This is Ozarks at Large. The expansion at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville will open to the public this weekend. Last week, Ozarks at Large's Jack Travis was part of a preview tour of the new 114,000-square-foot expansion. He brings us this report.
Since opening on Nov. 11, 2011, Crystal Bridges has dominated Northwest Arkansas' art landscape. What began as a way for Walmart heiress Alice Walton to share her private art collection with her home state grew into a 200,000-square-foot, world-class art museum. And soon you'll be able to see the museum's next chapter — a more than 50% increase in gallery space and a reimagining of how the public will engage with the art.
Crystal Bridges Executive Director Rod Bigelow kicked off the expansion's tour. He says the work took years.
"This is truly a historic moment for Crystal Bridges. This expansion marks a defining moment for the museum, strengthening its reputation on innovation and welcoming a world-class institution that we're bringing to America and beyond. So the expansion introduces all new spaces. You're standing in one yourselves right now."
Before folks can stand in a space, it has to be built. And before that, envisioned. Moshe Safdie, the architect who dreamed up the facility and all its light, water and greenery, visited last week and shared the origin of his collaboration.
"As we go back now, 20 years, when I got the call from Bentonville — will you come and meet Alice Walton? And she wants to talk to you about the possibilities of building a new museum. We had heard that she visited the Skirball and our building in Los Angeles and the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. Incognito. And I came and we walked the site all day. I slipped into the creek that was here. It was in January, but I braved it all. Walking on.
“That must have been given the two points because at the end of the day I said, Alice, how are you going to pick an architect? You're going to do a competition. We're used to working very hard to get the commission.”
For Walton, there was no need for a competition.
“And she said, no, I've chosen him tonight. And that was it. So this whole thing began with a spirit of extraordinary trust.
“We did not yet know we were going to build down here in the valley. And at some point I thought, mill towns, there in the creek. Why can't we make the museum in the creek? And all hell broke loose. And to Alice's credit, notwithstanding Corps of Engineers and all the naysayers that art would be flooded and storms — she said, let's go for it. And I think that decision to build here and to create the ponds was the most important design decision that actually determined the whole character of the building going forward. The theme was, as you said, art and nature.”
Those two pillars remain central even with this new expansion. In fact, before work ever started on the update, Walton requested Safdie draw up a master plan for the future of the museum so other architects wouldn't spoil his vision. Instead, they decided to get the work done while Safdie was still able to see it through himself.
"I thought it would be appropriate to diversify the experience. I think what's happened here is that it was a building — it was like a cluster of buildings. It's now become a little village. It's more than a building, and I think that is a quantum jump in terms of the visitor's experience."
The first part of that new little village was the Learning and Engagement Hub. Chief Learning and Engagement Officer Marissa Reyes gave an overview of what this place can be for visitors. She says it's not only somewhere to learn, but also unwind. The community lounge offers that respite, while the learning engagement hub stimulates creativity.
“When you come to the hub, we believe that everyone is an artist. There's an artist in all of us and all of you, and the materials, the art making, the artists that you'll encounter in the hub is really an opportunity for you to feel that creativity and artistry within you.
“And as we move further down the hub, you'll see something that we're very proud to launch — a new teaching artist in residence program, where we'll be working with a single teaching artist for this year. And you'll get to meet the artist, walk into a facsimile of their studio and really engage in the creative process. And we're proud to announce that Linda Lopez is our inaugural Teaching Artist in Residence. She is based in Fayetteville, teaches at the University of Arkansas. And when you see her studio, you'll be really impressed and excited about the ways that she's bringing her creative practice to life."
People can attend classes or spontaneously pop in and create something, be it a pencil drawing or throwing a clay pot.
Next to the hub was a corridor that seems a bit empty. Take a closer look and you'll find it's filled with art. Not only has museum staff introduced and reinstalled works into new galleries, Austen Barron Bailly, deputy director for curatorial affairs, says they've moved into unconventional spaces as well.
"So be on the lookout for how we have brought the strategies of art activated on our campus outdoors. The integration of art, architecture and nature — we've tried to intensify through the placement of art in unexpected places and throughout the experience. We really want to soften the kind of reverent edges of the art gallery, make it more comfortable, and make it so that art is everywhere and part of your every day."
From here, you can take the elevators or the stairs up to the temporary gallery space, which is currently housing Keith Haring in 3D. Ozarks at Large will have a follow-up story that further details the exhibit, so stay tuned for that. For now, know that the gallery is an open space with thoughtful, diffused lighting, creating a cathedral-like experience — a fitting tone for the gallery that at this moment holds Keith Haring's final piece, a triptych funeral altar that he made before he died of AIDS-related complications in 1990.
Travel back down the stairs or elevator and you'll come to a gallery that encapsulates Crystal Bridges in both name and spirit. The glass bridge is just that — a glass structure spanning the length between the learning hub and the new contemporary art gallery. Glass is an element of the structure and the art within. Windgate Curator of Craft Jen Padgett says the glass bridge perfectly pairs with how the museum staff has grown the collection.
"In the past five years, we've really been focused on adding works to the collection in that area of craft — so thinking about skill, making and materials like ceramics, glass, wood, fiber and metal. So across all of our galleries, the infusion of craft in those spaces adds more texture, allows us to tell new and expanded stories and get visitors excited about the creativity of American artists across a wide range of practices and mediums.
“In this gallery, though, especially that concentration of glass, of ceramics and works of metal — many of the works in this space relating to those craft holdings and the ability to play on that beautiful light that comes into this space. So you'll see glass works at different times of day that are just coming alive through the different kind of tone and light within the space. Of this gallery space and the adjacent reflection space, there are 43 works on view, and 39 of those works are new to the Crystal Bridges collection.
“So when people come into this space, they're going to be seeing a lot of work for the first time in this new space, which is really exciting. One of the things that has been in the collection that is also being foregrounded in a new way is — talking also about gems and minerals.”
It's a nice place to mention it. She stands in the middle of the glass bridge between the museum's new cafe, Quartz and Honey, and a large Arkansas quartz crystal the museum has frequently displayed. She says they took advantage of a unique opportunity. Bringing bright materials into a quiet space allows for reflection.
The new spaces actually surround an outdoor courtyard set atop a pond, almost giving it the appearance of a floating platform. And on said platform, there will be a community gathering space, complete with a splash pad for kids. New trails are also being installed around Crystal Bridges' 134-acre campus as part of the expansion, with new sculptures and plantings alongside them.
Finally, across the bridge, folks will find themselves in the new contemporary art gallery, featuring new and familiar works like Infinity Mirrored Room by Yayoi Kusama. Curator of Contemporary Art Alejo Benedetti says it was wild even seeing people walk through the room, and he was curious to see how they would react.
"This gallery is set up — it's supposed to feel like a journey. It's supposed to feel like folks are stepping into something. They're greeted by stuff that feels a little familiar, stuff that feels that sort of eases them into this space. And then as they walk into here, as they start to take all of it in, we're going to push people a little bit. We're going to push them a little out of their comfort zone. We're going to tackle things like politics and identity, and we're going to push them as far out as outer space and tackle as big a things as abstraction and how we sort of navigate all of this, how we talk about these different works.
“And then we're going to bring them back to the familiar at the end of their journey. And this works if folks are coming this way, as y'all are coming through. If they're coming from the other direction, there are going to be moments that knock your socks off, where the architecture is framing tons of stunning artwork. And they're also going to be moments that feel intimate and close, where you get to have a really one-on-one experience with these different works. And we want to provide all of those types of experiences to folks.
“We want to do it in a way that hopefully feels a little bit different from going to other institutions — that feels like this is how Crystal Bridges would tell the contemporary American story."
Crystal Bridges will host an opening celebration on June 6 and 7. You can visit our website for photos of the expansion and more information about the public celebration.
Executive Director Rod Bigelow says that this weekend will be a starting line. Their work of sharing art with Arkansas and the world is never over.
"It is a place in which we can take advantage of the platform that's being built and grow on that, and whether that's new and different programming or the favorites that you've always had — and you come to the museum over and over again, those will be here. But we are a space of change because the world is changing and America is changing. And so we need to make sure we're staying relevant with what's happening in our community and beyond."
Ozarks at Large transcripts are created on a rush deadline and edited for length and clarity. Copy editors utilize AI tools to review work. KUAF does not publish content created by AI. Please reach out to kuafinfo@uark.edu to report an issue. The audio version is the authoritative record of KUAF programming.
