The 2017 season of temporary exhibitions at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville will continue the museum's objective of exploring the American spirit through diversity of subject matter and of medium. Photography, sculptures, music and paintings spanning the development of American art will allow guests to enjoy new experiences with art while encouraging connections with the exhibitions' unique interpretations.
"We really hope to share the variety of the ways American art has manifested the American spirit," says Margi Conrads, Crystal Bridges director of curatorial affairs. "As we're thinking about exhibitions, everything needs to relate to our mission and our vision: [for the art to be] welcoming, inspiring, foster conversations and engage audiences in ways that are meaningful to them."
FAQ
Crystal Bridges
2017 Exhibitions
WHEN — ‘Border Cantos: Sight & Sound Explorations from the Mexican-American Border,’ Feb, 18-April 24, 2017; ‘Chihuly: In the Gallery and In the Forest,’ June 3–Aug. 14, 2017; ‘Chihuly: In the Forest,’ Aug. 16–Nov. 13, 2017; ‘Stuart Davis: In Full Swing,’ Sept. 16, 2017–Jan. 8, 2018
WHERE — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville
COST — Prices vary; free for members
INFO — crystalbridges.org
The first of the three exhibitions, opening in February, examines the people and landscape of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. As a collaboration between photographer Richard Misrach and Mexican composer Guillermo Galindo, the "Border Cantos" project brings Misrach's large landscape photos and smaller photos of how immigration has affected those landscapes together with sound-generating sculptures by Galindo made from items abandoned on people's journeys.
"[Galindo's] music is built on on his desire to give voice to the people of these places. The photographs are all unpopulated landscapes, so [he] has created the incarnation of the sounds of the border he saw emanating from the photographs. There is something magical that happens when you have the combination of visual and sound experiences. Each one separately can be wonderful, but together, it is total immersion," Conrads adds.
Summertime 2017 is when the second exhibition, glass works by sculptor Dale Chihuly, will be installed inside the museum and outside on the grounds. The internationally renowned glass blower's works will be shown in the museum's temporary exhibit space, featuring immersive areas. Along the trails outside the museum, several of Chihuly's dramatic installations will be displayed through the fall in what will be the artist's first exposure in a forest setting.
"[It is] an exhibition that is a delight to the eyes and to our spirit, and is also about innovation and mastery of an art form," Conrads says. Chihuly "is the greatest glass blower in the United States and has truly mastered [the form]. He is one of the best known names, not just in glass blowing, but for visitors in general, which is very exciting."
The final temporary exhibition of 2017 will be a retrospective of the creations of painter Stuart Davis, whose bold work integrated text with imagery and continues to be an influence in the art world today.
Though the three shows vary greatly in medium and seemingly in theme, Conrads says there is a thread of innovation across the three projects.
"The 'Border Cantos' project brings together different media to give us a 360-degree view of a topic," she explains. "Chihuly created new ways of blowing glass where he was really innovative. And Stuart Davis was instrumental over his career in creating an artistic vocabulary of bold color and abstract form, founded on his incredible passion for jazz. In his own day, he was on the leading edge."
NAN What's Up on 09/09/2016