Nothing beats free admission! I was on campus for a commencement. While I waited for the commencement to start (we went super early to stake out good seats), I stopped by the museum. I enjoyed the exhibits in the museum. There was an exhibits on the Art of the Austronesians (Indo-Pacific people) and I learned that aborigines from Taiwan are actually Autraonesians who didn't leave; whereas the rest of them traveled all over the Indian and Pacific Oceans and settled in other countries. Being Taiwanese, it was interesting to learn that piece of information. The other exhibits were also very nice. The museum store was a bit small but it has many clearance items. You can walk through the museums in an hour if you are not reading each sign. The middle courtyard area has a nice fountain. I would love to visit again to see other exhibits. read more

A stranger recommended the Fowler Museum. She ended up giving me a short list of places to visit and I have slowly hit them all. Every recommendation was not only astounding, but seemingly personal, even though it came from a stranger. The Fowler is a wonderful museum. Just one elderly couple was present with me at noon on a Sunday. I observed 3-4 different exhibits. The Fiiman Tembe exhibit was absolutely breathtaking. Lots of African Tribal Art and history. The Bread, Butter, & Power exhibit also took my breath away. It was a four separate wall murals. The artist, Meleko Mokgosi, included books that they were reading which inspired the artwork or kept them busy throughout the creation. Lastly, Leopoldi Pena perfectly captures the game of Pelota in several black and white photographs displayed throughout the museum. The museum is free. You'll have to pay to park. I parked in lot 3 (lot 5 is closer) and paid $8 for the entire day. There are plenty of other things to take in, such as the Sculpture garden, Broad Art Center and the Meteorite gallery. read more

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Even though the museum is pretty small, with only four main exhibition rooms, the exhibits that they do have are really interesting and organized in an aesthetically-pleasing fashion. I love the color schemes on the wall and arrangements of all the art and artifacts. They rotate different exhibits in and out after a couple months. Some really interesting ones that i've seen that are gone are the ones focusing on Sound Suits and Ethnic Studies at UCLA. For those that don't live in the area, parking sucks because UCLA's pay-by-space is overpriced at $10 and I don't necessarily think I would go out of my way to find street parking just to go to this museum. Really make the most of this museum if you are a UCLA student because it's free and conveniently located on campus! read more

I have to go to this museum again, the first time I went, I took my little cousin & they were kinda creeped out my some of the artwork. It's small, somewhat interesting if your into that kind of artwork, & by that I mean putting a bunch of recycles, yarn, feathers & whatever else you have near by together & making it look like a person or bear. I might go again by myself if they have new artwork. Oh yea I took a star off because I'm not really fond of UCLA lol ...GOOO USC!!!! read more

The Fowler museum is a pretty impressive cultural museum. The permanent display "Collection of Silver" was impressive. The rotating display "Arts of the Benue River Valley", and "Arts of Africa and the Americas" were also impressive. The "Jam Session: Jazz" exhibit was a bust. Expect to spend about 45 minutes there. I was as impressed with this museum as I was with the Hammer museum (although perhaps I was expected less since this one is free). You can find more information on the link to my blog on my profile. read more

This is a underrated museum that many students don't even bother to visit. It's nice and excellent for viewing small exhibits. The chosen exhibits bring both global and local culture to anyone lucky enough to be there. They had exhibits that ranged from art on African female equality to urban Latino art and an "only in LA" exhibit on dresses made from condoms. The dresses were gorgeous. The staff were all grad students and were very knowledgeable on each exhibit shown. Definitely, a must for everyone interested in art. read more

Very Nice Museum!!!!!! My kids and I visited on 7-29-15.... Awesome! Their African artworks are Amazing!!! Thank you, (To the very nice and genuinely kind young lady working in the gift shop)... You made our day!! sharps3000@gmail.com read more

Fowler Museum - Museums Near Me - Los Angeles, California

These guys do things right. We saw a great presentation that had great depth - and the exhibits were fun and fascinating. Not too price - and you can always meet interesting people at the cafe afterward. read more

The Fowler is truly a gem. It is small so can be enjoyed in a couple hours but it is packed with an amazing collection.

What's the point of having a museum if its inaccessible to the non Ucla public. I spent 40 minutes trying to park.

For such a small place the Fowler Museum packs a huge punch. I might argue against coming here if you don't live in the area or are a student at UCLA as parking inevitably sucks. However, if you frequent the area regularly, stop by. The building is gorgeous with a fountain in the center and several exhibits. One time they had an exhibit on the Day of the Dead. At the time I had been studying that holiday in an anthropology class and found it extremely relevant. The main exhibit rotates approximately bi-quarterly (although I'm not sure about this) while the permanent collection consists of a lot of silverware. There are also numerous events tied to the main exhibit. For example, at one point they had dance lessons and a meal relevant to the culture of the current showing. These events aren't cheap; expect to pay 10-30 dollars. I've never been to one, but if they're anywhere close to the quality of the museum itself I'll be it's top notch. The Fowler Museum is truly a cultural establishment at heart. Beneath the museum lies the Costen Institute for Archaeology. For any UCLA student studying or interested in anthropology, it is the perfect supplement to one's studies. read more

Ah, I miss UCLA. Being an anthropologist and being alumni you'd think I'd have gone to Fowler while I was a student. I even had classes in the building! Fowler focuses on cultures around the world. Wish they had archaeological artifacts on exhibit, since the Cotsen Institute is below the museum. When we visited, there was an exhibit on Silver. There wasn't much else open. I think they were preparing for a new exhibit. Will certainly return! Parking on campus costs quite a bit (used to be $8, suspect it is $10-12/day now). We parked at a friends house and walked. The museum is free entry. They can hold your stuff and there is a cute little gift shop. Very nice staff, but don't bring your cool camera with the intention of taking pictures: no photography permitted! read more

THE PERFECT GEM for that free slot in the afternoons. It's got a grassy amphitheater, a beautiful courtyard, music performances, programs galore and a nonstop roster of eye-opening artwork- new and the old- from around the world. Everything is placed in context, which is helpful for people like me who need help in understanding contemporary art from time to time :) The Fowler has not failed me yet and consistently delivers a refreshing perspective for me since our world is so saturated with Western art. Some exhibitions even incite me, an American of inaction, to action. Women, Water and Wells: Photographs of West Africa by Gil Garcetti (yes, THE ex-Los Angeles DA) links clean water, human health and community success powerfully. Yes, images are worth a thousand words and more. The Garcetti exhibit is closing November 25th so hurry and try to catch it. If you miss it, try and get your hiny to the Inscribing Meaning exhibit before February '08. The show demonstrates the psychological, political, spiritual, healing and historic power of words and symbols across many mediums in Africa. Go and I am sure you'll notice how much more human and tangible the art is in comparison to some of the uber popular institutions in Los Angeles. read more

I dont like museums that think they are museums. This place isnt facinating. I feel like its just a collection of all the crap all the nice museums didnt wanna take and this is the goodwill that stores all the useless crap classified as 'art'. Either way, it was the closest thing open to help me finish my paper. Go USC!!! :) read more

Nice museum located at UCLA. I was able to check it out while taking a break from a book fair. Worth seeing if you happen to be at UCLA.

A free little museum you can stop by on your campus tour of UCLA. It's Open Wednesday through Sunday, 12 p.m to 5 p.m, Thursday until 8 p.m. and Closed Monday and Tuesday. And if you can't get around to going to UCLA they have an amazing "photo tour" online! http://www.fowler.ucla.edu/incEngine/?content=cm&cm=exhibitions read more

Free admission and beautiful exhibits! It was a little smaller than I expected though. It's a nice stop to make while at UCLA, but I would not suggest going out of your way to get there. read more

I have to echo the other reviewers: This is a great place to see good art without fighting crowds. Very peaceful and very pretty. It's mainly non-Western art (which can be too hard to find) and everything is laid out so you can get close and spend some time looking. Right now there's an exhibit showing Mexican silverwork that you're gonna want to spend some time in; the jewelry is utterly gorgeous. There's also art from Africa and photographs from Iraq and all kinds of other artifacts. Definitely worth a few visits. And don't skip the gift shop. I absolutely adore museum gift shops and this is a good one. About the parking: UCLA isn't the easiest place to park but there are parking kiosks and attendants all over so simply ask someone and they'll get you there. read more

I know that it is a small museum, since it is not close to home, I have not been there until today when I also had plan to attend Summer Concerts on the Green: Bola da Vez and Samba N' Motion. The museum features global arts and cultures with an emphasis on works from Africa, Asia, the Pacific, and the Americas that are to my liking. There is no sign in the UCLA campus for the museum, it helps to go online to take a look at the map of UCLA campus and search for the location of the museum before the trip. The admission to the museum is free but not the parking. The Fowler museum website provides parking information. If you are taking public transportation, Higard/Westholme is nearest bus station. Several Metro buses go there from Downtown, Echo Park and San Fernando Valley. The Big Blue buses serving the Westside also stop there. Do check out the event calendar on their website, it will make your trip more worth while if you go there on the day when there are other events. read more

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Not bad...some pretty interesting stuff to look at for college students like beer mug displays and such ...also admission is FREE! kan't beat that! read more

Moving, Educational, Informative. Great Museum. Great Events. Love the diversity of "World Art" that is presented. I loved El Anaatsui's shimmering quilts made of bottle caps, the exhibit of the Tuareg, the exhibit of Mardi Gras Costumes, and many others. Also a good blend of old as well as cutting edge new art. read more

Fowler museum is quite impressive to be so small. I originally went for the Jazz Ambassadors exhibit, but I was also impressed with their permanent collection of The Sir Henry Wellcome Collection. This collection has much to see, "From Yoruba beaded arts of Southern Nigeria, to pre-Columbian ceramic vessels of Peru, to elaborate batik textiles of Indonesia and the vibrant papier-mâché sculptures of Mexico." The Fowler has not been mentioned in any of the art classes that I have taken, but if you are studying art or textiles from Africa, the Pacific, or South America, I would recommend visiting. I remember seeing the work of El Anatsui online and wondering where I would possibly see one up close. The Fowler actually has an El Anatsui piece in their Wellcome collection. I want to give The Fowler more stars but since it is such a small museum, I rated it as three. read more

Took an anthropology class here once. Good world art. Recommend it if u r touring ucla

Went there last Sat for the opening of PascalelTayou's FANTASTIC exhibition -got to speak to the artist himself which was great! It's his 1st ever exhibit in a museum anywhere in USofA. GO NOW!! read more

I used to live on the East Coast where I loved visiting the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery. The Fowler isn't quite on that scale, but visiting is free and the rotating exhibits can surprise. In just a few visits I've seen exhibits on Indonesia, Laos, Colombia, and the American Southwest. There's also a solid African collection. All in all, it's highly recommended and often nearly empty when I visit on weekends. read more

This place is cool! Cozy, and the exhibits and events are actually rather fascinating!

Finally the Fowler has space for its own collection. And what a collection it is: the collections from Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia are very interesting and probably the best of their kind in LA. The Fowler's collection of silver is very impressive. I wish they would build a bigger building and put some of the archaeological artifacts on display. Of course, I don't know if the archaeological collections are really worthy of display... read more

I take classes here and it's so nice on the inside except for the crappy cellular reception. I'm 5 starring it on principle.

This is an under-rated museum, we pay a visit every year during our vacation and there are always hidden gems to be found particularly in the visiting exhibitions read more

Friendly and courteous staff! Great exhibits and presentations come to this museum. Just saw amazing artifacts from Jewish Iran! Only problem...parking is $11! Rip off! read more

Beautiful space, friendly atmosphere, a pleasant surprise in the middle of campus.

If you are in the neighborhood of the Hammer museum make sure you stop by the Fowler! It's a hidden gem that proves to be at the leading edge of world arts exhibit after exhibit! read more

Nice little museum on the UCLA campus. There is a definite emphasis on non-Western art. The main exhibit space (titled "Intersections") is filled with art and artifacts from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Lots of masks, pottery, jewelry, clothes, etc. It's very anthropological. They have another room that's permanently filled with European silver (mostly dinnerware). The rest of the space is for temporary exhibits, which is currently displaying African and American basketry (not too exciting). I've been here several times and always came away satisfied. Best of all, it's always free. Parking sucks though. You'll have to pay ten bucks to park on campus. I've always been able to find free street parking on Hilgard, across from all the sororities. Only when school is not in session though. If school is in session it's almost impossible to find street parking. read more

The Fowler Museum at UCLA may not be on the top 10 list of things to do while in LA, or even as a student attending UCLA, but can be life-changing in its positive impact on global cultural appreciation. Worth the effort to get here, easier than a trip around the world, which is what you get exploring the galleries. Entry is free, you "pay" with the walking required to find the Fowler, even from Lot 4 it isn't easy. read more

This is a FANTASTIC museum for not only adults, but also children. I went on a school field trip with my daughter to the Fowler and they took us on a tour and then let us make some art. Our educator was amazing and really knew how to engage each and every child. She was fun, smart, and very nice. I strongly recommend sending your class or bringing your family to the Fowler Museum! read more