Crystal Bridges State of the Art Exhibition Goes on Tour

“State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now,” an exhibition that debuted at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in 2014, will be shown in museums throughout the country in the next two years.

On view in Bentonville from Sept. 13, 2014 to Jan. 19, 2015, the exhibition saw 175,000 visitors and received national media attention on CBS Sunday Morning, the Huffington Post and in The New York Times.

The show will be split into two different versions, traveling simultaneously. A majority of the works that appeared at Crystal Bridges will be in the traveling exhibitions, alongside some additional works, according to a Crystal Bridges press release.

In 2016, “State of the Art” will be on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Art Feb. 18–May 29 and at the Telfair Museums in Savannah, Georgia, Feb. 19–Sept. 4.

In 2017, Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis, Tennessee will host the exhibition Jan. 29–March 26.

“’State of the Art’ captured the public’s imagination. In its scale and ambition, the exhibition made a real impact on our audiences, paving new roads to engaging with contemporary art,” Chad Alligood, Crystal Bridges curator, said in the press release. “Now, it’s time to share it with other communities. Crystal Bridges remains committed to increasing the public’s awareness of art being created all over the U.S., so it seems fitting that a show that started on the road and in the studios of artists nationwide will have a second life as it takes its own road trip across the country.”

The original exhibition featured 102 artists and 227 artworks ranging from works on canvas and paper to photography and video to installation, performance art and more, the exhibition was a result of one year of the curatorial team visiting artists in cities and towns throughout the country.

During that time, the team logged more than 100,000 miles of travel, according to the press release.

“’State of the Art’ represents our largest exhibition in terms of size, scope, and attendance and the first time a Crystal Bridges-curated exhibition has traveled,” Rod Bigelow, Crystal Bridges executive director, said in a press release. “The success put ‘State of the Art’ on the forefront of discussion about art in America and positioned the exhibition for a life beyond our walls. We’re delighted that the exhibition will be visiting other parts of the country and eager to see how the works will connect with new audiences in different ways.”

The exhibition received a 2015 Excellence in Exhibition Award from the American Alliance of Museums, in addition to multiple awards for exhibitions, technology and publications from the Southeastern Museum Conference.