Nestled near the junction of the 405, 5 and 22 freeways is a sweet little oasis of calm and beauty called the Bowers Museum.
The Mission Revival-style building in Santa Ana sits in an unlikely looking neighborhood of commercial businesses and industrial buildings, but it’s surrounded by greenery and inviting courtyards at both entrances.
Built in 1932 and opened as a city museum in 1936, the Bowers became an independent institution in 1986 when it underwent extensive renovations. It hosts several permanent exhibits on California and Orange County history; Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Africa and the Pacific Rim; and artifacts from ancient China.
Special exhibits are mounted on a regular basis and are always of interest. Recent ones have featured the World of Fantasy, Asian Comics and the art of famous Japanese printmaster Hiroshige.
Currently on view is “World of the Terracotta Warriors,” a first-rate presentation on the world-famous life-size clay soldiers discovered in a burial pit in Xian, China, as well as more than 100 newly discovered ancient artifacts from Shaanxi Province.
Divided into five sections, the exhibit begins with objects from the Neolithic period some 4,000 years ago and ends with five figures discovered in the burial chamber of the Qin Dynasty emperor placed underground 200 years BCE.
In the first section, a stone wall decoration reveals the earliest sculpture of a horse found in East Asia while a reproduction of the walls of the Chinese city of Shimao offers many animal-like images.
Animal shapes form the outside of a bronze wine vessel featuring elements of a bird, a rabbit, a deer and a horned creature. The object indicates how important wine was to that long-ago society, according to the commentary on a video tour by curator Tianlong Jiao.
A jade axe head and a variety of gold objects, including a belt ornament, an ornament with turquoise inlay and a ring with an animal face, all reveal objects of value thousands of years ago.
The last and most spectacular section of the exhibit spotlights the larger than life size terracotta figures that wow you as you round the final corner of the exhibit. They were discovered by a group of farmworkers in the 1970s and a few were featured at the Bowers in 2008 in their first visit to North America.
First in the current grouping is a chariot pulled by horses that looks like it could ride off into the sunset at any moment. The emperor buried his horses with him so that he could ride into the afterlife, the curator said.
Standing tall in individual cases are a kneeling archer, a standing archer, an armored warrior, a high-ranking officer and a young attendant. Each has a unique face, as do the many thousands of figures buried in the pits of Xian. They were originally painted in bright colors, which have since all but disappeared, and the guess is that each was patterned after an actual human with distinct facial features.
“Some even have wrinkles on their faces,” Jiao said, referring to close examination of some of the Xian warriors.
The prime directive of museum exhibits seems to be “Exit through the gift shop,” and my visit to the themed shop led to my purchase of a small kit to “excavate” my own personal soldier.
After a bit of anticipatory digging and scraping, it revealed itself to be a high-ranking officer who now rules over my living room bookcase. (Full disclosure: The box indicates which of several soldiers is encased inside so it’s really not a surprise.)
“World of the Terracotta Warriors” closes Oct. 19 and is well worth a visit to the Bowers,
I first discovered the beauties of this museum when I lived “far away” in the Inland Empire. It became easily and delightfully accessible three years ago when I moved to the Village, and I have since enjoyed visiting often for its many excellent programs.
If you enjoy arts and crafts projects, as I do, a program called “Anne’s Treasures” features a doable project for seniors the second and fourth Thursday mornings of the month. I have fashioned a basket from twine, a copper relief panel, a painted mask, a fish rubbing on cloth and many other items that now decorate my home.
The workshops cost $3 if you are a museum member and $13 if you are not. You even get breakfast consisting of muffins, croissants, cheese and crackers, juice and coffee into the bargain.
It’s both heartwarming and invigorating to see dozens of people industriously working on their projects, and many (but not me) appear to be excellent artists. Signing up ahead of time on the website is suggested.
Another excellent program is “Timeless Melodies,” a set of music history presentations featuring wonderful clips on an endless variety of themes from old movie musicals. These are designed and moderated by Larry Maurer of the Timeless Melodies Foundation on the fourth Thursday afternoon of the month at a cost of $11 for members and $16 for nonmembers. He has also started presenting similar programs here at the Performing Arts Center on the first Thursday of the month at a cost of $5.
With grandchildren in tow, I have also enjoyed a free Family Festival on the first Sunday of the month. The one we attended was a Pacific Islands celebration, with face painting, art projects and cultural dance presentations.
Most activities on these Sundays are free, and each month has a different cultural theme. The Sept. 7 event will focus on Persia.
Not to be forgotten – and I never do! – are the excellent Tangata restaurant on the premises and the superb gift shop filled with items themed to the current temporary exhibits as well as a standing host of ethnic and cultural items drawn from around the world.
Membership in the Bowers Museum at $70 single ($80 dual seniors) allows you to visit as often as you like, with one entry to all the special exhibits, such as the current one. An additional fee of $20 provides free parking (usually $6.99) each time you visit. Just opened is a showing of new acquisitions by the museum. You also get a 10 percent discount at the restaurant and gift shop.
If you ante up for the Fellows level of membership ($1,585 for two), you can sign on to one of the foreign adventures organized by the museum. Travel to Mongolia was a recent offering, and a voyage to Indonesia and Borneo is upcoming. There are other perks to this membership as well.
The Bowers Museum is truly one of the cultural touchstones for those of us lucky enough to live 20 minutes away.
It is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at an admission fee of $15 for seniors, with a $26 charge that includes special exhibits like the “Terracotta Warriors” exhibit.
For information, go to bowers.org.