Pilgrimage to Fowler Museum yields richness, inspiration, cultural understanding

World Art demonstrates sense of global unity in wake of Paris attacks

“Disguise”poster for current exhibition at the Fowler Museum at UCLA.

This is a kind of stream of consciousness post just pouring my heart out to whoever is out there listening to not give in to despair, to worry, to fear, to hopelessness when this darkness rears up and lashes out to destroy all in its path. Paris is the heart of artistic expression, freedom, liberty, risk. We’ve been hit in that vulnerable pulsing heart of creativity. And we there are many of us rising up in spirit, rallying against the knee-jerk response to more violence to find a different way, as my yoga teacher Diana Lang so aptly expressed in her recent blog post. 

So my response is this: 

Go outside and let nature heal you. Go inside yourself and feel your own goodness. Go inside places of solace — seek out art that feeds you – live music, dance, theater — museums, studios, galleries — filled to the brim with moments in time created by human beings channelling their highest selves.

 

See VIDEO https://youtu.be/UFmPcGikwTU

 

Fowler at UCLA is treasure trove

A recent visit to UCLA’s campus drew me into the always intriguing Fowler Museum. The UCLA Dental School was my first destination (for reasons I would rather skip, as it involves barbaric medieval screws into jawbones, grafting and the like). My reward after having sharp objects poked into my gums, and having my head locked into a tube for 3D imaging of my cranium … was a visit to UCLA’s portal to another dimension.

The Fowler never disappoints. I always feel like I’ve been transported to another time space continuum. Now in the face of the Paris attacks, the global unity conveyed by the Fowler Museum‘s eclectic art collection is a welcome salve. I’m writing this to encourage people to time to wander through the multitude of galleries filled with evidence of courageous creativity. The work is often spiritual, shamanic, magical, imbued with healing intention. Look deeply at the natural world. Love that. Emulate that!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The human spirit never ceases to amaze me. Visions of faith in that human spirit are captured here in colorful, vibrant images, shapes, textures, sounds. It seems no matter what country the artist comes from, there is a common thread of transformation. It also expresses unceasing human drive to make, give voice, give form, give life to objects, spaces and concepts beyond the mind.

Seeing the Zuni paintings of sacred spaces opened my eyes to the complexities of their cosmology and gladdened my heart that this legacy is being preserved.

The African regalia in the Disguise exhibition touched bone deep memories of the raw, raucous, mysterious Mardi Gras from a New Orleans childhood. The meditation sculptures resonated with my own 30 year dance of grace with Siddha Yoga, an esoteric mystical path that has enchanted, enlivened and blessed my life immeasurably.

Go out. Go in. Go see. Go to UCLA and take in the magic and mystery. It will do your heart good.