A Visit to Crystal Bridges

From Art Museum in Arkansas

The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art opened in Bentonville, Arkansas on 11-11-11, and we enjoyed a fun visit there during the Thanksgiving holidays.

Being hillbillies from Arkansas, we admittedly don't know that much about art, but that's part of the fun of seeing a place like this in Bentonville, a small town of 35,000 (after all, we are from nearby Fayetteville, which has twice the population).

There were some very interesting pieces there.

Here's a salute to a modern artist made out of televisions and pieces of a piano:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

Here is a picture made entirely of puzzle pieces:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

And one made of upside-down spools (well, I guess the spools weren't upside-down, just the image):

From Art Museum in Arkansas

With this cool globe that allowed you to see it right-side up:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

This huge sculpture gave Hannah the creeps, but I was very impressed:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

I guess art is supposed to invoke certain thoughts or feelings. This one made Ann and I think of "Batman":

From Art Museum in Arkansas

This one made me think of a porthole to space (Rebecca is in the doorway wearing black):

From Art Museum in Arkansas

And we definitely know the feeling represented here:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

Some art was very whimsical:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

From Art Museum in Arkansas

From Art Museum in Arkansas

Other pieces were unusual but beautiful:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

And some were downright odd:

From Art Museum in Arkansas

Here's the piece that Alice Walton paid $35 million for. It's called "Kindred Spirits" and it's by Durand.

From Art Museum in Arkansas

It was very nice, but I can never imagine it being worth that much money! But unlike the Occupy Wall Street folks, I support Alice Walton's right to spend her money however she pleases. I think it's wonderful that she is pursuing her passion while creating jobs and tourism for her hometown. The art was expensive, but entry is free! What a deal!

The museum is going to be a lot more impressive when it is finished. A sunny day would help, too. When we visited, the water was murky and the sky was gray.

From Art Museum in Arkansas

From Art Museum in Arkansas

I wasn't a huge fan of the architecture, but it did seem sufficiently "artsy."