Virtual Presentation – “Across America: Crystal Bridges,” May 20

Thursday, May 20, 11 a.m.

Presented by the Figge Art Museum

On May 20, Figge Art Museum members are invited to hop on a computer and travel south in the virtual tour Across America: Crystal Bridges – an online visit to Bentonville, Arkansas' Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art where participants will learn about their art, sculptures, architecture, and Frank Lloyd Wright House that was moved to this location all the way from New Jersey.

Founded in 2005 by philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton as a nonprofit charitable organization for all to enjoy, Crystal Bridges opened to the public on 11-11-11. The venue takes its name from a nearby natural spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building, designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A series of pavilions nestled around two spring-fed ponds house galleries, meeting and classroom spaces, and a large, glass-enclosed gathering hall. Guest amenities include a restaurant on a glass-enclosed bridge overlooking the ponds, a Museum Store designed by architect Marlon Blackwell, and a library featuring more than 50,000 volumes of art reference material. Sculpture and walking trails link the museum's 120-acre park to downtown Bentonville.

Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection spans five centuries of American masterworks ranging from the Colonial era to the current day. Included within the collection are iconic images such as Asher B. Durand’s Kindred Spirits, Norman Rockwell’s Rosie the Riveter, and Andy Warhol’s Coca-Cola – each reflecting a distinct moment in American artistic evolution—as well as major works by modern and contemporary American artists including Georgia O’Keeffe, John Baldessari, and James Turrell. The permanent collection, which continues to grow through a strategic acquisition plan, is on view year-round and is enhanced by an array of temporary exhibitions.

Also known as the Bachman-Wilson House, the Frank Lloyd Wright House is an example of Wright’s classic Usonian architecture, the word “Usonian” derived from an abbreviation of “United States of North America.” Wright created this term to describe a distinctly American style of residential architecture he developed during the Great Depression to be within the reach of the average middle-class American family, and this house was originally built for Gloria and Abraham Wilson in 1956 along the Millstone River in New Jersey. It was subsequently purchased by architect/designer team Lawrence and Sharon Tarantino in 1988 and meticulously restored. When the house was threatened by repeated flooding at its original location, the Tarantinos determined that, in order to preserve it, they should sell the house to an institution willing to relocate it. After a multi-year search for a suitable institution, Crystal Bridges acquired the house in 2013. The entire structure was then taken apart and each component was labeled, packed, and moved to the museum, where it was reconstructed in 2015. The house contains a distinct mid-century modern design full of sleek mahogany wood, which allows the house to flow with Wright’s elongated layout and epitomizes the connection between art, architecture, and nature.

The virtual presentation Across America: Crystal Bridges will take place from 11 a.m. to noon on May 20, and admission is $12.50 for the members-only event. For more information and to register, call (563)326-7804 and visit FiggeArtMuseum.org.