Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art put Bentonville on Travel and Leisure's Top Travel Destinations List

You don’t have to make an appointment any more to visit Crystal Bridges. I found that out recently, when I visited for the first time with my artist/musician son who was home for the holidays. And it’s a wonderful place.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is a treat for the senses. There are so many wonderful works of art that I can’t begin to cover them all in my blog, but I hope to pique your interest.

Just to know our little corner of the world is home to this beautiful museum is enough to make us all proud. The brainchild of Alice Walton, longtime art collector and daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, created much controversy when she announced her plans in 2005. Some of the so-called ‘upper crust’ in art circles were aghast that major works would be somehow ‘lost’ in the Midwest.

The art is far from lost! It is alive and well and displayed in a work of art itself. The 201,000-square-foot museum, designed by the famed architect Moshe Safdie, is set beautifully into natural surroundings. Visitors will find eight linked pavilions bordering two large pools, which are fed by Crystal Spring. The architecture alone would be worth the trip even if it didn’t contain this marvelous collection of art from colonial to contemporary times. The pools are still in the process of being filled, however.

Even a brief glance at the list of art included within the collection shows there is something for everyone: Rosie the Riveter by Norman Rockwell, Asher B. Durand's Kindred Spirits, Maxfield Parrish's The Lantern Bearers, and Andy Warhol’s Dolly Parton. The “Rosie” work is not the famous one that everyone usually sees, however. It’s a different one.

There are eight trails on the wooded 120-acre property. I can’t wait to see dogwood trail in the spring! Also located outside is the sculpture garden.

Some of the educational offerings will include Skyspace Discussions, Shifting Perspectives with Nature, and Wonder World. Wonder World has some really interesting contemporary stuff, including a version of the Last Supper made entirely of spools of thread.

Perhaps one of the most outstanding offerings at the museum is the price of admission. Admission is totally free thanks to a $20 million donation by Wal-Mart Corporation.

Wal-Mart Family Foundation has pledged $800 million towards acquisitions, operations, and capital improvements, not to mention additional monies towards initial construction. Local philanthropists have also made additional generous donations.

This huge endowment puts it on a par with Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is already creating buzz in travel circles. Travel and Leisure.com lists it as one of the top destinations in 2012. The biggest buzz, of course, is among art lovers in the U.S. as well as overseas. It is such a huge boost to the art scene in NW Arkansas as well as local artists and aspiring artists everywhere.

I can’t sing too many praises about Crystal Bridges of American Art and its effects on the local economy. New businesses have already opened. A sparkling new hotel, 21c Museum Hotel, plans to open in January 2013. It will be similar to the original 21c in Louisville. Out-of-state visitors have already arrived and many more are coming.

You simply must go. If you’ve already been, go again. That’s what my friends and I plan to do. Just don’t go on Tuesdays. That is the one day each week when the museum is closed.

For more information visit the Crystal Bridges Website.

And here are a few informational newspaper articles from Arkansas Business, the New York Times, NY Times Travel Section, and Travel and Leisure magazine. For a great picture of the museum, click here.

Bentonville's New City Website is a Winner!

Bentonville is to be commended on their newly designed website. User friendly, it is a wonderful resource for builders, developers and real estate agents in the area, as well as for the general public. It has lots of “goodies” and could serve as an example for other towns in NW Arkansas.

In their GIS (Geographical Information Sytem), there are interactive maps for all uses, including a link to Benton County parcel and lot information as well as FEMA flood zones (present and proposed), zoning and land use information, traffic counts on major streets, and the master street plan. For builders and developers, the utility maps show water lines, sewer lines, storm drainage, and fire hydrants. There are also school district, cemetery, street construction, and census maps. One must download a plug-in to use these features, but once done, the information is all there.

The eGov-Online section has 3 sections: one for paying utilities on line and checking your utility usage, the second for builders who want to apply for a building permit or check the status of a current permit, and the third for developers and others who have applied or want to apply to the planning commission for development projects, rezoning, variances, or conditional use permits. All of the forms are there and downloadable, along with instructions, calendars, and other information needed to guide users through the process.

The site also has general information for residents of Bentonville on such topics as recycling, the compost facility, city government, tax information and the like. There are also links to other sites such as Ozark Regional Transit, Bella Vista Village, and the new Crystal Bridges art museum.

According to Bentonville officials, the new site was developed with users in mind. Many of the phone calls currently received by city officials and employees are from residents with questions that can now be answered 24/7 by information on the website.

Good job, Bentonville!

The website address of Bentonville’s new website is:

http://www.bentonvillear.com/