Accredited two-year residency program specializes in the arts of the Americas
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BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is honoring the first graduating class of the University of Arkansas School of Art Master of Art History program. Six students graduated this May after a two-year program in partnership with Crystal Bridges specializing in the arts of the Americas.
Educating students in a multivocal and inclusive art history, the program aims to give students the interdisciplinary training and robust work experiences that they will need to thrive with an M.A. degree in industries that value visual literacy, creativity, communication, collaboration, and research. Thanks to the generous gift from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation, students in the M.A. art history program receive tuition waivers and opportunities for additional funding support through graduate assistantships, fellowships, research, and travel.
The M.A. program, the Tyson Scholars of American Art Program, and Crystal Bridges and the Momentary’s artist-in-residence program are all part of a community of scholars in the arts ecosystem in Northwest Arkansas.
“The M.A. program is designed to make use of the remarkable resources in Northwest Arkansas,” said Jennifer Greenhill, endowed professor of American art, inaugural director of the M.A. program, and a former Tyson Scholar. “Students are benefitting from a cross-institutional education and unparalleled access to a world-class collection of American art thanks to Crystal Bridges and the Momentary, and the community of scholars they have been instrumental in establishing.”
M.A. students have mentorship opportunities with Tyson Scholars and with local arts organizations like Art Bridges, in addition to the access to resources at the museums. Tyson Scholars and museum curators and staff have access to the University of Arkansas resources and faculty.
The unique partnership of this program in the region, as well as the unprecedented financial support, has made a lasting impact on M.A. graduate students.
“My classmates and I have been able to broaden our perspectives through in-depth seminars on a range of topics,” said Djamila Ricciardi, a graduate of the 2025 class. “A personal highlight was ‘Case Studies in Art History and Curatorial Practice’, taught by Jen Padgett, Windgate curator of craft at Crystal Bridges. This class truly encapsulated the spirit of the partnership between the M.A. program and Crystal Bridges.”
Another graduating student, Alex Betz, reflected how being a part of this fully funded program gave him the ability to immerse himself in the specialized research and pursue opportunities that would have otherwise been inaccessible.
“Graduate school is challenging enough; being able to dedicate myself completely to following my curiosities and academic passions without fear of making ends meet has been a gift beyond measure,” added Betz.
On May 8, 2025, the six students presented research and celebrated the culmination of their scholarly efforts at the first annual symposium of the M.A./Arts of the Americas Program in the Great Hall at Crystal Bridges. The graduates sought to amplify under-told stories of marginalized makers, bring interdisciplinary approaches into focus, address gaps in existing scholarship, and highlight knowledge systems that exist outside dominant narratives.
The students in the inaugural class committed several months to their innovative research projects, which treated everything from whittling in Wisconsin to nuclear photography to portrait pins of Black Arkansans made in a floating studio in the Delta.
The 2025 graduating class of Art History M.A. students includes:
- Alexander Betz
- Raven Cook
- Djamila Ricciardi
- Ella Nowicki
- Ibby Ouweleen
- Larissa Randall
The program will welcome the fourteen incoming students of its third class in August. It will accept applications for the 2026-2027 academic year in fall 2025.
“ANIMAL STORIES: NON-HUMAN ANIMALS IN THE ARTS OF THE AMERICAS”
Crystal Bridges and the University of Arkansas Department of Art also collaborated in 2025 to fund a project titled “Animal Stories: Non-Human Animals in the Arts of the Americas.” The project explores how animals appear in art and how artists tell creative stories about them through history, bringing together researchers who study art, objects, and visual culture, and who are interested in experimenting with new ways of writing history.
Led by Dr. Jennifer Marshall, professor of American art at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and 2024-2025 Tyson Scholar for Graduate Mentorship and Collaborative Initiatives, the project looks at how animals have played many roles in the arts of the Americas. Animals inspire artists, appear in artworks, and even contribute materials like fur, feathers, and eggs. Some animals even create art themselves – like birds building decorative nests or fish making patterns in the sand.
Empowered through collaborative mentorship, including a full-day (in March) engagement with University of Arkansas M.A. students, “Animal Stories” reflects how the Tyson Scholars program fosters creative scholarship, mentorship, and community engagement in the arts.
“The partnership between Crystal Bridges and the University of Arkansas School of Art reflects our shared commitment to innovative scholarship and mentorship,” said Mindy Besaw, director of research, fellowships, and university partnerships for Crystal Bridges and the Momentary. “’It has been so generative to work with the University to reimagine how we write, think, and learn about art history.”
“Animal Stories: Non-Human Animals in the Arts of the Americas,” is led by Jennifer Marshall in collaboration with Kendra Greendeer, Kelsey Dayle John, Bart Pushaw, Annie Ronan, Xiao Situ, and TK Smith.
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About the University of Arkansas
As Arkansas’ flagship institution, the U of A provides an internationally competitive education in more than 200 academic programs. Founded in 1871, the U of A contributes more than $2.2 billion to Arkansas’ economy through the teaching of new knowledge and skills, entrepreneurship and job development, discovery through research and creative activity while also providing training for professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the U of A among the few U.S. colleges and universities with the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the U of A among the top public universities in the nation. See how the U of A works to build a better world at Arkansas Research News.
About the Tyson Family Foundation
Established in 1970, the Tyson Family Foundation supports efforts for education, health, arts and culture, youth programs, and a scholarship program for Tyson Foods employees and their families. The foundation has endowed and supported local, regional, and national organizations committed to furthering access to knowledge, promoting creativity, and supporting communities. President Olivia Tyson currently leads the Foundation.
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.
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