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Crystal Bridges’ October Programming Live Chamber Music, a Visiting Author, Watercolors Masterclass and More

October programming at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art includes a presentation by visiting author and scholar William Pencak, discussing a series of key portraits in the Musuem’s collection.
Music lovers will enjoy a live concert by the Cassatt String Quartet with composer Bruce Adolphe (better known as the Piano Puzzler on NPR’s Performance Today).

In addition to a number of educational workshops and classes for adults and children, including a watercolors masterclass with artist Carol Cooper, the Museum is participating in The Big Draw: a national celebration of drawing for people of all ages.

A full listing of October programs is below. Information and registration are also available on the calendar of events on Crystal Bridges’ website: http://calendar.crystalbridges.org/.

October Public Programs

Wednesday, October 2, 6 to 9 pm
Drop-In Drawing
Drop in for a free, informal drawing session. Materials are provided and an art instructor will be on hand to get you started. Check at Guest Services for the specific location. All ages are welcome! Free, no registration required.

Friday, October 4, noon to 6 pm

Saturday, October 5, 11 am to 6 pm

Museum Store Event | Ingrid Kuper Jewelry-Making Demonstration and Trunk Show
Ingrid Kuper, a jewelry artist from Austin, Texas, will be in the Museum Store to demonstrate the process for creating her artistic wire jewelry. She will bring her collection for our guests to review, and will create pieces that will be available for purchase during the trunk show. Free, no registration required. https://crystalbridges.org/store/

Friday, October 4, 6:30 to 8 pm

Concert | Cassatt String Quartet with composer Bruce Adolphe
New York City-based Cassatt String Quartet presents a unique musical exploration of Mary Cassatt including the original composition Mary Cassatt: Scenes from Her Life. The work was commissioned by the UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication and was composed by Bruce Adolphe, quiz-master of Performance Today‘s weekly public radio program, Piano Puzzlers, who will be present at the concert to introduce the piece. The concert will be accompanied by projected images of Cassatt’s paintings, and followed by a question-and-answer period with Adolphe and members of the quartet. http://www.cassattquartet.com/.
$10 for non-members | free for Members. Reserve seats online or at Guest Services.

Saturday, October 5, 1 to 5 pm

Children’s Workshop | Storytelling through Collage
Found objects express unique stories that can be retold in new, fun, and expressive ways. In this workshop, we will learn how to mix old and new materials by collaging with photographs, acrylic paint, and paper. Please bring objects and photographs to the class that will be incorporated in the collage. Two sessions will be offered: for ages 6 to 9 and 10 to 12.
$40 ($32 for Members), register online or at Guest Services.

Sunday, October 6, 1 to 3 pm

Walker Landing Arts
Enjoy making art outdoors on Walker Landing, paired with a family-friendly musical performance by members of the Bentonville High School Jazz Band.
Free. No registration required.

Thursday, October 10, 11:30 am to 2 pm

Preschool Playdate: Orange
Monthly Preschool Playdates feature performances, art projects, games, and storytelling based on themes from our collection. Activities are geared for children ages 2 to 5 with an adult. Sponsored by The Hershey Company. Free, no registration required.

Fridays, October 11, 18, and 25, 2 to 3:30 pm

Homeschool Friday Fun
This program is designed for families who want to provide their homeschool students with enriching and fun activities that incorporate inquiry, discovery, and studio art-making. Animals have been depicted throughout the history of American art—from the bright hummingbirds depicted in Gems of Brazil by Martin Johnson Heade, to the spare, modern depiction of a dozing cat in Woman Reading by Will Barnett. Explore the representations of animals in these artworks and others, then create your own depictions of animals in the studio.
$45 ($36 for Members) / 3 classes, register online or at Guest Services.

Friday, October 11, 5 to 7 p.m.

Friday Night Flights: Southwest by West
Monthly Friday Night Flights offer guests an opportunity to sample and compare some special wines not offered on Eleven’s permanent wine list, under the guidance of an expert oeneologist or sommelier. Join us this month on the South Lawn as we discuss Luis Jimenez’s Vaquero sculpture and sample some of America’s best wines from the Southwestern and Western regions. This is a come-and-go event between 5 and 7 p.m. Open to guests ages 21 and up. $30 ($24 for Members), purchase tickets online or at guest services.

Saturday, October 12, and Sunday, October 13, 11 to 5 pm

Adult Program | Masterclass: Wonderful Watercolors with Carol Cooper
Enjoy a workshop with artist Carol Cooper who will share her processes, artistic philosophy, and techniques. Over the weekend, you will spend time in the Museum galleries discovering and discussing artists who deal with texture, architecture, and abstraction in their work, and learning to incorporate those elements into your watercolor paintings in the studio. All materials are provided; students may work with their own paints and brushes, if they prefer. Please note that this workshop is geared for intermediate to advanced watercolorists, though beginners are welcome to join in. For more information on Carol Cooper, please visit http://faculty.nwacc.edu/ccooper
$120 ($96 for Members) / 2 classes, register online or at Guest Services.

Saturday, October 12, 3:30 to 4 pm

Art Talk | Demystifying Symbols with Andy Warhol’s Hammer and Sickle
Andy Warhol was traveling through Italy in 1976 when a graffiti depiction of a hammer and sickle captured his imagination. The emblem is generally used as a symbol of Communism, but Warhol painted it purely for its still life/Pop features. What happens when symbols from one culture are recontextualized in another? Join educator Sara Segerlin to demystify the cross-meanings of symbols in pop culture, politics, and nationhood.
Free, no registration required.

Sunday, October 13, 3 to 4:15 pm

Author Lecture | William Pencak presents Jews and Gentiles in Early America
Historian William Pencak brings to life Crystal Bridges’ oldest collection of paintings—the Levy-Franks family portraits—in an exploration of America’s rich Jewish history based on his book Jews and Gentiles in Early America: 1654-1800. Pencak, who serves as the Bert and Fanny Meisler Visiting Professor of History and Jewish Studies at the University of South Alabama, discusses the life lived by the Levy-Franks family; as well as dramatic and visual depictions of early American life to tell the story of the five communities where most of colonial America’s small Jewish population lived: New York, Newport, Charleston, Savannah, and Philadelphia. Pencak poses several questions for the audience through his abundantly detailed community studies: How did these communities rise and fall? What anti-Semitic prejudices were carried over from traditional European society to colonial America that continue to this day?
Admission is free. Reserve seats online or at Guest Services.

Monday, October 14, 1:30 to 2:30 pm

The Great Reveal | A Fruit-Full Arkansas
Explore some of Crystal Bridges’ rare nineteenth-century trade publications in the form of nursery and seed catalogs. These small, yet charming color plate catalogs reveal much about Arkansas fruits, trees, and shrubs, as well as the history of early advertising and the booming orchard economy of nineteenth-century Arkansas. Also, explore our online digital exhibition, Fruit-Full Arkansas: Apples here.
The Great Reveal is sponsored by John and Emily Douglas. Free with online reservations.

Wednesdays, October 16, 23, and 30, 1 to 2:15pm

Preschool Art Class | Fall Colors
For ages 3 to 5 with a caregiver. Preschoolers will explore the changing colors of nature through the Hudson River School paintings and scenic views of Crystal Bridges’ trails. Back in the studio, we will paint, draw, and build with the inspiration of fall colors. Parents or caregivers participate with their preschoolers in gallery conversations and art-making activities each week. Each session includes three consecutive Wednesday classes.
$30 ($24 for Members) / 3 classes, register online or at Guest Services.

Wednesday, October 16, 6 to 7 pm

Special Event | WOW: Oktoberfest
Join Crystal Bridges Culinary Director Case Dighero at these monthly tasting experiences to sample selections of drinks and hors d’oeuvres from Eleven, inspired by Crystal Bridges’ collection of American art. Open to guests ages 21 and above. Sponsored by Premier Dermatology.
$30 ($24 for Members), purchase tickets online or at Guest Services.

Saturday, October 19, 7 to 8 am

The Way of Color Sunrise Experience
Once a month, James Turrell’s Skyspace, The Way of Color, will open early to allow guests to experience the sunrise light display. Beginning a few minutes prior to sunrise, a changing array of colors greets the sun in this open-air art installation. Free, no registration required. Seating is first-come, first-served.

Saturday, October 19, 7 to 10 pm

Teen Night
High school-aged students are invited to an evening of music, art, and fun, planned and presented by the Museum’s Teen Council. Admission is free. Watch for more information about entertainment and tickets.

Sunday, October 20, noon to 5 pm

Family Sunday | The Big Draw
Celebrate the art of drawing with activities for all ages throughout the Museum! Don’t miss Pictures Come to Life, Storytelling/Drawing Performances by Jeff Hopkins, a special guest artist who will bring characters from our collection to life. Sponsored by the NW Arkansas Naturals.
Free, no registration required.

Thursdays, October 24 and 31, November 7 and 14, 4 to 5:30 pm

Children’s Class | Found & Invented Patterns
Children ages 6 to 12 will study the environment around them to discover the endless patterns produced by nature. We will design our own textiles, stamps, and paper quilting with organic and geometric patterns. Concurrent classes are offered for two age groups (6 to 9 and 10 to 12). Cost includes four consecutive Thursdays.
$80 ($64 for Members) / 4 classes, register online or at Guest Services.

Thursday, October 24, 1 to 1:45 pm

Art Talk | Music Heals the Great Depression
Meet Fayetteville Roots Festival Director Bryan Hembree and This Land curator Manuela Well-Off-Man through a discussion of their collaborative project The Music Experience of This Land—a digital music tour that explores the exhibition. Selections from the tour will be played in the gallery so Hembree, Well-Off-Man, and the audience can discuss the synergies found between folk song, image, and place. Free, no registration required.

Friday, October 25, 3 to 7:30 pm

Live Video Broadcast | Making Change with Art, featuring Creative Time
Participate in a live video broadcast at Crystal Bridges about making change with art! Presented by the New York City-based art organization Creative Time, the broadcast will allow participants to hear from the world’s leading artists, activists, critics, writers, and curators who are attempting to change our world in unprecedented ways. Creative Time’s 2013 summit theme, “Art, Place, and Dislocation in the 21st Century,” discusses culture’s inevitable impacts on the quality of urban life. The summit will address issues such as gentrification, housing, poverty, the environment, and urban planning.
After the live broadcast, join our own break-out session with Museum curators, educators, local artists, and the audience to discuss topics presented in the summit. Also, take part in an interactive video conversation to share with Creative Time. Learn more about Creative Time’s 2013 Summit and list of speakers here.
Free with online reservations

Saturday, October 26, noon to 3 pm

Drop-In Studio | Accordion Books
Drop in for a free studio session with an art instructor. Learn a simple and fun way to build an accordion book that you can use to store stamps, photos, drawings, or poems. Materials are provided and all ages are welcome!

Sunday, October 27, 1 to 4 pm

Drop-In Drawing
Drop in for a free, informal drawing session. Materials are provided and an art instructor will be on hand to get you started. Check at Guest Services for the specific location. All ages are welcome! Free, no registration required.