California Museums

Bowers Museum in Santa Ana, California, home to world class exhibits and educational opportunities, is open to the public. In May 2007 you can enjoy classical to jazz music, films, lectures and hands-on explorations for kids.  Travel the globe and gain glimpses into lifestyles and cultures ranging from Egypt to China during the month of May.

If you not been to the Bowers Museum, graced with immaculate lawns & gardens and unique architecture, be sure to drop by to dine and soak up the ambience of this Spanish charmer amidst a city with California's largest Hispanic population. Bowers Museum is a place you'll want to go back to again and again.

Saturday, May 5 1:30 PM

LECTURE: ANSEL ADAMS IN THE CONTEXT OF ART HISTORY
Doug Nickel, Director of the Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona , examines Adams’ achievement as part of art history and the idea that the status of Adams as an icon of American culture has left his work largely neglected by the academic community.

Admission: Members and Students $10; General $12*



Sunday, May 6 7:30 PM

VOCES MASTER CHORAL: AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 MINUTES

Rejoice in the beauty of songs as sung by Voces, Irvine Valley College Master Choral. Engaging choral music from all continents of the world, including “Cloudburst” by Octavio Paz which realistically recreates a thunderstorm, to “Sakura Sakura,” a beautiful arrangement of the traditional Japanese melody, to rhythmic selections from Latin America and Africa .

Tickets may be purchased at Admissions before the day of the performance and at the door the evening of the performance beginning at 6:30 PM.

Admission: Members and Students $8; General $10 (Tickets sold at door at 6:00 PM..)



Tuesday, May 8 5:00 PM – 6:00 View Exhibits

6:00 PM

FELLOWS EVENT – EXPLORERS CLUB

Mary Lou and David Furnas discuss their extensive photo documentation of the ancient and sometimes uncomfortable practice of trepanning (drilling holes in people’s skulls to relieve pain) in Kenya , East Africa . John M. Lee Court and Norma Kershaw Auditorium.

For more information please contact 714.567.3635



Thursday, May 10 1:30 PM

LECTURE: CHINA PAST AND PRESENT

Explorers, writers and photographers James Dorsey and Pierre Odier take the audience on a visual journey from the Terra Cotta Army of Xian, down the Yangtze to visit the River Trackers, and on into the wonders of contemporary China.**

Admission: Members $7; General $9



Thursday, May 10 5:00 PM – 7:30 Dinner

7:30 Film

DINNER AND A MOVIE: SHOWER

This summer film series delves into the intricacies, absurdities and clashes that occur when one viewpoint meets another, be it different cultures or amongst people living together within the same village. Join us at Tangata before the film for a superb themed dinner prepared by Executive Chef Greg Weile. Shower, the first in this summer series, is a delightful, somewhat sentimental Chinese film about the clash of a successful businessman who lives in a distant city and returns home temporarily into the fold of the closed world of his father’s bathhouse. Moderated by Karen Merced Willner, film and media literacy educator. For reservations to Tangata, please call 714.550.0906.

Admission: Members $8; General $10



Friday, May 11 1:30 PM

FILM: CHINA – BEYOND THE CLOUDS

The first of two National Geographic Society films that take the viewer to the small town of Lijiang to learn about life in China . An intense journey into the dreams, anxieties and joys of ordinary people living in an extraordinary time. Second film to show on May 25.** Admission: Free with paid admission



Friday, May 11 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

IMAGINATION CELEBRATION & SOUTHCOAST STORYTELLERS GUILD

Join us for a delightful evening in the company of storytelling kids from throughout Orange County as they share stories, recite poems, and give flight to imaginative tales through the spoken word. A heartwarming couple of hours in which the role of storytelling links past to present, present to future, and celebrates this ages-old art form.

Admission: Free (INSERT STORYTELLERS GUILD LOGO AND IMAGINATION CELEBRATION LOGO)



Sunday, May 13 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM

MOTHER’S DAY BRUNCH AT TANGATA

Celebrate Mom with a delicious meal prepared in Tangata’s superb kitchen. A bountiful array of Starters, Entrees and Desserts await! Please call 714.550.0906 for reservations.



Thursday, May 17 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

MUSIC SERIES WITH EDUCATOR LARRY MAURER: MUSIC OF WWII

Our summer multi-media series begins with the melodies and words that sustained some 15 million men and women who donned uniforms, worked in factories, or kept home fires burning throughout the years of World War II.

Admission: Members $7; General $9



Friday, May 18 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM

PREPAREDNESS DEPENDS ON YOU: DISASTER AND EMERGENCY TRAINING FAIR

A free public service program with presentations and information in English and Spanish on what citizens can do to be prepared in the event of a disaster. Participants include the American Red Cross, Orange County Public Health Department , California Governor’s Office of Emergency, City of Santa Ana Office of Emergency Management, Orange County Office of Emergency Management, and United States Geological Services. For more information, please visit the website at www.bowers.org.



Sunday, May 20 1:30 PM

LECTURE: STATUS AND POWER – COURTESANSHIP IN TANG CHINA (618-906)

Dr. Ping Yao, professor at CSULA, presents a lecture on courtesanship during the golden age of Chinese civilization with emphasis on the social and cultural background of the Tang dynasty and the courtesans’ life in imperial palaces, households of literati and brothels.**

Admission: Members $7; General $9



Thursday, May 24 1:30 PM

Words LITERARY SERIES: NGUGI WA THIONG’O

Share in an afternoon reading and talk with celebrated Kenyan novelist, essayist and playwright Ngugi Wa Thiong’o. Author of Weep Not Child, A Grain of Wheat and Wizard of the Crow, his works have been translated into more than 30 languages and serve as a viable link between the pioneers of African writing and the generation of post-colonial writers.

Admission: Members: $6; General $8



Thursday, May 24 6:00 PM – 8:30 PM

JAZZ AT BOWERS: JUDY CHAMBERLAIN

Join us at Tangata for an evening of straight ahead jazz with the Judy Chamberlain Quartet and congratulate Judy on her invitation to the Playboy Jazz Festival this summer! Tangata hors d’oeuvres and cash bar.

Admission: Cover charge $12



Friday, May 25 1:30

FILM: CHIINA – BEYOND THE CLOUDS

The second in a two-part film series that examines the daily life of the inhabitants of a small town in China , Lijiang. An intense journey into the drams, anxieties, and joys of ordinary people living in an extraordinary time.**

Admission: Free with paid admission



Saturday, May 26 10:00 AM – Noon Lecture

1:00 PM – 4:00 PM Workshop at Kidseum

BEAD SOCIETY OF ORANGE COUNTY

To be announced. Please check website.



Saturday, May 26 1:30 AM

LECTURE: FROM THE HITTITES TO THE OTTOMANS

World traveler and former archaeologist for the Egyptian government Fadel Gad presents a slide-illustrated lecture on Turkey , introducing the history and archaeology, with Islamic art and architecture a highlight. This lecture also serves as an orientation for participants in the museum’s upcoming excursion to Turkey .

Admission: Members $7; General $9