Well, the first weekend of 2008 was a dismal one weather wise. It has rained all weekend, thus limiting what I can do for my trip of the week. Even indoor activities seem like a chore driving in the rain in southern California!

However, I didn’t let the rain get in my way and made a journey to Orange County to visit the Bowers Museum. I had previously been to this museum a few years ago when they had the Eva Peron exhibition which contained artifacts and belonging to Argentina’s First Lady. But I returned because I really did enjoy this museum plus I wanted to see their exhibit on Mummies. Aside from that, I really like this museum because it is not so overwhelming like some of the larger museums and I enjoy the décor and charm of this building.

The Bowers Museum is in Santa Ana, California. It has existed for nearly 70 years, although its purpose and collections have considerably changed over that time. Although smaller than many museums in the United States, it is the only one to partner with the British Museum. Currently, it has on display permanent collections of Central American native artifacts and paintings of local, Californian scenes. It also has an exhibit on Mummies which is on loan from the Brithish Museum. It also has a large temporary exhibition space, a courtyard, a children's museum section, and a restaurant.

The name comes from Charles Bowers, a late 1800’s Orange County land developer, who donated the land on which the museum stands. The building was constructed in 1931, after the death of Ada Bowers(Charles's wife) left the property unoccupied. The new building remained empty for 4 years after, as the Great Depression prevented the city of Santa Ana from paying for any operating funds.

The Charles W. Bowers Memorial Museum first opened its doors in 1936 as a city-run museum devoted primarily to the history of Orange County. In the mid-1980's, the City of Santa Ana closed the museum with the understanding that after careful study and a great deal of input from the community, the museum would be reopened as a totally transformed museum, ready to meet the challenges of the 21st century. In October of 1992, The Bowers Museum of Cultural Art (some six times larger than the original Bowers Museum) opened its doors to a crowd of over 17,000 people. Since this highly successful reopening, the museum has presented over 45 special exhibitions from all over the world, opened six permanent galleries, and watched its membership grow to over 5,000 members.

The original museum is a Mission Revival, two-story building, now forming one side of the central courtyard. The rooms contains some WPA ceiling Murals, added during the four years in the Depression when the museum was closed for lack of funds.

International partnerships have been developed with the Palace Museum, Beijing, the British Museum, and many others. Its location, close to four major freeways and four miles south of Disneyland, makes the Bowers an ideal destination for visitors to Southern California.

I had already seen the permanent collection but since the rain was falling I was in no hurry. I meandered once again through the permanent collection catching glimpses of artifacts and art work I had missed on my prior tour. But my main reason for visitng was to see the Mummie’s Display.

Mummies: Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt ...are treasures from the British Museum and has drawn upon this world-famous collection of mummies and funerary objects to present the largest collection of mummies and coffins to ever leave the British Museum .

Among the peoples of the ancient world, the Egyptians occupy a unique position with their approach to death and the possibility of resurrection. This extensive exhibition features 140 objects, including 14 mummies and/or coffins, illustrates the fascinating story of how Egyptians prepared and sent the dead into the afterlife.

Mummies: Death and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt focuses on embalming, coffins, sarcophagi, shabti figures, magic and ritual, amulets, papyri, as well as the process of mummification. The exhibition illustrates in depth the story of the fascinating Egyptian ritual of preparing and sending the dead to the afterlife, complete with furnishings created specifically for an individual's coffin, such as spectacular gold jewelry and a wooden boat to transport the dead into the underworld.

After observing and studying the artifacts of this Egyptian Mummy exhibition, I was amazed at the collection. I then continued to look at some of the permanent art collection and one of my favorites areas of the museum California: The Golden Years which features art work from California artists between 1875-1955.

After several hours of walking around it was time for a bite to eat at the Museum Café called Tangata which is Maori for “Mankind”. I then shopped around the two museum gift shops which had numerous books, prints, jewelry and mementos of the museum.

For those visiting the Orange County area, many want to go to Disneyland, The Beach, and other theme parks. But I highly recommend this museum for it’s convenience, charm and it’s collection.