Apr 13, 2023 Large-scale artworks created at Crystal Bridges by local artists, students, and teachers go on view at partner venues across the community this spring. Media resources available here. Large-scale paintings produced by community artists as part of Crystal Bridges’ Pintura Fest will soon pop up across Northwest Arkansas. Opening Monday, April 17, this Pintura Fest Public Art Pop-Up community exhibition inspired by Diego Rivera’s America will be on view at The Jones Center, Rogers Experimental House, Rogers City Hall, Fayetteville Public Library, and Siloam Springs Public Library through Monday, July 31, 2023. Held March 18, 2023, Pintura Fest was a community fiesta celebrating the opening of the new exhibition Diego Rivera’s America. During the event, six regional artists, art teachers and students of varying ages from 10 schools created 17 large-scale paintings live before guests’ eyes. The event also featured partner activations, performances, live music, artmaking, and food from local chefs. “Diego Rivera paved the way for modern public art in the Americas. His murals were part of a larger movement to make art accessible to broad, diverse audiences. That’s what Pintura Fest celebrated, and what this community activation extends,” said Marissa Reyes, chief learning and engagement officer at Crystal Bridges. “We are grateful to the artists for their incredible contributions, and to our partners for showcasing their talent. We hope that everyone has a chance to see the artworks at all the locations, and Diego Rivera’s America at Crystal Bridges that inspired it all.” Ahead of Pintura Fest, the artists were given a prompt to respond to: What is your story as an NWA resident? How are you part of the story of a diverse NWA? Each artist or school art group was provided a four-foot by eight-foot canvas to realize their creation. Most artworks were started offsite in the weeks leading up to Pintura Fest and finished at Crystal Bridges before a live crowd. For the public art pop-up exhibition, the 17 paintings have been divided among five locations across Northwest Arkansas: Fayetteville Public Library, 401 W Mountain St Candace Giffin and students from Huntsville High School Isabel Rincon and students from Ramay Jr. High in Fayetteville Basil Seymour-Davies and students from Haas Hall Fayetteville Jennifer Pitts and students from Alma Middle School Siloam Springs Public Library, 205 E Jefferson St Jose Hernandez, Little Rock artist Alan Rodriguez of Razo Studios, Fayetteville artist The Rogers Experimental House, 121 W Walnut St Olivia Trimble and students from Fayetteville Crystal Bridges Teen Council Craig Ford and students from Lincoln Jr. High in Bentonville Rogers City Hall, 301 W Chestnut St Steven Wise and students from Eastside Elementary in Rogers Joy Schultz and students from Arkansas Arts Academy in Rogers Fermin Hurtado, Rogers artist The Jones Center Springdale, 922 E Emma Ave Lupita Albarran, Springdale artist Anthony Garcia Caloca, Springdale artist Lori West and students from Helen Tyson Middle School in Springdale Betsy Kryeziu and students from Har-Ber High School in Springdale Mary Anna Davis and students from Haas Hall Springdale The Pintura Fest Public Art Pop-Up free community exhibition will be on view at these locations April 17 through July 31. Hours vary by location. While viewing works at each site, visitors are encouraged to pick up a free Diego Rivera’s America art kit that includes at-home projects, community guide, and exhibition admission voucher. The paintings will continue to delight and inspire even after the pop-up exhibition closes with the works going back to their permanent homes with the participating schools and regional artists. During the run of the public art pop-up, the CB to You Mobile Art Lab, a traveling art experience energizing the power of community through art, will make appearances at festivals and events throughout Northwest Arkansas – including stops at the exhibition partner venues, or in neighborhoods near them. Two such events are the 48th Annual Dogwood Festival in downtown Siloam Springs, and the Hispanic Women’s Organization of Arkansas’s (HWOA) annual Cinco de Mayo Festival at The Jones Center, Saturday, May 6, 12 – 4 p.m. Pintura Fest Public Art Pop-Up, this season’s CB to You activities, and more community-centric programming are inspired by Diego Rivera’s America. On view at Crystal Bridges until July 31, the exhibition examines a prolific time in the artist’s life through more than 130 works, including three major paintings by Frida Kahlo. Between the early 1920s and the early 1940s, Rivera worked in both Mexico and the United States and found inspiration in the social and cultural life of the two countries. He imagined an America—broadly understood—that shared an Indigenous past and an industrial future where cooperation, rather than divisions, were paramount. Tickets to the exhibition are $12/adults. Members, SNAP participants, Veterans, and youth 18 and under are free. To purchase a ticket, please visit the website. SNAP participants, please call (479) 657-2335 to enroll for free entry to temporary exhibitions. Sponsors CB to You Mobile Art Lab is sponsored by Procter & Gamble | Grace and Barnett Greer | Anna and Carl George | Sue and Charles Redfield | Linda and Lee Scott | Evelyn and Dennis Shaw | Ann and Stan Kroenke. Diego Rivera’s America is co-organized by Crystal Bridges and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The exhibition is curated by James Oles, guest curator, with Maria Castro, assistant curator at SFMOMA, and coordinated at Crystal Bridges by Jen Padgett, the museum’s acting Windgate curator of craft. It is sponsored by Goldman Sachs, Christie’s, The Coca-Cola Company, Avocados From Peru, Shelby and Frederick Gans, Blakeman’s Fine Jewelry, Esther Silver-Parker, Halperin Foundation, Jim and Susan von Gremp, Cardinal Four Foundation. The project is supported in part by a grant from the Arkansas Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities. 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 6.2 million visitors, 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 120 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. Crystal Bridges offers public programs including lectures, performances, classes, and teacher development opportunities. Some 300,000 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 a satellite contemporary art space in downtown Bentonville called the Momentary (507 SE E Street). For more information, visit CrystalBridges.org. The museum is located at 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712. About the Rogers Experimental House The Rogers Experimental House (RXH) is a 501c3 organization providing an inspiring and creative gathering place where creatives improve the quality of life within the NWA community. A space where resident and guest artists offer classes, workshops, exhibitions while honing their small business skills in a highly visible yet affordable location in the heart of Downtown Rogers. The RXH also features resident artists who rent studio and gallery spaces and offer programming including art classes and workshops. Located at 121 W Walnut Street, the space is a popular stop on the 2nd Thursday Art on the Bricks Art Walk and is ideally suited for pop-up art exhibits, collaboration with local schools and programming with individuals and organizations all year long. Visit experimentalhouse.com/ for more information. About Fayetteville Public Library Fayetteville Public Library was founded in 1916 in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Fayetteville Public Library received Library Journal’s Library of the Year award, and was named an American Landmark Library by TravelSmart and Best Library in NWA by Citiscapes. Its existing Blair building was the first in Arkansas to be registered with the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification program. Its vision is to be a public institution that is powerfully relevant and completely accessible. Visit faylib.org for more information. About Siloam Springs Public Library The Siloam Springs Public Library provides services and materials for all residents in Northwest Arkansas and Northeast Oklahoma for personal enrichment, enjoyment, and educational/informational needs in a welcoming, convenient and responsive manner. The library recognizes their responsibility to encourage children to develop an ongoing interest in learning, as well as a lifelong joy of reading. The library is located at 205 E. Jefferson, Siloam Springs. To learn more about Siloam Springs Public Library, visit siloamsprings.com/155/Library. About The Jones Center The Jones Center is a regional destination in downtown Springdale where everyone can learn, play and thrive together. The 220,000 square-foot center features Northwest Arkansas’ only indoor ice arena — an important amenity for the growing region — as well as the Tyson Foods Fitness Center, an indoor pools complex, a gymnasium with indoor track, and a conference center. The Jones Center hosts arts, cultural, and STEM-based programming that celebrates the diversity of the region, as well as classes for youth in sports, recreation, and education. The center’s 50+ acre campus features the world-class Runway Bike Park and pump track and provides housing and collaborative space for dozens of regional nonprofits. The Center was founded in 1995 by Springdale philanthropist Bernice Jones, the wife of Jones Truck Lines founder Harvey Jones. The Jones Center continues to follow Bernice Jones’ vision of being a destination where all are welcome and no one is turned away based on their ability to pay. Through the generous support of the Walmart Foundation, The Jones Center proudly provides program scholarships and activity passes to area children and families. To learn more about The Jones Center, visit thejonescenter.net.
