Seán O’Harrow, President and CEO of the Bowers Museum, spoke during an interview at the Bowers Museum in Orange County, Southern California, United States, on Oct. 20, 2023. The Bowers Museum, a leading cultural art museum in Southern California, looks forward to further strengthen cultural ties with China and serve as a bridge to enhance US-China understanding, the bag President and CEO of the museum, Dr. Seán O’Harrow, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
The Bowers Museum, a leading cultural art museum in Southern California, United States, hopes to further strengthen cultural ties with China and serve as a bridge for enhancing understanding of US-China, the new museum. President and CEO, Dr. Seán O’Harrow, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Located in the heart of Orange County, the Bowers Museum has eight permanent exhibits in the collection that showcase art and artifacts from cultures around the world, including a dedicated Chinese gallery.
The Ancient Arts of China gallery presents a unique collection of nearly 200 objects created over a period of more than 5,000 years, from the Neolithic period to the Qing Dynasty.
The artifacts in the gallery represent all the major forms of artistic expression commonly associated with Chinese history and culture, including calligraphy, painting, ceramics, bronze, textiles, and sculpture.
“China is one of the great cultures of the world. Also on the West Coast and along the Pacific, we consider China our neighbor. So it’s important to have a very important gallery here (about China), and keep the connection culturally with the Chinese,” O’Harrow told Xinhua.
Since its establishment in 1936, the Bowers Museum has had cooperation and exchange programs with Chinese museums, including the Palace Museum, Nanjing Museum and Shanghai Museum.
It hosts various exhibitions showing the cultural heritage of the Forbidden City, Tibet, Xinjiang, the Terra-Cotta Warriors of Shaanxi Province, and other parts of China.
The museum plans to expand its partnership with China in the future, according to O’Harrow.
“We are cooperating with new museums opening in Fujian Province that specialize in the Pacific Rim and Pacific islands. We will lend works of art to the museums,” he told Xinhua.
The Bowers Museum also plans to bring in more contemporary artists from China, O’Harrow said, adding that it’s important to make a connection between the past, present and future.
Anne Shih, chairwoman of the Bowers Museum’s Board of Governors, launched a “Junior Ambassadors Program” for the museum in 2001, with the goal of exposing young participants to the rich history and culture of ancient China while helping them develop in public service and presentation. skills.
The museum has become a base for Orange County students to experience the history and civilizations of China.
“We have a great responsibility to teach students, youth, world cultures. Having a Chinese gallery is very important, especially if you talk about the development of cultures throughout Asia, the origin of Chinese culture and religion, and the influence of the countries surrounding China and history,” said O’Harrow.
The Bowers Museum will continue to serve as a bridge for US-China cultural exchanges and people-to-people friendship, he said.
“We hope to bring Chinese culture to American audiences through various exhibitions, so they can learn more about China’s deep history and beautiful culture,” Shih told Xinhua.
Several new exhibitions are currently being held at the Bowers Museum, including a photography exhibition called The Power of Photography, which features a selection of iconic images compiled by pioneering collector and gallerist Peter Fetterman to celebrate photography’s extraordinary capacity for sensitivity.
Among the more than 70 rare original prints on display is a portrait of a Chinese ambassador in the Qing Dynasty.
“What is remarkable (in the photo) is the power of her face, the emotion, dignity, intensity and the beauty of it,” Fetterman explained to Xinhua.
The quality of the print, the details, the light, the way the photographer captures the Chinese expression is very rare, he said. ■
Visitors view works of art at the Bowers Museum in Orange County, Southern California, United States, on Oct. 20, 2023. The Bowers Museum, a leading cultural art museum in Southern California, hopes to further strengthen cultural ties with China and serve as a bridge for increasing US-China understanding, the new President and CEO of the museum, Dr. Seán O’Harrow, told Xinhua in a recent interview. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)
People visit the Bowers Museum in Orange County, Southern California, United States, on Oct. 20, 2023. The Bowers Museum, a leading cultural art museum in Southern California, hopes to further strengthen cultural ties with China and serve as a bridge to improve US-China understanding, the bag President and CEO of the museum, Dr. Seán O’Harrow, told Xinhua in a recent interview. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)
People visit the Bowers Museum in Orange County, Southern California, United States, on Oct. 20, 2023. The Bowers Museum, a leading cultural art museum in Southern California, hopes to further strengthen cultural ties with China and serve as a bridge for increasing US-China understanding, the new President and CEO of the museum, Dr. Seán O’Harrow, told Xinhua in a recent interview. (Photo by Zeng Hui/Xinhua)
