Crystal Bridges reflects on two years, million-plus visits

One of the more interesting lessons learned during the first two years of operations at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville is that the door handle labels reading “push” or “pull” only withstand about 250,000 guests before they need to be replaced.

More than one million visits have been logged at Crystal Bridges, and although the daily average visitor count is down in 2013 compared to 2012, the complex has had a remarkable string of successes and accomplishments in its first two years.

The museum, opened on Nov. 11, 2011 (11-11-11), had 560,165 visits in 2012 for an average of 1,530 a day. Between Jan. 1, 2013 and Nov. 4, the museum had 443,665 visits for an average of 1,440.

To mark the second anniversary of the museum, Crystal Bridges President Don Bacigalupi announced a “State of the Art” initiative that will debut at the museum on Sept. 13, 2014, and be on display until Jan. 5, 2015.

Bacigalupi and Assistant Curator for Special Projects Chad Alligood visited more than 400 artist studios around the U.S. to select more than 100 works of art for the project.

“Disparate in geographic location and diverse in background, these exceptional artists are nonetheless united by their innovative engagement with the issues of contemporary life,” noted a statement from Crystal Bridges. “State of the Art promises to showcase the astonishing spectrum of artwork being produced in studios across the United States at this very moment.

A donation from Walmart and Sam’s Club will sponsor the cost of the exhibit and provide free admission to the public. The donation is in addition to a $20 million endowment established by Wal-Mart to allow for free admission to the permanent collection galleries.

Bacigalupi said the search for “State of the Art” exhibitors was focused on finding artists “whose practices are informed by history and tradition, but are decidedly of our time.”

‘MADE IT FROM THEIR HEART’
Alice Walton, who has reportedly donated more than $300 million to construct Crystal Bridges and buy many of the important artworks on display, hopes the new exhibit will help visitors of all ages see art from the artists’ perspectives.

“I received a note from a fifth-grade student from Fort Smith, (Ark.), named Stephanie, who wrote after her visit to the Museum, ‘Before, I looked at art as just something someone painted on a canvas. But now I look at it as something someone put their feelings into and made it from their heart,’” Walton noted in a statement. “I want everyone to see contemporary art through the eyes of the artists. That’s why we’re doing this.” 

Other aspects of the new exhibit include:
• Public programs will include bringing select artists to the museum for lectures, gallery talks, workshops and classes, as well as school programs, which will include tours, teacher professional development and homeschool offerings;

• Crystal Bridges’ iTunes app will offer worldwide access for viewing the artwork and listening to artist and curator commentary; and

• The museum’s website, blog, YouTube channel and other social media channels will help to expand the conversation.

In addition to “State of the Art,” other 2014 exhibits will include:
• The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism – March 15, 2014 through July 7, 2014;
• Several smaller focused exhibitions including a ceramics presentation, Born of Fire: Ceramic Art in Regional Collections;
• Global Citizen, the architecture of Moshe Safdie; and
• The next installation of “American Encounters: Portrait,” a partnership with the Louvre, the High Museum of Art and the Terra Foundation. May 17 – Aug 4.

NOTABLE NOTES FROM THE FIRST TWO YEARS
In response to a request from The City wire, Crystal Bridges officials provided the following random points of interest about the museum’s first two years.

Lessons learned in the past two years include:
• Learned quickly that we needed more parking and adjusted to accommodate.
• Learned there is an insatiable curiosity about the origin of this building and we published a book, “Art in Nature,” to help meet the public’s demand for info about Crystal Bridges.
• Learned that people love events that help them deepen their engagement with art in surprising and creative ways. The “Art Night Out” series and other programs help meet this need.
• Learned that people couldn’t find our hours of operation on our website so we put them on every page.
• Learned that there are women named Crystal Bridges living in Texas, Georgia and other places around the U.S.

Important new art acquisitions in 2013 include:
• Keith Haring, Two-Headed Figure, 1986, aluminum and bright red polyurethane paint
• Edward Hopper, Blackwell’s Island, 1928, oil on canvas
• Andy Warhol, Hammer and Sickle, 1977, acrylic and silkscreen ink on canvas
• Donald Judd, Untitled1989 (Bernstein 89-24), 1989, copper and red Plexiglas
• Max Weber, Burlesque #1, 1909, oil on canvas
• Agnes Pelton, Sand Storm, 1932, oil on canvas
• Marvin Dorwart Cone, Stone City Landscape, 1936, oil on canvas

Great stories from the first two years
• Just last week, Bravo, the Crystal Bridges janitorial service, went above and beyond to help a guest who had accidentally thrown away her wedding ring with the paper towel on which she dried her hands in the bathroom. Bravo had already taken out the trash but went to the dumpster to dig through its contents and found the ring.

• Museum officials were able to facilitate an end-of-life wish from a Hospice patient who wanted to see the Norman Rockwell exhibition American Chronicles.
 
• Before opening in 2011, museum officials attempted to anticipate anything the world could throw at them. Example — policies for vehicles on trails take into account the likely presence of bikes, wheelchairs, and skateboards, but officials did not necessarily plan for Segways (not allowed), golf carts (not allowed) and unicycles (allowed).
 
• During the opening week, a man was walking on the trails and stumbled upon the museum. He had no idea what it was or where it came from. I think for a minute he thought he was hallucinating, but after that, he was just really excited.
 
• There have been a number of celebrity sightings at the Museum and many of them come in “under the radar,” and museum staff works to respect their privacy. However, those who speak publicly about their visits or have posted their visits to social media that we have found include Drew Barrymore, Nick Cannon and Arianna Huffington.
 
Other notables
• The Norman Rockwell exhibition received more than 121,000 visits.

• Visitor countries of origin include Thailand, China, South Africa, Croatia, United Arab Emirates and Australia.

• A University of Arkansas study of 10,912 K-12 students from 123 different schools found an increase in critical thinking skills, recall, tolerance, empathy and cultural interest among students exposed to art education and exhibits.