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“Intersections,” the Fowler Museum’s first long-term exhibition, showcases a di

An early 20th-century mask from the Southwest Pacific; a Chinese hand puppet; a 19th-century Nigerian headdress; an ancient portrait vessel from Peru; a mask by the Tsimshian peoples of British Columbia. Although these objects ostensibly have little in common, they share more than meets the eye.

Each object exemplifies the themes of various galleries in the UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History’s latest project, “Intersections: World Art, Local Lives.”

Opening on Sept. 30, the exhibit will showcase 250 of the Fowler’s finest pieces, originating from Asia, Africa, the Pacific, and the Americas.

“Intersections” will be the Fowler Museum’s first ever long-term exhibition. The museum staff expects the exhibit to remain at the museum for several years.

“This is a benchmark time in the history of the museum,” said Stacey Abarbanel, director of marketing and communications at the Fowler Museum.

“Students, staff and others (now) have access to our more rare and important objects on a long-term basis,” she said.

In “Intersections,” visitors will be able to see works from around the world in five galleries, each of which has a different theme.

The first gallery, “Art and Action,” shows how aesthetics and purpose in art are intertwined.

The next gallery, called “Art and Knowledge,” displays works that assist in transmitting particular information.

The two subsequent galleries are “Art and Power,” which contains objects used to empower leadership and the interdependence of the sexes, and “Art and Transformation,” which displays art used for spiritual intervention and devotional purposes.

The last section in the exhibition is more of a gallery within a gallery. Called “Fowler in Focus,” the gallery will change every four months and feature unique acquisitions or recent gifts. At times, it will function as a subcollection to an existing collection.

“We’re trying to keep it fresh by changing objects around so visitors will be able to see their old favorites and experience new pieces as well,” Abarbanel said.

Through the exhibit and its constant updating, people will be able to discover new, thought-provoking works of art from around the globe, all in one convenient place.

“This new (exhibition) sounds like it pulls objects from different parts of the world, as opposed to focusing on one region,” said Jennifer Lim, a second-year undeclared student.

“I am excited to see how they integrate the different pieces into one space,” she said.

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The plan to have an extended exhibit at the museum has been in the works for five years, starting when Marla Berns became director at the Fowler Museum in 2001.

“When Marla Berns took on the position, she had the idea of a long-term gallery, which was one of the priorities for our five-year strategic plan,” said Polly Roberts, deputy director and chief curator at the Fowler Museum.

“I have always wanted to do this,” she said. “When Marla came, we both felt very strongly about it, and it seemed like an opportune moment to reconsider some of the directions we were moving in.”

Support for the idea of a long-term exhibit came not only from the staff at the Fowler Museum, but from museumgoers as well.

“Our visitors often expressed their desire to see our most outstanding and important objects on view,” Roberts said. “Our visitor surveys indicated that people want this and wanted to be able to see these objects in our collections.”

Roberts also hopes that visitors will leave “Intersections” with a greater comprehension of the world, its people and their art.

“We hope this becomes a wonderful and continuous educational resource for understanding and appreciating world arts and cultures,” she said.