Bowers Museum of Cultural Art - Santa Ana, California

Address:2002 N Main St.
Santa Ana, California
Tel: (714) 567-3600

One of Orange County's finest and largest galleries awaits you at the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art. Devoted to promoting human understanding, this remarkable gallery holds six permanent galleries and has presented 45 special exhibitions from around the world. Though opened in 1936 as a city-run history of Orange County Museum, it was transformed in 1992 and re-opened in a state-of-the-art facility.

Exhibits at the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art include Tribal art from the Pacific Islands, Africa, China, and the Americas. 70 rare and spectacular treasures are on display showcasing body adornments, hunting and warfare, and more on the tribal way of life. A rather exotic "Vision of the Shaman, Song of the Priest" presents Pre-Columbian and Mexican art in a gallery that attempts to communicate the power of these mysterious cultures.

Three California exhibitions are also on display: "First Californians" showcases tribal pieces from the native people of California, "The Golden Years", a lovely collection of 56 landscapes, figure pieces and still lifes by California artists between 1875 and 1955, and "California Legacies" that hosts a rich and colorful collection of the diverse culture of the people who settled California. There are also rotating special exhibits such as a fascinating display of Egypt's mummies, as well as a collection of important gemstones.

Young visitors to the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art will love the Kidseum where they can have both a learning and fun experience by dressing up in international costumes, playing tribal instruments, wearing ethnic masks and learning about other languages.

The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art also features a multicultural gallery store and houses a fine restaurant that serves up a diverse menu of California cuisine. Reservations are recommended.

The bus line servicing The Bowers Museum and Kidseum is the OCTA bus number 53. Metrolink and Amtrak trains stop at the Anaheim Station (3.5 miles from the Museum), and the Santa Ana Station (1.7 miles from the Museum). The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art is located at the corner of 20th & Main Streets in Santa Ana, one minute from the 5 freeway, (Main St. South exit) and just minutes from the 57, 55 and 22 freeways.

One of Southern California's finest museums and Orange County's largest, the Bowers Museum is one of the only museums in the United States devoted to promoting human understanding through art.