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.

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, 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,” 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, a bouncy-house-turnedcontemporary-art-project created by Houston-based artistic team Hillerbrand+Magsamen, Skateboarders vs. 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, 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

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.” 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)

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. 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.