Protect Cultural & Arts Education with the Fowler Museum

Global arts education is a critical tool for increasing understanding and broadening minds. Teaching children at a young age how to think through problems critically and celebrate, rather than fear, differences has become more vital than ever in LA's global community. 

The Fowler Museum at UCLA provides multiple opportunities for visitors of all ages and backgrounds to learn about diverse artworks and cultures, including K-12 school tours, intergenerational family programs, and professional development workshops for teachers. Over 65,000 individuals visit the Fowler Museum each year. In the 2016-2017 school year, this included 7,728 K-12 students from 190 local schools, with 70% of these schools receiving Title I funding or located in low-to-moderate-income areas.

We are committed to removing financial barriers for schools by offering all K-12 schools free admission and free guided visits. Likewise, each of our family programs is open to the general public free of charge.

Without the support of generous donors like you, we would not be able to sustain or grow these award-winning educational programs.

Field trips to the Fowler Museum expand students' learning through active hands-on experiences.  All tours are exhibition-based and meet Common Core Standards. For many students, their school field trips to the Fowler Museum are one of the few—if only—opportunities to interact with art that mirrors their sense of self, providing affirmation of their culture and lineage in our shared community. As one teacher recently said, “This exhibition content is such a rich experience and can effectively connect to all subjects—History, English, and Science. I think the Fowler is amazing and I love coming and learning so much from you all. It makes me reexamine what I should be teaching multi-culturally.”

Providing local students equal access to the Fowler is a top priority. “It’s still too much money,” the teacher explained, adding that all of her students qualify for federal lunch benefits—a measure of poverty. “We really want kids to get out and experience things. Many of these kids never leave their neighborhood.”

Even though Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has restored limited funding for arts education in recent years, most teachers still lack sufficient resources and knowledge to integrate the arts, let alone global arts, into 1st – 6th grade classrooms as mandated by the California education code. A 2015 survey of Los Angeles Unified elementary schools’ “arts equity” index found that 60% are providing limited or sub-par arts instruction. The Fowler strives to bridge this critical gap in services by offering teacher workshops, free field trips, and subsidized bus transportation for the most underserved K-12 public schools in the district.

Additionally, the Museum’s free weekend programs, Kids in the Courtyard and Family Jam, provide opportunities for families to learn about world cultures with their children. These programs average attendance of 200 visitors and feature drop-in art-making workshops and accompanying musical performances by guest artists inspired by the Fowler's exhibitions and collections. 

Every exhibition and educational program we offer must be underwritten by outside sources. These include private foundations, public granting institutions such as the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Endowment for the Arts, corporate sponsors, and most importantly, generous individuals like you.

Your gift enables the Fowler to serve more students, teachers, and families. The Museum can accommodate over 11,000 students per school year. Due to a lack of funding, however, we currently serve only 7,700 students. Your gift of $25 provides art-making supplies, a gift of $100 assists with the creation of new curriculum guides, and a gift of $500 funds an entire bus so that 50 students who otherwise could not visit the Fowler are able to experience global arts education! 

Every gift is matched dollar-for-dollar by longtime Fowler Museum patrons Jay and Deborah Last. Their matching contribution to the Fowler Fund provides unrestricted support to the Museum’s year-round activities.

The Fowler Museum fills a critical gap in arts education by working with Los Angeles schools whose arts activities have been eradicated by district and state budget cuts.

Thank you for your support—your gift helps to ensure the Fowler's success in our efforts to bring the dynamism of world arts to LA families, students, and teachers.