American folk art show opens at Crystal Bridges Museum

July 5, 2016 at 11:53 a.m.

by The Associated Press

In this June 30, 2016 photo, a patriotic quilt is framed by a flag trailing “Uncle Sam on a Bicycle Whirligig” at the exhibit “American Made: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum” at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.
In this June 30, 2016 photo, a patriotic quilt is framed by a flag trailing “Uncle Sam on a Bicycle Whirligig” at the exhibit “American Made: Treasures from the American Folk Art Museum” at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville.

BENTONVILLE — After five years of showcasing works by well-known American artists like Georgia O'Keeffe and Andy Warhol, an Arkansas museum founded by a Wal-Mart heiress is presenting ordinary objects made by unsung craftsmen, quilters and painters.

The exhibit "American Made" opened during the Independence Day weekend at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. The show runs through Sept. 19 and draws on the collection of the American Folk Art Museum in New York. Folk art is billed as the United States' "alternative art history."

Items in the special exhibit range from 4-inch figurines depicting soldiers and horses from the post-Revolutionary War period to an 8-foot, hollow copper weathervane featuring a Delaware Indian leader.

Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton opened Crystal Bridges in 2011. The museum is near the company's Bentonville headquarters.

Upcoming Events