Bikes, Art & Culinary Shape Downtown

Bentonville has woven bikes, art, culinary and community into its diverse downtown experience.

With the Arts and Market Districts in place and growing, bike-friendly development, nationally recognized culinary and an ever-evolving public art scene have joined to become central to downtown's appeal. Bentonville has hundreds of works of art to explore across the city. From outdoor installations at the Momentary to neon signs downtown, the public art scene is robust, including sculpture along the trails at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, and art in nature at Osage Park and at Compton Gardens & Arboretum.

OZ Art NWA hosts a curated collection of public art in Downtown Bentonville featuring work by global artists, muralists and illustrators at venues including Blake Street House, Pressroom, the Preacher’s Son restaurant, 8th Street Market and Osage Park, among others. For more info, visit ozartnwa.com.

In the Arts District, the Ledger — a new bikeable building and neighborhood project — recently opened just south of the square. The 230,000-square-foot Ledger building is surrounded by a walkable, bikeable six-story switchback path. The development offers highly adaptable workspace, on-demand conference rooms and both short-term use and long-term leasing. Each floor features outdoor access by way of terraces designed for open-air meetings and conversations. The public is invited to bike or walk the Ledger’s vertical neighborhood and experience expansive views from the rooftop terrace.

The 8th Street Market , which anchors the Market District, is the downtown culinary hub, home to Bike Rack Brewing, the nationally recognized Brightwater culinary school, and BITE NW Arkansas, one of the largest food festivals in the state. A supporter of local farmers and artisans, the market also includes Cocoon Yoga Lab, Hillfolk textile studio, Juice

Palm, Markham & Fitz bean-to-chocolate bar, Yeyo's Mexican Grill, plus the South Market & Food Truck Park.

The world-class Momentary contemporary art space, located just to the west of the 8th Street Market, recently celebrated its three-year anniversary in the Arts District as a satellite venue to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. See more on page 20.

With a growing number of local, national and international artists working in Bentonville, affordable art space is also coming to downtown. Projects are planned to create new artist studios and living spaces near the Momentary over the next few years.