Courtesy Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art will open Nov. 11 in its distinctive 217,000-square-foot complex just off the square in downtown Bentonville.
Designed by world-renowned architect Moshie Safdie, the glass, concrete and wood building features a series of pavilions divided by two spring-fed ponds.
It contains six art galleries, a museum store, a library, a dining facility, classroom space and a great hall for special events.
The entire campus rests in 120 acres of forest in a park-like setting that features a series of urban trails that lead past interactive sculptures and through gardens that connect the campus to downtown Bentonville.
The museum takes its name from a nearby natural spring and the bridges incorporated in its design.
Crystal Bridges will house a permanent collection of masterworks of American art ranging from the Colonial period to contemporary work. A changing array of special exhibitions will feature art from museums and collections throughout the region, the nation and abroad.
