Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is taking its "State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now" exhibition on the road.
The contemporary exhibit, put together by the Crystal Bridges curatorial staff and now in two versions, will make stops in three cities over the next two years. Included on the tour are the Minneapolis Institute of Art in Minneapolis from Feb. 18 through May 29, and the Telfair Museums in Savannah, Ga., from Feb. 19 through Sept. 4. The Dixon Gallery and Gardens in Memphis will host the exhibition in 2017 from Jan. 29-March 26.
State of the Art drew more than 175,000 visitors to Crystal Bridges during its four-month run which ended Jan. 19 in Bentonville. A team from Crystal Bridges traveled more than 100,000 miles to visit nearly 1,000 studios in putting together the exhibition, which features 102 artists and 207 artworks.
About 90 percent of the art featured at Crystal Bridges will be part of the travelling exhibitions, according to Robin Groesbeck, director of exhibitions and interpretive presentations at the Bentonville museum.
"State of the Art was put together with the idea of providing access to artists all over the United States and have them recognized on a national scale. This is another way for them to be more prominent and seen," Groesbeck said. "We're really excited to be able to facilitate that. The idea of discovery really resonated with people who maybe didn't consider contemporary art their favorite type of art. They enjoyed the variety and the idea of discovering new artists."
Dixon Gallery and Gardens, founded in 1976 in Memphis, has traditionally focused on French and American Impressionist works with occasional forays into contemporary art. Curator Julie Pierotti said the museum has worked the last eight years to expand its commitment to local and regional contemporary art.
Donors to the Dixon Gallery and Gardens have traveled from Memphis to Bentonville a number of times to view exhibitions at Crystal Bridges. Taking Crystal Bridges to a local audience is an exciting prospect for Pierotti.
"State of the Art is really a snapshot of what artists across the country are doing today," Pierotti said. "I think it's a great opportunity to introduce our visitors who might not be aware of what artists in our own region and country are doing right now. There is a good amount of regional, Southern artists. People in Memphis really respond to that. It's a good arts community."
Crystal Bridges broke up the traveling exhibition into two different sets. Art was divided on the basis of the region where it originated and themes of the work, among other factors.
While in Bentonville the exhibition took up 19,000 square feet of museum space. Artworks that were not part of the original exhibition have been replaced by other pieces, Groesbeck said. Crystal Bridges plans to expand the State of the Art tour beyond the three announced cities.
Metro on 12/29/2015