Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
Courtesy of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
Discover art, architecture, and nature at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. Explore over five centuries of American art with works from artists such as Gilbert Stuart, Georgia O’Keeffe, Kerry James Marshall, Maya Lin, and Amy Sherald. Enjoy five miles of walking and biking trails on 120 acres of natural Ozark forest. This summer, Crystal Bridges is also offering celebratory new exhibitions and nuanced education programming. Prepare to enter a world of art, nature, and wonder, built right here in Arkansas! General admission to Crystal Bridges is always free.
Crystal Bridges at 10: A New Exhibition
Maxfield Parrish, The Lantern Bearers, 1908, oil on canvas mounted on board, 40 × 32 in., Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas.
2021 marks a decade since Crystal Bridges opened in Bentonville, and the museum is recognizing this milestone with a new exhibition celebrating its collection and community. Crystal Bridges at 10 features 130+ artworks, presenting crowd favorites in new ways and showcasing works never before on view at the museum. Among the many immersive activities in this exhibition, visitors can strike a pose inside a tableau vivant, or “living picture,” of Maxfield Parrish’s The Lantern Bearers. Many have found this captivating work of art ever so tempting to step into and experience firsthand, and now, in this exhibition, visitors can wander and wonder into that quiet, enchanting scene and calmly bask in the delicate glow of the soft lanterns. Don’t forget to invite your friends in, too!
Enjoy other immersive experiences as well, such as a collection of works designed by artist Mark Dion that were inspired by the four elements of air, earth, fire, and water. See art created on-the-spot by Fayetteville-based artist Ziba Rajabi, as well as a room of art that was curated through the eyes of artist Dyani White Hawk (Sičáŋǧu Lakota).
Exhibition tickets can be purchased here at CrystalBridges.org. Museum members, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) participants, veterans, and youth ages 18 and under get in free. The exhibition is on view July 11 to September 27, 2021.
The museum is offering a Special Exhibition Tour every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday at 1 p.m. The tour is free with an exhibition ticket. Learn more here.
For Educators
Summer Teacher Institute: The African American Experience and Being Present in the Moment
This summer, Crystal Bridges is offering two virtual workshops via Zoom as part of the museum’s Summer Teacher Institute. Each of these week-long workshops are open to teachers of all subject areas and will focus on important and relevant topics.
Being Present in the Moment: Teaching About Current Events Through Works of Art
Attend this interactive, virtual PD sessions that will give you new techniques and tools to help turn current events into teaching opportunities. Learn how to invite the news into your classroom and use art to form deeper understandings of it. This workshop will be offered July 12-16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reserve your spot here.
The African American Experience
The African American Experience asks us, “What voices are being heard in your classroom? What voices are not?” Engaging with the works of Black artists and scholars such as W.E.B. Dubois, you’ll learn strategies and methodologies that will help you facilitate rich discussions and get the most from your classroom conversations. This workshop will be offered July 19-23 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Reserve your spot here.
Summer Teacher Institute is free, but there is a $50 materials fee due upon registration. 30 hours of PD credit available for each of these sessions.
Courtesy of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
On-Site and Virtual Tour Opportunities This Fall
The galleries at Crystal Bridges will once again open their wings of learning to students of all ages as on-site tours are set to resume this fall. Teachers can choose from a variety of tours based around themes including African American and Native American history, storytelling, innovation, science, math, architecture and more! Virtual tours will also be offered for schools nearby as well as nationwide. Join our team of talented educators and learn new ways to engage with works of art, discovering how to let the art itself teach us innovative ways of understanding history, ourselves, and the present state of America.
Sign up and learn more about school tours here.
Use this handy guide to learn more about what you can experience at the museum this summer.
We look forward to seeing you this summer at Crystal Bridges!
