Jul 10, 2014 As preparations for the school year begin, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art offers a last reprieve with summer arts activities in August including outdoor concerts, a film festival, and inspiring art talks. Music lovers can attend a free, First Friday concert at the Twin Bridges with the band, Foley’s Van. This foot-stomping band combines bluegrass and old-time favorites. Smokey and The Mirror will play an interactive concert that explores the art of song-writing later in the month. Seedling Film Association and Crystal Bridges present Ozarkumentaries on August 8—a screening of shortfilms about the Ozark region made by Arkansas filmmakers, followed by Crystal Bridges’ first ever Film Festival: Uniting the Power of Art and Nature, on August 22. Art talks throughout August provide opportunities for visitors to discover how artist James Turrell’s Skyspace was built, and learn about influential figures Florine Stettheimer, the mythmaker of modern art, and the late artist and activist, Keith Haring. A full listing of August programs is below. Information and registration are also available on the calendar of events on Crystal Bridges’ website: https://crystalbridges.org/events/. Sign up for Crystal Bridges email updates at ENewsletter. August Public Programs Friday, August 1, 8 to 10 pm First Friday Concert | Featuring Foley’s Van Extend your First Friday experience from the Bentonville Square down the Art Trail to Crystal Bridges! Meet us at the Twin Bridges to hitch a musical ride with the band Foley’s Van. Their fast-driving, foot-stomping, and whiskey-sippin’ tunes capture aspects of an assortment of genres, incorporating bluegrass and old-time favorites. A cash wine and beer bar will be available. Free, no registration required. Saturday, August 2, noon to 3 pm Drop-In Art Making | Puzzlemania Exercise your creativity! Drop in anytime between noon and 3 pm for a free, guided studio session. Design an original wooden puzzle featuring your own artwork. Materials are provided and all ages are welcome! Free, no registration required. Sunday, August 3, 1 to 4 pm Drop-In Drawing Drop in anytime 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. Monday, August 4, 1 to 3 pm Figure Drawing Join us on the first and third Mondays each month to draw from a clothed model. Whether you’ve always had a love for figure drawing or are trying it for the first time, you’ll enjoy an afternoon drawing with others at the museum. A variety of drawing materials will be provided, and model poses will include both shorter warm-up poses, and longer poses. $10 (Free for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Wednesday, August 6, 1:30 to 2:30 pm Art Book Club | The Painter’s Chair: George Washington and the Making of American Art by Hugh Howard George Washington is not well known as one of America’s first art patrons—so how did one man lead a revolution, subsequently build a nation from thirteen colonies, and assist in establishing American art as well? Howard’s novel has been described as “an eloquent new look at the beginnings of the American republic through the portraits of its first icon, George Washington, and the painters who defined him.” Join Crystal Bridges Librarian Elizabeth Bradshaw and Willow Fitzgibbon, Manager of Adult Services at Fayetteville Public Library, to learn what Charles Willson Peale, John Trumbull, Benjamin West, and Gilbert Stuart saw in Washington as a subject and as an individual. Free with online registration. Wednesdays, August 6, 13, 20, 27, Sept. 3, and 10; 6 to 8:30 pm Adult Program | Studio Studies Series: Plein Air Oil Painting If you are a lover of art and the outdoors, then you’re sure to enjoy this oil painting series. John P. Lasater IV will guide you with simple steps to create compelling, playful, and beautiful artwork inspired by Crystal Bridges’ grounds. You will walk away with confidence and new skills to help you become the artist you aspire to be. Sponsored by Demara Titzer. $200 ($160 for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Friday, August 8, 6:30 to 8 pm Family Workshop | Letter Art Come together on a Friday night to create art with your family! Choose your family’s name or initials to make paintings as unique as you are. Have fun with acrylics, paint sticks, and much more. All materials are provided. $20 per family ($16 for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Friday, August 8, 8:30 to 9:30 pm Outdoor Film Festival | Ozarkumentaries Crystal Bridges, in association with Seedling Film Association, present Ozarkumentaries—short films made by Arkansas filmmakers about the Ozark region! After the film screening, join us for post-discussion with the local filmmakers. Films to be announced soon! Sponsored by Demara Titzer. Free with online registration. Saturday, August 9, 9 to 10:30 am Discover the Grounds | Rocks! Join University of Arkansas Professor Emeritus of Geosciences, Dr. Van Brahana, in a fascinating discussion exploring the layers of sedimentary rock visible on Crystal Bridges’ Rock Ledge Trail and how these rocks give a historical account of the museum’s landscape. Afterward, be inspired by the varying geography and join Senior Museum Educator Sara Segerlin in making your own sand artwork to take home! Meet at the Rock Ledge Shelter. The Rock Ledge Trail is a moderate hike on a natural surface, with many steps. Sponsored by The Coleman Company. Free with online registration. Saturday, August 9, 10 to 11 am Yoga and Art Yoga takes over the Early Twentieth-Century Art Gallery: a peaceful setting with views of the upper pond. Yoga Story’s Cindee Joslin leads this uplifting group experience uniting the power of art with the beauty of the nature. Participants should bring their own yoga mat and dress appropriately. $5 (Free for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Sunday, August 10, 1 to 3 pm Walker Landing Arts Bring the family for live music and hands-on art-making outdoors on Walker Landing. Free, no registration required. Wednesday, August 13, 6:30 to 8 pm Boundless Book Club | Levels of Life by Julian Barnes From Julian Barnes, author of the Man Booker Prize–winning novel The Sense of an Ending, comes a story about love and loss. “Every love story is a potential grief story,” Julian Barnes writes in Levels of Life. NPR describes the book as “a quirky but ultimately powerful meditation on things that uplift us — literally, as in hot air balloons, and emotionally, as in love — and things that bring us crashing to earth: to wit, that great leveler, the death of a loved one.” Free with online registration. Wednesday, August 13, 7 to 9 pm Interactive Concert | The Art of Song-Writing with Smokey and The Mirror Smokey and The Mirror will present a special concert that explores the art of song-writing with the audience. Free with online registration. Friday, August 15, 6 to 7:30 pm Photo Salon | Featuring Joe Sparks on HDR photography Join Crystal Bridges’ Photo Salon to explore the museum’s stunning architecture and landscape in new ways. You will work closely with an expert photographer who will guide the group on a creative photo activity in or around the museum. $10 (Free for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Friday, August 15, 6:30 to 8:30 pm Art by the Glass | Gelli Art Are you up on the latest craze in art? Gelli-arts are a new and refreshing take on printmaking. Enjoy wine, cheese, and great conversation while having fun creating playful and expressive prints. Open to guests ages 21 and up. The registration fee includes two glasses of wine. Sponsored by Demara Titzer. $45 ($36 for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Friday, August 15, 8 to 9:30 pm Skyspace Expert Talk | Building the Skyspace Director of Facilities and Grounds Scott Eccleston will lead the sunset experience in the Skyspace through his personal account of working with artist James Turrell to plan and build the Skyspace using a local mason, as well as his special invitation to visit the Roden Crater. Free, no registration required. Seating in the Skyspace is first-come, first-served. Saturday, August 16, 1 pm Art Talk | “Florine Stettheimer, A Woman’s Touch: The Mythmaker of Modern Art” Learn about Florine Stettheimer’s life of art, poetry, and adventure during the 1930s modern art era. Stettheimer socialized with and painted portraits of the leading men of the early American Modernism scene in New York, such as Albert Stieglitz, Marcel Duchamp, and Carl Van Vechten. “In her poems and in her paintings, Stettheimer described a world in which people define themselves by the things that surround them, rather than by their internal values or beliefs. Through the form and content of her work, she criticized the high-mindedness of modern art and the course of modern life.” – Susan Laxton, Art Historian, Pratt Institute Free, no registration required. Sunday, August 17, 1 to 5 pm Adult Workshop | Pet Portraits Capture your favorite pet through art! Whether your pet is spunky, playful, or cuddly, Amy Eichler will show you how to capture his or her irresistible personality on canvas. Please bring photographs of your pet to the workshop. All materials are provided. Sponsored by Demara Titzer. $55 ($44 for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Monday, August 18, 1 to 3 pm Figure Drawing Join us on the first and third Mondays each month to draw from a clothed model. Whether you’ve always had a love for figure drawing or are trying it for the first time, you’ll enjoy an afternoon drawing with others at the museum. A variety of drawing materials will be provided, and model poses will include both shorter warm-up poses, and longer poses. $10 (Free for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Wednesday, August 20, 6 to 7 pm WOW | Wednesday Over Water 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 a Crystal Bridges’ collection and temporary exhibitions. Open to guests ages 21 and above. Sponsored by Premier Dermatology. $30 ($24 for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Wednesday, August 20, 7 to 8 pm Architecture Speaker Series | The Museum as Home Ethel Goodstein-Murphree, Professor in the Fay Jones School of Architecture at the University of Arkansas, presents an overview of homes represented at museums. She’ll offer perspectives on how a home can be transformed into a museum, such as the Philbrook Museum of Art, as well as how a home can be presented as an art form on a museum campus, such as the Bachman Wilson House, recently acquired by Crystal Bridges. $10 (Free for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Thursday, August 21, 1 pm Art Talk | Keith Haring: From Cartoons to Politics Look closely at Keith Haring’s Two Headed Figure. Upon first view, it appears to have a youthful and friendly appearance, but how does this graphic become a symbol of political action? Senior Museum Educator, Sara Segerlin discusses Haring’s political messages and legacy, including his mural on the Berlin Wall that became a “political and subversive act to psychologically destroy the wall by painting it.” Free, no registration required. Friday, August 22, 8:30 to 10 pm Crystal Bridges Short Film Festival: Uniting the Power of Art and Nature Join us for the first Crystal Bridges Film Festival! View the judges’ top choices and meet the filmmakers in four categories: Artistic, Animation, Narrative, and Documentary. The Arkansas Education Television Network Student Selects young filmmaker program joins the festival, featuring an introductory segment in the screening night! A cash wine and beer bar will be available. Sponsored by Demara Titzer. Special thanks to Seedling Film Association for their collaborative support. Free with online registration. Wednesday, August 27, 5 to 7 pm Artinfusion @ Culture Hour Artinfusion Members and guests are invited to come together on the fourth Wednesday of each month to meet and mingle during Culture Hour in Eleven. Enjoy great company and special $5 drinks and appetizers. We’ll reserve a seating area for artinfusion Members and their guests from 5 to 7 p.m. Special pricing on drinks and appetizers will be extended for artinfusion Members (with proof of membership) until 9 p.m.! Artinfusion is sponsored by Blue Moon Brewing Company. Wednesday, August 27, Sunset Skyspace Discussion Enjoy a facilitated discussion of James Turrell’s Skyspace The Way of Color, led by a Museum Guide. Free, no registration required. Seating is first-come, first-served. Saturday, August 30, 2 to 4 pm Pop-Up Concerts by Fayetteville Roots Festival Explore the museum from 2 to 4 p.m. to find surprise pop-up performances by Fayetteville Roots Festival musicians in the galleries! Performers and gallery locations will be announced the day before on the museum’s Facebook page! Keep watch! Free, no registration required. About Crystal Bridges 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. We explore the unfolding story of America by actively collecting, exhibiting, interpreting, and preserving outstanding works that illuminate our heritage and artistic possibilities. Opened to the public on 11-11-11, Crystal Bridges was founded in 2005 by the Walton Family Foundation as a nonprofit charitable organization for all to enjoy. Philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton chairs the Museum’s board of directors. Since its opening, the Museum has welcomed nearly 1.3 million visitors, and garnered more than 7,900 households in its membership. Some 39,000 school children have participated in the Museum’s Willard and Pat Walker School Visit program, which provides educational experiences for school groups at no cost to the schools. More than 220,000 visitors a year utilize the Museum’s 3.5 miles of walking trails. Crystal Bridges takes its name from a nearby natural spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building, designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A series of pavilions nestled around two spring-fed ponds house galleries, meeting and classroom spaces, and a large, glass-enclosed gathering hall. Guest amenities include a restaurant on a glass-enclosed bridge overlooking the ponds, a Museum Store designed by architect Marlon Blackwell, and a library featuring more than 50,000 volumes of art reference material. Sculpture and walking trails link the Museum’s 120-acre park to downtown Bentonville, Arkansas. Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection spans five centuries of American masterworks ranging from the Colonial era to the current day. Included within the collection are iconic images such as Asher B. Durand’s Kindred Spirits, Norman Rockwell’s Rosie the Riveter, and Andy Warhol’s Coca-Cola [3]— each reflecting a distinct moment in American artistic evolution—as well as major works by modern and contemporary American artists, including Georgia O’Keeffe, John Baldessari, and James Turrell. The permanent collection, which continues to grow through a strategic acquisition plan, is on view year-round and is enhanced by an array of temporary exhibitions, which were viewed by some 216,000 visitors in 2013. Crystal Bridges provides year-round programming for all ages. In 2013, more than 300 public programs were offered, including lectures, performances, classes, and continuing education for K-12 teachers. An award-winning app, available free for both Apple and Android devices, features audio tours of current and past exhibitions, and many of the Museum’s lectures and gallery talks are available in Crystal Bridges’ iTunes U site. A new initiative to develop high-quality distance-learning opportunities for students and teachers begins this year. Crystal Bridges also offers two research fellowship programs. The Tyson Scholars in American Art program supports full-time scholarship in the history of American art. The Reese Teacher Fellowship provides for research into the development of interdisciplinary connections between American art and core curriculum subjects of language arts, history, social studies, and the sciences. Additional information about Crystal Bridges is available online at CrystalBridges.org.
