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Bowers Museum of Cultural Art
Rating Details »
- Hours:
Tue-Sun. 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
36 reviews for Bowers Museum of Cultural Art
The Baroque World of Fernando Botero
Through December 6, 2009
The exhibition features 100 paintings, sculptures, and drawings, from the 1950s to the present. All the works are on loan from the 77 year old Colombian artist and many have never before been seen in public.
love how everything is so round. longer i stare. happier i get. his ability to translate painting to sculpture is f*ckin monumental
I went today to see the samurai exhibition. It was interesting but I wasn't overwhelmed. While I can appreciate the craftsmanship of the swords, just having a bunch of blades displayed was kind of boring. There were some armor and screens that were impressive but I would have liked to have seen more artwork. I wish it was just plain bigger. Plus they had the lights turned low to preserve the artwork and that just made it seem gloomy.
The Ancient Arts of China was more impressive. There was a wooden budda statue that was amazing. The ivory carvings were incredible. This exhibit seemed more colorful and alive after the samurai room.
I walked around the rest of the museum for a bit. It was nice but not exceptional.
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I was actually pleasantly surprised by this museum. I thought it would be dinky and small and lame, but it totally wasn't. They currently are showing an exhibit about Samurai Warriors and there were some impressive blades and swords from the Edo period worth seeing. On top of that there are several halls with their permanent displays from around the world.
The hallways and exhibit halls are very minimalist in its layout unlike a lot of museums I've been to. They also have a restaurant there which looked quite interesting.
There is ample parking on the street during the week.
What a lovely gem hidden in the middle of downtown Santa Ana. Who woulda guessed?
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A small caveat for the concerned user, this review is based strictly on the lecture hall/theatre.
I recently visited the Bowers Museum for a short play (The Odyssey) written and directed by Dr. Gary Stikel. He is the guy that LucasFilms hired as a consultant when making the our beloved Indiana Jones movies =D.
The staff were all friendly and helpful during the event and the theatre itself is very impressive. You can sit just about anywhere and have a clear view of the stage. Speaking of sitting, the seats are quite comfortable. The stage itself is small and dwarfed even further when you take a look at the large screen behind it.
Parking was not a problem and the show was five dollars a person or ten dollars total for a group of four people.
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I love this museum. I have a membership. It's really great. I have not seen a bad exhibit here. The mummies (so much better then the recent rip off Tut exhibit - not the 1977 one, that one ROCKED), Evita, California Painters and the creme de la creme, Terra Cotta Warriors. The setting is beautiful, right off the freeway. I take out of towners here all the time and they pleased and surprised. Sure, the Getty has some more impressive items and the grounds are beautiful, but for what this is, an intimate museum with special exhibits, you will not be disappointed.
Enjoy!
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My first visit to the Bowers Museum entailed viewing the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit. Although I enjoyed this exhibit tremendously, I would rate the museum down with regard to their other limited offerings. For someone who practically lived at the Art Institute in Chicago and had an opportunity to explore the Getty, I found the Bowers to be small and lacking to the point of being painfully boring.
I would recommend visiting the Bowers when they have major exhibits (for instance the upcoming Art of the Samurai, treasures from the Tokyo Museum) or if you are planning a special private event, like a wedding but would recommend that you visit the Norton Simon or the Getty otherwise.
Hearing about the Terra Cotta exhibit about to go on display at Bowers, I purchased tickets about two months ago. My expectations were not disappointed.
We arrived early and were about the 20th people in line. We lined up and when the exhibit opened, we received one of those numeric handheld devices. At various exhibits, you punch in a number and listen to a narrator explain more about how the Terra Cotta army was made and more about emperor Qin Shi Huang. Although the exihibit wasn't huge (we finished in about 45 minutes), it was very engrossing to see various Terra Cotta charioteers, archers and infantrymen up close. There is no glass separating most of the displaye from the specatators, so you can get up to 2-3 feet from them. I was especially impressed by the details on the heads of the soldiers and how amazingly lifelike these busts from several thousand years were.
The Bowers is also currently housing a display a Chinese art (pottery, tapestry and various scrolls) that are very impressive.
We ended our visit to the Gems exhibit which includes some very pretty gemstones and a few scupltures made out of stone. See some of the pretty tourmaline pieces, made we want to try my hand at Tournamline mining soon. I know there is a Tourmaline mine somewhere in San Diego county, so I think I'll google it.
Overall I had a very fun and informative time. The Bowers museum is a rather small museum, but their exhibits are first rate!!!
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Why they get my 5 star rating:
1) Their featured cultural art exhibits like Terra Cotta Warriors (North American debut - how kick ass!) and Tibet. Not to forget the permanent Plein Air and Latin American exhibits.
2) Inexpensive entrance fees.
3) Many annual events like the Chinese New Year and Dia de Los Muertos celebrations that they offer to our community free of charge. Check their website http://www.bowers.org for dates.
4) Beautiful venue for special events.
5) Gallery store is always chock full of interesting books, jewelry and other seasonal stuff.
6) Informative lectures on art and culture. Check the site...
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I saw this in Westways magazine AFTER I went Sunday for the opening of Terra Cotta Warriors: Mention AAA and get 10% off tickets.
Got there bright and early at a quarter till 10am and the line wasn't so bad. They have a performer from Taiwan who was a moving Terra Cotta statue at the entrance by the hall. VERY COOL. I was staring at him for a while before I realized that he wasn't a moving robotic machine but a real person! I'll post a pic I took of him and my dad. ;p
It's amazing how these statues were put back together given the condition they were found and to think - there are still thousands that have not been excavated. Just being in the same room as these statues, I could feel an eerie energy emanating.
One thing that was cause for irritation - the audio guide that they handed out for this would have excerpts of the supposed first emperor Shi Huang Di. The actor who portrayed him did so in the most stereotypical FOB accent and it was kind of appalling. First of all it's insulting not just to the Asian community, but to the educated, museum patron. I think a typical museum goer can discern that Emperor Shi did not speak English in the first place. Tacking on an accent like that while he's speaking English on the tour was totally unnecessary and ridiculous - LAME to be exact. They might as well had him say, "chingchongchang". There was a female voice reciting some great information and they should have just kept her throughout the recording.
Other than that, the museum is nice and I highly recommend taking the time to see this exhibit. Just bypass the ignorant audio guided tour.
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If you want to go to this museum, NOW would be a great time! I went for the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit. http://www.bowers.org/...
It was such a great site to see! China's emperor had 7,000 of these terra cotta warriors made (obviously, not all the 7,000 statutes were there). The tickets for the exhibit costs $27. The ticket prices includes an audio tour of the terra cotta exhibit and access to the other galleries in the museum. Yes, a bit pricey but considering this is a once in a life time chance to see these warriors, it's really not too much...right? I wish there were cameras allowed inside!!!! booooo!
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Wow, that was cool to see history like that. The Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit is pretty amazing. We made the trek out to the OC just for this. Parking was easy, self parking was full so we valeted. (When we left, I realized " dag nabbit! It's Sunday... we could have parked on the street") $7 poorer.
So, we get there, bought our tix and the lame-ass behind the counter didn't tell us that we didn't have to line up until noon. Or maybe we were the lame asses? Because of the special exhibit, they we letting people in, in groups hourly. We assumed that we should get in line right away. Here comes the good part. So, the hubby and I were standing in line with kids, we're staring at the volunteer's boobs. We had decided she was attractive, but couldn't determine whether her boobs were real or not. She was young enough to have perfectly perky ones. I thought they were a little too perfect. We'll never know.
So, Perfect Boobs told us (after we waited 20 minutes to get to the entrance) that we were early so we'd have to wait until all the 11:00s got in first. ***annoying*** Well so, we walked back to the wing where they had the Gem exhibit. On the way there, a live Terra Cotta Warrior came to life and scared the SHIT out of me. Then, when I realized he was in costume like the Blue Man Group or the Silver guys on 3rd street, I thought it was cool. He was so life like.
On with the Gems, the exhibit was interesting to look at. There were rocks in the raw and polished stuff. There were carved stuff. EH, don't get me wrong... it was all pretty cool to look at, but not very practical.
Finally... we got it to see the Warriors. there were artifacts, replicas and some warriors. We were given the self guided audio tour. Kinda goofy. I was impressed but not blown away. Now, I just want to go to China to see the actual tomb.
Overall, that was an enjoyable 3 hours. Avoid the gift shop, you can buy all that crap in Chinatown for a fraction of the highway robbery the shop was charging.
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hey man.. this is a pretty cool museum. they have real nice exhibitions going on. i went and saw african tribes, some chinese miao people, and an exhibition off to the side showing ancient china. the african one was especially interesting because they show the differences between the tribes. very colorful, detailed, and entertaining. the main stuff, the stuff on california, is ok, but ill be honest i was never much of a history buff for american stuff anyway. but i was sitting in the china section waching a video for like 30 minutes. history. gotta love it.
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One of my favorite museums because it is historical and artistic! there are free Santa Ana days too which is great for me! I have seen the Ansel Adams exhibit and the Mummies and thoroughly remember the aesthetical experience and which that I went more!
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I love this museum. The exhibits they have with the Terra Cotta Warriors and even Tibet in 2005 were phenomenal.
The price to get in is relatively cheap and there's a lot to see and learn.
The Terra Cotta exhibit at the Bowers Museum was well worth the Ticketmaster cost and trip. They have a good mix of warriors (somewhere between 8 and 12 fully reconstructed), replicas and artifacts found at the Xi'an site. The larger pieces were open display and viewable from 360 degrees. This did result in constant alarm trips, but was great for full appreciation.
The audio tour is cheesy (they actually portray an ancient soldier using the phrase, "saved our bacon") but relatively educational. Don't concentrate so much on the audio that you miss out on some of the detailed written descriptions on the various signs. For example, one describes an amazing process currently being explored that will use electrons to re-invigorate the pigments that otherwise flake off within five minutes of excavation. Yes, I am a nerd.
I agree with an earlier reviewer that the gift shop is a rip-off, but that is presuming you're the type who enjoys wandering China Town looking for deals (I am; others in my party were not and the museum's shop suited them just fine).
One thing that made a huge difference for us was that we were delayed and arrived nearly half an hour after our scheduled time. In order to keep us with the rest of our time slot, the staff ushered us straight to the front of an obscenely long line of early arrivals for the next group, and in we went. Of course, I would NEVER think to encourage tardiness in others.
Bowers could definitely improve the experience by cranking up the A/C. In case they don't manage, I recommend you dress in some light layers.
I love this place. I always bring my friends from out of town here. It always has cool, literate and well done exhibits. The docents are the best and yes, I do have my favorite. Barbara Williams is the docent to ask for. She is the most informed and has the best personality out of the other docents. True, the other docents are good to, but for a true and extremely informative tour, ask for her.
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when i backpacked through china many moons ago, i did not get the opportunity to route myself through xi'an where the terra cotta warriors were located. as a result of this one missed opportunity, i got really excited when i learned that some pieces were coming to the bowers museum. of course the experience isn't the same seeing them this way, but driving to santa ana is more feasible than flying out to xi'an on any given day...so i went this past sunday. MAN, it was PACKED!! this was the last sunday before this exhibit left town so it seemed a lot of people tried to squeeze in this experience, too. i'm sure glad i did.
first off, it's just great to be able to see them in person. the details on these soldiers are amazing. i can only imagine how grand it must be to see them all lined up in their pits in their natural environments. the few pieces available at bowers for viewing allowed for a close up inspection. i think this is one advantage over seeing them in xi'an, that is, the proximity of your viewership. although the pieces are sparse in comparison to the grandeur of the real collection, where else can you go where they will allow you to press your face insanely close to the actual pieces themselves? i saw fine lines that were carved into the clay to replicate hair and fingerprints inside some of the broken pieces, too. dang!
emperor qin was a true megalomaniac. but his insanity resulted in some truly beautiful things. what a great opportunity to witness his insanity for myself on a warm sunday.
unfortunately, the exhibit is leaving soon, but FORTUNATELY for you, their stay has been extended to thursday, october 16. tickets are $27 for adults during the weekend, $25 during the weekdays. but without the audio tour, we got tickets for $22. if you are interested in buying a few things at the gift shop, prices have been slashed. too..so head out there before they leave. if not, perhaps you can get a plane ticket to xi'an?
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My review is for Bowers' "Kidseum" which is in a separate building from the main Bowers Museum complex. Here's a website on the Kidseum and all the activities it offers for kids:
http://www.bowers.org/...
I spent a few summers volunteering for the Kidseum while in high school and can't emphasize enough how much kids love this place! They offer all kinds of culturally sensitive and informative activities for kids, including a summer camp that features topics such as "First Native Americans in the Land of the Sun," "Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs," and "Africa: Vibrant, Mysterious, and Magical." It's an awesome, fun-filled way to introduce your kids to areas of the world they may not hear about in California public schools!
Also, they have a really cool costume collection which kids absolutely adore - they can play dress up while learning about historic costumes from all around the world.
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Confidentially, those Sundays you spend in church trying vainly to influence the outcome of your soul's disposition might be better off spent recognizing the divine in other ways. After all, why would there be Target Free Admittance day, the first Sunday of every month at the Bowers Museum. Surely, not just to spare you the $12 adult / $ 9 senior(student) prices although that is a cracking good justification. But maybe just to remind you of all the good things in your life before you move on to hopefully, the celestial side. Although, Neil Gaiman does lament that you can't find a decent drink either in heaven or hell. That's a right corker of a thought....
The Bowers Museum is great for allowing us to visit different cultures scattered throughout the globe at various time periods. You can travel the world at the Bowers Museum. One moment, you can be standing before a Midwestern quilt and then just by turning a corner, you can find you self smack dab in China, admiring their Celadon pottery. Polynesian longboats, Indian woven baskets and the pioneers of California are also on your itinerary for the day.
One Aztec artifact was quite creepy, the skin wearing priest. There was once a family of foreigners that came to the capital of the Aztecs. They stopped at a temple where the high priest exclaimed over the beauty of their daughter. He told them to leave her at the temple , a special honor would be given to her and for them to come back in a few hours. Well, the family left happy to hear of their daughter's good fortune. Imagine their surprise when they came back and found the priest had murdered her and was wearing her skin. Regardless to say, the family was horrified, they had not known that the Aztecs thought it was a special honor to be sacrificed. From this point on, you should regard the collection plate passed around in your church as being really quite sensible. Oh yes, that artifact is featured among the other pictures on the Yelp site for the Bowers Museum. See if it doesn't give you the willies !
Does Impressionist art cause your toes to curl in ecstasy ? Most of us know about Van Gogh or Monet but how about Guy Rose? He is just one of the many California Impressionist painters on display. The Bowers has a stellar collection of Plein Air paintings . A Plein Air painting is one where the artist painted the picture outdoors and in natural light. The Landscapes of Southern California leap out at you, familiar and yet different.
The Bowers Museum,once in a while will sneak in a really phenomenal exhibit. They just concluded having the Terra Cotta Warriors, a fascinating glimpse into life with a Chinese emperor and the ingenuity of man. Previous exhibits have been Egyptian Treasures of the British Museum and Tibet: Treasures from the roof of the world. Next year, April 18- June 14, they will be presenting Art of the Samurai: Selections from the Tokyo National museum. What a sensational idea, sushi, samurai and swords for a road trip.
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THIS IS THE MOST EXPENSIVE MUSEUM EVER! REALLY?? $18.... screw that. I live up the street, I would rather spend my $18 in gas to go to The Getty.
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I like this place because they have cool exhibits however it seems like they don't change their exhibits too often. It's fairly small and the ticket price I think is like 10 dollars.
It's situated in the heart of downtown Santa Ana and the way they constructed the museum was that it looks like it's old school. However when you walk into the museum itself, you'll see it's quite modern.
I've been here a few times for fun and back when I was in school. Come here if you like to see something new like about Egyptian stuff or ancient Chinese stuff.
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I'm a little mad at the Bowers museum for striking all of these mulit-million dollar agreements with foreign museums. It's really a rent-a-museum scheme. Why doesn't this museum use the millions it gave the British Museum and the Shanghai Museum to build its own collection? For now we get these second-rate exhibits which cost a fortune to visit and leave Orange County with no legacy at all.
The collection of local materials is certainly worthwhile and some of the items in the "tribal" gallery seem decent enough (although, for the most part, you're better off at the LA museums which cover the same thing...like the Fowler, Autry, Southwest, LACMA, etc.). The museum's building is charming, but it doesn't look like the museum's new wing is going to be of any importance. In other words, this is a provincial museum for what is still a very provincial county.
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This review is strictly for the Terra cotta special exhibit at Bowers museum.
I guess I was expecting to see armies of terra cotta warriors lined up next to one another as I've seen in pictures. However, it's not a huge museum and there were approx. 10 warriors spread through the museum. If it weren't for the self guided hand held tour (a bit cheesy in their re-enactments but informative nonetheless), I probably would've walked through the exhibit in 10 minutes but the tour, it was approx. 1 hour. The terra cotta warriors, albeit the few, are still impressive. You are greeted byone life size warrior and horse and then see the miniature sized chariots (about 1/2 the size) and horses along with items like the granary, armor (don't remember much since wasn't interested in this stuff) and then more warriors in kneeling positions as well as seeing animals like birds made of terra cotta. The coolest part of the exhibit was the mini display of how they constructed these warriors and horses (this king was pretty obsessed with his afterlife) as well as the end where you saw 3 warriors next to each other (see my contraband cell pic).
The best part...it was FREE thanks to PIMCO! Every Fri night, the first 100 peeps are free at 4PM, 5PM, 6PM and 7PM. But be forewarned- get there early!! They are pretty strict in the numbering and we missed the 5PM showing by 5 people ahead of us. It was still worth the wait since I don't know if I would've paid $27 to see this (I guess it's cheaper than going to China but I'd rather see it in its natural form in the tomb for the real effect).
Parking was $4.50 (tho' if you don't see a parking attendant, don't look for him since they don't check the cars) and relatively easy since they have lots. Also ladies, it's worth checking out the gem exhibit afterwards (those precious diamonds in all its clarity and color!).
3 stars for the size of the exhibit, 4 stars for the experience and freebie...i'll round up :)
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Excellent atmosphere. we were there when they had
"mummy" exhibit. Small museum but the collections
are one of the kind and really... worth going.
After strolling in this magical place, go head and sit
outside where they have a water fountain garden. You
will feel so peaceful. I could spend hours there, listening
the water and feeling the sun. This is very special space
and I promise bowers will take you the world of tranquility
you can rarely experience in the city.
The permanent collection is so-so.
We saw the jewel exhibit which was a 5 star. Stunning, awesome stuff.
The kid's area is great too.
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For a small museum, it has a lot of pieces in their collection.
It's really small though and despite the interesting pieces, you can whiz through the entire place in about an hour and get the basic idea of the exhibits.
It is primarily a cultural arts museum which means that it depicts cultures and history through art pieces.
Right now they have a mummy exhibit with catscans of mummies and sarcaphagus [sp?] old California mission pieces (the main part of the museum I believe is built in that style, a gems collection with beautiful precious stones, and a china exhibit. The PR representative told me that the museum has really good relations with the curators from the China museums and is able to obtain many of the pieces which are on loan.
It's a nice place for a lazy day!
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It's an ok musuem. Kinda small but has a decent collection of Native American and South American stuff. Parking is a breeze. They even have valet parking. The gems exhibit was alright and the terra cotta warriors were pretty cool. I agree with Judy W. about the audio tours being insulting. I just hope the terra cotta warrior walking around wasn't some white guy in yellowface.
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Not a review...as I haven't seen the exhibit yet, but maybe helpful info.
PIMCO FREE FRIDAYS. Free admission for up to 100 vistors per hour 4,5,6 and 7.
Something for free always gets 5 stars
Hope this helps someone out.
Of couse I found out about this AFTER I purchased my $27/ticket.
:(
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It's a small museum and we came for the Terra Cotta Warriors exhibit. The exhibit came w/ a hand held device where it includes some explanations and recordings of the exhibit. It was quite entertaining and the 2 hours passed by really fast. The rest of the museum is free and there was also the Gem Stone exhibits which I loved. I mean, which females aren't attracted to those rocks? Super pretty and I wish we could take pics, but alas, no cameras allowed.
I was tempted to give the Terracotta Army exhibit a lower rating, but the fact is, the Bowers Museum is probably the only place outside of China that you can actually see these amazing artifacts. That alone is worth the visit, although there are a few negatives:
1. At nearly $30 per adult (including fees), the exhibit is more expensive than the Getty (free), LACMA ($12), Norton Simon ($8), Smithsonian (free), MoMA ($20), The Met ($20), and probably most other museums in the country.
2. The most annoying thing about the exhibit was the Chinese-accented English of the "Terracotta Warrior" featured in the audio guide. Thankfully, he is used sparingly.
3. The audio guide is only available in English. There is no Chinese version, and the across the entire exhibit there is almost no Chinese translation (only the titles of the exhibit pieces are translated).
4. You know how those Disneyland rides, after three minutes of disbelief suspending bliss, shamelessly spit you into a gift shop, reminding you that it is all a part of the capitalist machine? Well, the Terracotta exhibit does exactly the same thing. You cannot exit without walking through the entire gift shop... featuring bright pink, orange, and green mini-Terracotta warriors for $29.99.
4. This should not be held against the Bowers, but anyone who has seen the Xian exhibit will find this one underwhelming.
A few positives:
1. By my count, there were: 9 warriors, 4 civilians, 1 horse, and multiple fragments.
2. This alone is worth the price of admission: at certain points you can view a Terracotta figure as close as (roughly) 18 inches, without a glass enclosure in your way. Even in Xian, such close proximity is not possible.
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Went there for the Terra cotta warrior exhibit. For the price of $21 student and $25 adult, I expected a lot more. I know that bringing artifacts overseas costs lots of $$, but I've never paid that much for any museum in l.a. or anywhere for that matter... I think the best part was the real human that dressed up as a warrior. My friend took a quick pic with him. The actual exhibit was a bit small. They gave everyone headsets that played info at every artifact. I dunno, seemed like they were filling time for the lack of. OR, maybe I'm just numb since I've been to china 3x and my last trip was to machu picchu? However, It was interesting if you haven't seen it. The rest of the museum was decent. The jem exhibit was koo. The ladies certaintly liked it. And the art of asia was koo. Don't forget to go to the corner of the building on the 2nd floor to look at the ceiling murals in the meeting room.
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I brought my kids here to see the mummies. I don't recall the price, it was not too much. We had a personal tour, actually there was a lady there doing a tour and we just glommed on. My son is fascinated with mummies, and they got lots. They are in the news right now for having some items I guess that are stolen or something, and the museum is closed now.. but when I went, I liked it. The grounds are beautiful and as far as mummies go, I learned a lot, and saw a lot. I would definitely go again. Parking is easy, they have an adjacent parking lot, that is free. It is easy to find, right off the freeway.
I went to the Bowers a couple of months ago to view the Ansel Adams exhibit. The ticket price is really decent and their exhibitions are very nicely assembled. Everything in the Ansel Adams gallery flowed nicely and all the photos were beautiful that they almost brought a tear to my eye. I love the place and I can't wait to go back.
I came here for my husband's Christmas party. I was actually a little bummed that we were restricted to the patio area. You would think that since we are at a museum they would have some sections open for us to walk around. Besides that the service was good (I don't know if they catered or it was a 3rd party vendor) and food decent.
Fantastic museum. Would suggest everyone go visit ASAP. They are about to open the Miao (Chinese) people & their beautiful clothing as well as African photo exhibit.
The museum's exterior reminds me of a California mission, but the inside is quite modern. I am no expert, but I thought the collections were fascinating - the ancient Chinese art is both lovely and amazing, and the mummies collection is something that I would recommend that everyone see, as it was my personal favorite for the afternoon. To see the mummies and the coffins, and to read about how the Egyptians weighed the hearts of the deceased to determine whether or not they lived a good life was mesmerizing, and I think I need to go back to learn more. The hieroglyphs were also incredible; I probably could have looked at this collection for hours. Right now, there is also a gems collection that I walked through quickly; it is breathtaking, but I was more interested in seeing the rest of the collections. There was also a collection of tribal wear from Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Americas that was just stunning. They also have a fabulous store with goodies you don't see everyday - a little gem of a museum that I will return to soon.
