Designing for Art and Wellness: Moshe Safdie, Marlon and Ati Blackwell, and Wesley Walls

How can the spaces we design support creativity, healing, and human connection?

Join us for a compelling conversation exploring the intersection of architecture, art, and wellness, presented as part of our Art & Wellness Festival.

Celebrated architect Moshe Safdie joins Marlon and Ati Blackwell (Marlon Blackwell Architects) and Wesley Walls (Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects) to discuss how thoughtful design can foster both personal and collective well-being.

From the architecture of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art to the Heartland Whole Health Institute and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, these visionary voices will reflect on how the built environment can elevate everyday experiences and nurture the human spirit.

Tickets are $25 ($20 for members), reserve your spot online or with Guest Experience at (479) 657-2335 today.

Moshe Safdie, CC, FAIA, FRAIC, OAA, SIA
Founding Partner

Moshe Safdie is an architect, urban planner, educator, theorist, and author. Over a 50-year career, Safdie has explored the essential principles of socially responsible design through a comprehensive and humane design philosophy. His wide range of completed projects include cultural, educational, and civic institutions; neighborhoods and public parks; housing; mixed-use urban centers and airports; and master plans for existing communities and entirely new cities. A citizen of Israel, Canada, and the United States, Safdie’s projects can be found in North and South America, the Middle East and throughout Asia. Safdie has been the recipient of numerous awards, honorary degrees, and civil honors including the Companion of the Order of Canada, the Gold Medal from both the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada and the American Institute of Architects, the National Design Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian, and recently the Wolf Prize in Architecture—awarded for a career motivated by the social concerns of architecture and formal experimentation.

Marlon Blackwell, FAIA

Together with his partner in life and work, Ati Blackwell, AIA, ASID, Marlon leads the internationally recognized practice Marlon Blackwell Architects. Their work has received recognition with significant publication and more than 200 design awards including the 2016 Cooper Hewitt National Design Award in Architecture and the 2025 Mies Crown Hall Americas Prize. Working between the universal language of architecture and the particulars of place, they have cultivated a studio recognized for its formal clarity, contextual depth, and architectural integrity. In 2020, Marlon was honored with the Gold Medal from the American Institute of Architects for his enduring impact on the theory and practice of architecture. He’s a lifetime member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and an inductee of the American Academy of Arts and Science. Equally respected as an educator, he currently holds the title of Louis I. Kahn Visiting Professor at Yale University. A monograph of their recent work, titled Radical Practice, was published in 2022 by Princeton Architectural Press.

Wesley Walls, AIA

Wesley is an architect and design principal with Polk Stanley Wilcox. A native Arkansan, Wesley has been captivated since childhood by both the natural and built environment. Channeling his interest in manipulating the space around him, he pursued the discipline of architecture and has been instrumental in helping elevate Polk Stanley Wilcox to regional and national acclaim for design excellence. Wesley’s approach to design is innovative, collaborative, and exploratory, with a relentless commitment to both placemaking and relationship building. His inclusive approach to teamwork, problem solving, and project management has cultivated an exceptional reputation with both clients and the broader architectural community. With more than 30 years of experience, his award-winning portfolio of work has primarily focused on large institutional projects with a particular focus on higher education.

Rod Bigelow

Rod Bigelow serves as executive director for Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Momentary. He has served as executive director since 2013, guiding all facets of the museum’s strategies, mission, vision and values, reflecting his more than 20 years of experience in management of arts and cultural institutions. Bigelow joined Crystal Bridges in 2010, serving as the deputy director of operations and administration, with a focus on organizational and policy development as well as construction activities leading up to the museum’s opening in November 2011. During Bigelow’s tenure, the institution has welcomed more than 12.2 million visitors.