Weekend plans, planned. ✨ Slow down, wander the galleries, discover something new, and make a day of it at the museum—solo, with friends, or with family.

Did you know? 🧐 Before the Bowers Museum ever welcomed its first visitors, it began as this hand-drawn floor plan. ✏️🏛️ Created in the early 1930s, this ink drawing mapped out a memorial museum designed in the Spanish Mission Revival style—complete with a bell-topped historic wing.

A rare glimpse of a rider in traditional dress, captured mid-stride across Tibet’s Eastern Grasslands 🐎✨ What can moments like this reveal about culture and tradition?

Back to work-from-home mode after the holiday break? We’re definitely in our thinking era. 💭💻 Raúl Anguiano’s Thinking captures that in-between moment—when the mind is waking up, ideas are forming, and focus is slowly returning.

Our latest extended museum hours event was a hit! 🀄✨ We loved seeing guests linger a little longer—exploring the galleries, connecting with friends, and enjoying a lively game of Mah Jongg in the Museum with @mahjclub.

⏳ Today’s the day! 
Help us finish the year with impact. Your year-end gift fuels exhibitions, education, and community programs that serve families, students, and lifelong learners across Orange County.

⏰ Last chance to make it count! There’s just one day left to support Bowers Museum before the year ends. As we head into our 90th anniversary year, your gift helps us welcome families, inspire students, and offer meaningful programs for seniors and lifelong learners across Orange County.

Winter arrives right on cue 🌧️❄️ With a stormy holiday forecast across Southern California this week, Ernest Meyer’s Winter Storm in the Blue Hills feels especially fitting—its cool whites, greens, and greys echoing the season’s moody skies and quiet pause.

As we head into the holidays, thank you for making Bowers’ 90th possible. We are deeply grateful to the generous supporters who help preserve, present, and share art and culture with our community—your belief in our mission means everything.

How did 20th-century portraiture change the way women were seen—and who was really doing the looking? 👀✨ Our latest Bowers Blog post, Meeting Her Gaze, explores the rise of the female gaze through powerful images—from corporate promos to a striking portrait of Diahann Carroll.

Kick off the new year with color, rhythm, and culture at Bowers Museum! 🎉 Join us Sunday, January 4, 2026, from 11 AM–3 PM for our FREE Family Festival: Festival of India.

A mask made to breathe fire🔥🐊🐗 This striking kponyugu helmet mask blends warthog tusks, antelope horns, crocodilian jaws, and other animal features into one powerful, chimeric form.

🎅🚆 Did you know? Santa once arrived in Santa Ana by train! On November 26, 1948, families lined the streets to welcome the Santa Claus Special—a festively decorated three-car train led by a 660-horsepower diesel locomotive, complete with a Railway Post Office car and caboose.

This week, take a stroll through our galleries and explore a rich range of art history—from Sacred Realms, Art of the Pacific Islands, and California Bounty: Image and Identity, 1850–1930, to the entrance of our newest featured exhibition, Global Threads: India’s Textile Revolution.

A peaceful pause before the holiday bustle ✨ This Sunday, take in the soft tones and musical moments of Tonalist artist Thomas Wilmer Dewing—perfect for slowing down and reflecting.

✨ It’s opening weekend! ✨ 
Step into a world of color, craftsmanship, and creativity at Global Threads: India’s Textile Revolution—now open to the public! From intricate patterns to powerful stories woven through time, this exhibition is a feast for the senses.

Sneak peek 👀 Our installation team has been hard at work bringing Global Threads: India’s Textile Revolution to life — and it’s almost ready.    This Saturday, December 13, step into a world of vibrant textiles, dazzling craftsmanship, and centuries of innovation.   Tickets at bowers.org/threads

SoCal is gifting us mid-70s sunshine this week — the perfect time to wander the Bowers and enjoy art that feels just as warm ☀️🌿 Pictured: Flores Peak (1918) by Anna Hills, a beloved Orange County artist whose sun-kissed landscapes capture the heart of our region.

Nothing brings us more joy than seeing newlyweds celebrate their special day surrounded by loved ones here at Bowers Museum. 💍✨ From ceremony to reception, love truly shines among the art. Cheers to Grace & Isaac — wishing you a lifetime of love and beautiful memories! 🥂💕 📸 Photos by Shion Uza

✨ Featured in First Look! ✨ 
Raúl Anguiano, born in Mexico, journeyed the globe before calling Southern California a second home. This red chalk (sanguine) portrait pays homage to Graciela Iturbide’s Our Lady of the Iguanas (1979), blending tradition with bold artistic expression. 🎨🦎

🧵 One week until Global Threads: India’s Textile Revolution opens—Dec 13! 🎉 
From vibrant cottons to world-changing trade routes, India’s textiles rewrote the history of fashion, art, and global exchange.

🎉 Don’t forget! Our FREE Family Festival is THIS Sunday! ❄️✨ Join us December 7 from 11 am–3 pm as we celebrate International Winter Holidays with music, art, and traditions from around the world. 🌍

Game night, but make it Mah Jongg! 🀄🎉 Grab your tiles, bring your set, and enjoy an evening of social play with Mahj Club—raffle prizes, community, and lots of fun included. Whether you come solo or with friends, our team ensures a fun and social environment where everyone feels connected.

Global Threads: India’s Textile Revolution opens next Saturday! ✨ Celebrate Opening Day with a special lecture and book signing by curator Dr. Sarah Fee, December 13 at 1:30–3 PM.

This Giving Tuesday, join the global movement of generosity by supporting Bowers Museum as we enter our 90th anniversary year. Your tax-deductible gift helps make free family festivals, school tours, and accessible arts education possible for our community.

Save the Date!📢
World-renowned archaeologist Dr. Zahi Hawass returns to Bowers Museum for an extraordinary afternoon of discovery.

🎁Shop our Holiday Sale this Friday–Sunday onsite and online and enjoy 10% off distinctive, art-inspired gifts with code HOLIDAY2025. ✨ We’re proud participants in Museum Store Sunday, and as always, your purchases help fund Bowers Museum’s education programs.    #HolidaySale #museumstoresunday

This season of thanks, we’re celebrating the community we've grown through our free Family Festivals, which bring thousands of visitors each year. As we head into Bowers’ 90th anniversary, your year-end gift helps keep these monthly celebrations of culture vibrant, creative, and free. 💛

The Nashak- a mid-length raffia skirt worn by Kuba women of the Democratic Republic of the Congo- brings artistry and movement together in stunning ways. Often compared to jazz, these ceremonial textiles mix rhythmic repetition with bold improvisation.

Rainy days in SoCal call for a little Billie Holiday ☔️🎶 Set the mood with her timeless voice, then explore a striking 1954 black-and-white portrait by photographer Leigh A. Wiener, captured during a magical night in Berlin. Discover more at collections.bowers.org/collections. 🖤

A fresh perspective on our Key Courtyard 🎨✨ We love seeing Bowers through your eyes—today we’re resharing an awesome reel from visitor @ixskalee, who captured the courtyard in the most creative way with his sketchbook. Thanks for sharing your talent with us! 🖋️📚 #repost 🎥: @ixskalee

As the weather starts cooling down, you may find comfort in Maurice Utrillo’s winter landscape. Born in Montmartre, France, Utrillo (French, 1883–1995) was a self-taught artist and son of the French painter, Suzanne Valadon.

Rainy weekend ahead? ☔️ Find the perfect indoor escape at Bowers. Wander the galleries, soak in some art, and enjoy a calm, cozy day with us. Don’t forget to stroll through the free bonsai display on view inside the museum all weekend!

Tiny trees, big inspiration! 🌳✨ The Kofu Kai Annual Bonsai Display returns to Bowers Museum November 14–16, filling John M. Lee Court with living works of art.

Papua New Guinea is home to diverse ceramic traditions, many of which continue to thrive among Sepik River communities today. This hand-crafted ceramic bowl from the East Sepik Province is incised with the face of an ancestral spirit and geometric motifs characteristic of Sepik pottery.

This historic 1917 photograph captures Santa Ana’s first draftees for World War I, gathered on the steps of the Old Orange County Courthouse. Each face represents courage, sacrifice, and a shared commitment to service.

💎 Two OC gems: Pauline and the Bowers! Born in the same month back in 1936, Pauline Rusterholtz and Bowers Museum have shared 90 years of stories, growth, and community.

Have you ever walked the streets of Jerusalem? Imagine them 2,700 years ago—reshaped by Assyrian conquest, bustling under new rulers, and leaving behind clues that rewrite what we thought we knew about ancient Judah. 🗓 Sunday, November 16 | 1:30–2:30 PM

#didyouknow More than half of the 115 groups of objects in the exhibition World of the Terracotta Warriors were unearthed after Bowers’ last presentation of the Terracotta Warriors in 2011 and most had never been to the United States before?

🎉 We’re turning 90 — Be Part of the Celebration!   Since 1936, Bowers Museum has brought art, history, and culture to life — and now we’re preparing to mark our 90th anniversary on February 14, 2026! ❤️

We’ve noticed some new faces around here—welcome to the Bowers family! 👋💛 Thanks to you, we’ve just reached 25K followers, so what better time to reintroduce ourselves? Founded in 1936, the Bowers Museum is a nonprofit art and culture museum dedicated to celebrating the world’s diverse heritages.

There’s something hauntingly beautiful about the glow of candlelight... 👁️✨ This mysterious portrait, Girl by Candlelight by Millard Sheets, captures a moment of quiet contemplation—made all the more enchanting by its eerie green tones.

✨ Did You Know? ✨ In the Himalayan region of Ladakh, India, married women wear an ornate headdress called a perak—crafted with turquoise, coral, carnelian, and silver, and shaped to resemble a king cobra! 🐍💎

✨ Exhibition Ticket Launch: Explore a world woven in beauty when you see Global Threads: India's Textile Revolution, opening December 13! Made with novel cotton, vivid colors and exuberant design, the painted and printed cottons of India changed human history.

✨ Honor the memories that live on ✨ Visit our beautiful Community Ofrenda, inspired by the rich Mexican tradition of honoring loved ones who live on in spirit through the joy and beauty they brought to our lives. 💐

Take a walk through the woods with Ann Cullen’s Untitled (1994) — a quick yet skillful ink sketch that perfectly complements the calm beauty of fall. 🍂 First known as an actress and model, Cullen’s quiet passion for art shines through every line.

✨ Celebrate life, love, and memory at our Día de los Muertos Family Festival on Sunday, November 2! 
Join us for a day filled with music, dance, and color honoring our loved ones who live on in spirit. 🎶💐

🎬 We’re thrilled to partner with the 26th Annual Newport Beach Film Festival!   Enjoy an exclusive 25% off your tickets with code Bowers25 for these must-see documentaries:   📅 October 18, 2 PM: Memory for Burial 📅 October 19, 5:45 PM: Bob Gurr: Living by Design

Fall days + art = the perfect combo 🍂 Whether you’re making it, admiring it, or discovering it, there’s no better place to spend the season than at Bowers Museum.

As Hispanic Heritage Month draws to a close, we celebrate the vibrant creativity that continues to shape art and culture across generations. ✨