Crystal Bridges announces fall lecturers, programming tied to ‘We the People’ exhibit

Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice, Yo-Yo Ma are among the featured lecturers coming to Bentonville this fall as part of programming at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Museum officials announced details Wednesday (Aug. 24) about a lineup of public talks plus other live and virtual programs in connection with the exhibition “We the People: The Radical Notion of Democracy.”

The museum opened the exhibit this summer, featuring a first-edition copy of the U.S. Constitution.

Former U.S. Secretaries of State Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice, David M. Rubenstein (philanthropist and co-founder of The Carlyle Group) and famed musician Yo-Yo Ma will present in-person programs.

Details are below:

Public Talks

• Artists as Changemakers| Oct. 2, 2-3 p.m. | Ticket Required
  David M. Rubenstein will converse with contemporary artists, Luis Garza and Bethany Collins, whose creative practices both celebrate and challenge the ideas that shape our nation.
• Condoleezza Rice| Oct. 18, 5-6 p.m. | Ticket Required
  66th U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, will discuss how we create and sustain democracy through hard work, persistence, strong institutions, and dedicated citizens.
• An Evening with Carrie Mae Weems and Yo-Yo Ma| Nov. 10, 7-8 p.m. | Ticket Required
  Acclaimed musician Yo-Yo Ma and multidisciplinary artist Carrie Mae Weems will participate in a conversation centered on artists and their civic duties.
• Veteran’s Day Conversation: Defending Our Constitution| Nov. 11, 6-7 p.m. | Ticket Required
  In honor of Veteran’s Day, Wesley Clark, retired U.S. Army general and former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe, will be joined in a special conversation with Rick Waddell, retired lieutenant general in the United States Army Reserve and former assistant to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Commander Susan Kilrain, NASA astronaut, distinguished navy test pilot, and aerospace engineer.
• Hillary Clinton| Nov. 30, 5-6 p.m. | Ticket Required
  Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton joins Dr. Angie Maxwell, director of the Diane Blair Center of Southern Politics and Society at the University of Arkansas, in conversation about how our nation’s founding documents continue to shape our lives, with a special focus on Arkansas and the South.
• Chef Nico Albert and Professor Gerald Torres| Dec. 15, 6-7 p.m. | Ticket Required
  Chef Nico Albert will be joined by professor Gerald Torres for a conversation centered on the relationship between the Constitution, tribal law, and Indigenous heritage, with a close look at use of Indigenous land and resources (such as food) through a lens of environmental justice, equity, and cultural histories.

Ticketed public talks are $12 for museum members and $15 for the general public. Tickets are available now at crystalbridges.org.

The museum will also host a weekend of programs September 16-17 in observance of Constitution Day. Constitution Weekend will include talks, performances, artmaking and gallery conversations. A series of brief talks in the galleries will be led by community members, experts, artists and educators who will use art as a vehicle to explore themes of freedom, justice and civic engagement.