:: UCLA TODAY Home

©2004
The Regents of the University of California
 

UCLA Collects! Bodies of Knowledge

UCLA is an important repository for an astounding range of objects across myriad fields, from African masks to acupuncture charts to Renaissance prints. But how do these disparate objects contribute to UCLA's mission, and what can we learn by considering them together for the first time?

"UCLA Collects! Bodies of Knowledge," an exhibition opening at the Fowler Museum on April 17 in conjunction with the Year of the Arts, explores the role of collections at a major research university and how collections have played a part in UCLA's pursuit of knowledge.

This interdisciplinary exhibition juxtaposes significant and diverse collections of five UCLA institutions: the Fowler Museum of Cultural History; the Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts at the Hammer Museum; Special Collections in the Charles E. Young Research Library; History and Special Collections in the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library; and the Cotsen Institute of Archaeology.

The human body, essential to our worldview, was chosen as the theme of the exhibition. Visitors will see the body_s physical and conceptual manifestations through a remarkable variety of objects from many disciplines, geographic regions and eras. Highlighted are medical and anatomical treatises, New Guinea sculpture, Mexican papier-mâché figures, prints, masks, photography, artists' books and Native American rock art, among others.

"When viewed together," explained Marla C. Berns, director of the Fowler Museum and leader of the curatorial team, "we hope to suggest new links across cultures and disciplines — especially between the arts and sciences — and to create a modern day "wonder cabinet" to delight and inspire our visitors." —Stacey Abarbanel