Tucked away in the northwest corner of Arkansas, bordering the Ozarks and a stones throw from the University of Arkansas, is one of America's best museums. While Bentonville, Arkansas is most known as the birthplace of Walmart, but more and more, it has burnished an arts destination, with the Crystal Bridges Museum boasting one of the best private collections in Americ, as well as a strong exhibition program. We visited and were awed by the beautiful grounds, but were also dazzled by the diversity of the collection. As the Bentonville city center becomes its own attraction of sorts just down the road, the museum has just announced the Momentary, a new contemporary art space satellite to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, opening in downtown Bentonville on February 22, 2020.
The Momentary will transform a decommissioned 63,000 square-foot cheese factory into a multi-disciplinary space for visual and performing arts, culinary experiences, festivals, and artists-in-residence. As the museum has been at the forefront of exploring contemporary art through its collection and exhibitions, the new Momentary space will go even further and create programs in a global context by actively commissioning and exhibiting works that explore new ideas and inspire action and conversation.
As the Momentary gets set to open in February 2020, here is a look at 2020 exhibition schedule that will kick-off the space.
State of the Art II, February 22 - May 24, 2020
State of the Art II continues the journey launched in State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now (2014), for which Crystal Bridges curators traveled across America to discover artists working around the country. The resulting exhibition featured 102 artists, debuted at Crystal Bridges, traveled to five additional museums, and became the subject of a PBS documentary.
This exhibition features a new curatorial team, bringing fresh perspectives. Lauren Haynes, curator, contemporary art at Crystal Bridges and curator of visual arts at the Momentary, is developing the exhibition along with Alejo Benedetti, assistant curator, contemporary art, and Allison Glenn, associate curator, contemporary art, both from Crystal Bridges. Discover a collection of artists working around the country today, exploring a variety of themes.
Nick Cave: Until, July 18, 2020 - January 3, 2021
For Until, Nick Cave creates his largest and most ambitious project yet, which in the case of Cave's career, is saying a lot. He takes us deep into the belly of one of his iconic Soundsuits. The exhibition, just like these previous works, question gender, race, and violence—in particular, gun violence—in America.
To answer his question, “Is there racism in heaven?” Cave responsed with an immersive space composed of thousands of wind spinners bearing images of guns, bullets, and targets along with a cloudscape encrusted in ceramic birds, beaded flowers, and cast-iron lawn jockeys.
Above all else, Nick Cave: Until urges us to take a moment to contemplate about where we are today and what the future may look like.
Nick Cave: Until was organized by MASS MoCA and co-produced by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art of Bentonville, Arkansas, and CarriageWorks of Sydney, Australia, with support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, Jack Shainman Gallery, and the Robert Lehman Foundation. Free general admission for all, sponsored by Walmart.
Follow the Momentary on Instagram!