Marla Berns, the Shirley & Ralph Shapiro Director of the Fowler Museum, to retire
The Fowler Museum has announced that Director Marla Berns is retiring at the end of the 2020-21 academic year. Marla Berns, born and raised in Los Angeles, is a triple alumna of UCLA. She received her B.A. in art history in 1973; her M.A. in art history in 1976, with a focus on the arts of Africa and Oceania; and a Ph.D. in art history in 1986, specializing in African art.
After nearly two decades of service leading one of the world’s top museums focusing on the arts and cultures of Africa, Asia, the Pacific and the indigenous Americas, Marla Berns, the Shirley & Ralph Shapiro Director of the Fowler Museum at UCLA, will retire at the end of the 2020-21 academic year.
Striking Iron: The Art of African Blacksmiths. Installation View, 2018. During her tenure, Berns has overseen more than 170 exhibitions, 44 publications and thousands of public programs at the Fowler.
“Marla Berns has been an exceptional leader of the Fowler Museum for nearly 20 years, and a scholar of art history and world cultures with a profound commitment to justice and equity,” said Brett Steele, dean of the UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture. “Under Marla’s leadership, the museum didn’t just bring global cultures to our doorstep, it awakened us to a richer diversity of human experience.” —Avishay Artsy, Sept. 25, 2020
This post is an excerpt. Read the full article on the UCLA Newsroom website.
Stay engaged. Use #UCLAarts to stay connected.
