I am delighted to post about our August Guest Speaker: Amber Hendrickson with Crystal Bridges Museum. Amber works in Museum Relations and will be giving us an insight look into what we've been hearing about for years: The opening of the museum on 11-11-11; how memorable!!
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 landscape. We explore the unfolding story of America by actively collecting, exhibiting, interpreting and preserving outstanding works that illuminate our heritage and artistic possibilities.
Founded in 2005 by the Walton Family Foundation and set to open November 11, 2011, the Museum takes its name from a nearby natural spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building design by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A series of pavilions nestled around two creek-fed ponds will house galleries, meeting and classroom spaces, and a large, glass-enclosed gathering hall. Guest amenities also include a restaurant on a glass-enclosed bridge overlooking the ponds and a Marlon Blackwell-designed store. Sculpture and walking trails will link the Museum’s 120-acre park and gardens to downtown Bentonville, Arkansas.
Crystal Bridges is currently building its permanent collection through the efforts of its professional staff as well as important gifts from private collectors such as Alice Walton and others. The collection features American masterworks dating from the Colonial era to contemporary times and will be on view to the public year-round. The Museum also will display a changing array of special exhibitions featuring art from museums and collections throughout the region, the nation, and abroad.
