State of the Art exhibit draws record crowd at Crystal Bridges

Museum curators knew they had a winner on their hands early on with the State of the Art: Discovering American Art exhibit. Crystal Bridges reports more than 127,000 visitors have graced its doors to view the diverse works since first displayed Sept. 13.

It’s the most viewed exhibition in the museum’s three-year history. The day after Thanksgiving (Nov. 28) marked the highest one-day attendance for this series with 3,700 patrons.

State of the Art will remain on view until Jan. 19, 2015 with complimentary admission, sponsored by Walmart and Sam’s Club.

“State of the Art is exceptional in terms of the curatorial approach and also represents the largest exhibition since we opened the museum in 2011. It’s been rewarding to see the way guests are connecting and sharing the stories and ideas from the exhibition. As a new museum in the middle of the country, we have a unique vantage point in which to tell the American story.” said Rod Bigelow said, executive director at Crystal Bridges.

He said State of the Art is an important part of that ongoing narrative, providing a broad look at contemporary art within the context of our five centuries of American art, and inspiring conversations about issues that affect everyone.
 
In 2013, the curatorial team traveled 100,000 miles to nearly 1,000 studios all over the country in search of artists in communities large and small. The result culminated in  State of the Art, a one-of-a-kind exhibition that features 102 artists and 227 artworks ranging from works on canvas and paper to photography and video to installation and performance art, and more.

The exhibition examines how today’s artists are informed by the past, innovating with materials old and new, and engaging deeply with issues relevant now. It occupies 19,000 square feet of museum space, in addition to installations on the museum grounds and in downtown Bentonville.
 
State of the Art has also captured the national spotlight with media coverage including a CBS Evening News story and was named one of the ‘15 Best Art Exhibitions of 2014’ by Huffington Post.

“From the very beginning, our primary goal was to find artists engaged with community, their viewers, and issues that make up our everyday lives. We found them.” said Crystal Bridges Curator Chad Alligood. “Graciously, many of the artists participated in video interviews, panel discussions, workshops and demonstrations—all with the goal of connecting our audiences to the work in deeper and more meaningful ways.”