The Fowler Museum at UCLA

It's sort of small. No judging. 2 out of 4 exhibits change every now and then. One exhibit on permanent display "reflecting culture" is a silver collection but it was closed when I visited because the DJ at the showcase of the "construction, occupation" blocked it. "Intersections" is an ongoing exhibit that i found the most interesting, displaying diverse world culture. These pics are from intersections, I wish I took more photos!

It was my first time going and it was for a class field trip and we got up close and personal with some of these object! I’ll definitely come back and explore the museum more !!

A wonderful museum with very interesting display, educational, respectful, self-aware. The UCLA campus is lucky to have this great institution. This museum is free. Parking is underground, not far, on campus. On Wednesdays, the museum is open until 8pm.

Free museum at UCLA! It was such a peaceful and beautiful place. They had 3 exhibits open and a cute little gift shop.

Wonderful base collections and amazing special exhibits. Park in lot 4 and exit the north east stairwell. It is due north from there, no need to go up the famous steps. I went there for the exhibit on African ironwork. Truly amazing material covering its use in the different aspects of life and from many regions. From daily household items, farming equipment, and weapons. Their silver collection is fantastic. Went for the map exhibit. There were only a couple of interesting items. Armenian Lace exhibit was amazing.

Small but excellent museum focused on tribal and connected arts plus relevant institutional and theoretical matters. Strong showings in the galleries for Papua New Guinea, Nigeria, Benin, Indonesia and first peoples.

Seeing "The Art of African Blacksmiths" exhibit was an awakening for me. It seems they've been forging steel for longer than the rest of the planet by hand. The designs and attention to detail is striking. Tools, weapons, chastity devices, neck and waist adornments, headgear - it's quite humbling. Everything is beautifully displayed and there are videos showing the Blacksmiths meticulously crafting some of what's on display. Educational for all ages.

Great little museum on the UCLA campus with interesting exhibitions. The place is easy to visit (everything is on the ground floor) and free. Some choice pieces on display and exhibitions are nicely curated.

Fowler museum is a gem inside the UCLA campus. They always have interesting exhibits which rotate. Added plus - admission is free for students! This is an excellent venue to host events (a few spaces include the amphitheater, courtyard, and terrace). I hosted an event on the outdoor terrace for about 100 people. The space is gorgeous and it was great working with Libby. the events director. We really were able to transform the space for a formal event. Would highly recommend visiting and checking out this museum!

For a very small free museum, it's got a lot of cool stuff inside. Located on the UCLA campus, parking is kind of weird and you do have to pay 6 to 8 dollars to park your car on campus. The museum is not very big we spent around 30 minutes to 45 minutes in there and that was more than enough. There are several cool pieces that I took photos of. The interior is definitely a little bated, and probably need a remodel soon. But for a free museum, we weren't expecting too much.

FOWLER Museum at UCLA The Fowler Museum was founded by UCLA Chancellor Franklin D. Murphy in 1963. Within the span of 50 years, the Fowler Museum has become one of the nations's premier repositories of World arts. The collection of art focuses primarily on Africa, Asia and the Pacific, and the indigenous Americas. The Fowler's holdings are distinguished by their diversity in art. 70+ beautiful cultural pieces of art. Remarkable individuals, their innovative thinking, and the generosity of collectors and donors have contributed to the development of the Fowler Museum. Visit the museum and become part of a cultural experience, be encapsulated by its trendsetting art, beauty, and celebrate its 50 years of great historical existence.

The museum has a wealth of artifacts and the perfect quiet ambience that allows you to just peacefully wander and learn. The exhibits had something from all parts of the globe---Vietnam, the Congo, Russia, England, Germany, Ireland, Armenia, and so much more. It was delightful to see art from my own culture!

It was a day to museum hop and this was one on the list! We walked the UCLA campus to get to the museum. There is no admission price. It's an intimate space but with plenty to see. We took our time checking out the exhibits. I didn't know they had such a large collection of silver pieces (Reflecting Culture)! The courtyard is beautiful with a small fountain. Consider this museum to fill half your day.

They have wonderful new exhibits here, so I had to check them out. I love this museum on UCLA's campus. Last time I visited it, I underestimated it, I thought it was smaller than it is. I also wanted to come back and browse slowly their permanent collection, revisit it.I'm glad I did, it's a nice collection if you';e interested in history of civilizations from all over the world. Great new exhibits. There aren't too many people around, so it's quiet, nice, relaxing, you can take your time. Love their inner courtyard. Nice visit, if you study at UCLA, it's a must! It's free and cool! Great museum, cool building, nice campus (stumbled into a Native American festival on the way which was fun to check out). If you live in LA and haven't been to Fowler, check it out next chance you'll be in the area.

I like history so this place is nice! They have rotating exhibits so they keep it fresh. They also use multimedia within the museum so there's videos, pictures, and interactive displays. Admission is free but they are closed on certain days of the week so check beforehand

Every time i visit this museum, i always find something in the permanent collection that i hadn't noticed or appreciated on prior visits. Viewing these artifacts in text books does not do the sculpture's, textiles,masks, and pottery any justice. To gain more appreciation and understanding of these relics, i highly advise those to study up on the religious and cultural context of the items in the collection before visiting. You can also bring your headphones and listen to the museums "Audioguide" (located on their website's "Exhibitions" page, under "Interesections: World Arts/Local Lives) while viewing the work. The rotating exhibitions are equally as enjoyable to view!

It's unfortunate that the Fowler is tucked like a baby within UCLA's campus. As nice and respectable as the building is, it's a way-way-way-too-small one-floor museum with a huge, stellar collection -- almost all of which doesn't see the light of day. Move the Fowler to a more visible location and give it more square footage then this museum would be one of most compelling art museums in the United States. With that said, if you can figure out how to get here, the 'Fowler at Fifty' is an exhibition worth the effort. Nearly 1,000 items from the collection are on view and it shows off what this museum is all about: indigenous art of Africa, Asia, the Pacific, the Americas, and even some European items to round it all out.

If you're going to visit the campus, take a peep! It's an easy square to go through fairly quickly. You'll have to check-in your backpack in the front.

We were in the Westwood area and Stephen gave me the tour of UCLA, which so happens to be where he works. After visiting his office, we came across the Fowler Museum. While Stephen has been here many times, it was my first visit, and I was quite impressed with this small museum. They have 2 permanent collections and 2 rotating exhibits. The courtyard, located in the middle of the museum, is quite tranquil. You can view the entire museum in an hour or so. There's even a quaint gift shop, with fair trade items. Admission is free, but they happily accept donations.

outstanding museum ! There were a couple of times that I thought the staff were being a bit too loud/noisy, but despite that I loved it

Its a free museum in the heart of ucla's north campus, and it's beautifully maintained. From the outside it looks small but it's actually pretty big inside, and you can easily spend upwards of an hour looking at all the exhibits. On the weekends they'll often have activities for smaller children in the center of the museum

A bit small. It's in the UCLA campus so I've been there countless times for class. Not the most spectacular but definitely interesting a good place to festered especially since it's by the bottom of Jan steps where you can lounge outside on the grass.

Lovely place on the beautiful UCLA campus. If you are a non-student try and go on a Sunday, parking will be easy and you will have plenty of elbow room. The museum is intimate, with nice displays and well lit. They have a large amount of security staff. Not really sure why. A lovely little museum on a lovely large campus with plenty of room to enjoy the exhibits.

I'm giving the Fowler Museum, has a whole, four stars because I do like their exhibits & its free!. They have a new exhibit titled: The Art of Hair in Africa. It is a very small exhibit that showcases combs and hair pins from several African countries such as The Congo, Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and I believe Kenya. This is my issue with the museum..it is on the UCLA campus so there many professors and grad students whom are either from an African country or who have traveled to a one on many occasions. How is it not possible that they are not able to get more items for their shows; either via lending or donating from such people who are associated with UCLA - a well renowned University? Plus, there are many Africans who now call Los Angeles and other cities their home. It would have been better if they could have found a way to represent more countries than just five(5)..

Amazing and free!! It has some neat and unique stuff and is just very cute. It's kind of hidden though. I was at UCLA for 2 years and never knew about it. Maybe I didn't look hard enough but in any case, now that I know where it is, I'm definitely going periodically to check out new showcases!

I cannot believe this place is right on campus for students to enjoy. And it's FREE. It's a small building, but that's the charm of it - easy to navigate and intimate. You walk in and all the exhibits are in a circle with a beautiful, serene courtyard in the middle of it all. The native/historic permanent collections are pretty cool, but I prefer the feature exhibits and modern art. I saw a pretty fascinating exhibit: X-Voto--The Retablo-Inspired Art of David Mecalco. I LOVED the Ethnic Studies exhibit -it was TOO PERFECT and relevant to what is going on right now. I saved the best for last after i explored all the exhibit rooms, the courtyard was very bright, clean and quiet- really an escape from the campus hub-bub. I think everyone should take advantage of this being right on campus

I went to the Fowler Museum several years ago to check out some temporary exhibits. One exhibit contained some artifacts on a people in Africa. Another exhibit contained photographs documenting Japan post-earthquake/tsunami disaster. For the record: Hours vary for the museum. Free entry to the museum.

Very interesting museum, very diverse. Came here a couple months ago and was impressed with the art.

A little disappointed in that museum. Not super into their collection and it was very small. I'd rather go to brand or Getty if I wanna see beautiful things.

Nothing beats free admission! I was on campus for a commencement. While I waited for the commencement to start (we went super early to stake out good seats), I stopped by the museum. I enjoyed the exhibits in the museum. There was an exhibits on the Art of the Austronesians (Indo-Pacific people) and I learned that aborigines from Taiwan are actually Autraonesians who didn't leave; whereas the rest of them traveled all over the Indian and Pacific Oceans and settled in other countries. Being Taiwanese, it was interesting to learn that piece of information. The other exhibits were also very nice. The museum store was a bit small but it has many clearance items. You can walk through the museums in an hour if you are not reading each sign. The middle courtyard area has a nice fountain. I would love to visit again to see other exhibits.

A stranger recommended the Fowler Museum. She ended up giving me a short list of places to visit and I have slowly hit them all. Every recommendation was not only astounding, but seemingly personal, even though it came from a stranger. The Fowler is a wonderful museum. Just one elderly couple was present with me at noon on a Sunday. I observed 3-4 different exhibits. The Fiiman Tembe exhibit was absolutely breathtaking. Lots of African Tribal Art and history. The Bread, Butter, & Power exhibit also took my breath away. It was a four separate wall murals. The artist, Meleko Mokgosi, included books that they were reading which inspired the artwork or kept them busy throughout the creation. Lastly, Leopoldi Pena perfectly captures the game of Pelota in several black and white photographs displayed throughout the museum. The museum is free. You'll have to pay to park. I parked in lot 3 (lot 5 is closer) and paid $8 for the entire day. There are plenty of other things to take in, such as the Sculpture garden, Broad Art Center and the Meteorite gallery.

This is a pretty cool museum located on the UCLA Campus. We came by this weekend to check it out. The exhibits we saw were very cultural from all over the world and very interesting. There were lots of Asian, African, New Zealand, Mexican, South American items on display. My favorite exhibit would probably be the silver metals exhibit where the metalwork was very detailed and intricate. The courtyard in the middle of the building is very cool and relaxing. The museum itself is very modern and top notch. Park in Parking Lot 4 off Sunset Blvd at Westwood Plaza. Parking is $3 per hour.

Even though I was a student at UCLA, I never really took advantage or even really acknowledged that the Fowler museum was there to be enjoyed. What's worse is that I often associated the Fowler with the Hammer museum and wouldn't even realize there was a difference between the two. I think that speaks to the Fowler museum's location right next to Janss Steps on the UCLA campus. If you were or are a student at UCLA, you'd pass by it several times without ever going in which would be rather unfortunate as it is a quaint and really pretty nice museum. I went here last Sunday as it was the final day of the Steeped in History: The Art of Tea exhibit and as an avid tea drinker, I knew I had to catch it before it was too late. Although the museum is small, this particular exhibit had enough to pique your interests and also to lay some knowledge as well. Check out the photo tour on the website (http://www.fowler.ucla.edu/incEngine/?theme=fowler_main&content=information_manager&information_manager_id=88) I expected more of an interactive exhibit with more about teas as opposed to the history of tea but it was an intriguing exhibit nonetheless. The people working at the Fowler are extremely polite and helpful as well and best of all...the museum is FREE. Parking can be steep at 9 dollars for the day but they also have pay-by space at Lot 4 which is practically beneath the museum. Also, you can do what I did and park in the surrounding neighborhood on Gayley Ave. or Landfair and then walk to the campus. It's not too bad, and it'll feel like a brisk walk on a comfortable Sunday afternoon. Plus, because the museum is only open 12-5p on Sunday, you can soak up the different parts of the campus. Or, you can bone up on your knowledge at the museum and then bone up on your fitness at the Wooden center right after...which is what I did with my buddy Stephen who was none too happy about being dragged to the exhibit (I couldn't find anyone else to go with me, sorry dude). All in all, a great way to spend on Sunday afternoon.

First things first: If you've never been to UCLA, you park in the general garage by turning off Sunset onto WESTWOOD. It was really tricky for me to find parking the first time. Pay-and-Go or all day pass for $9. This is a quaint little museum with four distinct rooms that branch off the central square courtyard. This way you can easily just walk from one exhibit to the other. The staff are helpful in offering information on the exhibits as well as directions for the rest of the campus. What really surprised me was the quality of their own collection as well as their presentation of the traveling exhibits. At the time I went, there was a collection of silver jewelry from Taxco, Mexico. The floor layout, lighting, and visual presentation of the pieces was worthy of a much larger museum. It's free, so you can't go wrong. However, expect to pay between $6-$9 for parking. That's where your ticket price comes into play.

Since I was at UCLA over the weekend, I popped into the Fowler to check out Street Art: Photographic Elevations of Los Angeles, Paris and Berlin. The exhibit is displayed on the walls surrounding the central atrium and I thought this made the works seem a bit disjointed and flat. The panoramic photographs of street art scenes (mostly graffiti art) were visually interesting, though lacking substance and depth--unfortunate since the subject matter is so culturally rich. The Korean ceramics show surprised me. The displays are stunning and worth seeing while you're there. I don't know who handles the plumbing over at the Fowler, but the entire gallery space smelled like a public restroom. Thank god I had a cashmere scarf with which to cover my nose while I was inside.

I guess one of the coolest things about going to UCLA is that there's a museum on campus. And it's not just your average library exhibit either, it's a legitimate museum! No big deal, I guess (but it actually is). Recently the Fowler Museum has hit its 50th anniversary (happy birthday, Fowler!) and is currently showing over eight new exhibitions as part of its Fowler and Fifty celebrations, which show a diverse variety of collections from different cultures. However, my favorite exhibit currently is definitely the Intersections exhibit that has been running for quite a while now, my first time seeing it was last year; but according to the website, it's been running from at least 2006. They have the usual artifacts, but I love the video ethnographies/histories they have. It really allows you to see, almost like through mini window into cultures from all over the world and I think it's really cool. Admission is free, for EVERYONE. WHAT?! My only gripe about this place is the limited/random hours they have sometimes. I mean, they're not that random but sometimes I'll drop by and it'll be closed (Monday and Tuesday). Either way, this place is truly a gem and one of the most under-rated places on the UCLA campus, especially for its cultural value, maybe because it lies right under the shadow of neighboring Royce Hall and Powell Library. :( Probably one of the best times to visit is right now with all the Fowler at Fifty exhibitions happening, so don't miss out!

Small museum set among the enormous grounds of UCLA. Exhibits are frequently updated and I have seen good photo exhibitions- it does nto get too crowded so you can stop and stare- great! Closed on MON AND TUES New Collection is really thoughtprovoking. Women and Water, African writing systems and so on....

Lol I just remember coming here during freshman year of college, aka way back in Fall 2005, for an extracurricular project for my Education course. Free admission and right on campus, so Fowler Museum was a go for me. Well, the only thing I remember about it was the condom exhibit.... which was interesting... full on gowns and dresses made out of thousands and thousands of condoms.... that is all. Oh wait, I also bought a CD filled with African songs. Why, you ask? I'm not sure.......

The Fowler is truly a gem. It is small so can be enjoyed in a couple hours but it is packed with an amazing collection.

Exhibitions: The Fowler Is a beautiful place. Insightful and intriguing. They have a nice patio/atrium area with a fountain that is peaceful to listen to. They have a beautiful silver collection on display right now (as of Oct.2014) and an exhibit on tapestry/embroidery. Atmosphere: Has the feel of a college student art gallery. Gift Shop: Very lovely, a bit steeply priced. Often they coordinate their trinkets with what they have on display in their exhibits.

They only had 3 of their 4 exhibit halls open when we came here, and the first two exhibits (silver and desert paintings) weren't very exciting. Their third exhibit blew us away though - Intersections: World Arts, Local Lives. It's definitely worth coming to this museum just for this exhibit. They have artifacts and objects from cultures in Africa, the Pacific Islands, and Central America. Some of the pieces have an incredible amount of detail (I think the masks were my favorite). It's a very well-done and well-organized exhibit. The only downside to our visit was that It was pretty difficult to find parking. I probably should have read George R.'s review before coming here... that definitely would have saved us half an hour. Go to parking garage 4 and use their Pay-N-Go parking.

Nice little museum on the UCLA campus. Admission is free, although parking is a pain in the you-know-what. $10 for all day parking. Two hours will run you $6. The hours are a little funky. Best bet is to go on a Thursday when they close at 8pm There's always something interesting at Fowler. We showed up in the middle of a jazz concert. As of this review, there's an exhibit about the people of the Benue River Valley of Nigeria. I think KCRW has some stuff here too. The Fowler is a nice bit of culture on the Westside. Recommended.

When I saw Marshall Field on the map, I was expecting to do some department store shopping and buy Frangos. Oops. Not the same Marshall Field. (And if you get this reference, you're probably a Bruin from Chicago.) Since I couldn't shop, I wandered next to Royce Hall and found the Fowler art museum. The Fowler contains four galleries that are easy to navigate. They contained a diverse range of subjects, but the permanent collection focuses on art from Africa and Central America. Like the Hammer, it's free, but parking is not. Our visit took a rather fast 30 minutes because this was not my kind of art and why it took a lengthy 25 years to visit for the first time.

I was at UCLA waiting for a friend so I decided to check this place out. It's pretty cool if you're interested in cultural anthropology. There's alot of statues, fabrics, and photographs. The desk people were hella nice so it made my experience great aside from the cool exhibits.

I highly recommend this little gem of a museum located on the UCLA campus near the Anderson Graduate School of Management. As someone who used to work on campus I would often visit the little museum on my lunch breaks. The exhibitions are always beautiful and unique. It was here that I first came across Aboriginal art and feel in love with the fine details of the dot paintings. If you are in Westwood or on campus I recommend stopping by this museum as there are always great exhibitions and the small intimate atmosphere is a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles.

Very Nice Museum!!!!!! My kids and I visited on 7-29-15.... Awesome! Their African artworks are Amazing!!! Thank you, (To the very nice and genuinely kind young lady working in the gift shop)... You made our day!! sharps3000@gmail.com

Even though the museum is pretty small, with only four main exhibition rooms, the exhibits that they do have are really interesting and organized in an aesthetically-pleasing fashion. I love the color schemes on the wall and arrangements of all the art and artifacts. They rotate different exhibits in and out after a couple months. Some really interesting ones that i've seen that are gone are the ones focusing on Sound Suits and Ethnic Studies at UCLA. For those that don't live in the area, parking sucks because UCLA's pay-by-space is overpriced at $10 and I don't necessarily think I would go out of my way to find street parking just to go to this museum. Really make the most of this museum if you are a UCLA student because it's free and conveniently located on campus!

I have to go to this museum again, the first time I went, I took my little cousin & they were kinda creeped out my some of the artwork. It's small, somewhat interesting if your into that kind of artwork, & by that I mean putting a bunch of recycles, yarn, feathers & whatever else you have near by together & making it look like a person or bear. I might go again by myself if they have new artwork. Oh yea I took a star off because I'm not really fond of UCLA lol ...GOOO USC!!!!

Free admission and beautiful exhibits! It was a little smaller than I expected though. It's a nice stop to make while at UCLA, but I would not suggest going out of your way to get there.

This is a underrated museum that many students don't even bother to visit. It's nice and excellent for viewing small exhibits. The chosen exhibits bring both global and local culture to anyone lucky enough to be there. They had exhibits that ranged from art on African female equality to urban Latino art and an "only in LA" exhibit on dresses made from condoms. The dresses were gorgeous. The staff were all grad students and were very knowledgeable on each exhibit shown. Definitely, a must for everyone interested in art.

The Fowler museum is a pretty impressive cultural museum. The permanent display "Collection of Silver" was impressive. The rotating display "Arts of the Benue River Valley", and "Arts of Africa and the Americas" were also impressive. The "Jam Session: Jazz" exhibit was a bust. Expect to spend about 45 minutes there. I was as impressed with this museum as I was with the Hammer museum (although perhaps I was expected less since this one is free). You can find more information on the link to my blog on my profile.

What's the point of having a museum if its inaccessible to the non Ucla public. I spent 40 minutes trying to park.

These guys do things right. We saw a great presentation that had great depth - and the exhibits were fun and fascinating. Not too price - and you can always meet interesting people at the cafe afterward.

I used to live on the East Coast where I loved visiting the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery. The Fowler isn't quite on that scale, but visiting is free and the rotating exhibits can surprise. In just a few visits I've seen exhibits on Indonesia, Laos, Colombia, and the American Southwest. There's also a solid African collection. All in all, it's highly recommended and often nearly empty when I visit on weekends.

For such a small place the Fowler Museum packs a huge punch. I might argue against coming here if you don't live in the area or are a student at UCLA as parking inevitably sucks. However, if you frequent the area regularly, stop by. The building is gorgeous with a fountain in the center and several exhibits. One time they had an exhibit on the Day of the Dead. At the time I had been studying that holiday in an anthropology class and found it extremely relevant. The main exhibit rotates approximately bi-quarterly (although I'm not sure about this) while the permanent collection consists of a lot of silverware. There are also numerous events tied to the main exhibit. For example, at one point they had dance lessons and a meal relevant to the culture of the current showing. These events aren't cheap; expect to pay 10-30 dollars. I've never been to one, but if they're anywhere close to the quality of the museum itself I'll be it's top notch. The Fowler Museum is truly a cultural establishment at heart. Beneath the museum lies the Costen Institute for Archaeology. For any UCLA student studying or interested in anthropology, it is the perfect supplement to one's studies.

Ah, I miss UCLA. Being an anthropologist and being alumni you'd think I'd have gone to Fowler while I was a student. I even had classes in the building! Fowler focuses on cultures around the world. Wish they had archaeological artifacts on exhibit, since the Cotsen Institute is below the museum. When we visited, there was an exhibit on Silver. There wasn't much else open. I think they were preparing for a new exhibit. Will certainly return! Parking on campus costs quite a bit (used to be $8, suspect it is $10-12/day now). We parked at a friends house and walked. The museum is free entry. They can hold your stuff and there is a cute little gift shop. Very nice staff, but don't bring your cool camera with the intention of taking pictures: no photography permitted!

THE PERFECT GEM for that free slot in the afternoons. It's got a grassy amphitheater, a beautiful courtyard, music performances, programs galore and a nonstop roster of eye-opening artwork- new and the old- from around the world. Everything is placed in context, which is helpful for people like me who need help in understanding contemporary art from time to time :) The Fowler has not failed me yet and consistently delivers a refreshing perspective for me since our world is so saturated with Western art. Some exhibitions even incite me, an American of inaction, to action. Women, Water and Wells: Photographs of West Africa by Gil Garcetti (yes, THE ex-Los Angeles DA) links clean water, human health and community success powerfully. Yes, images are worth a thousand words and more. The Garcetti exhibit is closing November 25th so hurry and try to catch it. If you miss it, try and get your hiny to the Inscribing Meaning exhibit before February '08. The show demonstrates the psychological, political, spiritual, healing and historic power of words and symbols across many mediums in Africa. Go and I am sure you'll notice how much more human and tangible the art is in comparison to some of the uber popular institutions in Los Angeles.