opinion by Maylon Rice
Editor’s note: Maylon Rice has 40 years of experience working as a newspaper reporter, columnist and editor at several Arkansas newspapers. He ran, unsuccessfully for the Arkansas House of Representatives in 2012. A native of Warren, Rice lives in Fayetteville.
Opinions, commentary and other essays posted in this space are wholly the view of the author(s). They may not represent the opinion of the owners of The City Wire.
November in Arkansas may soon to become known for its museum anniversaries and celebrations. This past week, with the usual dose of low, key and casual fanfare, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, located in Bentonville, Ark., celebrated its 3rd Anniversary.
Down in Little Rock, with as much fanfare as it can politically rally, the William J. Clinton Presidential Library celebrated a decade since it opened Nov. 8, 2004.
Crystal Bridges in three short years has hosted 1.5 million visitors. The Clinton Presidential Museum in Little Rock over the last 10 years has seen 3 million visit its location. There is something magical going on at Crystal Bridges. If you have never been, ask yourself a simple question: Why not?
Today, my focus and congratulations is on the third anniversary of Crystal Bridges. The brain child of Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton and her late mother Helen Walton, this beautiful art museum located in a pristine sheltered holler of the Ozarks, has welcomed more than 1.5 million visitors to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature.
Opening on 11/11/11, visitors have enjoyed five centuries of American masterworks, a groundbreaking contemporary art exhibition, educational programs, workshops, tours, and more.
Crystal Bridges has been an instant and constant tourist draw for Northwest Arkansas. According to spokesperson Beth Bobbitt, more than 220,000 visitors a year utilize the museum’s 3.5 miles of walking trails. Chamber of Commerce folks in the quad cities – from Fayetteville to Bentonville/Bella Vista, all gush glowingly about the steady pace of visitors from elsewhere marching to Northwest Arkansas to see the American artworks.
Arkansans remain the top group of visitors at Crystal Bridges. Other states which (in order) of most visitors are Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma. After those states citizens from Tennessee, Louisiana and Mississippi are likely to be found as visitors Crystal Bridges, according to Bobbitt.
And what about foreign visitors to Crystal Bridges?
“We have only recently been able to track international postal codes so I don’t have specific numbers but I can tell you that in 2013, we reported visitors from over 30 countries including Canada, Germany, England, and Japan,” Bobbitt said.
Again, hotel, motel and restaurants in the entire region benefit from this museum. And what are the busiest times for the Museum? The holidays.
“Spring Break is our busiest general attendance time,” Bobbitt said. “Next is between Christmas and New Year, and then the July 4th holiday.”
With all this constant flow of visitors to Crystal Bridges and Northwest Arkansas, other than opening day in November of 2011, have there been specific exhibitions that have drawn in larger than average crowds. One of those was the exhibition of one of the most beloved American artists of the 20th Century.
“The Norman Rockwell exhibition represents our highest attendance numbers for an exhibition (March 9 - May 27, 2013) with some 122,000 people (attending),” Bobbitt said.
But the latest rave review art exhibition at Crystal Bridges may break that Rockwell attendance record. It seems, early “State of the Art” numbers are on-par and projected to surpass “Rockwell,” as the most popular exhibition in Crystal Bridges history, Bobbitt said.
As a recent visitor with two life-long Texans who were visiting, the “State of Art” exhibit it was worth the return visit to the tranquil museum in Bentonville. For those who have seen the art museum just once, you have no doubt not seen but a tiny sampling of Walton’s permanent collection. There is not enough room enough at Crystal Bridges to display all the art works Ms. Walton owns, so the collection revolves on Crystal Bridges walls.
This significant new exhibition, “State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now,” captured the national spotlight with coverage including a story on CBS Sunday Morning two weeks ago. The “State of the Art” exhibit is a result of a year-long, 100,000 mile search to bring together the artwork of 102 artists from all over the country, which has been hailed by major newspapers and publications in the art world as being most significant.
Since opening on Sept. 13, State of the Art has attracted 88,000 visitors, and is deepening understanding of contemporary art and culture. The exhibition is free and will remain on view through Jan. 19, 2015, so hurry back to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. You will be glad you did.
And congratulations to Ms. Walton and her top shelf-staff at Crystal Bridges on three fabulous years. Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas thanks you, too.