Opening celebration for new Fowler Museum exhibit Mountain Spirits: Rice and Indigeneity in the Northern Luzon Highlands, Philippines

Saturday, April 11, 2026
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Pacific Time)
Fowler Museum at UCLA
308 Charles E Young Dr N
Los Angeles, CA 90024

Celebrate the opening of Mountain Spirits: Rice and Indigeneity in the Northern Luzon Highlands, Philippines with an evening of music and dance honoring cultural pride and the enduring connections between the Philippines and Los Angeles.

About the exhibition

For generations, the Ifugao of northern Luzon have transformed steep mountainsides into rice terraces—astonishing feats of engineering that are also sacred landscapes shaped by ritual, community, and a profound connection to land.

Mountain Spirits immerses visitors in this world through carved guardians, ritual bowls, woven blankets, farming tools, soundscapes, and video installations.

Together, these works reveal how sustenance and spirituality are entwined, and how generosity, labor, and environmental care nurture Ifugao life.

Recognized by UNESCO for embodying ancestral knowledge and sustainable practices, the terraces remain enduring testaments to human ingenuity and ecological balance. They are not monuments to the past, but living sites where memory, work, and spirit continue to converge.

About the opening

• 6:00 PM: Museum and galleries open to the public; food and drink service begins; DJ set in the Courtyard
• 6:30 PM: Opening remarks by Silvia Forni on the Terrace, followed by remarks from Stephen Acabado and Marlon Martin
• 7:00 PM: Opening performance on the Terrace
• 8:00 PM – 9:00 PM: Festivities continue in the Courtyard and galleries

The program features “Echoes of the Cordillera Mountains,” a dynamic performance by Malaya Filipino American Dance Arts, based in Los Angeles, in collaboration with community artists. Curated by Artistic Director Peter de Guzman, the program offers an inspiring exploration of music and dance deeply rooted in the highland cultures of Luzon, Philippines. Drawing inspiration from everyday life, courtship rituals, and thanksgiving celebrations for a bountiful harvest, the program highlights expressive movement and musical forms shaped by generations of Indigenous knowledge. Audiences will encounter dances influenced by the traditions of the Ifugao and neighboring communities, alongside the resonant sounds of bamboo instruments and gongs central to Cordillera ceremonial and social life. By honoring these living artistic practices, the performance deepens appreciation for weaving traditions, rhythmic structures, and the layered symbolism embedded in gesture and sound. Echoes of the Cordillera Mountains brings the vibrant cultural heritage of the Cordillera to life, fostering understanding, connection, and cultural pride.

Parking $17 is available in Structure 4 - 221 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90095. Follow the signs to park in the visitor parking area. Park and pay at the kiosk station before leaving your car.

Cost : Free to the public

Sponsor(s): Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Cotsen Institute of Archaeology, Fowler Museum at UCLA, UCLA Division of Social Sciences, Asian Pacific Alumni Association of UCLA, Henry Luce Foundation, Save the Ifugao Terraces Movement, the Philippine Consulate General in Los Angeles, and the Office of Senator Loren Legarda (Senate of the Philippines)