Hosted by Board Chair Olivia Walton, the inaugural conversation will center on civic leadership and the shared values that shape our democracy
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BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art today announced the launch of Building Bridges, a new lecture series celebrating the American spirit of meeting in the middle with curiosity, courage, and care. The inaugural program on Monday, December 1, will feature a conversation with President Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States.
Hosted by Crystal Bridges Board Chair Olivia Walton, Building Bridges brings together thought leaders, thinkers, and artists with differing perspectives to model civic dialogue. From Crystal Bridges’ home in Bentonville, Arkansas, the museum invites its neighbors and the nation to gather at its bridge, a place that connects what’s divided and can carry us forward together.
Building Bridges: A Conversation with President Barack Obama on the American Spirit will be held at Heartland Whole Health Institute on the Crystal Bridges Campus on Monday, December 1, at 3:30 p.m. The conversation will center on civic leadership and the shared values that shape our democracy, offering inspiration as the nation prepares to celebrate its 250th anniversary.
Tickets for Building Bridges: A Conversation with President Barack Obama on the American Spirit are free but are limited to two tickets per account. Crystal Bridges members will have first access to tickets at 10 a.m. on Friday, November 21. Members receive advance notification and early access to ticketed events, like the Building Bridges series. For more information, visit the Crystal Bridges website.
In addition to the inaugural Building Bridges public conversation, President Obama will meet privately with 450 Arkansas students and teachers for a roundtable conversation in Crystal Bridges’ Great Hall. Three high school seniors from Bentonville, Little Rock, and Springdale will join the president to discuss their own civic engagement and hopes for America’s next 250 years. Students attending the event represent 24 schools from across the state of Arkansas and have been selected by their schools. Attendees include students in grades six through eight.
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About President Barack Obama
Barack Obama was the 44th president of the United States, elected in November 2008 and holding office for two terms.
He was born in Hawaiʻi on August 4, 1961, to a mother from Kansas and a father from Kenya, and raised with the help of his grandparents.
Soon after graduating from Columbia University in New York City, Obama moved to the South Side of Chicago, where he became a community organizer, coordinating with churches to improve housing conditions and set up job-training programs in a community hit hard by steel mill closures.
After nearly three years, he attended Harvard Law School, where he attracted national attention as the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review. Returning to Chicago, he became a civil rights attorney and married Michelle Robinson in 1992. Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996, and then to the United States Senate in 2004.
When he was elected president in 2008, he became the first African American to hold the office, and was inaugurated during the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. In office, he oversaw eight years of progress, taking action to rescue the American economy, grow the middle class, pass the Affordable Care Act, wind down two wars, and refocus American diplomatic leadership around the world. He left office having overseen the longest job stretch of American job creation ever and led the creation of the Paris Agreement, the most ambitious global climate agreement in history. In 2009, Obama became the fourth president to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
In his post-presidency, President Obama has dedicated his efforts to supporting the next generation of leaders. The Obama Foundation is bringing that vision to life through programs for emerging leaders across continents, and the Foundation’s mission to inspire, empower, and connect people to change their world. That legacy will carry on through the Obama Presidential Center, currently under construction on Chicago’s South Side.
About Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. Since opening in 2011, the museum has welcomed more than 14 million visitors across its spaces, with no cost for admission. Crystal Bridges was founded in 2005 as a non-profit charitable organization by arts patron and philanthropist, Alice Walton. The collection spans five centuries of American masterworks from early American to current day and is enhanced by temporary exhibitions. The museum is nestled on 134 acres of Ozark landscape and was designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A rare Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house was preserved and relocated to the museum grounds in 2015. Home of the prestigious Don Tyson Prize for the Advancement of American Art and Tyson Scholars of American Art Program, Crystal Bridges offers public programs including lectures, performances, classes, and teacher development opportunities. Some 478,375 school children have participated in the Willard and Pat Walker School Visit program, which provides educational experiences for school groups at no cost to the schools. Additional museum amenities include a restaurant, gift store, library, and five miles of art and walking trails. In February 2020, the museum opened the Momentary in Downtown Bentonville (507 SE E Street), conceived as a platform for the art, food, and music of our time. In 2026, Crystal Bridges will complete a 114,000 square foot expansion that will allow the museum to expand access for all. For more information, visit CrystalBridges.org. The museum is located at 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712.
About Crystal Bridges Campus
Crystal Bridges Campus in Bentonville, Arkansas features 134 acres dedicated to art and wellness. It is home to three landmark institutions designed by acclaimed architecture firms: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Safdie Architects), Heartland Whole Health Institute (Marlon Blackwell Architects), and Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects). Envisioned by founder and philanthropist Alice Walton, the campus unites art, architecture, nature, education, and wellness to create transformative experiences that foster learning and enhance health and well-being. More than five miles of trails connect the iconic buildings, featuring art installations both inside and outside. The campus terrain varies from Ozark forest to display gardens, and includes streams, ponds, and Crystal Springs. In 2024, the campus received Arboretum accreditation. The campus is open daily from dawn to dusk. Additionally, the Momentary, an extension of Crystal Bridges, is located 1 mile south of campus.
Media Contact
media@crystalbridges.org