BENTONVILLE -- The Windgate Foundation has contributed $17.5 million to efforts to promote the field of craft at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
The gift will support the museum's upcoming 'Crafting America' exhibition, which will feature more than 100 works of various materials in order to tell "a diverse and inclusive story of American craft from the 1940s to today," according to a news release.
The exhibition will run from Feb. 6, 2021, through May 31.
"Contemporary crafts in America are the backbone of the creative community, enabling artists to develop the skills and physically produce the work they envision," said Robyn Horn, Windgate Foundation Board Chair. "It is reassuring that Crystal Bridges acknowledges this fact and will begin to collect contemporary objects as well as displaying them with their upcoming Crafting America exhibition."
"Windgate Foundation's advocacy and generosity will sustain our commitment to craft and its importance within the broad contexts of American art," said Austen Barron Bailly, Crystal Bridges' chief curator. "With the new curatorial role and acquisition funds we can embrace the field with new energy and keep advancing craft's dynamic influence on American art and culture."