In our first night, Bentonville proved that it could over charge for a night of drinking just as well as any SF neighborhood. During our next night we calculated how much we could profit by flipping a house in Arkansas. After making a rough budget we decided our nights would be better spent going on walks through the surrounding woods. It was during one of these evening walks that we stumbled across a glowing light coming from a circular structure in the woods.
At first I thought it was some kind of power plant. Elana thought it might be an avant garde representation of a nipple. The truth was much more exciting. It was guilt induced corporate funding of public art.
This piece turned out to be a James Turrell skyspace nestled along a long wooded walkway full of art work funded by Alice Walton(the youngest child of Walmart's Sam Walton and 12th richest person in the world). As a kind librarian would go on to tell us, Alice Walton is the most philanthropic of the Waltons and has invested huge sums of money in the Bentonville art community. This particular piece is designed to be experienced at either sunset or sunrise and features a slowly transitioning LED lit ceiling which frames the sky as it transitions. We went for sunrise the next day.
After some quick online research we realized this is all a part of the Crystal Bridges museum. Just a 10 minute bike ride from our home!
The place is really well funded
Roxy Paine
Dale Chihuly
Jeff Koons
Norman Rockwell
An entire Frank Lloyd Wright was moved here? It was raining so we'll see it next time.
Alexander Calder #Philadelphia
Robert Indiana #Philadelphia
And Others
After a couple hours we got tired and headed home. There is still the entire outside art walk to experience and another half of the museum. Who knew the Walton's had the power to consolidate so much wealth into a single place?!
Comments