Editors' picks: 10 things to see at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
May 30—BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Summer's here. As you plan your summer vacation, consider Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, which offers galleries of historical and modern art, architecture, nature, food and drink, and more.
General admission to the museum, which is closed Tuesdays, is free, as are many special exhibitions or events. Its satellite contemporary arts campus, the Momentary, also is free to visit.
Not sure where to start? Here are 10 things to see at Crystal Bridges, selected by Joplin Globe staff.
1. 'Jimson Weed/White Flower No. 1'
Jimson weed is a common weed in Missouri and the Midwest, and doesn't have much going for it. "Thorny." "Poisonous." "Skin Irritating." So says the Missouri Department of Conservation.
A member of the nightshade family, it's also toxic to cattle.
Yet painter Georgia O'Keeffe found in it extraordinary beauty. Her painting done in 1932 reflects its stunning flower with brilliant color. It is a reminder to see the beauty in all those things around us that we not only take for granted, but dismiss.
— Andy Ostmeyer, editor
2. 'Fly's Eye Dome'
One of the most striking structures at Crystal Bridges, a place full of striking structures, is Buckminster Fuller's geodesic "Fly's Eye Dome." Geodesic, a fancy term for a thin, half-sphere shaped building, was popularized and patented by the architect in the 1950s. He intended these domes to be a solution to the American housing crisis, an economically efficient and stable building option.
Along the Orchard Trail at Crystal Bridges, the stark white "Fly's Eye" measures 50 feet tall, covered in circular windows. These openings — Fuller called them "oculi" — allow air and light to enter the dome without compromising the integrity of the structure.
Crystal Bridges
Buckminster Fuller's "Fly's Eye Dome" is one of the sculptures on display at Crystal Bridges' outdoor section. GLOBE — MARTA CHURCHWELL
The dome will anchor an architecture exhibit this summer called "Architecture at Home." The outdoor exhibition will feature five prototypes of contemporary homes, looking at their blend of artistry and shelter.
— Roger Nomer, photographer
3. 'Kindred Spirits'
Sometimes, the story behind the acquisition of a Crystal Bridges art piece can make as much of a statement as the piece itself.
For me, that's the case behind Asher B. Durand's iconic "Kindred Spirits," a Hudson River School painting depicting artist Thomas Cole and poet William Cullen Bryant standing on an outcropping in the Catskill Mountains.
When that piece went on the auction block in 2005, just prior to Alice Walton's announcement of plans to build Crystal Bridges, Walton submitted the winning bid of a reported $35 million for the painting. According to ARTnews magazine, her bid edged out one submitted jointly by the Metropolitan Museum of Art at New York City and the National Gallery of Art at Washington, D.C.
It was the first notice to the Eastern art world that Walton and Crystal Bridges would be formidable players in the American art market.
— Marta Churchwell, arts columnist
4. 'LOVE'
Celebrate Pride Month in June with "LOVE," a sculpture of the four-letter word from LGBTQ artist Robert Indiana.
Indiana's "LOVE" image was originally designed as a Christmas card for the Museum of Modern Art in 1965. The image also was featured on a U.S. Postal Service stamp in 1973, and sculpturally it morphed into "AHAVA" (Hebrew) in 1977 and "AMOR" (Spanish) in 1998.
Crystal Bridges' version of the sculpture was fabricated in 1999 and purchased by the museum in 2009.
— Emily Younker, managing editor
5. 'Silver Upper White River'
Created by Maya Lin — best known for her design that became the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. — this wall-size sculpture emphasizes another local feature — water, and in particular the White River, the principal river of the Ozarks.
According to Crystal Bridges, "Lin's choice of silver as the medium is due to the fact that when Europeans arrived originally in the Americas, there were so many fish in the streams that the reflections off their backs gave rise to the term 'running silver.'"
It ties in with the museum design itself, and its use of water, all of which drains into the White River.
— Andy Ostmeyer, editor
6. 'Azure Icicle'
Hanging from the ceiling of the Modern Art Gallery bridge at Crystal Bridges, like a crystalline stalactite, is the "Azure Icicle Chandelier" by renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly.
Crystal Bridges
Rod Bigelow, executive director of Crystal Bridges, and Leslie and Dale Chihuly talk with media May 26, 2017, about Chihuly's Azure Icicle Chandelier. GLOBE FILE
The sparkling frosty blue of the sculpture is sure to cool anyone in the summer heat. Chihuly created the blown glass sculpture specifically for Crystal Bridges in 2016. He wanted the glass to play with the surrounding light, water and glass in the space.
— Roger Nomer, photographer
7. Crystal Bridges trails
When my fiance and I went on our first date oh-so-many years ago, we met at Crystal Bridges and spent half of our time together wandering the museum's extensive trail system. More than 5 miles of trails wind through the property; they are open from sunrise to sunset and are free to explore.
Piggyback the Razorback: Is Joplin a natural next step for popular greenway?
In Bentonville, the Razorback Greenway Trail connects to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. GLOBE FILE
To get started, check out the half-mile Art Trail, a hard-surfaced trail that features sculptures, native plants and waterways, or the half-mile Orchard Trail, a gently sloping trail that features several species of pine trees and Eastern red cedars.
The longest trail, the nearly 1.5-mile paved North Forest Trail, features several outdoor sculptures and hundreds of dogwoods. And to see where the museum gets its name, follow the 0.25-mile Crystal Spring Trail to a natural spring that produces 100 to 125 gallons of fresh water per minute.
— Emily Younker, managing editor
8. The Tower Bar
The Tower Bar at the Momentary, the contemporary arts sibling to Crystal Bridges, is a perfect place to cool down after a long day of hiking trails or museum hallways. You can take a step back in time with the bar's retro-themed vibes.
This summer, The Tower Bar is open to everyone for coffee and snacks while the Onyx Coffee Bar is closed for remodeling. Usually only open during the daytime to members, this is a great opportunity for all visitors to take in the stunning view from the sixth floor of the museum.
Daytime hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The bar is also still open for cocktails, wine and drinks in the evening.
— Roger Nomer, photographer
9. Summer activities
One of my best memories is when we visited Crystal Bridges with younger family members. The 8-year-old found a kid-sized table, covered with crayons and blank sheets of paper, in a corner of one of the galleries. She sat there for 20 minutes, drawing her version of a 3D double rainbow and proudly showing off her work to anyone who passed by.
I love the creativity that visiting an art museum can inspire, and Crystal Bridges' calendar is full of workshops, lectures, tours, classes, activities and summer camp sessions for kids of all ages. The best part is that so many of these events are free.
To see the calendar of events, head to crystalbridges.org and click the "Learn & Engage" tab. There's something there for everyone.
— Emily Younker, managing editor
10. 'Buffalo River'
This is to me another reminder of the beauty that surrounds us.
Thomas Hart Benton created this watercolor in 1968, one of his many scenes of Ozark rivers. Benton spent a lifetime floating — and painting — Ozark rivers. He first visited the Buffalo in the 1920s, and returned many times over the next half-century. He also lent his name and talent to the fight to protect the river from dams in the 1960s.
Buffalo River Thomas Hart Benton
Thomas Hart Benton painted this and many other images of the Buffalo River. This is a watercolor and pencil on paper mounted on board, done in 1968, during the height of the battle to protect the Buffalo.
"The most beautiful rivers for making drawings and paintings are these rather small ones, with their bluffs in Missouri and Northwest Arkansas, like the Buffalo, which is one of the most beautiful in the United States," Benton has said.
— Andy Ostmeyer, editor
