Crystal Bridges - Bentonville, Arkansas

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is a premier wedding and event venue in the Northwest Arkansas region, located in Bentonville. Enjoy your wedding or event as you gaze at 120 acres of Ozark forest and award-winning architecture. Your group is also welcome to wander the art galleries and the grounds as an added amenity. We have a wide selection of elegant venues on the museum grounds, both indoor and outdoor, to meet any group size, budget, or desire. Walk down the aisle in the Great Hall with views overlooking the museum’s ponds, dance in the North Forest, treat your guests to dinner on the Twin Bridges with a creek babbling alongside, and much more.

Let Crystal Bridges paint your masterpiece with the perfect wedding venue, rental and amenities fit for any budget. Whether you’re looking to book a meeting, opening reception, closing dinner, or holiday party for your organization or offsite conference, Crystal Bridges provides unique, efficient, and elegant meeting room space to meet your team’s needs and exceed their expectations.Imagine getting married in a museum of American art designed by a world-renowned architect, surrounded by 120 acres of enchanting Ozark forest. The wedding you will never forget!

The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature.

Crystal Bridges takes its name from a nearby natural spring and the bridge construction incorporated in the building, designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. A series of pavilions nestled around two spring-fed ponds house galleries, meeting and classroom spaces, and a large, glass-enclosed gathering hall. Guest amenities include a restaurant on a glass-enclosed bridge overlooking the ponds, a Museum Store designed by architect Marlon Blackwell, and a library featuring more than 50,000 volumes of art reference material. Sculpture and walking trails link the museum’s 120-acre park to downtown Bentonville, Arkansas.

Crystal Bridges and the Momentary acknowledge and pay respect to the Osage, Caddo, and Quapaw people and elders past, present and future, offering deep gratitude to the ancestral land and water that supports them. We also thank and acknowledge those Indigenous people who live and work in our communities today.

History
Crystal Bridges was founded in 2005 by philanthropist and arts patron Alice Walton as a nonprofit charitable organization for all to enjoy. The building was designed by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie and opened to the public on 11-11-11.

The Momentary
On 02-22-2020, Crystal Bridges opened a satellite contemporary art space in downtown Bentonville called the Momentary (507 SE E St.). Formerly a decommissioned cheese factory, it is now a multidisciplinary space for visual and performing arts, culinary experiences, festivals, and artists-in-residence offering dynamic programs and experiences. Food and beverage options include a social space called the Breakroom, the Tower Bar (offering craft cocktails and the best views of Bentonville), and a new Onyx Coffee Lab location. General admission is free.

Art Collection
Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection spans five centuries of American masterworks ranging from the Colonial era to the current day. Included within the collection are iconic images such as Asher B. Durand’s Kindred Spirits, Norman Rockwell’s  Rosie the Riveter, and Andy Warhol’s Coca-Cola — each reflecting a distinct moment in American artistic evolution—as well as major works by modern and contemporary American artists, including Georgia O’Keeffe, John Baldessari, and James Turrell. The permanent collection, which continues to grow through a strategic acquisition plan, is on view year-round and is enhanced by an array of temporary exhibitions.

Education and Engagement
Crystal Bridges provides year-round programming for all ages, including lectures, performances, classes, and continuing education for K-12 teachers. More than 50,000 schoolchildren visit the museum each year as part of the Willard and Pat Walker School Visit Program, which offers schools reimbursement for out-of-pocket expenses associated with a school field trip, including transportation costs, substitute teachers, and lunch. An initiative to develop high-quality online learning opportunities for students and teachers is currently under way.

Scholarship
Crystal Bridges offers two research fellowship programs. The Tyson Scholars in American Art program supports full-time scholarship in the history of American art. The Reese Teacher Fellowship provides for research into the development of interdisciplinary connections between American art and core curriculum subjects of language arts, history, social studies, and the sciences.