CRYSTAL BRIDGES TOUR AND EVENT SCHEDULE
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art welcomes all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. Located at 600 Museum Way, Bentonville.
EVENTS AND TOURS Collection Highlights Tour 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Dec. 7, 11, 13
This tour visits some of the best-known works in our main galleries. Each tour accommodates a maximum of 15 participants. Tour begins in the lower lobby. Please arrive five minutes in advance. Free, no registration required.
Frames Tour
1-2 p.m. Dec. 7, 13
Every painting tells a story, and so do the frames that surround them. Join this tour to explore the changing tastes and design of selected American frames in Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection. Each group will discuss the techniques of framing, as well as the history of frames in America from Colonial to Early 20th Century. Tour begins in the main lobby. Please arrive five minutes in advance. Free, no registration required.
Collection Highlights Tour 2:30 3:30 p.m. Dec. 7, 9, 11
This tour visits some of the best-known works in our main galleries. Each tour accommodates a maximum of 15 participants. Tour begins in the lower lobby. Please arrive five minutes in advance. Free, no registration required.
Architecture Tour 4-5 p.m.
Dec. 7, 9, 10, 11
Learn more about the architecture of Crystal Bridges. This hour-long Architecture Tour will introduce you to the unique architectural features of Moshe Safdie’s design and provide insights into some of the special challenges the Museum’s site posed to engineers. This is an indoor/outdoor tour, weather permitting. An alternate indoor route is offered in case of inclement weather. No tickets necessary. Each tour accommodates a maximum of 15 participants. Tour begins in the lower lobby. Please arrive five minutes in advance. Free, no registration required. Sponsored by Chip and Susan Chambers.
Member Double Discount Days 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Dec. 8, 9, 10, 11
Crystal Bridges Members will receive double discounts (20 percent off) on all purchases during this special four-day event. Discounts do not apply to works by Chihuly Studio Editions.
Featured Artisan is Kate Baer. Kate’s designs feature impressions of Arkansas fossils, which serve as reminders of physical impermanence and are an inspiration to live a life of meaning and spirit. All of her fossils are crafted of fine silver or 22kt gold mixed with precious and semi-precious gemstones. The fingerprint on the back of each piece is an indicator of the handmade nature of Kate Baer jewelry. Free, no registration required.
Big Picture Tour 11:15 a.m. - 12:15 a.m. Dec. 8, 9
Join this tour to receive a fun, general overview of the art, nature and architecture of Crystal Bridges. Each tour group discusses highlights of the architectural design, discovers one the Museum’s most iconic paintings, and concludes with a short walk to Crystal Spring, the natural spring from which Crystal Bridges takes its name. Meet in the lower lobby. Free, no registration required.
Sculpture Tour
1 - 2 p.m. Dec. 8, 11
Learn more about the fascinating works of sculpture in Crystal Bridges’ collection, as well as the artists who created them. The experience highlights five to six works. This is an outdoor tour that follows the museum’s Art Trail, a paved path. Tour begins in the south lobby. Please arrive five minutes in advance. Free, no registration required.
Special Exhibition Tour Stuart Davis: In Full Swing 1 - 2 p.m. Dec. 8, 11, 13
Women in Art Tour 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. Dec. 8, 10, 13
Learn more about some of the fascinating female artists in Crystal Bridges’ collection. Each tour accommodates a maximum of 15 participants. Tour begins in the lower lobby. Please arrive five minutes in advance. No tickets necessary.
Distinguished speaker — Artist Carrie Mae Weems 6:30 p.m., Dec. 8
Artist Carrie Mae Weems is considered one of the most influential contemporary American artists today. Crystal Bridges recently acquired the artist’s photograph series, The Kitchen Table, which was on view in the 2016 temporary exhibition Black Unity. Weems’s work investigates family relationships, cultural identity, sexism, class, political systems and the consequences of power. She has developed a complex body of artwork employing photographs, text, fabric, audio, digital images, installation and video. In a recent review of her retrospective in The New York Times, Holland Cotter wrote, “Ms. Weems is what she has always been, a superb image maker and a moral force, focused and irrepressible.” Weems has participated in numerous solo and group exhibitions at major national and international museums including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Frist Center for Visual Art and the Solomon Guggenheim Museum in New York. She has received many awards, including the MacArthur “Genius” Grant in 2013, as well as the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
$10 ($8 for Members, $5 for students), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479657-2335. Note: Students will be required to show their student ID and ticket when entering the program. A separate ticket is required for the Member Mingle.