The copper-roofed pavilions of Crystal Bridges Museum of American
Art in Bentonville, Arkansas, are connected by curving hallways
with views over gently moving water.

GLASS ABOVE WATER: CRYSTAL BRIDGES MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART IN BENTONVILLE, ARKANSAS

Story and images by Susan Cohn

Bentonville, Arkansas is the world headquarters of Wal-Mart and the hometown of Wal-Mart heir and philanthropist Alice Walton, a life-long art lover. So, when Ms. Walton decided to create a museum dedicated to American art and artists, it was natural that she should choose as its site a wooded ravine that she knew from her childhood. World-renowned architect Moshe Safdie was her choice to design what is now Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, a striking series of pavilions and bridge structures set around and over two spring-fed ponds. The dramatic complex contains galleries, meeting rooms, classroom spaces, a glass-walled gathering hall and a restaurant on a glass-enclosed bridge.

In addition to spearheading the building project, Ms. Walton established a bold strategy to purchase art at a level that has made this young museum (opened Nov. 11, 2011) a significant national institution. The eclectic permanent collection features notable American art from the Colonial era to the contemporary period, ranging from a 1797 portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart to a 1962 painting of a bottle of Coca Cola by Andy Warhol.

Trails on the 120-acre grounds of the museum are designed to make the natural setting part of the visitor’s experience. A free museum app for APPLE and ANDROID devices offers an interactive trail map that identifies plants, art and architectural elements, and natural features found on the museum grounds.

George Segal’s Three People on Four Benches (1979) sits on a path
beneath Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman-Wilson House
at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

ARCHITECTURE AS ART: FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT AND BUCKMINSTER FULLER ON SITE

The largest work of art at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is the museum itself, which serves as an anchor for the examination of architecture as art. Expanding on this aspect of its mission, the museum has acquired buildings by two major American architects, Frank Lloyd Wright and Buckminster Fuller. First was the Bachman-Wilson House (1954), an example of Wright’s Usonian architecture. The house, originally located in New Jersey, was taken apart and moved to the museum, where it was reconstructed in 2015. It was joined in 2017 by the 50-foot version of R. Buckminster Fuller’s The Fly’s Eye Dome (1981). Both the Bachman-Wilson House and The Fly’s Eye Dome are open for public viewing at no cost.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Bachman-Wilson House (1954), originally located in New Jersey,
was moved to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in 2015.

CREATIVE CONVERSATION: ALICE WALTON AND MOSHE SAFDIE

In June 2013, museum founder Alice Walton and museum architect Moshe Safdie reminisced about the process of designing a museum with the goal of uniting art, nature and architecture. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=7&v=PqxKxRxB-ks

MUSEUM PARTICULARS

General admission to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is sponsored by Walmart and there is no cost to view the permanent collections. There may occasionally be a ticket fee to view special exhibitions. The museum is located at 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, AR 72712. Additional information about the museum is available at https://crystalbridges.org.

ABUZZ WITH SOUTHERN HOSPITALITY: HAVE A BITE TO EAT AT THE HIVE

A few steps from Bentonville’s town square is the 21C Museum Hotel, home to The Hive restaurant, where Executive Chef Mathew McClure creates menus that showcase the culinary identity of Arkansas and the region’s farmers and producers. The Hive is decorated with imaginative art, such as BuzzKill, a site-specific work by artist Johnston Foster that drapes the Hive’s walls with honeycombs, kudzu vines and bees, and Sam Van Aken’s The Tree of 40 Fruits, living art that grows forty types of stone fruit, including peaches, plums, apricots, and cherries. The 21C Museum Hotel is located at 200 NE “A” St. Bentonville, AR 72712. Chef McClure talked about his food creations during a 2017 visit to CBS This Morning. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YtqNys5h45Q.

AND REMEMBER: I haven’t been everywhere but it’s on my list. Susan Sontag.

BuzzKill by artist Johnston Foster drapes walls throughout The Hive restaurant
in Bentonville, Arkansas. The honeycombs, kudzu vines and bees reference
the natural world of Northern Arkansas and serve as a fitting backdrop
for menus that draw on local produce.

Susan Cohn is a member of the North American Travel Journalists Association, Bay Area Travel Writers, and the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association. She may be reached at susan@smdailyjournal.com. More of her stories may be found at http://ifwtwa.org/author/susan-cohn.