and Nike. Join Fowler and DISRUPT for a conversation with Mister Cartoon, who, through his community-based initiatives, serves as a mentor and inspiration to Angelenos and those beyond the city.

Program recording: “DISRUPT the Fowler: Mister Cartoon,” March 8, 2021

Share the Mic
The Fowler believes in the civic duty of museums to give forum to different points of view. This series shares our platform with thought leaders—artists, activists, and allies—who are guiding us along the arc of justice.

Decolonizing an African Museum | RSVP
Tuesday March 23, 11 am–12 pm

The Ethnographic Museum of Rwanda, financed by Belgium in the late 1980s as a symbol of cooperation with Rwanda, houses one of Africa’s most significant ethnographic collections. The selection of material and its display, however, have been products of colonial perspectives, rather than those reflecting the knowledge, values, and priorities of African countries and communities from which the objects originated. As part of decolonizing and renovating the museum, staff from the Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) in Belgium are currently working with Rwandese colleagues to reevaluate conservation practices. Join Fowler staff and museum professionals from the RMCA and Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy for a conversation about how conservation practices can serve as one of many strategies for decolonizing museums in different countries with unequal resources.

The panelists will include Marci Burton, the Fowler’s Mellon Conservation Fellow; Siska Genbrugge, Objects Conservator at Royal Museum for Central Africa in Belgium; André Ntagwabira, Archaeology Researcher at Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy; and Chantal Umuhoza, Curator at Rwanda Cultural Heritage Academy. The program will be moderated by Ellen Pearlstein, Professor, UCLA/Getty Conservation Program.

This program is co-presented by the Fowler Museum and the UCLA/Getty Program in the Conservation of Archaeological and Ethnographic Materials.

Program recording: “Share the Mic: Decolonizing an African Museum,” March 23, 2021