One of the highlights of my trip to Arkansas was visiting the fabulous Crystal Bridges Museum of Art. According to my coworkers in Arkansas, there was an uproar in the art community when the facility was built – housing works from Pollock, Lichtenstein, Warhol and Rockwell, many people from dense metropolitan areas were up in arms that a small town in the south would be graced with these wonderful collections. I think that’s absolutely ridiculous! I don’t think there is a single person that doesn’t appreciate art and culture within their own scope, and to think it’s appropriate to deny these works to any part of our population is insane. Before my trip, I didn’t have a rhyme or reason to want to be in the south – but between the hospitality and warmth of the people, the beauty of the silence and the seasons, the effing amazing food and the art and culture, I wouldn’t mind going back!
These are some of the highlights from my trip to Crystal Bridges, I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!
Tom Uttech – Enassamishhinjijweian
Translation from Ojibwe Indian Tribe: Hope of Good Things to Come
Emma Marie Cadwalder-Guild – Free
James Henry Beard – “It’s Very Queer, Isn’t It?”
Thomas Eakins – Professor Benjamin Howard Rand
Norman Rockwell – Rosie The Riveter
Andy Warhol – Dolly Parton
Roy Lichtenstein – Standing Explosion Red
Max Ferguson – Time
The Bouncy Kitty 
I love the fact that art is being made available to individuals who may never have a chance to visit the recognized art centers of this country. How wonderful for a child to see these things and perhaps be so inspired that they go home and try creating something themselves … even, or perhaps especially, in rural Arkansas. I believe that the Walton family members involved in this museum should be commended for using their wealth to make the arts available to all. Thanks for sharing the wonderful pictures … makes me want to visit.
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