CRYSTAL BRIDGES MEMBER MAGAZINE
SEPTEMBER 2018
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We Thank You For Your Support FOUNDING ENDOWMENTS FOR COLLECTIONS, OPER ATION, AND BUILDING
N E X T G E N E R AT I O N F U N D SPONSORED ADMISSION ENDOWMENT
EDUCATIONAL EXCELLENCE T HROUGH THE ARTS
Windgate Charitable Foundation
SCHOOL VISIT ENDOWMENT
CL ASSROOM LEARNING ENDOWMENT
T YSON SCHOL ARS OF AMERICAN ART ENDOWMENT & DON T YSON PRIZE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF AMERICAN ART
PROGR AM ENDOWMENT
EDUCATION STUDIOS ENDOWMENT
Jack and Melba Shewmaker Family
Doug and Shelley McMillon
A D D ITI O N A L CO N T RI B U TO R S TO THE NEX T GENER ATION FUND
EDUCATION AND PROGR AMMING
Pamela and Wayne Garrison
Reed and Mary Ann Greenwood
TR AILS & GROUNDS
The J.M. Smucker Company
Paul and June Carter Family
VA N CLI B U RN S E RIE S E N D O W M E N T Kelly and Marti Sudduth
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Reed and Mary Ann Greenwood
Kay and Ellis Melton
Chip and Susan Chambers
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MEMBER MAGAZINE
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CHIEF DIVERSITY + INCLUSION OFFICER
Rod Bigelow DEPUTY DIRECTOR
Sandy Edwards CHIEF STRATEGY OFFICER
Jill Wagar DIRECTOR OF CURATORIAL AFFAIRS + STRATEGIC ART INITIATIVES
Margi Conrads DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
Diane Carroll COPY EDITOR
Erica Harmon CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Anna Vernon SENIOR DESIGNER
I’d like to thank each and every one of you for the role you play
Laura Hicklin CONTRIBUTORS
Alejo Benedetti Mindy Besaw Beth Bobbitt Diane Carroll Lauren Haynes Rachel Tucker EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Alison Nation PHOTOGRAPHY
Stephen Ironside Daniel Moody Dero Sanford
Dear Crystal Bridges Members, When my family and I envisioned creating a museum on our property in Bentonville, we knew that for it to thrive, we would need passionate, committed supporters. We believed they existed in our regional community, which seemed eager to embrace a museum of American art in its midst, and support access to great works of art. Since the museum’s opening in 2011, my family and I have been delighted to see that supportive community fully engaging with Crystal Bridges. In fact, the support began before we even opened its doors, with more than 3,000 Original Members signing up months before construction was complete. Over the years, we’ve grown to some 15,000 members—an incredible support network that believes in the power of art, the power of community, and our commitment to welcoming all. I’d like to thank each and every one of you for the role you play in making Crystal Bridges such a dynamic place, as you visit our exhibitions, join us for artist talks or gallery tours, take part in artmaking classes, dine in our restaurant, Eleven, buy something special in our Museum Store—or even become a museum volunteer. You are what makes Crystal Bridges thrive: your energy, your passion, your commitment. Thank you for all you do.
MEMBERSHIP + DEVELOPMENT
Ana Aguayo Robyn Alley Jodi Burks Brandi Cline Emily Ironside Amanda Magoffin Megan Martin Kaylin Mason Laura McArthur Loria Oliver MacKenzie Stuart Will Watson Ashley Wardlow Christy Witt
Do we have your email address? If you’re not getting special announcements, event reminders, and our eNewsletter, then the answer is no.
Don’t miss a thing. Send your email address to embership@crystalbridges.org Environmentally friendly 100% Recycled (post-consumer waste) Made with renewable energy
ALICE WALTON FOUNDER AND BOARD CHAIRWOMAN
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CRYSTAL BRIDGES MEMBER MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER 2018 VOL VII ISSUE II
MUSEUM NEWS
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ACQUISITIONS
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COLLECTION FOCUS
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COMING SOON
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DISCOVER INDIGENOUS ART + ARTISTS IN OUR FEATURED EXHIBITION
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ARTIST INTERVIEWS
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MEMBER RESOURCES
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MUSEUM STORE
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ELEVEN
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WHY I JOINED
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CELEBRATIONS
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PHILANTHROPY
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LAST WORD
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C MAGAZINE IS THE MEMBERSHIP PUBLICATION FOR CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART.
Member Priority Line: 479.418.5728 MON • TUE • 8 am to 5 pm WED • THU • FRI 8 am to 9 pm SAT • SUN 10 am to 4 pm Purchase gift memberships with a 10% discount at CrystalBridges.org/ Membership.
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Crystal Bridges 2019 Exhibitions Lineup adds POW! WOW! Insights, and Intrigue
MEN OF STEEL, WOMEN OF WONDER Feb 9 – Apr 22, 2019
world. As a museum member, you’ve surely roamed the galleries and noticed how artists treat similar subjects in very different ways. For 2019, Crystal Bridges teams have created two unique exhibitions—one focused on Superheroes, the other on Crystals—that show how artists take a sim-
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ilar subject or source of inspiration and offer fresh and varied perspectives. A third exhibition is coming to us from Princeton University Art Museum, showing the ways in which artists drew inspiration from the environment. Read on to learn more about these three inspiring exhibitions—and mark your calendar to come see them in person!
Men of Steel, Women of Wonder is sponsored by Esther Silver-Parker.
Member Preview February 8, 2019
David Emery
Artists find unique ways to look at our
Superman and Wonder Woman are two of the most beloved icons in American popular culture. Created in times of economic adversity and world war, these characters quickly emerged as beacons of American morality, representing the ideals of truth, justice, and the American Way. Men of Steel, Women of Wonder is a new exhibition developed by Crystal Bridges that examines art world responses to Superman and Wonder Woman ranging from their Depression-era origins to today’s contemporary artist interpretations. The exhibition features more than 70 paintings, drawings, photographs, installations, videos, and performance works by a wide range of artists. Offering fresh perspectives on these cultural icons, and tapping into our current national love for superheroes, the artists of Men of Steel, Women of Wonder use Superman and Wonder Woman to explore national identity, American values, social politics, and the concept of humanity in this enticing, thought-provoking, unforgettable exhibition.
MUSEUM NEWS
MEMBERS SEE TEMPORARY EXHIBITIONS FOR FREE AND FIRST, WITH SPECIAL MEMBER PREVIEW DAYS!
NATURE’S NATION: AMERICAN ART + ENVIRONMENT
CRYSTAL: VISIBLE AND INVISIBLE (WORKING TITLE)
May 25 – Sep 9, 2019
Oct 12, 2019 – Jan 6, 2020
Nature’s Nation: American Art and Environment is a new exhibition that examines American artists’ impact on shaping environmental understanding and sustainability. Featuring 100 artworks from 70 eminent US collections, Nature’s Nation traces 300 years of evolving ideas about the natural world and our place within it. From colonial beliefs about the divine in nature, to artist’s advocacy for national parks, to the emergence of environmental activism, the paintings, photographs, and installations by Thomas Moran, Frank Lloyd Wright, Dorothea Lange, and more explore our relationship with the environment. Similar to the mission of Crystal Bridges, Nature’s Nation illuminates the connection between art and nature.
Today, high quality quartz crystals are mined from the mountains and caverns of Arkansas. Yet this iridescent, enigmatic material has captivated artists, religious leaders, monarchs, and healers across the world for more than 6,000 years. Organized by Crystal Bridges with guest curator Joachim Pissarro, Director of the Hunter College Galleries and Bershad Professor of Art History at Hunter College of the City University of New York, Crystal: Visible and Invisible is the first exhibition of its kind to explore the complex and varied connections between crystal and art throughout the world, spanning history and geography. View ancient artifacts such as engraved gems, skulls, figurines, vases, and more, alongside works from contemporary artists around the world that explore the power of crystal in art by drawing on its form, properties, and mysterious qualities. Featuring more than 75 works from Ancient Egypt and Greece, through to Rome, China, India, Japan, the
Nature’s Nation is organized by the Princeton University Art Museum, and will travel to the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA before its final stop at Crystal Bridges. Leadership support has been provided by Shelly and Tony Malkin, Annette Merle-Smith, the Henry Luce Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Member Preview May 24, 2019
Middle East, the Americas, and beyond, discover how the power of crystal transcends the boundaries of time and space. Taken together, all of these precious objects illustrate how crystal has bridged the gap between things we can see and things we can’t: science and art, fact and faith, medicine and magic—the visible and the invisible. Crystal: Visible and Invisible is sponsored by Avant Mining, LLC, Kyle, Maury and Finn Peterson, and JT and Imelda Rose.
Member Preview October 11, 2019
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Member Benefits Fall Program Highlights + Discounts
An adventurous night on the North
FOREST CONCERT SERIES
Lawn, a concert series under the stars, and an intimate jazz experience—let the museum fill your fall season with music and fun! Don’t forget that as a museum member, you enjoy discounts to these exciting programs and events.
Sep 14 – Oct 6
ARTINFUSION’S SUMMER FLING Saturday, Aug 18, 8 to 11 pm We’re transforming the North Lawn into a night of art, games, and adventure. Experience a unique performance combining traditional opera, comedy, and video by Fusebox Festival artist Joseph Keckler. Refresh at nearby food trucks, and participate in classic party games with our beer garden on Walker Landing. Artinfusion is an enhancement program for Crystal Bridges members, ages 21 to 40s, who wish to expand their social networks and infuse their lives with creativity. Encounter the arts in unique and exciting ways, both in the museum and around Northwest Arkansas. Sponsored by RopeSwing, JTH Productions, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, The Hershey Company, Leisurlist, Wright Lindsey Jennings, Blue Moon Brewing Company, Greenwood Gearhart Inc., and Saatchi & Saatchi X. $45 (FREE/Artinfusion members), register online or with Guest Services.
We’ve enjoyed weekly Saturday night concerts all summer long—and the party isn’t over yet! Our Forest Concert Series will continue into the fall with acts including NWA favorite Opal Agafia and The Sweet Nothings, folk-songwriter AHI, the Orchestral Pow Wow Project, and more. Bring your own lawn chair or blanket to enjoy music and dancing in the beautiful setting of our North Forest. A food truck and cash bar will be available throughout the night. Sponsored by Roy & Christine Sturgis Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, and Gelmart International. Presented on the Coca-Cola Stage. $10 (FREE/members and youth ages 18 and under), register online or with Guest Services.
VAN CLIBURN CONCERT SERIES: PIANIST + COMPOSER ARTURO O’FARRILL Friday, Sep 14, 7 to 9 pm Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist and composer Arturo O’Farrill presents an intimate concert experience on the Van Cliburn grand piano. O’Farrill is the Artistic Director of the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, a partner ensemble with Jazz at the Lincoln Center. The Van Cliburn Concert Series Endowment Fund supported by Reed and Mary Ann Greenwood and Ellis and Kay Melton. 2017 Van Cliburn Series sponsored by Chip and Susan Chambers and William M. Fuller Foundation. Special thanks to Tommy Smith and Steinway & Sons. $50 ($40/members), register online or with Guest Services.
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MUSEUM NEWS
Modern Art Makeover Discover new favorites and familiar faces in the redesigned galleries In June, the museum unveiled the newly designed Modern Art Galleries, situated on the north bridge. The galleries take a deeper look at artists working in the early twentieth century. The story picks up where the Early American Galleries left off, with art that reflects the transformation from rural to urban life, new technologies, and emerging themes of labor and leisure. The dramatic cultural changes during that time had a profound effect on the life of every American and on the diversity of approaches to Modern art. Some artists embraced a widened sphere of influence made possible by new modes of transportation while others found inspiration in the past. Artists were asking, “what does it mean to be modern?” Unsurprisingly, varied—and at times competing—definitions surfaced. Two artists who embodied these different approaches were
realist Thomas Hart Benton (above, left) and abstract painter Stuart Davis (top right). Both believed they were painting the true American scene. Ironically, they both lived in New York City for a large part of their lives and were teachers for the Art Students League in New York around the same time, but their style and subject matter were starkly different.
SCENES OF MODERN LIFE Benton was a Missouri native at the forefront of the Regionalism movement. He focused on images of ordinary people and propelled the lore of the common. Tobacco Sorters (1942-44) depicts a scene with a farmer teaching a young girl about the family tobacco business to foreground the nation’s rural history. Meanwhile, Davis was influenced by European artists such
as Pablo Picasso, and used the sights and sounds of jazz and urban life to realize his own unique style. While living in Paris from 1928-29, Davis applied his understanding of Cubism to the streetscape Rue de l’Echaudé (1928), which showcases his signature bold colors and radical perspective.
THE STIEGLITZ COLLECTION RETURNS The Stieglitz Collection has also been integrated throughout the Modern Art Galleries, creating interesting new connections within the permanent collection. The works include objects collected by Georgia O’Keeffe’s late husband, Alfred Stieglitz, a photographer, gallery owner, and tireless champion of American Modernists including Charles Demuth, Marsden Hartley, and Florine Stettheimer (lower right), among others. The museum co-owns the collection with Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. Portions of the Stieglitz Collection will be on view at Crystal Bridges through December 2019.
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SPROUT CAPSULE IMPLANTATION IS CURRENTLY ON VIEW IN THE BEYOND: GEORGIA O’KEEFFE AND CONTEMPORARY ART. THE BEYOND CLOSES AT CRYSTAL BRIDGES ON SEPTEMBER 3 BEFORE TRAVELING TO THE NORTH CAROLINA MUSEUM OF ART (OCT 13 – JAN 20, 2019) AND THE NEW BRITAIN MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART (FEB 22 – MAY 19, 2019).
New Acquisition Matthew Ronay, Sprout Capsule Implantation LAUREN HAYNES CURATOR, CONTEMPORARY ART
Sprout Capsule Implantation is a 2017 sculpture by Matthew Ronay (b. 1976, Lexington, Kentucky) and a new addition to the Crystal Bridges permanent collection. The material list for this work is long: basswood, dye, cotton string, shellac-based primer, steel, plastic, flocking, and gouache. While the mix of materials may seem random, they come together to make a unique object from the artist’s imagination. Ronay’s abstract sculptures bring to mind many different things: deep-sea diving, bodily forms, even visions of alien landscapes. The colorful, organic structures protrude and fold in brilliant abstractions that feel vaguely familiar. Ronay’s original shapes arise from automatic drawing, in which the hand moves quickly across the paper. He then translates it into three dimensions in wood and other materials. Ronay connects this process of doodling back to nature, acknowledging that humans are part of it and therefore able to transmit some base knowledge through our bodies. In this way, the plant-like structures and body forms suggested among his abstractions become extensions of a natural world sustained through reproduction, whether in botany or among humans and animals. When he first began creating art, Ronay worked exclusively in wood. He now integrates materials like steel and plastic, and manipulates the smoothed painted surfaces to look like PlayDoh creations of surrealist fantasies. 1 Matthew Ronay, “Art Talk: Matthew Ronay” (lecture, Art Talk: Matthew Ronay,
Perez Art Museum of Miami, Miami), March 24, 2016, https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=RcGg1iV_WYQ.
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ACQUISITIONS
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CB Around the Country
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Albert Bierstadt: Witness to a Changing World Buffalo Bill Center of the West Through Mar 1, 2019
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access to great American artworks by sharing objects with other museums and institutions all over the U.S. and abroad. This year, 20+ works from the permanent collection are out on loan—see where some are going!
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GEORGE COPELAND AULT DAYLIGHT AT RUSSELL’S CORNERS, 1944 ELSIE DRIGGS BLAST FURNACE, 1927 The Cult of the Machine Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco Through Jan 25, 2019
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MARTIN JOHNSON HEADE CATTLEYA ORCHID, TWO HUMMINGBIRDS, AND A BEETLE, CA. 1875 – 1890 Endangered Species: Artists on the Front Line of Biodiversity Whatcom Museum Through Jan 25, 2019
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FAITH RINGGOLD MAYA’S QUILT OF LIFE, 1989 William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum Through May 2, 2018
Crystal Bridges strives to increase
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JOHN MIX STANLEY THE BUFFALO HUNT, 1855
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RUTH ASAWA UNTITLED, (S.557, WALL-MOUNTED TIED WIRE, CLOSED CENTER TWELVE-PETALED FORM BASED ON NATURE), CA. 1965 – 1970 Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective Pulitzer Arts Foundation Through Mar 8, 2019
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COLLECTION FOCUS
CHARLES WILBERT WHITE OH, MARY, DON’T YOU WEEP, 1956 Charles White: A Retrospective Art Institute of Chicago Through Feb 1, 2019
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MARTIN JOHNSON HEADE STUDY OF THREE MAGNOLIA BLOSSOMS, CA. 1883 – 1888
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Imagining Florida: History and Myth in the Sunshine State Boca Raton Museum of Art Oct 15, 2018 – Apr 12, 2019
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ANDY WARHOL COCA-COLA [3], 1962 Andy Warhol: Before and After Whitney Museum of American Art Oct 22, 2018 – Sep 20, 2019
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GERMANY
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ELIZABETH CATLETT BLACK UNITY, 1968
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BETYE SAAR GELEDE, 1971 Soul of a Nation: Art in the Age of Black Power Brooklyn Museum Through Feb 22, 2019
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National Museum, Stockholm Oct 14, 2018 – Jan 2019
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MAXFIELD PARRISH THE LANTERN BEARERS, 1908 Wyeth, Parrish, Rockwell, and the European Narrative Tradition Norman Rockwell Museum Through Nov 16, 2018
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NORMAN ROCKWELL ROSIE THE RIVETER, 1943
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Enduring Ideals: Rockwell, Roosevelt and the Four Freedoms Norman Rockwell Museum Through Sep 21, 2018
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JOHN TRUMBULL PORTRAIT OF ALEXANDER HAMILTON, 1792 Joint Ownership Metropolitan Museum of Art Through Jul 31, 2020
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JOHN SINGER SARGENT UNDER THE WILLOWS, 1887
ISAMU NOGUCHI LUNAR LANDSCAPE, 1943
ROBERT SELDON DUNCANSON LANDSCAPE, 1865 STANTON MCDONALD-WRIGHT SPRING SYNCHROMY, 1918 Once Upon a Time in America: Three Centuries of US-American Art Wallraf-Richartz-Museum and Fondation Corboud Oct 29, 2018 – Apr 12, 2019 FRANCIS CRISS DAY SHIFT, 1943 THEODORE ROSZAK 42ND STREET (TIMES SQUARE), 1936 JOHN ANANSA THOMAS BIGGERS THE GARBAGE MAN, 1944 The Construction of the World: Art and Economy Kunsthalle Mannheim Sep 17, 2018 – Feb 22, 2019
DOROTHEA TANNING THE TRUTH ABOUT COMETS, 1945 Dimensionism: Modern Art in the Age of Einstein Mead Art Museum, Amherst College Oct 15, 2018 – Jun 21, 2019
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Focus Exhibitions this Fall
Portraits + Personal Spaces enliven the Crystal Bridges galleries, offering a deeper dive into the people and places around us.
AMY SHERALD September 1 – December 31, 2018 Amy Sherald rocketed onto the national art scene this year when her painting of former First Lady Michelle Obama went on view at the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C., making her the first black woman to paint an official First Lady portrait. While this famous portrait will not be leaving Washington anytime soon, a selection of several recent works by Sherald (b. 1973, Columbus, GA), will be presented at Crystal Bridges this fall. Organized by the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, this exhibition looks at works created over the last three years—including several new paintings made specifically for this exhibition. Sherald’s portraits depict people she meets during the course of her day in Baltimore, Maryland. She weaves a story about them as she pairs them with fantastical props and costumes,
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taking them from the everyday moment she met them in, and transporting them into a world of her own making. Sherald’s work lends truth and reality to history by depicting black people, and by allowing these images to be shown in museums that are often missing images of black people, she helps us tell a more complete story of American art and history. “My paintings hold up a mirror to the present and reflect real experiences of blackness today and historically,” she says, “in everyday life and within the historical art canon.” Amy Sherald was organized for the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis by Lisa Melandri, Executive Director. The exhibition and catalogue are presented by Jane and Bob Clark. Additional support is provided by Nancy and David Frej and Ann Ruwitch and John Fox Arnold. Amy Sherald is sponsored by Esther Silver-Parker.
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PERSONAL SPACE October 27, 2018 – March 2019 Crystal Bridges’ original members may remember Alison Elizabeth Taylor’s Room, exhibited in the museum’s first temporary exhibition, Wonder World, in 2011-2012. A visitor favorite, Room’s mix of wood colors, grains, and textures creates an intimate domestic space, and invites viewers to imagine who might inhabit this room. In similar style, the focus exhibition Personal Space highlights the objects that we surround ourselves with, both real and imagined. It features 11 works of art from Crystal Bridges’ collection and on loan, including photography, installation, and sculpture including Room. Through this range of works, Personal Space asks us to consider what emotions are evoked by places, people, objects, and symbols shown in the art on view. Personal Space is sponsored by HOWSE.
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IN CONVERSATION: WILL WILSON + EDWARD CURTIS September 1, 2018 – February 2019 Between 1907 and 1930, Edward Curtis traveled throughout the lands west of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers with a goal to document the traditions and cultures of Native American peoples. The resulting twenty volumes of illustrated texts and another twenty unbound portfolios contain more than 2,000 photogravures. The lasting impression of Curtis’s photographs on the public imagination cannot be understated—for many, images of Native American culture frozen in a romanticized time prior to European contact still defines Native American life and people today. The beautiful, but often idealized, portrayal of Native life has elicited both praise and scrutiny because many of the photographs were posed and manipulated to eliminate evidence of modern life. Now, 100 years later, contemporary photographer Will Wilson (Diné) resumes the documentary mission of Curtis, but from an Indigenous viewpoint. Wilson employs wet-plate collodion studio photography in his “Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange” project, in which he invites Indigenous artists, arts professionals, and tribal governance to participate in a photography session. In his practice, Wilson collaborates with his sitters, who determine the pose, clothing, props, and context of the photograph. As a gesture of reciprocity, Wilson also gives the sitters the original photograph produced during the exchange, while retaining the right to create and use scans of the image for artistic purposes. The results present a contemporary vision of Native American life. The focus exhibition will place Will Wilson’s photography in dialogue with Edward Curtis photogravures from the Crystal Bridges collection. The juxtaposition asks us to examine how Native peoples have been portrayed in photography over time.
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MINDY BESAW CURATOR
OCT 6, 2018 – JAN 7, 2019 MEMBER PREVIEW FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 11 AM – 9 PM
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DISCOVER INDIGENOUS ART + ARTISTS IN OUR FEATURED EXHIBITION Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950s to Now charts the development of contemporary Indigenous art in the United States and Canada. Paintings, sculpture, textiles, photographs, videos, installations, and performance art will expand visitors’ expectations of Indigenous art. Native peoples come from different parts of North America and represent diverse histories and contemporary conditions. Some are connected to reservations and tribal traditions, others are not. But all are united by their Indigenous heritage and history. The exhibition takes its title from a series of twenty-three sculptures created by Brian Jungen called Prototypes for New Understanding (1998-2003), a title Jungen borrowed from the language of a treaty document between Canada and First Nations people. Each sculpture in the series transforms Nike Air Jordan athletic shoes (a highly-coveted consumer item of the time) into the form of faux Northwest Coast masks. The sculptures call attention to the ways in which images and cultural production of Native North American people and objects circulate in our society. Northwest Coast masks, for example, are often assumed to be a
LOOK FOR A FULL-CATALOG ON THE EXHIBITION IN OUR MUSEUM STORE THIS FALL, PRODUCED BY UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS PRESS.
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MEMBERS SEE IT FIRST AND SEE IT FOR FREE! MEMBER PREVIEW: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 5, 11 AM – 9 PM. GET FREE TICKETS FROM THE GUEST SERVICES DESK IN THE MUSEUM’S MAIN LOBBY, OR CALL THE MEMBERSHIP PRIORITY LINE AT 479.418.5728.
CRYSTAL BRIDGES RECEIVED AN INAUGURAL SOTHEBY’S PRIZE FOR THIS EXHIBITION, WITH A COMMENDATION THAT APPLAUDS THE BREADTH AND DEPTH OF AMBITIOUS EXHIBITION RESEARCH. THE SOTHEBY’S PRIZE JURY BELIEVES THIS EXHIBITION WILL BE A TURNING POINT IN VIEWERS’ UNDERSTANDING OF THIS FIELD.
generic identifier for Indigenous peoples broadly, rather than the specific nation that uses them. Like Jungen’s call for re-evaluation, Art for a New Understanding asks for just that – a deeper and more meaningful understanding of Native North American art, as told by the artists themselves. Art for a New Understanding takes a richly layered chronological journey, connecting themes across time. Beginning in the 1950s, contemporary Native art started to emerge as Indigenous artists questioned traditional forms and interacted deeply with mainstream art movements. Throughout the decades, artists continued to experiment with media and addressed topics that are both intensely personal and include reflections on more global contemporary issues. Themes included in the exhibition include representation and identity, land and environment, and critiques on colonization and historical narrative. To address these themes, some artists make use of material practices such as weaving and beadwork in radically new ways. Other artists use humor and references to popular culture. And still others embrace art for protest and to draw attention to social causes. Exciting new work is also being created for the exhibition, including a mural in downtown Bentonville by Yatika Fields, and a new 24-foot wide
multimedia artwork by Athena LaTocha, created in response to the cultural landscape of Northwest Arkansas, which will be on display in the exhibition. As a survey of artists and artworks that made an impact on the development of Indigenous art from the 1950s to now, Art for a New Understanding is a call to action that expands the definition of American art and sets the tone for future considerations of the subject. Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950s to Now is organized by Crystal Bridges, and curated by independent curator Candice Hopkins (Tlingit, citizen of Carcross/Tagish First Nation), Crystal Bridges Curator of American Art Mindy Besaw, and Manuela Well-Off-Man, Chief Curator at the IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The exhibition will be on view at Crystal Bridges in the fall of 2018 before traveling to major museums in the United States. Admission is sponsored by The Christy and John Mack Foundation. The exhibition is sponsored Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, National Endowment for the Arts, ConAgra Brands, Arkansas Humanities Council, Becky and Bob Alexander, Frank and Pat Bailey, Randy and Valorie Lawson / Lawco Energy Group, Kyle, Maury and Finn Peterson, The Sotheby’s Prize, and James and Emily Bost. This project is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts. 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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Yatika Fields is a painter and muralist who recently moved to Tulsa as a Fellow in the Tulsa Artist Fellowship. His artwork is featured in Crystal Bridges’ newest exhibition, Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices, 1950s to Now. C recently sat down with Fields to discuss his artistic journey and inspiration. How did you come to be an artist? I like to think that I was born into it. My parents are both artists, my mother in clay and my father in photography. I grew up with art always around and trips to exhibitions and art events were a regular occurrence—this, along with a creative hand, kept me in good spirits with it. Like anything, I evolved with it and grew. I took extra measures to train myself with it, I gravitated towards painting and all-encompassing history, processes, and so forth. In high school I had received a few awards and garnered a scholarship to Boston which was on a plan to get to NYC—the “epicenter of the art world,”
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as I had read and excited myself about when younger. I think there’s a lot of moments and events that have revealed themselves in my life to position me to be an artist. A few notable ones that really established themselves to me were studying landscape painting in Italy after graduating high school and a year later working in Borneo, Malaysia with other young artists. I saw art for the first time on a global and cultural scale that floored me, and I knew then that I was in my element and ready for the challenge to hopefully become a successful artist. It’s a long road and it never ends, I’m patient with all failures and successes as they both come. Your style includes a lot of movement and bright colors— what inspires your compositions? A lot of my past work often started with quick gestural marks setting the tone and speed of the compositions to come, and then colors were selected to go along with the compositions. It was more like a puzzle or challenge to find the finished outcome. No sketches or ideas, but really just letting the hand move and work and then finding forms and working into them. I like to work bigger because you can actually incorporate a physicality to it that doesn’t exist or is able to be applied to smaller works. I really got involved in graffiti in Boston and NYC from 2000-2006. This experience allowed me to work quickly and with full-body motion. I look at it more like night performances with a spray can. So taking that aspect into my studio works with the brush allowed me to create unique compositions with a birth from the streets possibly. I’m also Osage, Cherokee, and Creek, and I’ve grown up in Oklahoma with a close connection to my culture and identity as Native American. I grew up in traditions and ceremony, and often times I correlate that to the use of movement and colors as they do include that with song, dance, regalia, and rhythm. What is your process when creating murals— do you have specific idea in mind, or does it evolve as you begin working on it and take in the surroundings? Surroundings are a perfect way to discuss murals. I think a good mural works with the surrounding atmosphere, and “good” means one that activates the area to the fullest potential. It all depends on what the mural is, and if there’s a preconceived idea or mock-up for the mural. For instance, is this a collaborative mural with a client? Are you gravitating to this opportunity because it will hold a certain dialogue to it? And if so, what do you want convey to the public who will be the community engagement aspect of it? Murals have more precedent to making community change as an art piece more than any medium I feel, and with it comes potential for a lot to follow. My process all depends on all the above and takes into consideration the space and where it will be activated. From
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there the process will branch out into a lot of unknowns but the more equipped you are with past experiences, the better you are to achieve a powerful and compelling mural, always keeping in mind the public, community, and the murals’ mission. In 2016, you spent time in the Oceti Sakowin Camp as part of the Dakota Access Pipeline protests—has this experience (or similar experiences and travels) influenced your work moving forward? It definitely influenced a few bodies of work moving forward. I’m an artist that loves to challenge myself in process, medium and subject matter. My work evolves with every travel or trip I take letting all influences and occurrences take precedence in illuminating my work. I have an analogy I use to discuss my process and subject matter: the painting is a stew of sorts, the studio is the kitchen, and my mind is the seasoning cabinet, I use all past and new recipes, taking what I’ve done in the past, but adding to it If I feel it needs it, always looking for the next sensation in taste. As for being at the Oceti Sakowin camp, which was a literal war zone, it definitely had an impact as far as seeing first-hand the treatment the United States government places on its very own people all for oil? Money? It was eye-opening—not surprising, but eye-opening and has maybe lit a fire under me to paint more about social discourse in America, if anything.
What do you hope viewers take away from experiencing your work? Ultimately, I want the viewers to take away a magical moment. I want to them to feel a sensation and let the art move them wherever it needs to. In my experience, I know that everyone who views my work takes away something different and sees something different as well. That’s okay because they’ll be bringing their own unique experiences to life with them and understanding of art as well. Art should activate a feeling. In my work, I can only be the conductor to the rhythm of it and control the compositions. This is the true magic of the artist to do that with grace and beauty, structuring it for everyone else to hear, feel, and see with their hearts. I hope they can take something positive with them for sure. Anything else you’d like to add about your work, or something you’re excited for with this exhibition? I’m excited to be a part of this exhibition and be able to help it discuss where contemporary art is today, not only on the American art level, but also with Contemporary Native art: an ongoing and evolving landscape. As my work evolves with the years, I’m happy a part of it will have a home in Downtown Bentonville as a part of the timeline.
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Anna Tsouhlarakis works in sculpture, installation, video, and performance. Her work is featured in Crystal Bridges’ newest exhibition, Art for a New Understanding: Native Voices 1950s to Now. We recently sat down with Tsouhlarakis to discuss her artistic mediums and the cultural inspiration behind her work. How did you come to be an artist? My father used to be a contractor and made jewelry in his free time before eventually becoming a full-time artist. When he was a contractor, he used to bring home scraps of wood that my brother and I would nail together and stack. When he was in his studio, he would give us scraps of metal to do stamp work and smash in the vices. When visiting my grandmother in New Mexico, I would help her spin wool and watch her weave on her loom. I would also sit near her and build sheep and horse corrals out of mud and sticks. Ever since I can remember, I manipulated materials and built objects. While I dabbled in drawing and painting—my main interest was in constructing.
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Your work in the exhibition is Let’s Dance! Why did you choose the medium of dance? What was the inspiration behind the work? Towards the end of graduate school, I had been thinking a lot about basic stereotypes of Native Americans. One stereotype that kept resurfacing was dancing. When I was in my teen years, my older brother and I, and eventually my younger sister, were in Native American dance troupes. We would perform for usually all-white audiences at schools, community centers, corporate events, etc. During this time we were also very active within the Native American powwow scene and competition dancing. I remember being very interested in this strange exchange of the dancers and the audience. It always became a teacher/student situation where we were the teachers. When I went on to Dartmouth, I often reflected back on
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those experiences (I was a double major in Native American Studies and Studio Art) when writing various papers and when discussing Native identity in class. At Skowhegan (a two-month residency for 60 visual artists), my initial idea was that I would do a dance every day and film it. I would then film the sky the following day to see how my dancing affected the weather. I asked other resident artists to teach me a dance. There are three participants who were friends that visited me at the residency. My intention was to reverse my role in the situation and become the “student.” After a couple of days into the project, I realized that this idea of weather and “rain dancing” was insignificant and the most interesting piece was my interaction with the person who was
teaching me a dance. After this realization, I abandoned the weather part and became much more attune to asking other artists who were from different places geographically or from different cultures. When asking people to dance with me, I stressed that no dance was too basic or too silly and that skill level or the lack of knowledge of a dance should not be a deterrent. Many people ask about the Tai-Chi day. I asked a woman, Chris Chou, if she would teach me a dance and she responded with what she considered a dance, which was Tai-Chi. My experience with the participants was a lot of fun. The video has a casual and impromptu feel to it and I was very aware of those characteristics. Much of Native artwork is very serious and the portrayal of Natives tends to be as stoic or sorrowful. I wanted to reverse those characteristics in this piece. I wanted the viewer to see me, a Native woman, joking around, having fun and interacting in a casual way. I saw each dance as a moment to experience this other person’s culture. My culture is very defined and concrete in both instances. When I asked someone to teach me a dance, it became a window into his or her own background, experiences, and lifestyle. It was important for me to show that a Native woman is able to navigate in all of those spaces; a Native woman who is not the expected lean and long-haired version of Western fantasies. The other aspect of Native artwork I was working against was the overall aesthetics. My father makes Native American jewelry and we talk a lot about the idea of preciousness and beauty within an artwork. He works to make objects solid, cherished, and lasting, while I make work that questions beauty and captures a sense of ephemerality. Why did you choose to present this work as a video? I prefer the media of video, photography, and installation because unlike traditional sculpture and painting, they are distinct art forms that are separate from craft. I realized that being a Native artist and working in a more traditional art form came with an extreme amount of baggage and expectation. The boundaries were harder to break and the medium overwhelmed the concept. The aesthetic awareness and preciousness that surrounds certain art forms is not something I am interested in attaining. My father is a jeweler and he learned traditional silversmithing from his grandfather and we often have discussions around the ideas of the preciousness of art objects and the idea of ephemerality in artmaking. I came to realize that video was the best language for me to translate this idea. What are you excited for with this exhibition? One of my goals in life is to help grow the trajectory of Native American art. I am excited to see how this exhibition will foster that growth within art history and solidify our contributions to a larger audience. We may be small in numbers but we are indomitable in our creativity.
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EMBERS FOR LIFE
Why Crystal Bridges Members Keep Coming Back Year After Year
DWAYNE + DENISE THOMAS, SPRINGDALE Members for 5 years Why We Love Crystal Bridges Because it’s just plain AMAZING! We love everything about it! We bring every guest that visits us to the museum, and we plan our weekends and evenings around the activities Crystal Bridges hosts. Lunch and dinner are wonderful, too, how often do you get to eat with art? One of our most memorable experiences as a family was an outdoor performance of A Midsummer’s Night Dream. Our daughter was five then, and she thought it was magical. She’s 10 now and still talks about it. The art activities are phenomenal, they’re great for families. If you can interest your kids in art and get them involved, that’s half the battle. When I mention to Sariah that we’re going to the museum, she gets her shoes on and is ready to go! Why We’re Members While we may not be able to make significant contributions, being a member is a small thing we can do to help the museum be all that it can be. We share a passion for the arts, and we know that members help offset some of the costs. That’s our small way of helping our community. DWAYNE, DENISE, + SARIAH THOMAS
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AJAY + SAVITA MALSHE, FAYETTEVILLE
The seamless connection of art to beautiful surroundings is serene. AJAY MALSHE
Members for 1 year Why We Love Crystal Bridges One of our first experiences with Crystal Bridges was attending a talk between Alice Walton and the architect Moshe Safdie. After the talk, we walked through the galleries and were astonished by the prism of paintings. The outdoor experience, combining nature as an art with humanexpressed art, is another one of the reasons we love Crystal Bridges. The seamless connection of art to beautiful surroundings is serene. Why We’re Members Over time, Savita and me, as scientists, engineers, educators, and entrepreneurs, came close to art and how it is an expression of a higher form of human mind. Also, as first generation immigrants from India, we consider Crystal Bridges a learning experience of the American genesis of freedom of expression. Last but not least, it has generated many good memories for my family.
I am supporting this amazing gift to our community + the art world. LOWELL COLLINS
HARSHA, ASHVINI, SAVITA, + AJAY MALSHE
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LOWELL COLLINS, BENTONVILLE Original Member (7 years) and Museum Volunteer Why I Love Crystal Bridges I was immediately excited and interested when Crystal Bridges was announced. My anticipation grew as the build up to opening developed during the years of construction. The first opportunities to see the building from the overlook off the trail in 2009 and the exhibits at the Massey Building all added to my anticipation. I knew I wanted to support the museum both as a member and a volunteer. I was in the first group of volunteers trained to be guides in 2011. I will always remember the beauty of the galleries the first time we saw them. I felt so grateful to be a part of something so special.
LOWELL COLLINS (LEFT) WITH MEMBERS/VOLUNTEERS GAIL AND STEVE SNYDER AND MUSEUM FOUNDER AND BOARD CHAIR ALICE WALTON.
Why I’m a Member Membership gives me pride that in a small way I am supporting this amazing gift to our community and the art world. Membership gives me ownership. It makes Crystal Bridges our museum to welcome all to discover. The benefits are many: a first peek at new exhibits, free admission to exhibits and other events like summer concerts, programs like yoga and artist talks. Membership is one way in which I can express my gratitude and support for this museum and the opportunity that it affords all of us.
CARLOS + NORMA ORDAZ, LITTLE ROCK New Members Why We Love Crystal Bridges We have four children, and my husband and I always look for ways to share unique experiences with them. We like to take road trips—they’re learning opportunities, to experience art and history. Since Crystal Bridges opened, we’ve visited several times and enjoy the trails and the museum. Why We’re Members We recently became members so that we can see all of the temporary exhibitions and fully experience the museum anytime we visit. We have such good memories here, whenever we’re in Northwest Arkansas, we come by.
SOPHIA, SAIDA, ROBERTO, DAVID + NORMA ORDAZ
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Member Resources Explore Crystal Bridges beyond the museum with these digital tools!
As the museum continues to grow and innovate, we want you—our valued members—to stay in-the-know with all of the exciting happenings at Crystal Bridges! From our trusted blog to our new podcast series, a variety of channels will give you a deeper dive into the art, architecture, and nature of the museum. We’ve gathered a list of resources we think you’ll like to follow:
CRYSTAL BRIDGES BLOG With artist interviews, exhibition highlights, recipes, and more, our blog is your go-to source for museum information. CrystalBridges.org/Blog
CRYSTAL BRIDGES APPS Download our free apps and learn more about the museum, plus use them while you’re visiting to learn about key artworks and help you find your location inside or outside the museum.
MUSEUM WAY PODCAST In our new podcast, we share all the ins-and-outs of the museum! New episodes are released each month, and you’ll hear directly from museum staff or visiting artists, all through the lens of our fantastic host: Interpretation Manager Stace Treat. Available on Apple Podcast, Stitcher, and Google Play.
» CB MUSEUM Our museum app features a selection of audio and video tours of our art collection, arranged around a variety of themes. Enjoy behind-the-scenes videos of installations and conservations, tour the museum galleries and hear casual conversations about the artwork from staff experts, and learn all about the museum’s architecture. Many audio tours are available in Spanish as well.
» CB OUTDOORS This outdoor app is your guide to the art, plants, and other features of the museum’s beautiful, 120-acre campus, including the new North Forest Trail and sculptures. Available on the App Store and Google Play.
VIRTUAL REALITY Immerse yourself in the stories of American art and architecture. We’re developing a series of virtual reality videos so you can experience and interact with the museum like never before. In one of our first videos, you can journey into the Hudson River Valley with a virtual reality experience through Asher B. Durand’s Kindred Spirits painting. CrystalBridges.org/VR
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GOOGLE ARTS + CULTURE Visit the newly launched Crystal Bridges’ Google Arts & Culture page to experience the museum with 360 tours of the galleries and grounds! ArtsandCulture.Google.com/Partner/ CrystalBridgesMuseumofAmericanArt Crystal Bridges Apps are sponsored by Cox Communications.
MEMBER RESOURCES
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Chef Spotlight William McCormick, Executive Chef of Eleven Restaurant
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MEMBERS GET PRIORITY ACCESS IN THE RESTAURANT AND DISCOUNTS ON PROGRAMS, INCLUDING CULINARY EVENTS SUCH AS WOW, DISH, AND CR(EAT)E.
Trained at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, Chef William McCormick knows his way around the kitchen. He grew up in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains and has worked all over the country from Dallas to Boston to Chicago, even making his way up to Montreal. He returned to Northwest Arkansas a few years ago and most recently was the executive chef at MOD (“Modern Ozark Dining”) in downtown Bentonville before joining Eleven in early 2018. McCormick’s guiding principle is to provide inspired, locallysourced modern cuisine. An eighth generation Arkansan who has been classically trained, he wants the culinary experience to align with the welcoming mission of the museum—connecting art and nature with a dash of ‘worldly’ and a splash of ‘southern charm.’ The menu strikes both a modern and traditional tone with dinner items such as the Herb-Brined Chicken featuring locallysourced chicken and potatoes with pink peppercorn gravy. McCormick draws on the sous-vide, French technique to slowcook the chicken, adding a new-world flare to an otherwise classically southern meal. His southern roots and local approach
manifest in the brunch and lunch menu with classics like Eggs Benedict and the Chopped Salad, which both feature delicious, Petit Jean meats from Northwest Arkansas. The menu reveals McCormick’s philosophy that food is a social experience, with more small plates and appetizers encouraging sharing among friends and family. An ideal time to experience this is every Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 5 to 7 p.m. for Culture Hour, which offers specially-priced wine, local craft beer, or unique cocktails inspired by the art. Pair a drink with starters like the shareable American Cheese Plate, which showcases regional cheese from Edgewood Creamery, and add live music on Thursday night for a truly unique culinary experience.
ELEVEN: THE RESTAURANT AT CRYSTAL BRIDGES OVERLOOKS THE PONDS WITH VIEWS OF THE BEAUTIFUL OZARK LANDSCAPE. FEATURING MODERN COMFORT FOOD WITH AN EMPHASIS ON TRADITIONS OF THE HIGH SOUTH, THE MENU IS INSPIRED BY THE AMERICAN SPIRIT, ARTWORKS IN THE GALLERIES, AND THE NATURAL SURROUNDINGS.
Lunch: MON + WED–SAT 11 am – 2:30 pm // Dinner: WED–FRI 5 – 9 pm // Brunch: SUN 11 am – 2:30 pm CALL 479-418-5700 OR VISIT CRYSTALBRIDGES.ORG/ELEVEN FOR DINNER + BRUNCH RESERVATIONS
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MEMBER FAMILY PHOTOS 05.19.18 Museum members captured special moments on the trails in a FREE photo session, an annual member benefit.
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CELEBRATIONS THE BEYOND DIRECTOR’S RECEPTION 05.24.18 Sponsored by Helen Porter, Coca-Cola, Stout Executive Search, Terri and Chuck Erwin, George’s, Mitchell, Williams, Selig, Gates & Woodyard, P.L.L.C., Harriet and Warren Stephens, Stephens Inc., David and Cathy Evans, Blakeman’s Fine Jewelry, The Harrison and Rhonda French Family, Charles and Shannon Holley, Morris Foundation, Inc., JT and Imelda Rose, and Jim and Susan von Gremp.
EMMA AVE BLOCK PARTY 06.02.18 Artinfusion is sponsored by RopeSwing, JTH Productions, General Mills, Johnson & Johnson, The Hershey Company, Leisurlist, Wright Lindsey Jennings, Blue Moon Brewing Company, Greenwood Gearhart Inc., and Saatchi & Saatchi X.
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GARDEN PARTY 06.16.18 Sponsored by Nice-Pak Products, Inc., Procter & Gamble, Northwest Arkansas Naturals, and Rockline Industries. Transportation provided by Pinnacle Car Services.
FOREST CONCERT SERIES SUMMER 2018
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Sponsored by Roy & Christine Sturgis Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee, and Gelmart International. Presented on the Coca-Cola Stage.
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The Gift of Art NBA Star and Crystal Bridges Member Darrell Walker Believes in Art for All DIANE CARROLL DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
C recently caught up with museum member Darrell Walker, former Razorback turned NBA player, eventual NBA coach, and currently head men’s basketball coach at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Along with his passion for the game, Walker has pursued a personal passion since his early days in the NBA: discovering, collecting, and sharing the work of African American artists.
MUSEUM MEMBERS AND DONORS LISA + DARRELL WALKER
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How did you begin collecting? It began when I was playing in the NBA, and a fellow player showed me some of the art he was collecting. He introduced me to visiting galleries, meeting artists, and learning about their work, and I was intrigued. As a player and later as a coach, I was constantly traveling, so I’d check out what was going on art-wise in different cities. I’d go
PHILANTHROPY
to gallery openings, and I learned about some of the masters of the African American art scene—Norman Lewis, Al Loving, Jacob Lawrence, Charles White, Sam Gilliam, and others. Or I’d go on a studio visit and discover artists trying out new things. It was fun, and a side benefit of all that travel. What types of work do you collect, and has it changed over time? I originally concentrated on purchasing the work of some of these masters, but eventually I expanded into the contemporary side, including purchasing an artwork by Radcliffe Bailey. It’s an eclectic mix, older and younger artists, different styles, some controversial, some not so much. I buy what piques my interest, and artists that I think are good or great or have the chance to become that.
How did you decide to gift Crystal Bridges with one of the works in your collection? I’d heard a lot of buzz about the museum, and came from Little Rock to see it. I was blown away! I think it’s one of the premier museums in the world, with a diverse collection from historical masters to great contemporary art. The more that my wife, Lisa, and I learned about the museum, the more we knew we wanted to support it. We learned that Crystal Bridges didn’t have an artwork by Sam Gilliam, and we decided that Golden Door, a really unique Gilliam artwork in our collection, would benefit the museum. It shows a different side of Gilliam, it’s not the style he became most known for, and would add to the diversity of the collection. Lisa and I wanted to provide a gift because we believe in what Crystal Bridges does and wanted to show our support of your mission.
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CREDITS FRONT COVER: Dana Claxton, Cultural Belongings, 2015, LED firebox with transmounted Lightjet Duratrans, 72 × 96 in. Private Collection. © Dana Claxton. P2 Photos by Stephen Ironside. TABLE OF CONTENTS CLOCKWISE, FROM LEFT: Amy Sherald, What’s precious inside of him does not care to be known by the mind in ways that diminish its presence (All American), 2017. Oil on canvas, 54 x 43 inches. Private Collection, Chicago. Spiderwoman Theater, Reverb-Ber-Ber-Rations, 1994. (L to R) Lisa Mayo, Gloria Miguel, Muriel Miguel. Photo: The Advertiser/Sunday Mail, Adelaide, Australia. Photo by Stephen Ironside. P4 Fahamu Pecou, Nunna My Heroes: After Barkley Hendricks’ “Icon for My Man Superman 1969”, 2011. Acrylic, gold leaf, and oil stick on canvas. 63 x 49 1/2 in. Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University; Gift of Marjorie and Michael Cerine. P5 FROM LEFT: Charles Willson Peale, The Artist in His Museum, 1822. Oil on canvas. 103 3/4 x 79 7/8 in. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Gift of Mrs. Sarah Harrison (The Joseph Harrison, Jr. Collection), 1878.1.2. Marina Abromovic, Dozing Consciousness, 1997, video. © Marina Abromovic. P6 Photos by Stephen Ironside. P7 CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT: Thomas Hart Benton, Tobacco Sorters, 1942/1944. Tempera on board, 30 1/8 x 36 in. Stuart Davis, Rue de l’Echaudé, 1928. Oil and sand on canvas, 23 3/4 × 36 1/4 in. Florine Stettheimer, Portrait of Alfred Stieglitz, 1928. Oil on canvas, 38 x 26 1/4 in. Alfred Stieglitz Collection, Co-owned by Fisk University, Nashville, Tennessee, and Crystal Bridges. Photos by Edward C. Robison III. P9 Matthew Ronay, Sprout Capsule Implantation, 2017. Basswood, dye, cotton string, shellac-based primer, steel, plastic, flocking, and gouache. 23 1/2 in. × 22 in. × 13 in. P10 FROM LEFT: Faith Ringgold, Maya’s Quilt of Life, 1989. Acrylic on canvas and painted, dyed, and pieced fabrics. 73 × 73 in. Ruth Asawa, Untitled (S.557, Wall-Mounted Tied Wire, Closed Center Twelve-Petaled Form Based on Nature), ca. 1965-1970. Bronze wire, 38 x 38 x 12 in. P11 CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Maxfield Parrish, The Lantern Bearers, 1908. Oil on canvas mounted on board, 40 × 32 in. John Trumbull, Portrait of Alexander Hamilton, 1792. Oil on canvas, 86 1/2 x 57 1/2 in. Jointly Owned by Crystal Bridges Museum and The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Gift of Credit Suisse, 2013. Elizabeth Catlett, Black Unity, 1968. Cedar, 21 in. × 12 1/2 in. × 23 in. Andy Warhol, Coca-Cola [3], 1962. Casein on canvas, 69 3/8 × 54 in. Norman Rockwell, Rosie the Riveter, 1943. Oil on canvas, 52 x 40 in. P12 Amy Sherald, What’s precious inside of him does not care to be known by the mind in ways that diminish its presence (All American), 2017. Oil on canvas, 54 x 43 inches. Private Collection, Chicago. P13 Amy Sherald, Varsity Girl, 2016. Oil on canvas, 54 x 43 inches. Collection of Nancy and David Frej, Chicago. P14 Alison Elizabeth Taylor, Room, 2007-2008. Wood veneer, pyrography, and shellac. 96 x 120 x 96 in. Image courtesy of the artist and James Cohan Gallery, New York/ Shanghai. Photo: Jason Mandella. P15 FROM TOP: Edward Curtis, Zuni girl, 1903, photogravure. Will Wilson, Insurgent Hopi Maiden, Melissa Pochoema, Citizen of the Hopi Tribe, 2015, Talking tintype, 50 x 40 in., Courtesy the artist. P17 FROM TOP: Kent Monkman, History is Painted by the Victors, 2013. Acrylic on canvas, 72 × 113 1/4 in. Denver Art Museum, Gift from Vicki and Kent Logan to the Collection of the Denver Art Museum. Brian Jungen, Prototype for New Understanding #2, 1998. Nike Air Jordans and human hair, 9 1/16 × 8 1/4 × 10 1/16 in. © Brian Jungen. Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery. Purchased with the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts Acquisition Assistance Program and the Vancouver Art Gallery Acquisition Fund, 1999. P18–19 Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun, Scorched Earth, Clear-cut Logging on Native Sovereign, 1991, Acrylic on canvas, 77 × 108 1/4 in. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa. Purchased 1993. P20 Dana Claxton, Headdress, 2015, LED firebox with transmounted Lightjet Duratrans, 48 x 32 in. © Dana Claxton. P21 FROM TOP: Oscar Howe, Dance of the Heyoka, c. 1954. Watercolor on paper, 20 1/4 × 26 1/4 in. Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa, Oklahoma. Museum purchase. 1954.12. © 2018 By permission of the Oscar Howe Family. Shan Goshorn, Removal (Ancestral Homeland and Indian Territory), 2012. Arches watercolor paper splints, first printed with archival inks, and acrylic paint, each 13 x 12 x 12 in. Courtesy of the artist. P22–23 Image courtesy of artist. P24 Yatika Fields, Tent Metaphor 2, 2017. Oil on canvas, 65 x 58 in. P25 Image courtesy of artist. P26 Anna Tsouhlarakis, Legend V, image courtesy the artist. P28 Anna Tsouhlarakis, Let’s Dance!, 2004, Video. © Anna Tsouhlarakis. Courtesy of the artist. P30 Photos by Stephen Ironside. P31 Photo by Dero Sanford. P35–40 Photos by Stephen Ironside. P43 Sam Gilliam, Black and Golden Door, 1996. Acrylic on birch plywood with aluminum construction and piano-hinged door. 35 3/4 × 35 7/8 × 1 1/2 in. Gift of Darrell and Lisa Walker. Photo by Edward C. Robison III
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LAST WORD
Creating opportunity for youth to experience the museum is one of our top priorities
Each summer, students from around the country fill internship positions at the museum. From art history students interning in our curatorial department, to architecture students delving into exhibition design, to film and video students refining their skills with our digital media team, their energy and excitement is felt throughout Crystal Bridges. Creating opportunity for youth to experience the museum is one of our top priorities, whether it is from our youngest guests in Preschool Playdates, our Teen Council and the events they create, or these college internships. With education in the humanities facing funding challenges across the country, cultural institutions need to invest in opportunities to invite youth into every part of their organizations, demonstrating a commitment to creativity, innovation, and new thinking. This year, we welcomed 25 interns from 17 universities. Some are from schools in our region, including the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, Fort Smith, and Little Rock; others are venturing further from campus, stretching from Harvard to the Rhode Island School of Design to Spelman College to Florida State to the University of California at Berkeley. Along with these college interns, we also welcome a dozen high school students each summer from Phillips County in the Arkansas Delta, who work with a range of departments to learn what it’s like to work in an art museum. This is our third year to host a group of rising juniors for a residential internship where they learn about our art collection, meet with all the teams that work on art exhibitions, and then create their own focus exhibition which they present at the end of the five-week residential program. Several students who find the program especially intriguing return the next year as high school graduates about to embark on their first year at college, and intern in the departments most closely suited to their areas of interest. While we hope these internships help students with their academic achievements and career goals, we know that, ultimately, we gain so much more from the fresh ideas, boost of energy, and out-of-the-box thinking that inevitably happens. As school semesters begin, we send them off with thanks, knowing that the educational experience enriched the teachers at Crystal Bridges just as much as the students.
ROD BIGELOW
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CHIEF DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION OFFICER
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