First Anniversary, Crystal Bridges Museum - November 11, 2012

Alice Walton thanked Chris Jackson for volunteering at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

Alice Walton led the family's effort to build an American art museum for the community. Admission is free, thanks to gifts, and support is widespread. Attendance has been multiples of what they projected as their most optimistic, because the museum has become a destination for art lovers everywhere, a popular feature for locals like us, and an educational center thanks to a generous gift from another foundation.

We met Alice at another event where we volunteered. She remembered Chris and was happy to pose for some pictures. I took some for her family as well. Alice and I talked about how much the museum has done for the Northwest Arkansas community.

Chris and I greeted people who came to the film about Crystal Bridges. A staffer wondered how Chris got so good at greeting. Chris said, "About 40 years as pastor's wife is enough to learn how."

I have yet to see photos that do justice to this complex, which bridges Crystal Springs, once the backyard of the Walton home, where the kids once played together. Alice took her pony Bambi down to the springs and spent a lot of time drawing. Her love of drawing and art drew her into this monumental project, funded largely by the family to honor their parents and put the family land to good use for everyone.

Crystal Bridges has 125 acres with miles of walking trails through natural landscaping.

The steps by the main entry take visitors down to Walkers Landing, where many education events take place. Mrs. Ichabod and I have attended lectures, helped with print-making for children, and hosted games with toddlers.

"Cupcakes, cupcakes, everywhere, but not a gluten-free."

This room is called the Great Hall, where films are shown, larger lectures are hosted, and children's events are offered. A $10 million grant brings a constant stream of school children to the museum to learn about American art. They also have events for home-schoolers.

Thomas Cole - The Cross at Sunset

Temporary exhibits bring a concentration of art themes to the museum. That is how I learned about Thomas Cole and saw the famous Course of Empire paintings with Chris.

Normal Rockwell's work will be coming to the museum in a few months. Many of us grew up on that, enjoying the Saturday Evening Post with his memorable illustrations.

Goose-Bumps in Arkansas. The Alice Walton Crystal Bridges Museum

Durand's "Kindred Spirits" cost $35 million.
The original is 50 times better than this graphic.
Here is a quick tour of some offerings, inside and out.

I remember the stir when Alice Walton bought "Kindred Spirits" for her future art museum, which is the finest collection of American art in the country. The painting had been donated to the New York Library, but they put it up for auction to raise money for their endowment. They invited a select group to bid on it, and Alice Walton won.

We visited Crystal Bridges yesterday with members who drove several hours for the experience and Sunday worship. We looked at the license plates. People were there from Nevada, New York, all across America.

We were looking for the Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington. The same initial gallery featured "Kindred Spirits." As I walked up to it, goose-bumps went up and down, from my head to my feet, time after time. Goose-bumps are funny. They arrive without warning and cannot be summoned. This was a familiar painting, ever since art appreciation class at Augustana, but no print can do it justice. The graphic above is just for reference. When you visit the museum you will know what I mean.

A Chicago visitor to the dog park told me he came to Benton County just to see the museum. He said Chicago had an America art museum for several years, but it folded. He was awe-struck by Crystal Bridges, which was built over Crystal Creek, where the Walton kids used to play.

Admission is free for everyone. Mrs. Ichabod and I refused to see a Frank Lloyd Wright shrine in Phoenix because they wanted $15 each. We looked in the windows for free. Later I read the place was in trouble, short of funds. Open Source is a better approach - make it available for free and good things will happen.

The second painting is another one that must be seen in person. Imagine this, if you will. The lighting is perfect at Crystal Bridges, a combination of natural and man-made. The floors are that floating wood style, kind to the feet and legs. The paintings hang unprotected, except for the constant hovering of docents, guards, and slavering Dobermans. I made up the part about the Dobermans. The 18" inch rule applies, and people are very careful to hang back.

We could observe the paintings close enough to see the brush strokes. The Peale portrait of Washington, below, is remarkable for having the blue sash and the epaulets. He wore one or the other, not both, because both are honorary decorations.

The graphic is fairly good, but hardly as striking as the original. The moire pattern on the sash is so realistic in the painting that it looks exactly like silk, not a painting of silk.

This is better than most photos of Peale's Washington,
but the sash in this graphic reminds me of plastic flowers.

The trails, sculptures, building, and setting are all a delight for anyone. People can park away from the museum and walk a trail through the woods to the building. Shuttles also move visitors from parking lots to the main entrance.

The only disappointment was the latest in modern art, which reminded me at once of modern theology - an expensive sham that no one will identify as fraud. I called one amorphous lump on the floor "Silver Poo." An enormous painting called "Black Balloon" was nothing more than vertical strips.

The transition to modern art was fun - The Ashcan School. Those are realistic scenes painted in a hurry. I thought of several artists I wanted to see on the next trip. The Chicago visitor said, "You have to see it at night, when the entire building changes."

Visitors to the Ich-abode are welcome. We have a guestroom with its own bathroom and free Internet.

Many expensive purchases go into private collections and are seldom seen again. A rare painting can be increase in value many times faster than other investments.

I saw Alice Walton at a recent meeting. She was so pleased to be donating all this art to her own hometown area, instead of keeping it for herself. Collections grow in value when they exhibit a great range of artists, styles, and eras. This museum will benefit the whole region in many ways, and its creation earned money for many institutions that wanted to generate some cash from their own previous investments and donations.

Alice went looking for one piece of lost art. No one knew where this unique painting went. A conversation with someone led a family to say to Alice or her representative, "Oh, that's here. Hanging on the wall in our home." It was a short drive away from the proposed museum.