Crystal Bridges marries art, architecture, and nature in perfect harmony

The Walton family has given so much to the NWA community, but one of the greatest gifts from the Walton Family Foundation is the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. Ever since opening on November 11th, 2011, Crystal Bridges has not only immersed the NWA community in art and culture but also put Northwest Arkansas on the map as if it were Venice in the Renaissance, a true artist’s Mecca.

“I think back,” says Moshe Safdie, “and the moment of architectural discovery is the moment when you first see a site and try to decipher the secrets that are embedded in it.” Safdie is the world-renowned architect responsible for the beautifully designed museum tucked away in a gorgeous, natural ravine located in the heart of the Ozark Mountains. He and Crystal Bridges Board of Directors Chairwoman Alice Walton worked very closely on the museum’s design to ensure that the outside would reflect and complement the art inside.

Both Safdie and Walton felt that it was very important to incorporate nature into the design. “A lot of people now are saying, ‘we have to come back and experience the different seasons,’” says Walton, “because they get that integration and how the experience changes as a result of the change in nature.”

With over 120 acres and 3.5 miles of trails, throughout which outdoor art installations are hidden, it’s easy to see that at Crystal Bridges, nature itself is revered as a work of art. Architecture is also viewed as its own artistic entity here, and not just Safdie’s masterful work. Crystal Bridges is also home to an actual Usonian house designed by famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright. “Usonian” was a term coined by the architect himself, meaning “United States of North America.” This fits marvelously with the “American Art” theme of Crystal Bridges.

Once inside this artistic edifice, one can take a stroll through five centuries worth of American art, from the colonial period all the way to modern times. Crystal Bridges is home to a permanent collection of thousands of artworks by a plethora of artists, from the revered masters to the slightly obscure. To supplement the year-round permanent collection, the museum also plays host to special exhibitions that change like the seasons; some are there for a year at a time, whereas others come and go more quickly.

The best part about Crystal Bridges? It is absolutely free to enter, thanks to the Walton Family Foundation. Sometimes the special exhibits on display cost a small entry fee, but they are always worth the cost and impeccably curated, just like the rest of the museum and the natural landscape that acts as its background.