60 artists selected for State of the Art 2020 exhibition

A Fayetteville man is among 60 artists from across the country who have been selected for a new exhibition in Bentonville next year.

The works of Anthony Sonnenberg, a Texas native and assistant visiting professor in ceramics at the University of Arkansas, will be included in State of the Art 2020. The exhibition will be on view at The Momentary and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art from February 22 — the opening date of The Momentary — through May 24. It will be free for all visitors.

Lauren Haynes, curator of visual arts at the Momentary and curator of contemporary art at Crystal Bridges, is leading State of the Art 2020, along with Alejo Benedetti, assistant curator of contemporary art, Crystal Bridges and Allison Glenn, associate curator of contemporary art, Crystal Bridges. The team visited studios across the country, resulting in the selection of a diverse group of 60 artists, from varied backgrounds and at different points in their careers.

More than 100 artworks will be featured in State of the Art 2020. Most of them were created in the past three years. A number of artists are making site-specific works in response to the interior architecture of both spaces as well as the histories of this region. At both the Momentary and Crystal Bridges, artwork will include paintings, sculpture, photography, video, performance, and mixed media.

“State of the Art 2020 fits our vision for the Momentary and builds on some of what we’ve already done at Crystal Bridges — presenting contemporary artists who are making work that raise topics and important questions about this moment in time,” Haynes said in a statement. “As we traveled the US talking with artists, connections between their work and ideas began to emerge, which drove the selection of themes.”

State of the Art 2020 is the continuation of an exhibition that began in 2014, when Crystal Bridges presented State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now. After its opening at Crystal Bridges, State of the Art traveled to several museums across the country.

“Similar to the first State of the Art, we will bring artists to Northwest Arkansas to engage with the community,” Haynes said. “The exhibition will travel and we are currently building the national tour, with dates and venues to be announced at a later time. In addition, we’re excited to commit to the next State of the Art in 2025, and plan to create a new exhibition every five years.”

Bank of America, a partner and sponsor of the original State of the Art exhibition in 2014, is joining State of the Art 2020 as the lead sponsor, in addition to sponsoring the exhibition’s national tour. Additional sponsors are Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, Christie’s, The Coca-Cola Co. and the Crystal Bridges Art Now Fund.

Artists featured in State of the Art 2020:

• Sama Alshaibi | Tucson, AZ
• Eddie Aparicio | Los Angeles, CA
• Marcela Pardo Ariza | San Francisco, CA
• Mae Aur | Memphis, TN
• Frances Bagley | Dallas, TX
• Paul Stephen Benjamin | Atlanta, GA
• Frank Blazquez | Albuquerque, NM
• Kate Budd | Akron, OH
• Amy Casey | Cleveland, OH
• Domingo Castillo | Miami, FL
• Alex Chitty | Chicago, IL
• JooYoung Choi | Houston, TX
• Alex Bradley Cohen | Chicago, IL
• Jill Downen | Kansas City, MO
• Carla Edwards | Brooklyn, NY
• Jenelle Esparza | San Antonio, TX
• Peter Everett | Salt Lake City, UT
• Joey Fauerso | San Antonio, TX
• Jennifer Harge | Detroit, MI
• Elisa Harkins | Tulsa, OK
• David R. Harper | Philadelphia, PA
• Kasimu Harris | New Orleans, LA
• Mari Hernandez | San Antonio, TX
• Scott Hocking | Detroit, MI
• Hong Hong | New Haven, CT
• Letitia Huckaby | Benbrook, TX
• Cory Imig | Kansas City, MO
• Chele Isaac | Madison, WI
• Ronald Jackson | Spotsylvania, VA
• Lori Kella | Cleveland, OH
• Jody Kuehner (Cherdonna) | Seattle, WA
• Nicolas Lobo | Miami, FL
• Joanna Keane Lopez | Albuquerque, NM
• Jova Lynne | Detroit, MI
• Suchitra Mattai | Denver, CO
• Hannah McBroom |  Kansas City, MO
• Art Miller | Kansas City, MO
• Cristina Molina | New Orleans, LA
• Jiha Moon | Atlanta, GA
• Tabitha Nikolai | Portland, OR
• Kris Pierce | Dallas, TX
• Timothy Portlock | St. Louis, MO
• Enrico Riley | Lebanon, NH
• Kellie Romany | Chicago, IL
• Anthony Romero in collaboration with Matthew Joynt and Josh Rios | Boston, MA
• George Sanchez-Calderon | Miami, FL
• Jordan Seaberry | Providence, RI
• Karen Seapker | Nashville, TN
• Rick Silva | Eugene, OR
• Anthony Sonnenberg | Fayetteville, AR
• Edra Soto | Chicago, IL
• Francisco Souto | Lincoln, NE
• Damian Stamer | Hillsborough, NC
• Su Su | Pittsburgh, PA
• Jena Thomas | Spartanburg, SC
• Stacy Lynn Waddell | Durham, NC
• Larry Walker | Atlanta, GA
• Diego Rodriguez Warner | Denver, CO
• Didier William | Philadelphia, PA
• Alice Pixley Young | Cincinnati, OH