2020 Annual Member Magazine

2020 ANNUAL MEMBER MAGA Z INE

Crystal Bridges + the Momentary

Thank you for your support CRYSTAL BRIDGES FOUNDING ENDOWMENTS FOR COLLECTIONS, OPERATION, AND BUILDING

ENDOWED FUNDS SCHOOL VISIT ENDOWMENT

SPONSORED ADMISSION ENDOWMENT

EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE T HROUGH THE ARTS AMERICAN CRAFT

TYSON SCHOLARS OF AMERICAN ART ENDOWMENT & DON TYSON PRIZE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF AMERICAN ART

FAMILY EXPERIENCES

The Pamela and Wayne Garrison Family Foundation TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION ENDOWMENT

CLASSROOM LEARNING ENDOWMENT

EDUCATION STUDIOS ENDOWMENT

Doug and Shelley McMillon

Jack and Melba Shewmaker Family

ART AND WELLNESS ENDOWMENT

Mindy and Bob Rich Family Foundation

A D D ITI O NAL CO NTRI BUTO RS EDUCATION AND PROGRAMMING

Reed and Mary Ann Greenwood

The J.M. Smucker Company

Neff and Scarlett Basore

TRAILS AND GROUNDS

EXHIBITIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

Paul and June Carter Family

Tony Aquila

Ed and Sasha Bass

VA N C L IBURN S ERI ES ENDO W MENT Kelly and Marti Sudduth

Reed and Mary Ann Greenwood

Kay and Ellis Melton

Chip and Susan Chambers

Alice Walton

CRYSTAL BRIDGES SUPPORTERS Constance Caplan

James Dyke and Helen Porter David and Cathy Evans Family

Neff and Scarlett Basore

Colgate-Palmolive Company ConAgra Brands Bracken Darrell Terri and Chuck Erwin

21c Museum Hotel Ken and Liz Allen AMP Sign and Banner Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield Arvest Bank Avis Bailey Frank and Pat Bailey Bass Pro Shops Lance and Sharon Beshore BISSELL Homecare Blakeman’s Fine Jewelry Blue Rhino Juan, Marcy, and Joaquin Camacho Paul and June Carter Family Chip and Susan Chambers Rick and Beverly Chapman Harry and Erin Cornell

Thomas Lon Smith

Trott Family Foundation

Bob and Marilyn Bogle Family

Gelmart International George’s Galen, Debi, and Alice Havner

Jackye and Curtis Finch, Jr. Flintco Cindy Flynt Walters and Betty Flynt James Freeman and Barbara Yates Harrison and Rhonda French Family The William M. Fuller Foundation General Mills Jeremy L. Goldstein Greenwood Gearhart The Hershey Company Charles and Shannon Holley Rebecca Hurst and Jim Smith/ Smith Hurst, PLC J.P. Morgan Johnson and Johnson Consumer Inc. Wade and Kelly Jones Just-Us Printers Randy and Valorie Lawson/ Lawco Energy Group

Christie's

KFSM TV-CBS Kimberly-Clark Pinnacle Car Services

Leisurlist Logitech Marybeth and Micky Mayfield Mack and Donna McLarty Mark McLarty Moon Distributors, Inc. Morris Foundation, Inc. Murphy Foundation Northwest Arkansas Naturals Onyx Coffee Lab Kyle, Maury and Finn Peterson Phillips Procter & Gamble Lisenne Rockefeller Stephan and Catherine Roche JT and Imelda Rose The Russell Berrie Foundation Kate and Greg Schaffer

Stella Boyle Smith Trust

Fred and Shelby Gans

Harriet and Warren Stephens, Stephens Inc. Univision Arkansas

The Segal Family Foundation Ken and Celia Shireman Esther Silver-Parker Mark and Diane Simmons Dewitt and Cindy Smith Starling Family Charitable Fund Lamar and Shari Steiger Stephen and Claudia Strange Tartaglino Richards Family Foundation Jeff & Sarah Teague | Citizens Bank ViacomCBS Consumer Products Jim and Susan von Gremp Tony Waller Walmart AAOC William Reese Company Deborah Wright Anonymous

Thank you for your support

MOMENTARY FOUNDING FUNDERS

MOMENTARY SUPPORTERS Tom and Olivia Walton

Steuart and Kelly Walton

Alice L. Walton Foundation

Beacon Fund

Rob and Melani Walton Foundation

Anna and Carl George

Matthew Orr and Sybil Robson Orr

Esther Silver-Parker Sarah Simmons

21c Museum Hotel J&D Pallets

Whitney and Nick Silverstein

Stephan and Catherine Roche

Astreides Management, LP

Larry and Winnie Kearns Demara Titzer

Olivia Tyson

Greenwood Gearhart

Caryl Stern and Donald LaRosa

Tony Waller

Walmart Museum

MO INSIDERS Saeed Amidi

Bill and Beverly Bickell

Juan, Marcy and Joaquin Camacho Grace and Mark Doramus

Alan and Shareen Pruitt Mark Robson

David and Cathy Evans

Charles and Susan Redfield JT and Imelda Rose

Laura Finlay Smith and Emma Smith Alice Walton

John and Marsha Phillips

Ramela Kendall Rijos and John Rijos

Starling Family Foundation Tom and Olivia Walton

Lee and Linda Scott

Chris Keogh

James and Ann McKenzie

Matt and Ashley O’Reilly

Eric and Elda Scott

Pat Cooper

Chris Ferrara and Mayra Florez Jeremy L. Goldstein

Mark and Melissa Mathis

Alexandra Garrison Neville

Susan Stephens Campbell

Austin and Ryan Chapman

Harrison and Rhonda French Family

Crystal Lewis and Steven Reeves

Raven Munsell and Valerie Carberry

Tyler and Chelsea Slone Brown

Rick and Beverly Chapman

Clayton Erwin

James Freeman and Barbara Yates Jesse Lazowski

Ben Blakeman

Bruce and Emily Robson David and Heidi Smith

Stefan and Peyton Sterns Steuart and Kelly Walton

Marvelyn Stout

2020

ANNUAL MEMBER MAGAZINE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CHIEF DIVERSITY + INCLUSION OFFICER

Rod Bigelow

DIRECTOR, THE MOMENTARY

Lieven Bertels

SENIOR DIRECTOR

Sandy Edwards

Dear Member,

DEPUTY DIRECTOR

With the challenges of 2020, Crystal Bridges and the Momentary have embraced change, and our member magazine was no exception.

This edition marks the first of an annual version of our magazine. Through these pages, we look back at 2020 with a vision for the future. This gives us an opportunity to show you the impact of our efforts with more visuals of art and programming in our spaces, thanks to your support, dear member.

Now, you might be wondering: what did 2020 look like for us? Well, probably much like it did for you. We navigated unknowns. We closed and reopened our doors as we responded to the global pandemic, and we came face-to-face with ourselves and how we identify as an institution.

But I like to find the silver lining, and I realized that this year’s chain of events helped us to connect with our community in more meaningful ways than ever before.

Jill Wagar

CHIEF CURATOR

Austen Barron Bailly CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS + MARKETING OFFICER

Diane Carroll EDITOR

Erica Harmon CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Anna Vernon

SENIOR DESIGNER

Olivia Walton

CONTRIBUTORS

Austen Barron Bailly Alejo Benedetti Mindy Besaw Allison Glenn Jen Padgett MARKETING MANAGER

Alison Nation

PHOTOGRAPHY

In 2020, we: Opened the Momentary, a new contemporary art space in downtown Bentonville.

Stated our support for Black Lives Matter and Black artists and are committed to becoming an antiracist institution.

Mobilized staff to provide food, arts, and more through community outreach initiatives.

Brought thought-provoking exhibitions and artists to Northwest Arkansas.

Expanded our digital footprint with online educational tools, exhibition tours, virtual programs, and more.

This moment in time feels hopeful. Spend a few minutes with us as we look back on art, nature, and community outreach in 2020. May art in the coming year be used to your advantage, to be moved to action, to meditate, to calm the mind, and to be inspired.

Stephen Ironside Daniel Moody Dero Sanford MEMBERSHIP + DEVELOPMENT

Ana Aguayo Robyn Alley Amanda Brush Brandi Cline Iliana Gutierrez Emily Ironside Tonya Jackson Megan Martin Laura McArthur Leah Miles Loria Oliver Diego QuiĂąones Kerri Thomson Will Watson Christy Witt

Lead sponsor of the annual member magaine Rainforest AllianceTM and Ancient Forest FriendlyTM certified.

Erica Harmon Editor

Printed with vegetable oil based ink.

100% Recycled (post-consumer waste) Environmentally friendly

Total chlorine free Made with renewable energy Acid Free

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News

Construction Updates, New Offerings, and Community Outreach

CRYSTAL BRIDGES COLLECTION AND EXHIBITIONS 9 A Letter from the Chief Curator 10 New Acquisitions 13 State of the Art 2020

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Inspires New Ways to Engage with Contemporary Art

Hank Willis Thomas

Inspires Change, Joins Board

The Impact of Ansel Adams

Abelardo Morell and Catherine Opie

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2021 Exhibitions

MOMENTARY VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS 25 The Momentary Looks Back on Opening Weekend 28 Bringing International Artists to Northwest Arkansas 29 Expanding Visual Arts Outdoors 30 Performing Arts in the COVID-19 Era 31 Nick Cave: Until

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Takes Over the Momentary

What’s Next for the Momentary?

2021 Exhibitions and Updates

COMMUNITY AND EDUCATION 37 Social Connecting

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(While Social Distancing) with the Community

University of Arkansas School of Art

Class of 2020 Brings Art to the Digital Space

My Museum Kit

Art Projects in a Box

TRAILS AND GROUNDS 43 Magic in the Forest

The Story of North Forest Lights

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Take a Walk on the Museum’s Grounds

FOOD, DRINK, AND SHOPPING 49 The Momentary Shop

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Grab Your Gear

The Art of Cocktails

The Tower Bar at the Momentary

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A Letter to Members Last Word

Convergence, a New Nature Playscape

Alice Walton Talks Art in a New Audio Tour “I’m Alice Walton, and I am delighted to take you on this tour today.” So begins the museum’s newest audio tour, Alice Walton Talks Art, available on the CB Museum app.

In this self-guided tour, take a walk through the galleries with Crystal Bridges founder and board chairwoman Alice Walton as she shares personal stories and insights behind some of her favorite artworks in the collection. With this audio tour, you’ll learn more about the artists and artworks in the Crystal Bridges collection directly from Alice herself!

There are 33 stops throughout the permanent galleries along the tour, and the entire audio tour is one hour long. Transcripts of the audio tour are available on the app as well for those who would prefer to read. The app also features a handy map for users to locate each artwork within the galleries. Audio tours can be listened to at anytime, anywhere (not just at the museum).

You can find the app by searching for CB Museum in the app store on your phone.

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NEWS

Convergence will invite visitors to step off the trail and into the natural setting.

Crystal Bridges and the Amazeum are partnering to create a free, public, nature play space near the North Forest Trail. This fouracre, outdoor, interactive space for families is inspired by arts, science, nature, and design, accessible for guests of all ages.

Convergence will invite visitors to step off the trail and into the natural setting through the use of material, design, and water features that mimic the Ozark landscape. The design for this project is funded by the Walton Family Foundation’s Design Excellence Program which promotes the highest level of design in the region. The selected Design Excellence winner is Studio Bryan Hanes, a design studio in Philadelphia that creates socially and ecologically sustainable spaces.

Crystal Bridges and the Amazeum Will Soon Share a New Parking Garage Marlon Blackwell Architects is designing a six-story parking deck that will provide 800 parking spots for Crystal Bridges guests, as well as Convergence, Amazeum, trail visitors, and expanded cultural amenities planned in the area. The structure will also include two levels of program and engagement space on the west side of the parking deck as well as public restrooms.

Construction will begin in spring 2021 on the east side of the museum’s campus, north of the Amazeum, with an estimated completion date of fall 2022. The landscape architect for the parking deck is Michael Boucher Landscape Architecture, whose design aspires to integrate the structure into the forest with indigenous plants and trees lining the perimeter that help extend the discovery of art and nature.

Crystal Bridges Delivers Student Lunches during Quarantine As part of our outreach efforts during quarantine earlier this year, Crystal Bridges partnered with other community institutions to help alleviate food insecurity.

Through partnerships with Rich Foods, the Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, the Northwest Arkansas Food Bank, and Monitor Elementary School (Springdale District), whose students had challenges of getting to food distribution centers, the museum was able to deliver food boxes and art kits to thousands of students and individuals in the Northwest Arkansas community.

Crystal Bridges Expands Virtual Reality Program Crystal Bridges Virtual Reality (or CBVR) uses unique virtual reality videos and technology to transport us through the frame and into the world of some of Crystal Bridges’ most popular artworks. As part of this project, the museum is continually developing new videos, each featuring a different artwork, so visitors can experience and interact with the museum like never before.

Currently, there are CBVR videos available to step inside Kindred Spirits by Asher B. Durand, Our Town by Kerry James Marshall, Glass and Bottle by Suzy Frelinghuysen, and the State of the Art 2020 exhibition. Viewers can even take a 360 virtual tour through Crystal Bridges and view the Fly’s Eye Dome and the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Bachman-Wilson House. Visit CrystalBridges.org/VR and start exploring.

Digital Innovation and Virtual Experiences are supported in part by J.B. Hunt Transport Services, Inc. and PRISMA.

Working on-site at Crystal Bridges with proper safety protocols in place, staff and volunteers from across the museum worked approximately 1,678 hours to pack an estimated 6,600 boxes of food for the Food Bank and over 25,000 meals for Monitor Elementary students. Creativity kits accompanied every box of food, with prompts assembled by Crystal Bridges, the Amazeum, Walton Arts Center, the Community Creative Center (Fayetteville), and Girls on the Run. Sabrina Thiede, the Food Bank’s agency coordinator said: “It has been a remarkable experience to work alongside the Crystal Bridges team. Their willingness to step up as our sole volunteer team during the COVID-19 pandemic allowed us to continue our mission of serving the food insecure of Northwest Arkansas. I truly believe the best way to end hunger is by working together, and this was a giant step in that direction.” Crystal Bridges continues to partner with Monitor Elementary to provide breakfasts, lunches, and art kits to students every week.

Wondering when the crane will finally move from the Crystal Bridges entrance?

The Museum Courtyard Expansion Is Set to Be Completed in Spring 2021 Wondering when the crane will finally move from the Crystal Bridges entrance? We are anticipating everything will be cleared by spring 2021. At that time, thecourtyard area will be fully enclosed in a glass dome, expanding the lobby from its current location all the way to the Museum Store. These updates will allow for more space in the lobby, protection from weather, future programming opportunities, and increased convenience and comfort for our visitors.

NEWS

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A Letter from the Chief Curator Dear Member, One of the most important moments of 2020 for me was the reopening of Crystal Bridges and the Momentary this past summer. I saw our extraordinary art collection and spaces anew, from the new Modern Art Gallery installation with artworks never before on view to the new outdoor home for Louise Bourgeois’s Maman which allowed me to sense the movement of her forms and her expression of natural power in the open landscape of our Ozark forest. I also found new points of connection with our special exhibitions—from Hank Willis Thomas and State of the Art 2020 to Nick Cave to Ansel Adams.

I felt revitalized by the art and more motivated than ever by its importance to our lives. Art can help us understand the past, grapple with the present, and contemplate the future.

Crystal Bridges’ collection includes some of the finest achievements in American art from the seventeenth century to today. It is one job of curators to continue to acquire works to add to the collection. We work hard to identify and present outstanding objects—especially by artists underrepresented in history—to develop an even more brilliant, expansive, and inclusive collection. In collaboration with departments across the museum, the Curatorial team is creating ways for our collection and special exhibitions to convey the traditions of American art and its evolution, to embrace multiple perspectives, and to create a sense of belonging for you. This collection is your collection. These exhibitions are for you.

Consider our upcoming exhibition Crafting America (opening February 6), which looks at how craft is a diverse, dynamic, and democratic art form and celebrates craft’s integral role in shaping American art and identity. Look as well to Companion Species,, the first exhibition co-organized by Crystal Bridges Species and the Museum of Native American History. This inaugural collaboration features artworks by Native and non-Native American artists that express the valuable relationships between humans, animals, and the land. In addition, these exhibitions and all our galleries will now feature Spanish language labels, offering bilingual ways to learn and think about American art.

The exhibitions I’ve mentioned, and those upcoming in 2021 (see pg. 23), all feature new and recent acquisitions and signal the important ways we broadened the collection in 2020. As of November 2020, we have acquired more than 100 artworks, including 31 by artists featured in State of the Art 2020.

2020.

We remain committed to adding more great American artists from diverse backgrounds to our collection in 2021 and to energizing your experience of American art indoors as well as outdoors.

Whenever we are at Crystal Bridges or the Momentary, we are on an American journey. We are honored to navigate this with you and to collect and present the artworks and the artists that light our way.

Austen Barron Bailly Chief Curator

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CB COLLECTION & E XHIBITIONS

New Acquisitions

Learn about a few of the artworks acquired by Crystal Bridges in 2020.

Pop Chalee (Merina Lujan) Enchanted Forest, Forest, ca. 1950 Mindy Besaw Curator, American Art and Director of Fellowships and Research

With the acquisition of 30 paintings and one sculpture by modern and contemporary Native American artists from the Bruce Hartman collection earlier this year, Crystal Bridges broadened its holdings of Native American art. These works expand our understanding of modern American art. In the early twentieth century, many of these artists built upon Native American artmaking traditions such as Plains hide painting and Pueblo pottery forms, creating works on paper and canvas to appeal to broad, non-Native audiences.

American art instructor Dorothy Dunn established the Studio Art School at the federal government-run Santa Fe Indian School in 1932. Dunn encouraged her students to create works that depicted their communities and home life. Pop Chalee trained at the Studio Art School where she embraced Dunn’s so-called “flat painting” style while creating a radical new aesthetic. Her unconventional approach to space and imaginative color choices in Enchanted Forest yields a fantastical atmosphere.

Tse Tsan (Pablita Verlarde) Awataba Kiva Mural, Mural, 1981 Tse Tsan (Tewa for Golden Dawn) was the first full-time student to attend the Studio Art School and went on to have a long and accomplished career. In 1939, she was commissioned by the National Park Service under a grant from the Works Progress Administration (WPA) to depict scenes of traditional Pueblo life for the Bandelier National Monument. In her later paintings, like Awataba Kiva Mural, Mural, Tse Tsan used paints prepared from natural pigment to depict colorful figures with detailed patterned regalia likely associated with a Pueblo dance or ceremony.

CB COLLECTION & E XHIBITIONS

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Sam Gilliam Mazda,, 1970 Mazda

Martine Gutierrez Queer Rage, Imagine Life-Size, and I’m Tyra, p66-67, 2018

Alejo Benedetti Associate Curator, Contemporary Art

For more than 60 years, Sam Gilliam has pushed the limits of traditional painting. In the 1960s, he received international acclaim for his drape paintings as he continued to explore abstraction through works that jumped off the wall, an exploration that continues throughout his career. Gilliam was also part of an artists’ group called the Washington Color School alongside artists such as Alma Thomas, Morris Louis, Kenneth Noland, and Gene Davis.

Mazda reveals the power of Gilliam’s experimentation in this massive abstract work that cuts a striking profile on the gallery wall. At more than 11 feet tall and 7.5 feet wide, it envelops viewers standing in front of it. Gilliam moved away from the traditional painting conventions of tightly stretching canvas over stretcher bars to create his drape paintings. For Mazda Mazda,, he removed the stretchers completely so that the canvas hangs from a single screw and cascades downward in a collection of drapes.

Overlaid with brighter yellow acrylic paint on top of muted purples, pinks, and blues, Mazda presents a variety of surface textures in addition to the light and shadow play resulting from the work’s many folds. This arresting spectacle of color and texture creates a gravitating and soaring presence in the gallery.

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CB COLLECTION & E XHIBITIONS

Taking the form of a fashion shoot, artist Martine Gutierrez photographed herself seated against a lush, green backdrop.

At first glance, her wardrobe may appear to be comprised of clothing worn by Indigenous women. When the image first appeared in a fashion magazine of her own design, Gutierrez listed the designers of all of the clothing she was wearing, including brands like Versace, Vivienne Westwood, and Prada alongside items attributed to Goodwill.

This is a work that addresses mainstream brands appropriating Indigenous cultures. In fashion, companies often appropriate Indigenous patterns or designs without regard for heritage. Fittingly, in composing the rest of her image, Gutierrez incorporates crudely photoshopped exotic animals alongside dolls to underscore the artificial nature of the scene.

But this relationship with the fashion industry is a balancing act. Beauty is a constant point of interest in Gutierrez’s practice.

Societal standards of perfection as shown in fashion magazines, advertising, and children’s dolls, have all made their way into her work. Gutierrez identifies as Latinx, Indigenous, and transgender. All three of these identifiers significantly impact the relationship she has with pop culture’s notions of beauty and directly factor into her artwork.

Firelei Báez Untitled (A Correct Chart of Hispaniola Way with the Windward Passage), 2020

Anne Lemanski Tigris T-I, T-I, 2018

Allison Glenn Associate Curator, Contemporary Art

Jen Padgett Associate Curator

This work is part of a new series by New York-based artist Firelei Báez. The artist painted a vibrantly colored figure onto the center of a reproduction of a map from 1794 entitled “A Correct Chart of Hispaniola with the Windward Passage.” The Windward Passage is a waterway channel between the islands of Cuba and Hispaniola (known today as the Dominican Republic and Haiti) that was used for trade routes through the Caribbean.

This map was taken from a major sea atlas published in England and suggests the circulation and trade of bodies and goods.

This painting on paper fluctuates between figuration and abstraction. Richly hued magentas, yellows, and blues pool into colorful, curvilinear forms that resemble the look of oil on the surface of water when the sun hits at just the right angle. The crouching figure’s feet are poised on the Dominican Republic, a Spanish-colonized country where Báez was born, that shares Hispaniola with the French-colonized Haiti, where the artist’s father comes from. The partial, abstracted body of the figure abruptly disrupts our reading of the map­—a technique that bridges the historic with the contemporary and reimagines a relationship with legacies of imperialism. Báez underscores the nuanced relationship of migration to places that are both familiar, yet physically distant.

Our upcoming exhibition Crafting America (February 6 – May 31, 2021) will highlight a new acquisition to the Crystal Bridges collection: Anne Lemanski’s Tigris T-I (2018). The work was generously gifted to the museum by Fleur S. Bresler, a leading collector of American craft.

Just over five feet tall, the sculpture features a tiger balancing skillfully on a colorful ball. To create the tiger, Lemanski first fashioned a metal framework, then stitched specially printed paper to cover the form. The result is mesmerizing in its kaleidoscopic pattern and bright colors.

While playful, the sculpture addresses deeper themes around power. As the artist has explained, she’s fascinated by “the complex, symbiotic relationship between humans and animals, highlighting our admiration for animals as symbols and our exploitation of them to suit our needs.” With Tigris T-I, T-I, Lemanski draws attention to the spectacle of a circus tiger performing tricks: the powerful, threatening predator made obedient to the desires of human handlers.

Through its unexpected materials and conceptual depth, Lemanski’s work underlines the richness and complexity of craft. We look forward to seeing Tigris T-I and exploring this subject fully in our exhibition soon.

CB COLLECTION & E XHIBITIONS

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State of the Art 2020 Inspires New Ways to Engage with Contemporary Art

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CB COLLECTION & E XHIBITIONS

State of the Art 2020, 2020, the museum’s second iteration of an exploration into today’s contemporary American art, brought the work of 61 contemporary artists to Northwest Arkansas. The works, including painting, sculpture, installation, video, mixed media, and more, spanned the galleries across Crystal Bridges and the Momentary.

The exhibition was led by Lauren Haynes, director of artist initiatives and curator, contemporary art at Crystal Bridges and the Momentary, whose dual role underscores the institutions’ commitment to invest in living artists, helping to bring artists and the public together.

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The VR experience can be found online at VR.CrystalBridges.org/SOTA2020.

State of the Art 2020 VR State of the Art 2020 VR is a virtual version of the exhibition that allows users to explore the galleries just as they would if they were visiting Crystal Bridges or the Momentary. Users are able to zoom in and out of artworks to explore details, read wall text, listen to audio recorded by the exhibition curators, and see artworks in conversation with one another.

This VR experience allows guests from all over the world to enjoy the exhibition long after its departure at the physical locations. The project was led by Shane Richey, creative director of production at Crystal Bridges, and produced by the Bentonville-based firm Prisma.

State of the Art 2020 Summit: Insights from a Changing America On September 23, Emmy award-winning actor and activist speaker Kerry Washington (Little (Little Fires Everywhere, Scandal) Scandal) hosted the State of the Art 2020 Summit, an interactive, virtual event of day-long talks and panels, sponsored by Bank of America. Led by artists and thought leaders, each session explored three major topics: sense of place, confronting history, and art education. The summit was viewed by 4,605 people from all 50 United States and across 27 countries throughout the day.

OPPOSITE PAGE, TOP RIGHT: Kris Pierce, Free Food, Food, 2018.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Paul Stephen Benjamin, Summer Breeze, Breeze, 2018.

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CB COLLECTION & E XHIBITIONS

Crystal Bridges Acquires Works from the Exhibition In addition to the works we highlighted in the New Acquisitions article (see pgs. 10-12), Crystal Bridges acquired 31 artworks by 28 artists featured in State of the Art 2020, 2020, adding to the unfolding story of American art that the museum strives to tell.

The acquisitions include works by Houston-based artist and puppet maker JooYoung Choi, Atlanta-based artist Paul Stephen Benjamin, and Fayetteville, Arkansas-based sculptor Anthony Sonnenberg, to name a few.

Here are the acquisitions: Mae Aur, The Gaurdeners, 2019 Paul Stephen Benjamin, Summer Breeze, 2018 Frank A. Blazquez, Carlos, Albuquerque, NM, 2018 JooYoung Choi, Time for You and Joy to Get Acquainted, 2017 Alex Bradley Cohen, Chanel Thomas, 2018 Carla Edwards, Bonfire, 2017 Peter Everett, Lych, 2018 Elisa Harkins, Wampum, 2019 L. Kasimu Harris, Come Tuesday (Sportsman’s Corner), 2018,, “Where Ya People 2018 From?” (Verret’s Lounge), 2018,, The Regulars 2018 (Verret’s Lounge), 2018

Diego Rodriguez-Warner, The Fountain,, 2019 Fountain

Damian Stamer, Horry County 6, 6, 2018

George Sanchez-Calderon, Americana, 2014/2020

Su Su, Darwin, 2018

Mari Hernandez, Colonizer, 2017

Jordan Seaberry, Blueberry (The Right to Self), Self), 2019

Letitia Huckaby, Sugarland, 2017,, All Things Are Possible, 2017 2017,, Washington Old 2017 Homestead, 2017

Karen Seapker, Tent Mama, 2019

Ronald Jackson, In a Day, She Became The Master of Her House, 2019

Anthony Sonnenberg, Campagna Vase (Drama Kween), Kween), 2018

Stacy Lynn Waddell, Untitled (Dot and Leon 1972), 2019 Larry Walker, Tweet, Tweet…

Look Who’s Here…or Aliens, Wall Spirits and Other Manifestations,, 2017 Manifestations Didier William, Ou ap tonbe, men m ap kenbe ou, 2018

Suchitra Mattai, Exodus, 2019 Hannah McBroom, The Dinner Party,, 2019 Party Art Miller, AT&T Cellular Tower, First Church of the Nazarene, Springdale, Arkansas, Arkansas, 2019 Jiha Moon, Mujigaeyolo Mujigaeyolo,, 2018 Kris Pierce, Free Food, Food, 2018 Tim Portlock, Escape Escape,, 2017

Special thanks to the exhibition’s sponsors: Bank of America (lead sponsor), Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, Inc., Christie’s, The Coca-Cola Company, Stella Boyle Smith Trust, Trott Family Foundation, Alturas Foundation, Bracken Darrell, and Fred and Shelby Gans. National tour sponsored by Bank of America.

CB COLLECTION & E XHIBITIONS

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Artist Hank Willis Thomas Inspires Change, Joins Board at Crystal Bridges 17

CB COLLECTION & E XHIBITIONS

For over 20 years, conceptual artist Hank Willis Thomas has used photography, sculpture, and images from sports, advertising, and history to examine popular culture and show how art can raise awareness in the ongoing struggle for social justice and civil rights.

In early 2020, Crystal Bridges hosted the artist’s first comprehensive survey: Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal…,, organized by the Portland Art Museum, Oregon.

Equal…

In the midst of adversity and an energized movement to end racism and police brutality, Thomas’s exhibition brought a fresh perspective, a call to action, and a message of hope and love to its viewers at Crystal Bridges.

The week before the exhibition’s opening, Thomas, along with his mother Deborah Willis, who is an artist, photographer, and MacArthur Genius, and a host of other family members and artist collaborators, came to the museum for a director’s reception, exhibition preview, and opening lecture.

“Having Hank at the museum was like a dream,” said Allison Glenn, associate curator, contemporary art at Crystal Bridges and in-house curator of All Things Being Equal… “At this point, Hank is like family. We’ve known each other for over 10 years and have worked on projects in Chicago and New Orleans. Being able to host him, his friends, and family felt warm, grounding, and reinforced the feeling of connection to the larger art world that visiting artists provide to our museum and community.”

When quarantine hit Northwest Arkansas in March, the museum did not want the closure to become a barrier to experiencing art, so images of the exhibition became available on the museum’s website. Glenn also filmed a curator walkthrough of the show which was posted on the museum’s YouTube channel.

In the summer, as Black Lives Matter protests rose in the wake of the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and Tony McDade, Crystal Bridges released a statement online and on social media channels supporting Black Lives Matter and Black art, and declaring a commitment to change.

Internally, training and resources are being offered to staff as Crystal Bridges and the Momentary work actively to become antiracist institutions. The museum is also continuing to offer programs that spark conversations about art, equity, and justice.

Thomas continues to produce art that speaks to community and social justice, reaffirming that his work has always been focused on how art can inspire change.

25,000 exhibition visitors Visitors described the exhibition as “meaningful” and “the conversation we should have.”

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Meet Our Board of Directors Alice Walton Founder and Chairwoman Rick Chapman Walton Enterprises, LLC Retired Elizabeth Glassman Terra Foundation for American Art Former President and CEO

All Things Being Equal… welcomed more than 25,000 visitors to the exhibition space before and after quarantine, with many more viewing the works online. Visitor feedback was positive, and concluded that the exhibition was “very interactive and moving,” “meaningful,” and “the conversation we should have.”

Evaluation results show that this exhibition introduced many visitors to Hank Willis Thomas for the first time and achieved its goal of inspiring the public to reflect on struggles for equal rights across the globe, as well as the power of art and photography.

“For many colleagues and our larger museum community, this was the first time that they were exposed to Hank’s work and message,” said Glenn. “To be able to include over 20 years of his creative output all together in one expansive set of galleries was a wonderful opportunity.”

To quote the artist­—a quote that became the tagline of his exhibition, “The most revolutionary thing a person can do is be open to change.”

Hank Willis Thomas Joins Crystal Bridges Board Thomas has become the newest addition to the Board of Directors and will be an integral voice in the direction and vision of the museum. The questions and perspectives Thomas brought to life in this exhibition will continue to serve as inspiration for community engagement and change in Northwest Arkansas and beyond.

Thelma Golden The Studio Museum Director and Chief Curator Doug McMillon Walmart Inc. President and CEO Hank Willis Thomas Artist Co-Founder, For Freedoms John H. Tyson Tyson Foods, Inc. Board of Directors Chairman Olivia Walton Heartland Summit, Co-Founder Founding Chairperson of the Momentary Council Steuart Walton Game Composites, Ltd. John Wilmerding Princeton University Art Museum Professor Emeritus of American Art & Adjunct Curator

Special thanks to the exhibition’s sponsors: Phillips, Esther SilverParker, Deborah Wright, Arkansas Humanities Council, Walmart AAOC, and Kate & Greg Schaffer. This project is supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities.

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The Impact of Ansel Adams: Abelardo Morell and Catherine Opie

This fall, Ansel Adams in Our Time, Time, developed by Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, opened at Crystal Bridges. The exhibition featured more than 100 of the famous nature photographer’s images of the American landscape side-by-side with contemporary artists exploring similar themes. We acquired examples of two works in the exhibition

by Cuban-born artist Abelardo Morell, who immigrated to the United States with his parents in 1962. We also connected with Los Angeles-based photographer Catherine Opie, whose work was also included in the show. Read about them here.

Alejo Benedetti Associate Curator, Contemporary Art

Crystal Bridges Acquires Artworks Seen in Ansel Adams in Our Time Abelardo Morell, Tent-Camera Image on Ground: View of Mount Moran and the Snake River from Oxbow Bend Grand Teton National Park , 2011 (ABOVE) Tent-Camera Image on Ground: View of Rio Grande and Mexico near Boquillas Canyon, Big Bend National Park, 2011 (not pictured)

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The two waterways featured in the new acquisitions from Abelardo Morell might be familiar to some of our members: Snake River near Mount Moran and the Rio Grande. But look closer and you’ll realize there’s something slightly different about these photos. Borrowing the basic principles of a camera obscura, Morell sets up a tent outfitted with a periscope in view of his desired vista. The landscape is then projected directly on the ground inside the tent and he snaps a digital photograph of this projection (see rendering above). The resulting photograph does something truly astounding: it unites the mundane with the grand in one seamless image.

It’s a radical approach to photographing and commenting on the landscape that brims with intrigue.

ABOVE: Catherine Opie, Untitled #1 (Yosemite Valley), Valley), 2015.

Ansel Adams in Our Time is on view at Crystal Bridges through January 3, 2021.

“Everything is worthy of your attention, and I’m going to put it in front of you and give it space,” said Opie.

A Virtual Talk with Catherine Opie Crystal Bridges hosted a virtual talk with renowned photographer Catherine Opie, whose work from her Yosemite series was featured in Ansel Adams in Our Time.

Broadcasting in October from her RV parked in Oregon, Opie and Alejo Benedetti, associate curator, contemporary art, discussed her decades-long career, the art of contemporary portraiture in photography, documenting the queer experience through photography in the ‘90s, and using the simplicity and architecture of things such as freeways, icehouses, and surfers to explore questions of human sensibility, observation, and our relationship with time.

In her 2015 Yosemite series, Opie traveled to Yosemite National Park to take images of well-known landscapes. Her photographs, however, appear blurred. While this might seem disorienting, it is intentional.

“You could never be Ansel Adams, so my approach to Yosemite was in relationship to ideas of memory with place,” said Opie. “By throwing the focus off, you have to work on a different cognitive level to fill in the blanks.” In other words, viewers are given the shapes and colors of a famous place, then asked to remember the rest.

In a place like Yosemite, Opie explained, beauty is found in abundance with majestic views and nature, but beauty can also be found in the non-majestic views as well. “Everything is worthy of your attention, and I’m going to put it in front of you and give it space,” said Opie.

When asked how she’d liked to be remembered as an artist, Opie said as “somebody who was incredibly curious to spend their life in relationship to making images and creating dialogues around the things I have questions about in my own mind.”

Special thanks to the exhibition’s sponsors: The Coca-Cola Company, Stout Executive Search, ConAgra Brands, Reed and Mary Ann Greenwood, Harriet and Warren Stephens, Stephens Inc., Harrison and Rhonda French Family, Marybeth and Micky Mayfield, Donna and Mack McLarty, Mark McLarty, Catherine and Stephan Roche, Lamar and Shari Steiger, Mark and Diane Simmons, Rebecca Hurst and Jim Smith | Smith Hurst, PLC, Jim and Susan von Gremp, Galen, Debi, and Alice Havner, Jeremy L. Goldstein, Dewitt and Cindy Smith, and Anonymous.

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2021 Exhibitions

Are you ready for 2021? Crystal Bridges members get in FREE to our temporary exhibitions:

Crafting America February 6–May 31, 2021 Crafting America, America, a new exhibition developed

by Crystal Bridges, celebrates craft’s essential role in art from the 1940s to today. From jewelry to furniture to sculptures and more, this dazzling exhibition is full of surprises.

Featuring over 100 works in ceramics, fiber, wood, metal, glass, and more unexpected materials, Crafting America presents a diverse and inclusive story of American craft, highlighting the work of artists such as Ruth Asawa, Peter Voulkos, Jeffrey Gibson, Sonya Clark, and more. Crafting America is developed

by Jen Padgett, assistant curator, Crystal Bridges, and Glenn Adamson, guest curator and scholar of craft, design history, and contemporary art.

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Sponsored by Windgate Foundation, Morris Foundation, Inc., and Blakeman’s Fine Jewelry.

This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

This exhibition has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.

LEFT: Ruth Asawa, Untitled (S.028, Hanging Four-Lobed Continuous Form within a Form), 1960. RIGHT: Jeffrey Gibson, IN NUMBERS TOO BIG TO IGNORE,, 2016 IGNORE

In American Waters November 6, 2021–January 31, 2022 In American Waters is a new exhibition organized by Crystal Bridges and Peabody Essex Museum (Salem, Mass.) in which the marine painting is revealed to be so much more than ship portraits. Visitors will be transported across time and water on the wave of a diverse range of modern and historical artists including Georgia O’Keeffe, Amy Sherald, Kay WalkingStick, Norman Rockwell, Paul Cadmus, Thomas Hart Benton, Jacob Lawrence, Valerie Hegarty, Stuart Davis, Kerry James Marshall, and many more. In this exhibition, visitors will also discover the sea as an expansive way to reflect on American culture and environment, learn how coastal and maritime symbols moved inland across the United States, and consider what it means to be “in American waters.”

Sponsored by Jeff and Sarah Teague | Citizens Bank.

Crystal Bridges: The First Decade (working title)

July 10–September 27, 2021 2021 marks a decade since Crystal Bridges opened on 11/11/11, and the museum is recognizing this milestone with a new exhibition celebrating its collection and community. Crystal Bridges: The First Decade will highlight 40+ works from the museum’s art collection and engage artists and the community in unexpected ways. Step into Maxfield Parrish’s The Lantern Bearers with an immersive tableau vivant. See self-portraits by local students presented side-by-side with artist self-portraits from the collection.

Watch an artist create a new artwork in the galleries and so much more. In a spectacular celebration of art brought to life from voices both within and beyond the museum, Crystal Bridges: The First Decade will revel in Crystal Bridges’ first 10 years and set the stage for the decade to come.

TOP: Maxfield Parrish, The Lantern Bearers, Bearers, 1908.

BOTTOM: Fitz Henry Lane, Ship Southern Cross in Boston Harbor,, 1851.

Harbor

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The Momentary Looks Back on Opening Weekend At 9:30 a.m. on February 21, 2020, members huddled together, clutching hot coffees while waiting in line. It was Member Preview Day of the Momentary, and members were invited to see the new contemporary art space one day before its official public opening.

While the brisk chill of an Ozark winter filled the air, so did the electricity of anticipation and excitement. The Momentary was about to open with a mission to champion contemporary art’s role in everyday life.

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OPENING THE MOMENTARY In the weeks, days, and hours leading up to the Momentary’s opening, there were a number of events (both public and private) that set the new contemporary art space’s mission into motion. For example, artist Alexandre Farto, also known as Vhils, a past participant of The Unexpected in Fort Smith, returned to Northwest Arkansas for an intervention titled Planck Planck,, a private, staged, explosion performance where an incision of the Momentary’s logo emerged moments after its blast on the west facade of the building.

The sign combines the Momentary’s physical past (an industrial building), its opening moment (an explosion, a big bang), and its vision for the future (to invite artists to Bentonville to make new work and present remarkable interventions). While the sign itself might not be an artwork in the traditional sense, it is definitely an expression of the artistic talent and skills of Vhils, and a great marker for the start of the Momentary.

“The result was super clean which is really hard to achieve when using explosive charges,” said Vhils. “Everything went smoothly during the opening, which was a relief!”

Staff and volunteers spent countless hours prepping the building, making sure it was ready for visitors and artists alike.

The Preparation team worked swiftly to fill the galleries with artworks from State of the Art 2020 (read more on pg. 13) while the Tower Bar and other new culinary offerings, including Onyx Coffee Lab’s newest location, served delicious food, drinks, and cocktails.

“The weeks leading up to opening the Momentary were filled with a whirlwind of planning, discovery, reaction, and adrenaline,” said Erin Anson Ellis, production manager, performing arts. “The Momentary’s opening weekend was like the tip of an iceberg, the part that guests get to see and experience, while the largest part of the iceberg underwater represents all of the preparation and people who made it possible.”

FOR THE TIME BEING In addition to exploring the new space and State of the Art 2020 in the galleries during opening weekend, visitors also enjoyed TIME BEING, the Momentary’s inaugural festival of performance, which offered dance, music, and theater experiences from artists around the world. This included performances by instrumental harp indie rocker Mary Lattimore, a live cooking show by performer and pastry

chef Kristin Worrall, an hour-long dialogue between dancer Bobbi Jene Smith and violinist Keir GoGwilt, and a bespoke performance by artists Erika Chong Shuch, Rowena Richie, and Ryan Tacata of For You along with a local ensemble of community members, including Bentonville West’s marching band, in a collaborative show inspired by first-time stories.

“One of my favorite moments from opening weekend was when the Bentonville West High School’s marching band started playing the dance jam, ‘What is Love’ during For You’s performance, First Things First,” First,” said Pia Agrawal, curator of performing arts. “I have a serious soft spot for early ‘90s dance music and I was a marching band nerd, so it was a pretty perfect moment for me.”

The TIME BEING events provided opportunities to experience the immersive acoustics and adjustable spaces of the Fermentation Hall and the RØDE House.

Momentary visitors also had the chance to interact directly with art through Home Balance, Balance, a bouncy-house-turnedcontemporary-art-project created by Houston-based artistic team Hillerbrand+Magsamen, Skateboarders vs. Minimalism, Minimalism,

a video by Australian artist Shaun Gladwell portraying US skateboarders in a museum setting transformed into a skate park, and Annie Dorsen’s Spokaoke Spokaoke,, a participatory event that invited guests to perform famous and lesser-known speeches as they would ordinarily perform songs in a karaoke bar.

In the evening, Australian indie rocker Courtney Barnett played a rare acoustic show in the RØDE House while

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BANDALOOP christened the Momentary’s Tower with an unforgettable vertical dance performance. At the end of each night, Icelandic electro-pop group FM Belfast energized the crowd with a memorable concert, complete with confetti and crowd-surfing.

“TIME BEING was fireworks, an explosion of passion and vision, creation and execution—true magic,” said Cynthia Post Hunt, programmer, dance/theater. “It was an honor to invite so many talented individuals into our space, to create something for us and with us, in celebration of our opening. We really wanted TIME BEING to show just a taste of what’s possible in liveness, and our artists really wowed us. There is magic in the execution of an idea—it is fulfilling and satisfying to see a dream become a reality.”

A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER Between February 21-23, more than 13,300 people experienced the Momentary for the first time. Coffees and cocktails were flowing, the transformation of the decommissioned cheese factory was a feat to admire, and everyone embraced Northwest Arkansas’s newest art destination with open arms. Things would never be the same.

The space’s inaugural year has been anything but normal, but that is precisely why the space was called the Momentary.

It is meant to speak and respond to our present moment in time. In reflecting on and celebrating the Momentary’s first moments in 2020, we are hopeful that contemporary visual, performing, and culinary arts can continue to provide moments of connection and conversation with people of all backgrounds for years to come.

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13,300+ people attended the Momentary’s opening weekend (February 21-23) More than 3,950 members experienced the Momentary first on Member Preview Day (February 21)

Special thanks to the Momentary’s Founding Funders: Walton Family Foundation, Walmart, RØDE Microphones, The Coca-Cola Company, Tyson Family Foundation, and Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, Inc.

PG 24: BANDALOOP performs on the Momentary Tower; PG 25, TOP CENTER: FM Belfast performs in the RØDE House; PG 25 BOTTOM: a young child dances to Hermigervill in the Tower; PG 26: First Things First by For You is performed in the Fermentation Hall.

Bringing International Artists to Northwest Arkansas The Momentary is committed to bringing the world’s artists to Northwest Arkansas. The mission of the Momentary is to champion contemporary art’s role in our everyday lives, and that art is being created all over the globe. In 2020, several international artists performed engaging works in theater, music, and meditation, some for the very first time, both on-site and virtually through the Momentary’s channels.

FM BELFAST: REYKJAVIK, ICELAND In February, Icelandic supergroup FM Belfast performed a showstopping concert in the RØDE House to celebrate our opening weekend.

YOGETSU AKASAKA: TOKYO, JAPAN In August, Japanese Zen Buddhist monk and artist Yogetsu Akasaka partnered with the Momentary to create an exclusive audio and visual meditation experience from his studio in Tokyo, Japan. His unique blend of music and meditation offered two opportunities for Momentary members to experience his talents.

THE JOURNEY, JOURNEY, SCOTT SILVEN: GLASGOW, SCOTLAND In September, the Momentary commissioned the world premiere of The Journey, Journey, an interactive, immersive, live production created by renowned Scottish illusionist Scott Silven and an award-winning creative team. The audience was able to interact directly with Silven in a cutting-edge digital space and helped shape the evening’s extraordinary illusions and mesmerizing events.

Each of these programs were in and of the moment, just like the Momentary’s name suggests. In 2021, look for ongoing programs bringing the world’s art and culture to the Northwest Arkansas community through virtual or on-site experiences.

In addition to these moments, international artists such as Olivia Chaney (UK) and DJ Tahira (Brazil), among others, were a part of the Virtual Concert Series, broadcasted on the Momentary’s Facebook and YouTube channels for all to enjoy.

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Maria Molteni, Venusian Rosaceae (detail), 2020

HANNAH, RRRolling Stones 2.0, 2020

Iván Navarro, This Land is Your Land (detail)

Expanding Visual Art Outdoors Contemporary art can be found everywhere you look at the Momentary. And when we say everywhere, we mean it—not just in the galleries, but outside as well.

Beginning with the now iconic You Belong Here neon sculpture on the side of the RØDE House and the popular RRRolling Stones 2.0, 2.0, which double as seating for visitors, outdoor art at the Momentary expanded to include artists such as Iván Navarro, Yayoi Kusama, and Maria Molteni.

Visitors taking a stroll around the grounds of the Momentary might come across a field of mirrored spheres placed next to the building’s industrial architecture. This work, artist Yayoi Kusama’s Narcissus Garden, Garden, invites us to slow down and appreciate our surroundings.

Near Onyx Coffee Lab’s entrance on the east side of the building, artist Iván Navarro’s engaging water towers hold hidden neon words and symbols for visitors to look up and find. Inspired by Woody Guthrie’s iconic 1940 song of the same name, This Land is Your Land examines the history of migration in the Americas and the United States.

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In the fall, the team worked with muralist Maria Molteni who developed a mural in response to the Momentary’s history.

2020 also began the first year of the Momentary Flag Project, a rotating series of artist-designed flags raised on the factory’s historic flag pole, located on E Street. The series asks artists to explore the symbolic resonance of flags and consider how they shape our understanding of place and identity. This year, the project included designed flags from artists Christopher Myers and Gabriella Sanchez. In 2021, three new flags are anticipated to rise over the course of the year, beginning with artist Olalekan Jeyifous.

This Land is Your Land is sponsored by Olivia Tyson, Larry and Winnie Kearns, and Visit Bentonville.

Performing Arts in the COVID-19 Era What happens to performing arts when people are asked to maintain social distancing? At the Momentary, performing arts span a wide range of live and experiential media ranging from music, theater, dance, performance art, film screenings, and festivals: events that have typically required people to gather in the same physical space. When quarantine hit and gathering was no longer an option, artists (and programmers) had to get creative.

As with many of its offerings, the Momentary turned to the digital realm to keep the lines of communication open between audiences and performing arts. In May, for example, artists Nick Vaughan and Jake Margolin completed a virtual artist residency by connecting with audiences via Zoom to share the findings of their Arkansas state-specific project, The Ballad(s) of Jesse, Jesse, and collaboration with New Orleans-based artist free feral.

In addition to events such as the Virtual Concert Series, Sunday Resets, and Spotify playlists, the Momentary was also not afraid to experiment. In the summer, the space hosted the Momentary Tower Talent Show, an opportunity for local residents and creatives to participate in a virtual event that showcased visual, performing, or culinary arts talents in a 30-second-or-less video to be projected on the Momentary Tower. Out of 166 responses, the Momentary selected 10 outstanding creative videos that were projected on the Tower and through social media channels.

The Future of Performance Art While most visual art can be viewed safely, performance art demands interaction or viewing between humans. With the distancing restrictions placed upon society to prevent the spread of COVID-19, many institutions and artists around the world are wondering how the pandemic will affect the future of performance art.

The Momentary did the same, hosting the INVERSE Performance Art Digital Festival 2020 in November. The three-day, multi-platform digital festival presented a series of performance works and introductory conversations with artists that explored concepts in our collective 2020 experience, such as shifting identities, intimacy and vulnerability, and activism.

The artists included Ayana Evans, Marcela Torres, Tsedaye Makonnen, Sichong Xie, and many more.

“We’re in a moment of experimentation, rawness, process... all the things that I love about performance art,” said Cynthia Post Hunt, programmer, dance/theater. “So in that way, a lot hasn’t changed, but we do anticipate more hybridity—both in modes of practice and presentation—and more collaboration between the physical and digital spaces.”

Regardless of what happens next, the Momentary will continue to think creatively alongside artists to keep the connection between artists and audiences open.

In total, the Momentary hosted more than 40 programs through virtual channels and still continues to do so while offering safe, socially distanced programming on-site.

Crosswind Landing, Landing, Lena Chen & Michael Charles Neumann, INVERSE Performance Art Digital Festival 2020, photo courtesy of the artists.

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Nick Cave: Until Takes Over the Momentary

Unarmed (detail), 2016

The largest and most ambitious project yet from the renowned, Chicago-based artist, Nick Cave: Until took over all 24,000 square feet of the Momentary’s gallery space in fall 2020. Beneath the colorful wind spinners, enormous tapestries of pony beads, and an immaculate cloudscape made of thousands of crystals and a garden of found objects, the artist posed a larger question: Is there racism in heaven?

Beaded Cliff Wall (detail), 2016

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Installing Until at the Momentary

Crystal Cloudscape (detail), 2016

The Prep team at the Momentary is responsible for packing, unpacking, and installing all the visual art found in the space.

For Until Until,, Lead Installation Manager Kevin Haynie explained that it took 9-12 preparators 7.5 weeks to unpack and install the entire exhibition in the Momentary’s galleries.

“Crystal Cloudscape (2016) was by far the heaviest component to handle,” said Haynie. “It is comprised of 16 pieces of varying sizes and weights that get assembled to become the single object you see today. Along with those pieces are the many chandeliers, some of which were several hundred pounds each, and other various components that are placed throughout the work bringing the total weight to around three tons.”

While this massive work of mixed media was the heaviest object, it did not take the most time to put together. “Kinetic “Kinetic Spinner Forest (2016) was something that we worked on throughout the entire install timeline,” said Haynie. “It involved erecting a wire cable infrastructure from which the spinner motors would hang from that would allow us to create the spacing and sequencing that is required of that work.”

Beaded Cliff Wall (2016) showcased how visual art exhibitions can look different in each space they inhabit. “One of the many great things about the beaded curtains is how their display can be so varied and unique to whatever space they are in,” said Haynie.

“In our case, we applied them in two main ways: to the walls and to the ceiling. Each curtain weighs anywhere from 400-600 lbs. and when combined could be up to 1500 lbs. per tower object.”

Local / Regional Artists Respond to Until Artist Nick Cave also viewed his monumental exhibition as a community forum, a place where viewers and artists could respond to the work and discuss larger societal issues. As a result, the Galleries are also serving as a studio and stage for 11 local and regional artists to create their own responses to the questions asked by Cave in the exhibition, now through the beginning of January. Working across multiple forms of expression including dance, theater, writing, and fashion, the 11 artists are: Adrienne Callander, Blake Worthey, Big Sister, Bruce Davis, Prison Story Project, Jlin, LatinX Theater Project, Austin Dean Ashford, DJ Girlfriend, Brody Parrish Craig, and Lynette Thrower. Learn more about these artists and their responses to Until at theMomentary.org.

In total, Crystal Cloudscape (2016) weighs about 3 tons.

Special thanks to the exhibition’s sponsors: Cox Communications, Goldman Sachs, Airways Freight Corp., Greenwood Gearhart, J&D Pallets, Atreides Management, LP, Caryl Stern and Donald LaRosa, Demara Titzer, Tony Waller, and Sue and Charles Redfield. Nick Cave: Until was curated by Denise Markonish, MASS MoCA, and organized for the Momentary by Lauren Haynes. The exhibition was organized by MASS MoCA and co-produced with Carriageworks, Sydney, Australia, and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Principal exhibition support was provided by an anonymous gift. Major exhibition support was provided by the Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, the Barr Foundation, the Mass Cultural Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, Jack Shainman Gallery, Marilyn and Larry Fields, BeadKraft, and the Robert Lehman Foundation.

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Kinetic Spinner Forest (detail), 2016

Each of the beaded curtains weigh between 400-600 pounds.

It took 7.5 weeks to install Until at the Momentary.

Beaded Cliff Wall (detail)

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What’s Next at the Momentary?

Here are just a few of the visual and performing art experiences coming to the Momentary in 2021.

Derrick Adams: Sanctuary February 20 - June 6, 2021

Sarah Cain: In Nature February 13 - May 30, 2021 Los Angeles-based artist Sarah Cain will create a site-responsive exhibition for the Momentary. Sarah Cain: In Nature will include colorful abstract works on canvas, functional floor paintings, sculpture, and a stainedglass window. Known for her brightly colored installations that blur the boundaries between painting and sculpture, Cain’s work moves over and off the canvas, responding to architecture at large.

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ABOVE: Sarah Cain, i touched a cactus flower, flower, 2019. BELOW: Derrick Adams, Keep Your Head Down and Your Eyes Open (detail), 2018.

From 1936 to 1967, during the Jim Crow era, Black American road-trippers referenced a guidebook, The Negro Motorist Green Book, Book, also known as The Green Book, Book, to identify businesses, including hotels, restaurants, state parks, beauty parlors, and nightclubs, that were nondiscriminatory and welcoming.

In Derrick Adams: Sanctuary, Sanctuary, this reference material serves as inspiration to reimagine safe destinations for the Black American traveler in an exhibition featuring mixed-media collage and sculpture.

In his continued exploration of Black refuge and leisure, and during a time when uneven law enforcement continues to negatively shape the experiences of Black Americans, Adams also offers a space to reflect on the importance, and at times political act, of having the freedom to go wherever you want.

Derrick Adams: Sanctuary is organized by Dexter Wimberly and Derrick Adams Studio.

Derrick Adams: Sanctuary was originally presented at the Museum of Arts and Design, New York, from January 25 to August 5, 2018, and was curated with support from MAD’s Curator of Collections Samantha De Tillio.

Diana Al-Hadid: Ash in the Trade Winds February 27 - June 13, 2021 The Momentary presents a solo exhibition of works by Diana Al-Hadid who utilizes a wide range of materials that explore notions of memory, ruin, progress, and globalism. Diana Al-Hadid: Ash in the Trade Winds will feature several wall panels and sculptures that were created between 2018 and 2020, highlighting recent developments in Al-Hadid’s signature process of layering pigments on to classical and contemporary materials, including bronze, plaster, fiberglass, and polymer gypsum.

Live in America Festival October 13-24, 2021 All these experiences will be free to the public.

Members: be on the lookout for special members-only events in 2021.

TOP: Diana Al-Hadid, Ash in the Trade Winds, Winds, 2020

The Momentary will host the inaugural Live in America Festival, a free, performing arts festival by Austin-based nonprofit organization Fusebox that focuses on diversity and broad US geographical representation through communal programming. The festival will present more than 300 artists from eight distinct communities across the US, its territories, and Mexico by way of 30 events that will take place over the course of two weeks at the Momentary. Bringing together a rich landscape of performances that illuminate vivid lands, peoples, and cultural traditions, the Live in America Festival will challenge who we are as a country and create a deeper sense of the connections between us. Performance, dance, music, song, food, rituals, and traditions will be shared by artists across multiple performance sites.

Live in America is supported by the Walton Family Foundation.

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Social Connecting (While Social Distancing) with the Community

During the early months of the pandemic, Crystal Bridges and the Momentary wanted to determine how best to help the region’s vulnerable communities and bridge the inequity gap widened by the effects of COVID-19.

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After speaking with community partners, such as the University of Arkansas Medical Sciences’s Community Health and Research team and Schmieding Center for Senior Health and Education, and assessing our resources, the museum identified a need for social connecting.

The Social Connecting Campaign was established to foster connections with vulnerable, isolated groups. Community partners raised concerns about the negative effects of isolation for seniors, healthcare workers, and hospital patients.

They were enthusiastic about using the arts to provide comfort and joy during a time of extreme isolation and to support mental health and well-being.

Sara Segerlin, head of community programs at Crystal Bridges, shared that feedback from community members expressed a “big need for the arts to serve as a catalyst for social belonging and community cohesion across Northwest Arkansas towns.”

As part of this campaign, staff, volunteers, and local artists worked together to develop artist-designed postcards, engage the community to spread messages of hope, and create a traveling art exhibition which made 22 stops around Northwest Arkansas this past summer.

Postcard Power As team members brainstormed meaningful ways of connecting, their minds turned to one of the most reliable and appreciated forms of communication: postcards. Nine local artists answered the call to create postcard designs inspired by the word, “TOGETHER.” The artists included Kenny Arredondo, Stacy Bates, Kinya Christian, Tram Colwin, Leana Fischer, Octavio Logo, Matt Miller, Hannah Newsom Doyle, and Alan Rodriguez. Their designs were inspired by images of strength in nature, memories of cherished time with family, and appreciation for frontline workers. The interpretations range from personal reflections on the word and separation from family and friends, to broad messages of hope in coming back together again with love.

Once the designs were made, the museum called upon the local community via social media and eNewsletters to give life to the postcards by coloring in the artists’ drawings and writing messages of hope to those living and working in healthcare facilities across Northwest Arkansas. Once completed, the postcards were returned to Crystal Bridges and the Momentary, and the team sent the personalized postcards, along with creativity art kits, to patients and staff around the area. Altogether, over 5,700 postcards and art kits were distributed to community members.

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5,700+ postcards delivered to community members 22 sites visited with the traveling art murals 9 local artists created original artworks for the campaign

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Community Impact In addition to the postcards, the nine artists also painted large-scale colorful versions of their postcard drawings which were displayed outside hospitals and senior living facilities for staff, facility residents, and patients to view over the summer. Each drawing was brought to life on a freestanding, custom-made 4×8-foot mural, thanks in part to our Preparation team. Patients and staff were able to spend time with the works installed outdoors. After its tour, the murals were on view at the Momentary and Crystal Bridges during August.

Crystal Bridges member Lamar Steiger shared: “My mother, Mary Pat Steiger, is under the COVID-19 guidelines at her assisted living residence. She had concluded that her southfacing window was her only view of new art: watching the clouds blow by and the branches wave. So, she was pleasantly surprised and found great joy in the traveling art exhibition from Crystal Bridges. Mom has shared with me several times how thankful she is and how interesting it was to have the museum generously share with the residents a part of their collection.

It made her feel important that Crystal Bridges brought an exhibition to her. She is hoping for more.”

Ms. Steiger is not the only one. Above all else, this campaign demonstrated the impact that can happen when community institutions work together to improve the lives of all community members, reaching them where they are. Crystal Bridges and the Momentary would not have been able to make this campaign a reality without the input and advocacy of our community partners. The institutions continue to partner with social services, healthcare, and other local organizations to effectively understand the needs of the community and how art can play a role in filling those needs, bringing us all one step closer “TOGETHER.”

The University of Arkansas School of Art 2020 Senior Class Brings Art to the Digital Space It is customary for the University of Arkansas School of Art’s senior graphic design class to display a show of their work at the end of the spring semester each year. During this past spring’s season of precaution, however, the senior class of 2020 opted to move to the digital space and make the exhibition completely virtual.

In partnership with Crystal Bridges, the virtual graphic design exhibition called Frankly was featured in Gallery 5, an interactive, real-time 3D rendering of the museum’s Modern Art Gallery created by The Tesseract Center for Immersive Environments and Game Design, a University of Arkansas campus center that produces video games and virtual reality content for teaching and research.

Using a computer, visitors virtually walked through the space, viewing the bios of each student artist and their work through a wide variety of forms including apps, community projects, printed artifacts, and games.

According to the 24 graduating seniors who contributed to this show, Frankly is an exhibition that allowed each student to speak their truth and “speculate recklessly with a greater good in mind.” Each student dedicated their final semester to researching and designing a speculative solution for a systemic

problem of their choice. Topics ranged from developing selfconfidence and managing mental health, to interventions in sex education and local politics.

“Regardless of where our paths lead us in the future,” the students have stated, “our time together at the University of Arkansas has shaped us into dynamic, forward-thinking designers eager to tackle any design problem thrown our way.”

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My Museum Kit: Art Projects in a Box! When summer classes and camps were canceled, Crystal Bridges’ Education and Community Engagement departments sprang into action to develop a project that would bring art to children beyond the museum’s walls. The result was My Museum Kit, a physical art kit that offers lessons, projects, and supplies themed around works found in the Crystal Bridges collection.

As with many of our efforts, the need for a portable art kit came through listening sessions with school teachers, teens, and youth-based community leaders. Individuals expressed significant local barriers and concerns for vulnerable youth who lack access to summer learning and quality mental health stimulation, especially for quarantined families during a pandemic.

My Museum Kit features art lessons, projects, and art supplies focused on a specific theme, such as Color, Sculpture, You + Me, Art of Kindness, Show and Tell, and Keep Creating, with instructions in both English and Spanish. Guided by these themes, kids learn about works in the Crystal Bridges collection and engage with new artmaking techniques and materials. The kits are also accompanied by a digital component that allows kids to meet our educators via video and walk through the art projects with them step by step. The kits are best suited for grades K-5, but offer fun for the whole family.

Since early July, the team delivered My Museum Kits to seven schools and 12 community organizations across Northwest Arkansas who host free, reduced lunch meal pick-up. It took countless hours to assemble 12,000 kit boxes in an assembly line of museum staff, as well as intensive collaboration to work

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closely with partners, but as a result, My Museum Kits were distributed to children in need across Northwest Arkansas, and art kits are becoming a new staple offering of Crystal Bridges.

The response to My Museum Kit has been overwhelming.

Parents have shared that kids are excited about the upcoming arrival of the next kit and they help to pass the time at home.

Marsha Layer of Springdale Schools ESL Family School Community Partnerships expressed her gratitude for the kits and to our staff. “Springdale is strong, but we are living through a difficult period. I am thankful to Crystal Bridges for supplying these art kits and to their staff members for their love and support of our families.”

Korienne Toney, principal of Joe Mathias Elementary School in Rogers said, “We appreciate the work that Crystal Bridges staff has done to bring a fun and creative outlet directly to the children and families in our community this summer.”

Crystal Bridges Chief Education Officer Marissa Reyes said: “Our calling card has become the integration of basic needs and arts experiences. We’re happy that we can play a role during this time of need and that we are doing so in partnership with community and school organizations, artists, and community members.”

My Museum Kits were distributed to kids at 7 schools and 12 community organizations across Northwest Arkansas this past summer.

Give a donation to make art kits available for families in need.

Visit CrystalBridges.org/ CrystalBridges.org/ My-Museum-Kit to learn more.

A New Array of Art Kits While My Museum Kits are no longer available for purchase, art kits won’t be leaving the museum anytime soon! We’ve been working on new versions to extend art access to different groups: My Museum Classroom Kits are thematic art kits for students designed to integrate artmaking with classroom curriculum.

Available to schools.

Sensory Exploration Kits, Kits, coming soon, will offer projects and activities for seniors to express creativity through art. Available to community partners.

For general museum visitors: Create Together Kits offer artmaking activities that encourage collaboration between adults and children, with materials for up to four people. Available for the public at the main lobby of the museum on a pay-what-you-wish basis, with a suggested donation of $10.

Visit CrystalBridges.org/My-Museum-Kit to learn more.

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Magic in the Forest: The Story of North Forest Lights

Did You Know?

Forest Frequencies consists of 99 light bars, with almost every instrument represented by its own bar.

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For two years, North Forest Lights has enchanted audiences. A project several years in the making, this experience quickly became a top destination for date nights, family gatherings, and special moments with friends. Each year, the forest has come to life at night with five light and sound installations and a food and gathering place called the Village. This is how North Forest Lights came to be.

Did You Know?

The Hearth was initially assembled by hand in Montreal, then was carefully disassembled and shipped to Bentonville.

Moment Factory, a Magical Partner Executive Director Rod Bigelow had a vision of bringing the forest to life with lights in the winter through an experience that would be accessible for all. “To bring this project to life, we had to find an artist or company with expertise using technology outside during harsh weather, and ensure the artistry would be on par with all the experiences at Crystal Bridges,” said Robin Groesbeck, director of exhibitions and senior project leader for North Forest Lights. “We needed the installation to be respectful of the artworks on the trail, and enhance the beautiful, natural qualities of the North Forest. We wanted it to feel surprising, mysterious, welcoming, and uplifting, and draw people to experience the North Forest at night.”

Enter Moment Factory. Much like Crystal Bridges, Montreal-based multimedia entertainment studio Moment

Factory strives to bring people together, to welcome all to experiences that inspire a sense of collective wonder and connection. The studio has more than 350 experienced, passionate, multidisciplinary creators from around the world who come together to create, design, and produce multimedia environments and unforgettable experiences using video, lighting, sound, animation, and state-of-the-art technology.

With their partnership, a concept started to form: one that focused on the connection between all living things and where nature was seen as having a heart and a soul. With this concept, Moment Factory began designing the installations with a focus on the natural setting and inspiration they found in Bentonville, and North Forest Lights was born.

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Installing North Forest Lights The creation of this experience truly did take a village. 20 technicians came from Moment Factory’s headquarters in Montreal to perform the initial set-up, working in tandem with many museum departments. The Trails and Grounds team built new trails and landscapes to accommodate the installations, and oversaw the construction of a custom-made bridge for the Memory of Water installation. Museum teams also installed security cameras, expanded the wireless infrastructure, and made hundreds—if not thousands—of electrical connections.

Structures were designed by Head of 3-D Design Jessi Mueller, operations were coordinated by Senior Project Manager Ben Huss, and Guest Services, Culinary, and Retail teams offered a chance to buy tickets, eat, drink, and shop in the forest.

Communications and Design developed signage and promoted the event, and the experience itself is run each night by a talented team.

“The initial installation of North Forest Lights took over a month and took dozens of dedicated people,” said Clay Bakker, director of trails and grounds, who worked with Moment Factory to weave the experiences into the museum’s North Forest. “They all managed to successfully finish their tasks in sync and open the experience exactly on time despite some extreme thunderstorm delays and damage throughout the installation process.”

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Did You Know?

The understory of the forest around Crystal Grove is full of spicebush, a host plant for swallowtail butterflies.

These butterflies winter in the leaf litter of the forest floor.

Did You Know?

The Whispering Tree is a black oak, estimated to be about 200 years old.

The Whispering Tree has 70 unique lanterns which work together to bring the tree to life.

North Forest Lights is open now through April 4, 2021.

Members receive a discount on tickets.

Upgrade your experience with a North Forest Snow Globe, complete with cocktails and specialty food.

Visit CrystalBridges.org/ SnowGlobes to learn more.

The Forest Comes to Life North Forest Lights first opened on October 27, 2019, giving visitors a unique opportunity to enjoy the holidays and winter weather with family and friends. In its first season, North Forest Lights was visited by over 108,690 people coming from all parts of the country and beyond.

On New Year’s Eve 2019, the museum’s Public Programs team hosted a New Year’s Eve party there, complete with circus acts, jugglers, live music, and a countdown. The experience was also a popular Valentine’s Day location, made sweeter by culinary baskets complete with wine and chocolates ordered in advance.

According to a 2019 survey of North Forest Lights participants, 29 percent of respondents were first-time visitors to the Crystal Bridges trails, suggesting that this event helped visitors connect with the museum’s nature offerings.

Before opening for its second (and longer) season in September 2020, major adjustments were made to properly accommodate visitors with a limited capacity, to ensure safety and comfort for all guests. And once again, the community embraced its return.

“One of the best parts of my job is to dream of the best guest experience we can imagine out on our trails and grounds,” said Bakker. “And to have leadership that supports all of the dreamers at this institution is a direct commitment to inspiring all of our guests throughout the Crystal Bridges experience. We are all particularly proud when we can offer our guests something truly unique and transformative.”

Special thanks to the sponsors of North Forest Lights: Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, Terri and Chuck Erwin, and Arvest Bank.

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Take a Walk on the Museum’s Grounds Have you taken a walk or bike ride through the Crystal Bridges grounds? The trails and grounds of the museum are a must-see part of the museum experience. More than five miles of trails wind through the museum’s 120-acre site, providing access to the beautiful Ozark landscape.

Here, we offer some quick facts and thoughts from Director of Trails and Grounds Clay Bakker to help you enjoy your next visit to the museum’s grounds.

Did You Know 32 sculptures are installed on the grounds around Crystal Bridges. Have you been able to find all of them?

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The Rock Ledge Trail, north of the museum, takes its name from the rock bluffs once carved into the hills to make way for a nineteenth-century railroad that was never completed.

You can walk to downtown Bentonville headed south via the Art Trail, and onto the Crystal Bridges Trail/Razorback Greenway. Keep walking from there, and you’ll eventually hit the Momentary at E St.!

Discover the mountain bike trails that weave through the museum’s grounds, including the newly built Ravine Trail and the All-American Trail.

The Crystal Spring Trail, accessible from the museum’s South Lawn, takes visitors to the natural spring from which the museum derives its name. The spring produces 100 to 125 gallons of fresh water per minute, at a chill 52 degrees year-round.

We offer several nature programs to learn more about the flora and fauna of the area, such as Discover the Grounds, which are led by local nature experts. Check the calendar on our website to book a spot at the next event.

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Q&A with Clay Bakker What kinds of wildlife live at Crystal Bridges?

Clay Bakker: Our 120 acres are very typical of what you’ll find in the middle of the Ozarks. We have a plethora of insects, birds, reptiles, and mammals, such as fox, possum, deer, coyote, squirrels, the list goes on. We estimate we have anywhere from 6 to 20 new deer born on our property every spring.

Can you tell us a little about the blooming season on the grounds?

CB: The first blooms you’ll see in the spring start with the serviceberry trees. They are an understory tree about the same size as dogwoods and redbuds, but it creates a puffy, white bloom that becomes an edible berry, which looks like a blueberry. The serviceberry trees bloom around the end of March.

Shortly after that, you’ll begin to see ephemeral plants on the forest floor, such as jack-in-the-pulpit and trillium. They come out before the rest of the forest has greened up so these early plants can get the sunlight they need, and as soon as they flower, they die for the rest of the year because the canopy closes all the sunlight off the forest floor.

Then, we move on to the redbuds—they usually come out at the end of March/beginning of April. The blooming process takes a couple of weeks. Next is the dogwoods. It’s a little different every year—last year, April 20, 2019 was a full bloom, so it varies.

Do you have a favorite plant or flower that grows on the grounds and why?

CB: That’s like asking me, “which of your children is your favorite,” but if I had to pick, my favorite plant is the Oakleaf Hydrangea, and, this is not necessarily a coincidence, we have the Alice variety of this hydrangea all around our grounds. It’s a pretty big bush—it gets anywhere from six to eight feet high and wide—and it has huge panicles of flowers. It blooms in June and it can bloom for up to a month. Then in the fall, the foliage turns a variety of colors from orange to red, which is just spectacular.

It’s a super hearty, super successful plant here on the grounds.

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Grab Your Gear at the Momentary Shop

The Momentary Shop is a one-ofa-kind shopping experience for art prints, collectible art products, Momentary merchandise, and more.

Stop by to pick up the latest items from the Momentary apparel line, including shirts, hats, and a collection of apparel with arrow patterns inspired by the artwork Sway by Addie Roanhorse, featured on the exterior glass of the Tower, the Container, and main entryway.

Members enjoy a 10 percent discount at the Momentary Shop and Crystal Bridges Museum Store.

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FOOD, DRINK & SHOPPING

The Art of Cocktails The Tower Bar at the Momentary has become the social hangout for those who enjoy craft cocktails, stunning views, and unforgettable moments with friends and family.

The design of the space is loosely inspired by 1960s airport lounges, a concept that mirrors Bentonville’s focus on aviation as seen at Thaden Field and beyond. The bar offers a stunning panoramic view of the natural beauty of Bentonville and a floor skylight that gives patrons a view of the gallery space below.

The space is run by the Momentary’s Beverage Manager Jena Barker, who manages a team of talented bartenders with an insatiable taste for cocktail innovation.

When the Momentary closed its doors to stop the spread of coronavirus, the team quickly sprang into action crafting delicious cocktails for occasions such as Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, National Fruit Cocktail Day, and even making a batch of kid-friendly summertime drinks. The Momentary then shared recipes and stories from the bartenders via digital channels.

MO Friend and MO Insider-level members get daytime access to the Tower Bar with complimentary coffee service and snacks.

Want to upgrade your membership? Give us a call at 479.418.5728.

When operations began again in the summer, the RØDE Bar opened for folks to enjoy snacks and drinks outdoors, patio style. On the Momentary Green, Beer, Bites, and Bocce Ball also offered visitors an opportunity to enjoy outdoor drinks and garden games under the Canopy, and now, visitors can also enjoy food and drinks at the Momentary Food Truck. Members also enjoyed take-home Cocktail Kits, which came with mixers and amenities to create a cocktail at home along with the bartenders via a virtual event.

“I am proud of how we have adapted quickly to change while continuing to deliver the kind of guest experience and innovation that has created our positive reputation,” said Barker. “Just like the neon artwork suggests, everyone feels they do indeed belong here.”

The Momentary is much more than a place to experience art. Culture is defined by these spaces where engagement can happen in new ways, surrounded by sleek design and the art of a cocktail. The next time you visit, make sure to set aside some time in the evening to fully engage in these unique spaces with a beverage of your choice.

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A Letter of Thanks to Our Members Dear Member, We wanted to take a moment to thank you directly for your support and generosity throughout this tumultuous year. We appreciate you bearing with us as we navigated several months of closure to stop the spread of coronavirus and ensure the safety of our staff, volunteers, and visitors. We were so glad to welcome you back when we reopened this past summer. At a time when everything is unpredictable, you can continue to count on Crystal Bridges and the Momentary as welcoming spaces where you receive benefits all year long.

For Crystal Bridges members, those benefits include free admission to temporary exhibitions (and guest tickets), discounts on events and programs, invitations to special members-only events, a discounted Momentary membership, retail discounts, and much more.

For Momentary members, those benefits include discounts on all events and programs, advance notification and early access to tickets, a discounted Crystal Bridges membership, invitations to special members-only events, and much more. For MO Friend and Insider-level members, this also includes daytime access to the Tower Bar and more.

And to our Crystal Bridges Original Members, what an incredible journey we’ve seen over this decade. You have been with us since the very beginning and you know what we can accomplish when we all move forward together in the same direction.

We hope you have enjoyed this look back at 2020. Now, as we move forward into the new decade, you are helping us do the following: Offer thought-provoking exhibitions that address current issues Facilitate meaningful conversations with visitors through programming and education Engage Northwest Arkansas with art programs and conversations in the community Celebrate the tenth anniversary of Crystal Bridges in 2021

On behalf of everyone at Crystal Bridges and the Momentary – THANK YOU! Your Membership Team

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IMAGE CREDITS FRONT COVER: Robert Indiana, Love Love,, 1966-1999, Cor-Ten steel, 72 x 72 x 36 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2009.4 © 2020 Morgan Art Foundation Ltd / Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY; BACK COVER: Tavares Strachan, You Belong Here, Here, 2020, Blocked-out neon with transformers, 25 1/2 × 78 ft. The Momentary, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, MO.2020.1; PG 10-12, FROM LEFT: Pop Chalee (Merina Luhan), Enchanted Forest, Forest, ca. 1950, gouache on paper, 20 x 25 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2020.52. Photography by Edward C. Robison III; Tse Tsan (Pablita Verlarde), Awataba Kiva Mural, Mural, 1981, mineral pigments on board, 44 x 36 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2020.58. Photography

by Edward C. Robison III; Sam Gilliam, Mazda Mazda,, 1970, acrylic on canvas, 135 x 90 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2020.12; Martine Gutierrez, Queer Rage, Imagine Life-Size, and I’m Tyra, p66-67, p66-67, 2018, printed 2020, chromogenic color print mounted on Sintra, 42 x 63 in.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2020.76; Firelei Báez, Untitled (A Correct Chart of Hispaniola with the Windward Passage), Passage), 2020, oil and acrylic on archival printed canvas, 104 ¼ x 122 ¾ in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2020.16. Courtesy of the artist and James Cohan, New York. Photo: Dan Bradica; Anne Lemanski, Tigris T-1, T-1, 2018, copper rod, archival print on

paper, artificial sinew, epoxy, and plastic, 64 x 61 x 30 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, Gift of Fleur S. Bresler, 2020.8. Photography by Steve Mann; PG 16, FROM TOP: Kris Pierce, Free Food, Food, 2018, two-channel HD video, duration: 4 minutes, 35 seconds. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2020.80; Paul Stephen Benjamin, Summer Breeze, Breeze, 2018, video installation, dimensions variable. Courtesy of Paul Stephen Benjamin; PG 21-22, FROM LEFT: Abelardo Morell, Tent-Camera Image on Ground: View of Mount Moran and the Snake River from Oxbow Bend, Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, Wyoming, 2011, Photograph, inkjet print, Abelardo Morell | Courtesy of Edwynn Houk Gallery, Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Catherine Opie, Untitled #1 (Yosemite Valley), Valley), 2015, Photograph, pigment print, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Stephen D. and Susan W. Paine Acquisition Fund for 20th century and Contemporary Art. (c) Catherine Opie. Courtesy of Regen Projects, Los Angeles and Lehmann Maupin, New York and Hong Kong. Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; PG 23-24, FROM LEFT: Ruth Asawa, Untitled (S.028, Hanging Four-Lobed Continuous Form within a Form), 1960, Iron wire, 86 ½ x 32 x 32 in. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2014.8. Artwork © 2020 Estate of Ruth Asawa / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York.

Courtesy The Estate of Ruth Asawa and David Zwirner; Jeffrey Gibson, IN NUMBERS TOO BIG TO IGNORE, IGNORE, 2016, Glass beads, artificial sinew, copper jingles, metal studs, repurposed wool army blanket, wood, 60 x 42 in. Collection of Judith and Paul Fried. Photo Credit: Pete Mauney; Maxfield Parrish, The Lantern Bearers,, 1908, oil on canvas mounted on board, 40 x 32 in.

Bearers Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2006.71. Photography by Dwight Primiano; Fitz Henry Lane, Ship Southern Cross in Boston Harbor, Harbor, 1851, Oil on canvas, Framed: 34 1/4 x 47 x 4 1/2 in. Peabody Essex Museum, Gift of the estate of Stephen Wheatland, 1987, M18639. Courtesy of Peabody Essex Museum. Photography by Mark Sexton; PG 29, CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Maria Molteni, Venusian Rosaceae, Rosaceae, 2020, paint on cement, 50 ft. diameter; HANNAH, RRRolling Stones 2.0, 2.0, 2020, 3D printed concrete, steel reinforcement, and paint. Iván Navarro, This Land is Your Land Ladder (Water Tower), BED (Water Tower), ME/WE (Water Tower), Tower), 2014, Neon, wood, painted steel, galvanized steel, aluminum, mirror, oneway mirror, and electric energy, each 189 x 105 1/8 x 105 1/8 in. Courtesy Templon, Paris – Brussels; PG 31-34, FROM LEFT: Nick Cave: Until. Courtesy MASS MoCA. Photo by Ironside Photography / Stephen Ironside. PG 35, FROM LEFT: Sarah Cain, i touched a cactus flower, flower, 2019, Frieze LA 2019, curated

by Ali Subotnick. Image courtesy of the artist. Derrick Adams, Keep Your Head Down and Your Eyes Open (detail), 2018, wood, acrylic paint, fabric, dimensions variable. Photo by Jenna Bascom. courtesy of the Museum of Art and Design; PG 36, TOP: Diana Al-Hadid, Ash in the Trade Winds, Winds, 2020, polymer gypsum, fiberglass, steel, plaster, copper and gold leaf pigment, 58 x 192 x 5.5 in. Courtesy of the artist. Photo credit: Timothy Doyon. PG 53: Gabriel Dawe, Plexus No. 27, 27, 2014, thread and steel hooks, 120 in. 132 in. x 20 ft.

If there was ever a year to embrace change, 2020 was it.

As our communities navigate the unknown waters of living, working, and schooling in a pandemic, we’ve also been coming to terms with our country’s history and identity.

Many of us turn to art to get through these realities in hopes of emerging stronger.

Art is about more than looking at a work. Artists are encouraging us to actively participate in important conversations and heed their call for transformation. We are striving to tell a diverse and inclusive story of America through art, and that inclusivity means coming to terms with the darker side of our nation’s history and society.

At Crystal Bridges and the Momentary, we’re beginning the journey to become an antiracist institution. This takes hard, honest work within our team and clear partnership with all those in our community. In 2021, we will focus on creating pathways for diverse leadership, empowering youth to be agents of change through our school curriculum, continuing to diversify our collection, and creating programs that reflect and include our diverse communities.

As you’ve read in this issue, we are also making a change in the way we think about museum spaces. Through community outreach projects like the Social Connecting Campaign, My Museum Kits, and food boxes, we are striving to be an institution that meets people where they are to truly become a community-centered organization. We will invite community collaboration to shape and inform our exhibitions, programs, and institutional initiatives.

Whether welcoming you to our spaces, or meeting you in your neighborhood, remember that Crystal Bridges and the Momentary are not treasure boxes, but tool boxes to be used to activate community change and quality experiences for all. We will never stop believing in the power of art to transform individuals and communities, and it is up to all of us to actively participate in that transformation.

Rod Bigelow

Executive Director and Chief Diversity & Inclusion Officer Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Lieven Bertels Director The Momentary

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