Bowers Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Bowers Museum

Belltower Entrance
Established	1936
Location	2002 N. Main St, Santa Ana, California
Type	Art museum, cultural art

The Bowers Museum is a cool art museum located in Santa Ana, California. It's a great place to explore art and cultures from all over the world. The museum has over 100,000 amazing objects in its collection. You can see art from ancient Mesoamerica, Native American art, and beautiful pieces from Asia, Africa, and Oceania. They also have California plein-air paintings, which are outdoor landscape paintings.

The Bowers Museum often hosts special exhibitions from other museums around the globe. They also send their own exhibitions to other places. Just two blocks away, there's a special part of the museum called Kidseum. It's a children's museum focused on art and archaeology. The Bowers Museum and Kidseum are about four miles south of Disneyland.

History of the Bowers Museum

The land for the museum was given by Ada Elvira Bowers and her husband, Charles W. Bowers. He was a citrus grower and land developer in the late 1800s. They also donated $100,000 to help build the museum. The building was finished in 1932. However, it didn't fully open until 1936 because of the Great Depression.

The museum first opened as the Charles W. Bowers Memorial Museum. It was run by the city and focused on the history of Orange County. The building was designed in the Mission Revival style. In 1973, the museum got its first upgrade. A new wing was added, making the museum much bigger.

Main Street Entrance

In 1985, a new group was formed to help run the museum and raise money. This group helped the Bowers Museum become its own non-profit organization. In 1989, the museum closed for a big renovation. The plan was to make the Bowers one of the best cultural centers in the region.

In 1990, the museum decided to focus on "the cultural arts of the Pacific Rim". This meant they would show art from countries around the Pacific Ocean. Dr. Peter C. Keller became the museum's director in 1991. The newly renovated museum reopened in October 1992. It was renamed the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art.

Since then, the museum has continued to show Orange County history. But it also celebrates the many different cultures in Southern California. It focuses on art from the Americas, Africa, and the Pacific Rim. In 1993, U.S. News & World Report even called it one of nine "must-see" museums in the U.S.

The Dorothy and Donald Kennedy Wing

In 2007, the Bowers Museum grew even more. They added the Dorothy and Donald Kennedy Wing. This new part cost $14.6 million. It included a permanent Chinese art exhibit and an Oceanic art exhibit. There were also more galleries for special shows and a 300-seat auditorium.

Today, the museum is over 100,000 square feet. About 45,000 square feet is used for exhibitions. The Bowers Museum welcomes over 80,000 schoolchildren each year. They offer tours, outreach programs, and art classes. On the first Sunday of every month, there's a free family festival. Santa Ana residents can also get free general admission every Sunday. The Bowers Museum is officially recognized by the American Alliance of Museums.

Amazing Collections to Explore

The Bowers Museum has many different collections. Each one tells a unique story about art and history.

Spirits and Headhunters: Art of the Pacific Islands

This exhibit shows amazing artworks from Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia. You can see large masks, beautiful feast bowls, and objects used in special ceremonies. There are also shell and feather money, magic figures, and tools used by shamans. You'll find items related to sea trade, personal decorations, and even weapons. The collection has art and artifacts from many Pacific Islands.

Ancient Arts of China: A 5000 Year Legacy

This collection features nearly 75 sets of objects from ancient China. They range from the Neolithic period (around 3000 B.C.) to the Qing dynasty (AD 1644–1911). These pieces show how Chinese technology, art, and culture changed over time. You can see bronze vessels, mirrors, colorful pottery, sculptures, and paintings. This exhibit was put together with the Shanghai Museum.

Cahuilla Basket, c. 1900

California Legacies: Missions and Ranchos, 1768-1848

This section explores the early history of Alta California. It shows objects from three periods: when the Spanish first settled the land, life at the California Missions, and the wealthy families who lived on Ranchos of California under Mexican rule.

Ceramics of Western Mexico

This exhibit focuses on Pre-Columbian art from western Mexico. It highlights pottery from the states of Colima, Nayarit, and Jalisco. You'll learn about the cultures that used shaft tombs to bury their dead. Many ceramic figures were placed in these tombs to go with the deceased. You can see objects showing daily life, like the famous plump Colima dogs.

California Bounty: Image and Identity, 1850-1930

This collection looks at California's visual history. It shows how paintings of California's land, people, fruits, and flowers reflected the state's beauty. These paintings were often used to encourage people to move West. Highlights include works by William and Alberta McCloskey and California plein air paintings.

First Californians

This exhibit gives a detailed look at the art and objects of the indigenous peoples of California. It shows the culture and history of the Southern California Coastal Indians. You can learn how they used their environment for food, clothing, and religious practices. The collection includes baskets, pottery, beadwork, stone tools, and jewelry. These objects range from ancient times to today.

Historic and Decorative Arts Collections

These collections were some of the first things the museum focused on. They include historic costumes, military uniforms, textiles, furniture, dolls, and toys. Many items were collected from the founding families of Orange County. The Orange County history collection has old newspapers, magazines, photos, and objects from the early days of the county. You can see items related to Madame Helena Modjeska and early Santa Ana police and fire departments.

Cool Special Exhibitions

The Bowers Museum often works with famous museums around the world. They bring amazing exhibitions to Santa Ana. Some of their partners include the Nanjing Museum, the British Museum, and the Vatican Ethnological Museum.

Treasures from China

The Bowers Museum has hosted many special shows about Chinese history.

• "Secret World of the Forbidden City: Splendor From China's Imperial Palace" (2000) showed 350 treasures from China's Imperial Palace. It included statues, pottery, and paintings.
• "Treasures from Shanghai: 5000 Years of Chinese Art and Culture" (2007) featured objects from the Shanghai Museum. It showed how Chinese art and technology changed over 5000 years.
• "Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China's First Emperor" (2008) was a huge exhibit. It brought life-size terra cotta warriors from China to the U.S. These warriors were found in the tomb of China's first emperor. It was one of the greatest archaeological finds ever!
• "China's Lost Civilization: The Mystery of Sanxingdui" (2015) focused on a mysterious ancient culture. It showed bronze, jade, and gold objects from the village of Sanxingdui. This culture was very advanced but disappeared suddenly.

Ancient Egypt and Beyond

The Bowers Museum has also partnered with the British Museum for several exciting exhibits.

• "Egyptian Treasures from the British Museum" (2001) displayed over 100 items from ancient Egypt.
• "Mummies: Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt: Treasures From the British Museum" (2005) was a big show about ancient Egyptian funerals. It featured 140 objects, including 14 real mummies and their coffins!

Other Unique Exhibitions

• "The Holy Land: David Roberts, Dead Sea Scrolls, House of David Inscription" (2002) was a very special exhibit. It showed two important pieces of Israel's ancient history: parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the House of David Inscription. This was the first time the inscription, which mentions King David, was seen outside Israel.
• "Tibet: Treasures from the Roof of the World" (2004) offered a rare look into the sacred culture of Tibet. It brought nearly 200 sacred objects to the Western world for the first time.
• "The Baroque World of Fernando Botero" (2009) showed over 100 artworks by the Colombian artist, Fernando Botero. His unique style is known for its big, rounded shapes and figures.
• "Lucy's Legacy: The Hidden Treasure of Ethiopia" (2013) focused on human evolution. It featured Lucy (Australopithecus), the oldest and most complete adult fossil of a human ancestor found in Africa.
• "First Americans: Tribal Art from North America" (2014) was the first large exhibit of traditional North American cultures shown in China. It included pottery, baskets, beaded items, and textiles.
• "The Virgin of Guadalupe: Images in Colonial Mexico" (2016) showed sixty artworks about the Virgin of Guadalupe. This was the first time a U.S. museum focused on her image in Colonial art.

Kidseum

Kidseum is a special part of the Bowers Museum just for kids! It opened in 1994 and is an interactive children's museum and learning center. It's 11,000 square feet of fun! In 2014, Kidseum celebrated its 20th birthday with a newly updated, high-tech space. A child from the community actually came up with the name "Kidseum" in a contest!

How the Museum is Run

The Bowers Museum is a non-profit organization. This means it doesn't make money for owners. Its exhibitions, programs, and daily operations are supported by members and donations. Money also comes from individuals, companies, and foundations. The city of Santa Ana provides an annual grant too.

A board of 32 members helps guide the museum. Anne Shih is the current chairman of the board. Dr. Sean O'Harrow became the president and CEO in August 2023. He took over after Peter C. Keller, who had been president since 1991.

Selected Collection Highlights

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  Ceremonial Ladle, 19th Century, Austral Islands, French Polynesia, Polynesia

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  Wedding Vase, c. 1970, Margaret Tafoya (1904-2001), Santa Clara Pueblo, New Mexico

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  Raven Rattle, late 19th Century Tlingit culture; Fort Wrangell, Alaska

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  Untitled (Oranges in Tissue with Vase), 1889 by Alberta Binford McCloskey (American, 1855–1911)

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  Marguerite, 1909 by Guy Rose (American, 1867–1925)