Event Blog #3: The Fowler Museum

For my final event, I decided to go to the Fowler Museum on campus. I didn’t know much about the Fowler Museum, but when I brought it up to one of my friends, he said that it was actually a very interesting museum, and suggested that I go. 

The first area that I visited was the silver collection. This collection really emphasized the concepts that we learned in class because of the way that the goldsmiths made the silver. Since antique silver had such high demand that could not be satisfied, the goldsmiths knew that they would have to come up with another way to make silver. Therefore, they made new silver that looked old. This process of creating new silver and melting down antique silver required a knowledge of how the material melts and how it reacts with other materials, which are basic concepts of chemistry. Additionally, to create the silver pieces, the artists needed knowledge of how silver could be melted, bent, and contorted. Therefore, the properties of silver were important in the creation of the silverworks, making science important in the creation of this type of art.

Image of a silver piece (image is my own).

I also went to the Memorial Paintings from 19th century Mexico exhibition. I noticed that the portrait of a child holding flowers had words written on the bottom. When I read the words, I realized they were talking about when the child was born and when the child died. This, along with the detail of the child’s face, showed me that there was an emphasis on understanding how life worked and how humans look. The art represented the science of how humans live, die, and their facial anatomy.

Image of the painting of a child, with a description of their life’s length (photo is my own).

The final collection that I really enjoyed was the textile arts section. I loved the different fabrics and patterns that were incorporated into the various textiles. Once again, it was evident to me that the creation of these textiles was an example of the combination of the arts and sciences because they required an understanding of geometry to create patterns. Therefore, math was required in the creation of textile arts.

Image of a textile work (photo is my own).

Overall, I really enjoyed my experience at the Fowler Museum, and noticed that many of the concepts that we learned in class were represented by the works at the Fowler Museum. 

Works Cited

“Geometry in Textile Design - Lesson.” Study.com, https://study.com/academy/lesson/geometry-in-textile-design.html. Accessed 7 June 2024.

“Making Silver.” Paul Revere House, https://www.paulreverehouse.org/making-silver/. Accessed 7 June 2024.

“Reflecting Culture: The Francis E. Fowler, Jr. Collection of Silver.” Fowler Museum at UCLA, 11 October 2023, https://fowler.ucla.edu/exhibitions/reflecting-culture/. Accessed 7 June 2024.

“Silverwork | Silverwork | Craftsmanship, Design, Techniques.” Britannica, https://www.britannica.com/art/silverwork. Accessed 7 June 2024.