A New American Town - Bentonville, Arkansas
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A New American Town - Bentonville, Arkansas
Experience Spring in Bentonville: Outdoor Art, Trails & Events at Crystal Bridges & The Momentary
Spring is one of the best times to experience Bentonville’s vibrant arts and outdoor scene! In this episode, we’re joined by an expert from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and The Momentary to talk about the ultimate ways to enjoy the season—from art-filled nature trails to live music performances, seasonal exhibits like "KAWS:FAMILY," and immersive experiences. Whether you're a local or planning a visit, this is your guide to making the most of spring in Bentonville!
🌿 Plan your visit:
🎨 Crystal Bridges: crystalbridges.org
🎭 The Momentary: themomentary.org
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Welcome to New American Town. I'm Natalie with Visit Bentonville and today I'm joined by Michelle Moore from Crystal Bridges and the Momentary, one of Bentonville's main attractions. Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art has thousands of American art pieces, stunning architecture and 120 acres of Ozark nature and general admission is always free. The Momentary is known as a platform for today's art, food and music and an extension of Crystal Bridges that's focused on connecting communities and you to great experiences. Today we're covering all there is to know about visiting these attractions this spring, from art, nature and special insights to the must-attend events at the museum. Thank you so much for joining us today, michelle.
Michelle Moore:Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be here.
Natalie Stika:Yeah, before we dive in, can you share a little bit about your role at Crystal Bridges in the Momentary and what drew you to this incredible institution?
Michelle Moore:Of course, I am the Associate Director of Public Relations for Crystal Bridges in the Momentary and what drew you to this incredible institution? Of course, I am the Associate Director of Public Relations for Crystal Bridges in the Momentary. It's a very exciting job. I've been doing PR for my entire career and I got the wonderful opportunity to do it for Crystal Bridges almost two years ago and I couldn't say no. I could not say no to the beautiful, beautiful space, all of the wonderful art. I couldn't say no to the trails and grounds, the beauty of the Ozarks, and I really couldn't say no to the opportunity to work with some up-and-coming artists and also a lot of well-known artists. That's been the most fantastic part about this.
Natalie Stika:Oh, yeah, yeah, because the Momentary has been bringing some incredible music here just in the recent history, right.
Michelle Moore:Oh yeah, the Momentary is really becoming a premier music destination and I really love that. We support up-and-coming artists, growing artists, folks that maybe people in town haven't heard of, but we spend just as much time supporting and lifting up well-known artists, making sure they sell tickets and come to a place like this and perform for our community yeah, and the coolest part is you guys have all genres I do.
Natalie Stika:I had some. I ran into someone the other day and they're like I'm so excited there's a rock band tonight at the momentary. I didn't know they did rock because you guys have jazz, you have folk, you have edm rock. So many different types of music. It's really exciting it is heavy metal.
Michelle Moore:Lots of EDM we have a big EDM audience here in town. Hip hop we just announced Glorilla, who's an up and coming sort of hip hop star, and I know she's going to be a legend. So yeah, we cross all genres. If you like it, we will have it at the Momentary.
Natalie Stika:That's cool. Did you live here before your job?
Michelle Moore:I didn't live here. I moved here from New Orleans, which is very different, very different pace, but I'm really enjoying everything that Arkansas has to offer. It's a very beautiful state with seasons, and I can spend a lot of time outdoors, which is a little bit harder in New Orleans, which is sort of sweltering summer year round.
Natalie Stika:Yeah, yeah, a big part of Crystal Bridges is the outdoor grounds, and can you tell me a little bit more about the urban forest and how it really is just so special?
Michelle Moore:Of course, when I learned about Bentonville and Arkansas, you know I was drawn to the museum. I don't think I had any idea about how beautiful the outdoors would also be. I knew Arkansas was called the natural state, but I didn't really understand how gorgeous it was until I got here. Acres, yes, a ton of land, a beautiful forest, and it's beautiful in the summer and also in the winter, even when it's covered in snow and ice. It's so gorgeous, but it especially comes to life in the springtime and that's what I'm looking forward to seeing again this year, my second year here in town.
Natalie Stika:We know you want to hear all the local secrets when you visit Bentonville, so stay to the end to hear all of Michelle's favorite parts about Bentonville and what you can experience the next time you come. So so magical. Right now Some blooms are just starting to pop up. What is, what would you describe, the experience of visiting Crystal Bridges, and why does it make it so different?
Michelle Moore:It's definitely like we've been talking about the outdoors is what's so special. The architecture, along with the nature, makes it such a premier experience before you even step inside the actual museum. We have these grounds, which are also covered in art. There are lots of sculptures outside on our art trail and the North Forest Trail, and I want to make sure people who see the museum don't forget to visit that. There are some beautiful sculptures that you don't want to miss. We have a Louise Bourgeois spider, a giant spider called Maman. It is one of 11 spiders that Louise Bourgeois created and they're situated around the world and we have the only one of that size here in the United States at Crystal Bridges, which is fantastic. We also have some beautiful sculptures by Yayoi Kosama, and we recently got some flowers by the artists installed on our trails and they're gorgeous bright colors, polka dots. They're fun. They're perfect for Instagram. Come out, take your picture with the flowers among the real flowers that are going to bloom in the spring.
Natalie Stika:Yeah, those flowers went in in the middle of winter and, seeing them juxtaposed to the darkness and how bright they are, it was so interesting and exciting to see the promise of spring and, now that it's coming, them situated around the flowers that are now really blooming it's really exciting.
Natalie Stika:Yeah, the art is just the outdoor public art. Obviously, the art at Crystal Bridges is phenomenal, but the outdoor art is really hidden and people forget about it a lot of times. When you think of an art museum, it's not common for an art museum to be covered in a forest and it's an Arboretum. Now correct, it is an.
Michelle Moore:Arboretum. Yeah, and we're excited because we're going to celebrate. You know, April is Earth Month and we'll also celebrate Earth Day and Arbor Day, so we will have lots. Please check the Crystal Bridges website. We're going to have a slew of events to celebrate the nature that surrounds us, to celebrate Earth Day and to celebrate the fact that we are an arboretum. It's going to be beautiful when it starts to bloom and we'll have lots of events that sort of celebrate the outdoors and our trails and grounds.
Natalie Stika:That's awesome, kind of switching back over to the momentary for a little bit. Describe the experience of the Momentary, especially what people can expect this spring.
Michelle Moore:The momentary is also quite beautiful. I think people only think about nature as it relates to Crystal Bridges, but the Momentary also has a beautiful outdoor area, particularly a large sprawling green lawn which is where we host our Live on the Green music series and we're going to kick that off again this year. That will run roughly from April through the end of October. We're kicking off with an already sold out performance by Megan Maroney in April.
Natalie Stika:I know everyone's excited.
Michelle Moore:Such a big deal for us and we're going to have lots of concerts there throughout the spring and summer and fall, so there's also something to do outside at the Momentary too.
Natalie Stika:Yeah, If people are coming in for that concert specifically because it sold out super quickly, what are some tips that you could give them for experiencing what all the Momentary has to offer?
Michelle Moore:Well, we have the concerts outdoors on the green at the Momentary. We also have concerts indoors at the Momentary, in the Roadhouse, which is a much smaller venue, but it is a very, very special place to see live music. The sound in there is phenomenal and that's where we sort of host a lot of lesser known artists who are on the rise. So everyone should check the Momentary's website and see who's playing in the Roadhouse. We have concerts there throughout the entire year known artists who are on the rise. So everyone should check the Momentary's website and see who's playing in the Roadhouse. We have concerts there throughout the entire year.
Michelle Moore:We also have galleries indoors so you can throughout the year. You can always come into our galleries at the Momentary. They are free and open to the public all the time and you can see what art we have up there now. Right now there's Best in Show, which is a cute exhibition with pet photography. But we have some cool exhibitions coming in May that will focus on more photography, but it'll be photography of musicians. We'll have an exhibition with photographs featuring Johnny Cash performing prison concerts, so that's exciting. And then we'll also have an exhibition featuring photography of lots of different artists by one photographer who spent the majority of his career photographing musicians.
Natalie Stika:That is wonderful, I love. I'm so, so excited to see that new exhibition at the Momentary coming in May. All of the ones that you guys have are so special because you specifically highlight contemporary art all of the time in the Momentary, correct?
Michelle Moore:We do we always have contemporary art and probably an artist or maybe sort of lots of photography that you haven't really been exposed to yet. So there's a lot of new things you can learn when you come to the momentary. Something really special that's happening in May at the momentary is that we will have an exhibition of Johnny Cash photographs in our galleries and then we are also going to have his daughter, Roseanne Cash, performing at Fresh Grass at the Momentary May 16th and 17th. So that's going to be a nice sort of connection for us.
Natalie Stika:Yeah, that will be so special. Wow, what are some other seasonal highlights that people can look forward to this spring at both campuses?
Michelle Moore:At the momentary we host a few different festivals. As I mentioned, we'll host Fresh Grass May 16th and 17th, outside on the green, and folks will also be able to come inside in the galleries. We also host Holi, which is a big celebration of spring. That's a great colorful festival that we host every year at the momentary. That will take place in April. Those are two very fun festivals. The weather's still pretty nice, it's not too hot yet. We encourage everybody to come out. And then at Crystal Bridges we will be hosting lots of the same types of things lots of celebrations for spring, lots to do outdoors while the weather is nice. You can bike or walk the trails before you come inside the galleries and see what we have going on there.
Natalie Stika:Yeah, how would you recommend people experience all that Crystal Bridges has to offer when they come visit?
Michelle Moore:That's such a hard one Spend more than one day with us Because there's so much to see and so much to do. Right now, Crystal Bridges Is undergoing our big expansion project and while we're expanding we're sort of focused on revolutionizing the way people experience art inside museums. And the fun part about this expansion is that we're transforming our galleries so our visitors who stop by over the next year or so will be able to see as we move art and transform into this new experience. But while we're doing that, our visitors can also come and KAWS Family, which is our latest special exhibition at Crystal Bridges.
Natalie Stika:Tell us more about KAWS. It is wonderful. I had the joy of seeing it over the last couple weekends and it's something like we've never had before.
Michelle Moore:I would agree. I am aware of the sort of art that has come into Crystal Bridges and the Momentary over the last few years and I think this is probably something brand new for the museum and for the community something brand new for the museum and for the community and it's a very, very exciting exhibition. Kaws is a very hip pop artist who creates iconic characters and figures and paintings. He got his start in the 90s doing a lot of street art and he was here with us last week as we opened the exhibition. It was so fun to have an artist like him in town to give us a special tour of the exhibition. I think it's great for families. It's titled Family. It sort of explores human emotions and connections. Fun for everyone of all ages. It's colorful, it's bright. Kids will sort of have an eye-opening experience, but I think parents will love it too.
Natalie Stika:Yeah, there's a familiarity there for anyone that goes and sees it, because there are so many familiar characters that he has kind of reimagined. He's worked with several brands, which is kind of originally how I knew KAWS. He's worked with several brands, which is kind of originally how I knew KAWS. And to see his work displayed it was awing to me that he painted it. It looks like graphic design and he even called that out. We're so used to seeing graphic design nowadays that to even think that his beautiful paintings with so much precision was done by hand and that was so special. I would love if everyone just knew that going in a lot of people.
Natalie Stika:If they don't read, they won't know that.
Michelle Moore:They won't know that, that he created these things by hand, and I love what he said about his paintings, and I feel like the ones we have at Crystal Bridges are these deep cuts, works that people wouldn't necessarily even know are his, and he did them many years ago, so it's nice to see those with the sculptures which he's a bit more known for. But you can come in and see sketches and bright paintings and to know that he did it by hand on this large scale is pretty phenomenal. He's an amazing artist.
Natalie Stika:Yeah, throughout the museum and the grounds, of course there's so much art. Yeah, throughout the museum and the grounds, of course there's so much art, and that's the heart and soul of Crystal Bridges. But what other can't miss experiences should people be looking into?
Michelle Moore:So when people visit Crystal Bridges as we are working to transform the galleries for the expansion, things are going to look a little different. We're going to be moving art around but we're going to still have a lot of iconic artworks on display. We're going to be moving some contemporary artworks like Our Town by Kerry James Marshall, which is a big one, to our earlier galleries so it can remain on view. We'll have iconic works like Rosie the Riveter by Norman Rockwell. Our very, very popular Georgia O'Keeffe painting will be up still so people can still come in and see these iconic works while the galleries are moving around. They'll just be in different spaces while on view. And then KAWS will be on view through July 28th and we'll have another temporary exhibition come up called Get in the Game, which will be a very fun sports-related exhibition later this fall, and that'll be another temporary exhibition come up called Get in the Game, which will be a very fun sports related exhibition later this fall, and that'll be on view as we continue to transform the galleries too.
Natalie Stika:Yeah, are you guys going to continue to have, like, the cocktail tours, evenings at 11 and some makerspace activities?
Michelle Moore:Absolutely. We will always be celebrating art through our events at Crystal Bridges all the time, week-long events. The cocktail tours at Crystal Bridges are really fun. They are themed cocktail tours. If you sign up for one of those, you can learn to make a very cool cocktail. You'll drink it, of course, and then you'll get a nice tour of the galleries following that.
Michelle Moore:We also have our WOW dinners, wednesdays Over Water, which are the same sort of theme. They are related or connected to an artwork or an exhibition in the galleries. You'll eat a meal and hear from a chef who created it and also learn a little bit more about whatever the art focus is, and you can explore the galleries after the meal as well. There's always going to be art making. We have family fun days where kids can come in and make art art, but adults can come and make art in our studio as well. Uh, the best thing to do is check the Crystal Bridges website, because there's always so much going on and you don't want to miss it yeah, um, I think you can't go wrong with any of these experiences at Crystal Bridges.
Natalie Stika:Have you been able to participate in any of them?
Michelle Moore:yes, actually actually I have, and it's been like a joy. I just went to a Wednesday's over water at Crystal Bridges and that was such a fun time. It was in honor of Black History Month and we had a guest chef and really just a celebration of the culture and also Black art and artists and that was great for community members to come in town and enjoy. I really loved it. I've also done a cocktail tour, which is also very fun. It's an adult evening out, it's great for date night and we have Supper Club, which happens at the momentary.
Natalie Stika:So new? Tell us more. I really love that you guys are doing this. No, I want to go so bad you should go.
Michelle Moore:Those are happening, like our Wednesdays Overwater at Crystal Bridges, but supper clubs are a bit more casual and family style and they are also happening once a month at the momentary and we're bringing in a guest chef for those as well. A different guest chef every month, different guest chef every month. It's a beautiful setup, a long table so everyone can sit together, enjoy conversations together and celebrate community and good food and talk to one another, make friends or just have a good time with your old friends. You should come.
Natalie Stika:Yeah, I need to. There's just so much goodness. I feel like both Crystal Bridges and the Momentary are so vital in our culture in community, whether you're a local or a visitor, and it's so hard to put into words and I love hearing from you about it. But why do you think that that has happened and you guys are set?
Michelle Moore:you guys are the heartbeat of Ben, I would say that is like exactly what a PR person wants to hear. So, yes, thank you, job done. I like to think I love heartbeat. I also think of Crystal Bridges and the Momentary as an anchor. I think they are both very grounding spaces for the community. I've never seen anything like it. It's a wonderful feeling to work in a space that celebrates art and artists and that the community also feels so welcome to Like. We are truly making art and sort of premier educational and inspiring experiences. We are really making that a part of life for the everyday Arkansan or sort of Heartland community member, and I'm glad that people feel so welcomed and happy to join us all the time. I don't know that museums across America always feel like welcoming, energizing spaces, but Crystal Bridge is in the Momentary. We truly are doing that work and I can see it when the community comes by and spends time with us over and over and over again.
Natalie Stika:Yeah, yeah, it over again. Yeah, yeah, it's beautiful. Yeah, what is your personal favorite thing about the city of Bentonville?
Michelle Moore:Oh, wow. Well, definitely the outdoors. I love the nature. I love being able to get to spend time outside and seeing the seasons change. Being from the deep south, I did not experience seasons. I'm from the swamp. It's one season year round. It is beautiful to see the seasons change outside here in Bentonville and Northwest Arkansas. I also am like pleasantly surprised by the beautiful music, art and food scene. There's a lot of culture happening here and that's surprising, but I'm also like very happy and excited to experience it every weekend when I'm off from work. It's a great part of my life.
Natalie Stika:I love that For someone planning their first visit. What are some pro tips that you have?
Michelle Moore:It's a beautiful weekend getaway here in Bentonville and I like to say that it's perfect for lovers and even people who are expanding their family. Come for your baby moon, come and just enjoy time with your partner. See a show at the momentary, have dinner somewhere great like Barclita -is my favorite and also come to Crystal Bridges, walk outside and walk inside the galleries. It's the perfect thing to hit for weekend fun. I'm always traveling that way with my partner. We like to take weekend trips where we go to a museum, we see a show and we eat really good food, and this is a great place to do that. Yeah, make traveling casual.
Natalie Stika:We love that.
Michelle Moore:Yeah, we love it.
Natalie Stika:Well, for people that want to get connected to Crystal Bridges, you can go to crystalbridgesorg to learn more, or the momentaryorg. Follow them on social media at Crystal Bridges Museum or the Momentary. And do you want to tell us a little bit more about your membership program?
Michelle Moore:Yes, I always tell people you can check our websites and you can follow us on social media. But another fantastic way to get involved with us is to become a member. Members at Crystal Bridges and the Momentary get all types of great perks, but the biggest one is early access to tickets for events, including our big concerts, and also discounted tickets to big events at Crystal Bridges in the Momentary, including the concerts. You'll know it first. If you are a member, you will get an email before anyone else does and you'll get sort of discounts and exclusive benefits to enjoy as a member to both spaces, especially if you're here in town or also even if you're just a short drive away. Become a member If you're going to come and see us over and over again. There really are some great benefits to that and a great way to stay involved in the community.
Natalie Stika:Awesome. Well, that is a wrap for today's episode. If you're planning a trip to Bentonville, be sure to check out these incredible spaces and everything that Crystal Bridges in the Momentary has to offer, especially in the spring. Thanks for tuning in and don't forget to follow us on social media at Visit Bentonville, sign up for our newsletter and learn more about our new American town. Thanks so much, Michelle.