Presley Jackson's eyes were drawn to a painting tucked away inside one of the vaults at the Arkansas Arts Center earlier this month and he had to get a closer look.
So, the retired Little Rock physician asked Brian Lang, the Arkansas Arts Center's chief curator, if it was possible to get a view of the entire piece. Lang grabbed hold of the tall sliding panel that housed the work and pulled it out, revealing a framed oil painting by Claude Monet.
The French impressionist's work was being kept in storage while the museum's impressionist gallery is repainted.
"It was awesome. That was the best part," Jackson said a few hours later, recalling the unexpected opportunity. "I've been a member of the Arts Center, but I've never seen the vaults. I never even knew they existed."
Jackson may never have known about them, either, without participating in the membership travel program organized by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. A few times each year, the Bentonville museum invites members to take an artistic journey, of sorts, that includes special access to museums, galleries and private collections in different cities. Memberships cost as little as $55 annually for an individual, $75 for a family.
On the surface, the field trips seem counterintuitive for a museum that has attracted nearly 3 million visitors since opening its doors nearly five years ago. But Anne Jackson, who is Crystal Bridges' donor relations manager, said the opportunity to expose interested members to art and artists outside the museum's walls also is an important piece of its overall educational mission.
"The travel program allows a deeper level of engagement with Crystal Bridges and with the arts," Anne Jackson said. "We hope with these more unique and special experiences that our members and supporters have they'll continue to gain insight into their own arts and cultural interests."
Crystal Bridges began organizing tours about four years ago and will operate about five a year, according to Anne Jackson. There are three tiers to the travel program. Two of the tiers are reserved for higher-level members, but the third is open to all members.
The museum has previously organized all-member trips to Kansas City, Mo., and Tulsa. A group of 15 went on the all-member trip to Little Rock and the list included El Dorado resident Sarah Shell Teague, who described her previous travels to Kansas City, Chicago and Philadelphia as "intellectual treats."
Little Rock offered a different dynamic for Teague because of her familiarity with the city's art offerings. But she made the drive from her home to visit familiar places like the Arkansas Arts Center knowing the Crystal Bridges-led trip would offer new and rewarding experiences.
"I don't even have to know what the destination is," Teague said. "If I know Crystal Bridges is taking an art trip, I want to go. You have such behind-the-scenes access. We've visited artists' homes and studios. We've seen brilliant collectors' homes and objects I would not have access to otherwise."
The Little Rock trip, which cost members $400, began with a charter bus ride from Bentonville. Upon arrival, the group -- which included Crystal Bridges staff members and curatorial assistant Dylan Turk -- was welcomed to the Arkansas Arts Center by executive director Todd Herman and treated to lunch.
The Arts Center staff led small groups through the galleries, explaining works like Diego Rivera's Two Women and William-Adolphe Bouguereau's Admiration. Crystal Bridges members also were guided through the museum's school and gained special access to the vaults, where they could find works like the Monet oil painting and a drawing from 17th-century Dutch artist Rembrandt.
"This is a great opportunity to look at [Little Rock] from a cultural point of view," said member Deborah Wright, who traveled with Crystal Bridges on previous trips to Chicago and Kansas City. "The program is helping people understand art is larger than just your community."
But the Arts Center tour was just the start of the two-day central Arkansas immersion.
By the end of the trip, members enjoyed other rare experiences like touring the private collection at Stephens Inc. and local sculptor Robyn Horn's gallery. They also visited Greg Thompson Fine Arts, where members roamed the gallery, drank wine and chatted with the longtime art dealer.
Each stop provided travelers with opportunities to study the art on display, ask questions and, in some cases, purchase pieces to add to their collections.
"The art world can seem elusive and confusing and out of your league," Crystal Bridges executive director Rod Bigelow said. "But you take people and have that experience face to face with an art activity, I think it does change your perception of what the art world is."
The trip also highlighted the collaboration between Crystal Bridges and its central Arkansas partners.
Spencer Jansen, who is member manager for the Arkansas Arts Center, said the Crystal Bridges staff contacted the center about escorting a group in for an all-access look. The two museums put together a plan that would give the traveling group a well-rounded and unique experience, exposing many on the trip to the Arkansas Arts Center for the first time.
"There is no competition between us," Jansen said of the Arts Center and Crystal Bridges. "It's a collaborative effort between the arts. The more we talk, the better it is for everybody in our state."
Crystal Bridges representatives agreed. Anne Jackson said Crystal Bridges is not just a Northwest Arkansas museum, pointing to a large membership base from central Arkansas and multiple partnerships in the region.
"Our Little Rock partners in the arts are just as important as our Northwest Arkansas partners in the arts, as our New York partners in the arts," Jackson said. "We think it's important for our membership to have access to our very valued supporters and art partners in Little Rock, especially."
Anne Jackson said the museum does like to tie the experience back to Crystal Bridges, which was evident in one of the final stops of the two-day tour. After brunch at the downtown Capital Hotel, the group headed to Drawl Southern Contemporary Art.
Guy Bell and his wife, Mary, own the gallery. Bell's work was featured in Crystal Bridges' "State of the Art" exhibition in 2014 and the artist said the exhibition inspired him to open Drawl, which first featured eight artists and has now expanded to 26, representing states from all over the South. They're also planning a Northwest Arkansas location to open next year.
Drawl specializes in Southern contemporary art and featured the work of local photographer Linda Harding, who was on hand to discuss the art with guests while they roamed the gallery.
After the visit ended, the Crystal Bridges travel program members filed back onto the bus to head toward the final stop of the two-day tour, which was the visit to Horn's gallery. Meanwhile, Bell and his wife stood outside their gallery, discussing the impact Crystal Bridges has made in further exposing Arkansans to the arts through efforts like the travel program.
"Art should be approachable," Bell said. "It's a communication between the viewer, culture, all these important aspects of who we are as a people. So for them to take the time to make it approachable ... that's really what they do well is to translate and make people feel like they're wanted."
Metro on 10/30/2016