Arts and Entertainment

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is envisioned as a premier national art institution dedicated to American art and artists, learning and community gatherings. The museum takes its name from the unique glass-and-wood building design, created for the natural setting by world-renowned architect Moshe Safdie. The entire complex will encompass approximately 100,000 square feet of gallery, library, meeting, and office space, a Great Hall, areas for outdoor concerts and public events, as well as sculpture and walking trails. In addition to expanding access to art, cultural and learning resources, Crystal Bridges will also spur the continued economic development of Northwest Arkansas.

Crystal Bridges

Crystal Bridges will house a permanent collection of masterworks from American artists along with galleries dedicated to Native American and regional art and artists, which will be on view in 35,000 square feet of gallery space. The growing permanent collection is composed of paintings and sculptures by American artists from the Colonial Period through the modern era. Visitors will be able to enjoy the collection within the state-of-the-art galleries and throughout the surrounding park. To see announced works of the permanent collection, please go to the collection page on our website. In addition to the permanent collection, temporary exhibitions drawn from national institutions will complement the holdings of the permanent collection and exemplify the diversity of American artists. The 100-acre site of the museum complex is located in Bentonville, Ark., within walking distance of the town square. Crystal Bridges is designed to build connections, both literally and figuratively, with the communities of Northwest Arkansas. Linking Bentonville's neighborhoods with walking trails that encourage regular visits to the museum and its sculpture gardens, Crystal Bridges will encourage community uses and activities as one of its highest priorities. A Great Hall and other spaces will be ideal venues for community receptions and dinners and private functions ranging from business conferences to weddings. The museum building is expected to contain 100,000 square feet when completed, and employ approximately 75 full-time staff. Traditional museum resources, including a museum store, dining facilities, parking and group tours are planned as well.

Walton Arts Center

http://www.waltonartscenter.org/

To the delight of local residents, the Walton Arts Center is the cultural centerpiece of Northwest Arkansas - a beautiful arts and entertainment complex located in Fayetteville. A most unique aspect of the Walton Arts Center is the way that it was built - through an unusual partnership between public and private sectors, negotiations, compromise and a vision that produced a facility that enriches the cultural life of Northwest Arkansas.

Walton Arts Theater

Offering a year-round schedule for all ages, The Walton Arts Center attracts nationally prominent theater, concerts, ballets, dance troupes and other events. Recent performers include Slow Dancing, Riverdance, Michael Bouble, Bill Cosby, B. B. King, and touring companies of "CATS", "Les Miserables", "42nd Street", "The Producers", "The Graduate", "Evita," "A Chorus Line," and "Chicago."

It is also home to the respected North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra which recently celebrated their 50th season. The adjacent Nadine Baum Learning Center provides studio art and drama workshop experiences for all ages, including Theatre Squared.

The North Arkansas Symphony Orchestra (NASO) is currently undergowing reorganization. Expect good news in 2009!

NASO

Formed in 2006, TheatreSquared is a non-profit organization. As one of only two resident Equity theatres in Arkansas, TheatreSquared's goal is to provide extraordinary entertainment and education programs for adults and young people. Check out their website for next season's performances.

Theatre Squared

Past performances have included innovative works such as Moonlight & Magnolias, Jungalbook, Jacob Marley's Christmas Carol and the world premiere of My Father's War to name a few.

Fayetteville Underground

Their mission is to promote the arts in NWA and Fayetteville as a destination city for the visual arts; and create an environment where the public and artists can build relationships, share the creative process, and offer an exciting retail gallery experience. The art gallery is located in the basement of the One East Square Plaza building on the historic downtown square in Fayetteville. This location provides studio space for painters and other artists as well as galleries displaying the work of our studio artists and other local and regional artists. Gallery Hours are Wednesday - Friday 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm; Saturday - 8:00 am to 2:00 pm; and First Thursday Gallery Walk - 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm

University of Arkansas Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences

When the Fine Arts Center at the University of Arkansas opened in 1951, the Arkansas Gazette hailed it as "the most handsome building in the South." Under one roof were dance, music, art, drama, and architecture, a series of connected spaces in which the arts could flourish. Designed by Edward D. Stone, a major figure in 20th-century architecture, the Fine Arts Center today continues this tradition, hosting hundreds of concerts, University Theatre productions, and art exhibitions each year. Included in the art gallery's permanent collection are prints by Salvador Dali and mobiles by Alexander Calder. Each year, the gallery features lectures and traveling exhibits by noted artists. In the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall, patrons enjoy concerts by talented faculty groups such as the Lyrique Quintet and the Fulbright Trio, as well as by renowned guest artists and faculty members such as Jura Margulis. In the recently renovated University Theatre, audiences are treated to several main stage productions each year, from Shakespearian tragedies to Broadway comedies and musicals. Enjoy performances in this historic building, built as a tribute to the lasting power of the arts to enrich our lives.

UA Fine Arts Galley/Fulbright College of Arts & Sciences - Use the link below to preview current exhibits:

UA Fine Arts Gallery

Visit the UA Drama Department/Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences website:

UA Drama Department

Visit the UA Music Department/Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences website:

UA Music Department

Places to Visit in Northwest Arkansas

Botanical Garden of the Ozarks Phase I has been completed. In the near future, a trail with interactive exhibits will follow the creek that runs through the Garden. Short-term plans include greenhouses for demonstration and production. Phase 2 construction will include a large visitor center, office space, interactive exhibits, a research library, and parking space.

Botanical Garden of the Ozarks

Arts Live Theatre

Find more information at the link above about Arts Live - Northwest Arkansas' Only Dedicated Children's and Youth Theatre Company

Terra Studios is located in the Ozark Mountains near Fayetteville, Arkansas. Here, artisans produce glass and pottery homewares, gifts and fine art pieces. Terra visitors can stroll along the wooded paths through the mural garden, explore the pottery showroom and watch skilled glassworkers create the now famous Bluebird of Happiness®.

Terra Studios