Event #2, Bowers Museum

When I stepped into the Bowers Museum, the interior was definitely not what I had expected to be seeing. I have been to many museums in all over the world, but never have I been to a museum that included so many Eastern cultural paintings and artifacts (“Bowers Museum”).

Me with the cute little museum sticker

The first art piece that caught my eye was the giant Temple Drum from China, hanging on the wall by the ticket booth. The drum bears symbols of the Eight Immortals, fan, castanets, sword, flower basket, double-gourd, flute, lotus, and bamboo and rods (“The Eight Immortals”). It is said that when they all come together, they signify happiness. In class, we learnt from our first lecture regarding Two Cultures, that when two different cultures come together, they can create a third culture. I believe that the fact that this Eastern art piece is displayed in Western city brings out a new and fresh culture.

Temple Drum from China, made of wood, leather, paint, and metal.

Another example of how two cultures can interconnect is the exhibition of artist Qi Baishi’s paintings (“Qi Baishi Paintings”). Qi Baishi’s legacy in China is starting to gain recognition and appreciation outside of China, and that exhibition marks the first occasion that this collection of Qi Baishi’s paintings has been exhibited within the United States (“Exhibition of Chinese Master”)!

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Qi Bai Shi's Exhibition

At museum’s souvenir store sold many quirky and interesting things, varying from one culture to the next. For example, one the Buddha Kwan Yin figurines were placed next to a Wild Wild West cowboy Figurine. I found that oddly pleasant to see. Also, they had a shelf full of origami materials, such as books to teach readers on how to make different origami. Recalling back to previous lectures, Professor Vesna mentioned in our Math + Art lecture that one of the ways in which math has influenced art is through origami (“Mathematics and Art: Origami”).

I was very tempted to buy one of those books… The paper cranes were exceptionally pretty!

As a Chinese, I felt proud and happy that the works of my ancestors were displayed a rather Western city, and that there were so many Westerners at the museum so closely analyzing and trying to understand their artworks. The Bowers museum sure does enrich the cultural life of Orange County (Douglas).

"See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" little fat Buddha figurines; a rather cute scene I noticed at the museum store.

Works Cited

"Bowers Museum." Bowers.org. Web. 5 June 2015. http://www.bowers.org/

Douglas, Cathy. "Santa Ana’s Bowers Museum Enriches Downtown’s Cultural Life." The Orange County Register. 6 Mar. 2015. Web. 5 June 2015.

"Exhibition of Chinese Master Qi Baishi Opens in California." WantChinaTimes.com. 13 Apr. 2015. Web. 5 June 2015.

"Mathematics and Art: Origami." American Mathematical Society. Web. 5 June 2015.

"The Eight Immortals." CultureInCart. 6 July 2013. Web. 5 June 2015.

"Qi Baishi Paintings." China Online Museum. Web. 5 June 2015.