Charles W Bowers Museum Corporation
PROGRAMS
Anne's Treasures
Anne's Treasures is an ongoing arts engagement program for culturally-diverse, low-income seniors. An average of 120 "students" aged 62 or older convene on the second and fourth Thursday of each month to tour an exhibition, learn about cultural art traditions from around the world, and create a hands-on art project based on what they learn from trained instructors and visiting artists. Art projects are added to align with each new exhibit, and these join the list of 30+ favorites. The program reduces isolation by providing a safe place for socialization, and promotes strong mental health via the creative outlet of hands-on artmaking.
Art elevates the human spirit. When creating art, the brain is always at work. There are decisions to be made about subject, placement, color choice and size. Creating art reduces anxiety and helps the artist relax as he or she becomes immersed in a project. Being immersed in a project gives artists of all ages a feeling of having control over their environment. Senior citizens from all income levels and walks of life can become isolated and depressed. Creative aging programs such as Anne's Treasures reduce social isolation and improve the quality of life of older adults through professionally conducted instructional arts programs.Through Anne's Treasures, the Bowers Museum seeks to offer older adults in Santa Ana and surrounding communities with the space and the tools to grow and remain mentally and physically healthy.
Family Festivals
The monthly Family Festivals at the Bowers Museum speak to the very core of our mission to enrich lives through the world's finest arts and cultures. On the first Sunday of each month, the museum provides visitors of all ages with free access to high quality performing and visual arts that celebrate rich cultures and cultural celebrations from around the world. Family Festivals take place from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Family Festivals attracted more than 26,000 visitors in 2024, and approximately 60 percent of attendees were underserved children and families from the City of Santa Ana.
Family Festivals are designed to provide visitors of ages with an increased opportunity to appreciate - and gain a better understanding of - a variety of world cultures. It is the goal of the Bowers to continue to make significant progress in ensuring that underserved area residents have access to the arts, and that income will not be a barrier in children and adult experiencing all the arts and culture the Bowers has to offer. Recent Family Festival themes have included: Asian Lunar New Year, Chocolate Festival, Japanese Cherry Blossom, Cinco de Mayo, Jazz and Blues, Reggae Festival, International Winter Holidays, Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Celtic Festival, Mehregan Persian Festival, Pacific Islands Festival, and Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.
Museum School Partnership Program (School Tours)
The School Tours Program at the Bowers Museum is available to pre-K through 12th grade students in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Diego Counties. Teachers receive grade level- and gallery-specific study guides to utilize in-class pre- and post-tour. Each guide includes background on the exhibition students will visit, important visuals, details of art projects they will create on their tour, links to online resources and suggested classroom activities that connect exhibition content to grade-appropriate standards. Following each tour, students participate in an hour-long, onsite art workshop based on gallery themes. These classes and projects, developed and presented by teaching artists, provide access to high-quality arts instruction and materials, and offer a deeper appreciation for these culturally specific arts, their use in the context of the gallery experience and relevant connection to their own cultural life experiences.
Access to the Bowers’ tour program provides students with learning opportunities that complement and enhance school curriculum and align with Common Core and other standards. These provide unique opportunities for students to engage with cultures from around the world, and to celebrate and learn more about their own cultures and heritage.
Learning outcomes include improved cross-cultural understanding and a greater awareness of connections between their experiences and those of others. Through our tours and art projects, we strive to be a resource, a destination, and an extension and enhancement of classrooms in our community.
CONTACT
Charles W Bowers Museum Corporation
2002 North Main Street
Santa Ana, CA 92706
Kelly Radomske
Phone: 714-567-3628