By the Arkansas Black Vitality Staff

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville will celebrate a key milestone this weekend in the history of this sprawling northwest art gallery, unveiling its highly anticipated expansion on June 6 and 7.

Since closing in March 2025 for construction, Crystal Bridges has undergone a year-long expansion that will add 114,000 square feet of new space, transforming the museum experience, officials said, expanding access to five centuries of American art and enhancing the ways visitors interact with every part of the building. 

The expanded museum, designed by Safdie Architects, introduces two new dedicated art galleries, including a large space for temporary exhibitions featuring a bespoke skylight system. In addition, a dedicated creative learning Hub (the Hub) with educational spaces, community gathering areas and galleries, artist-in-residence studios, a digital art studio, a ceramics studio, and artmaking spaces that will engage creators of all ages and abilities, advancing the museum’s mission of arts accessibility, education, and community. 

The first exhibition to be on view in the new temporary exhibition space will beKeith Haring in 3D, opening June 6. It is the first exhibition to highlight the iconic artist’s work in three dimensions and will feature a wide range of Haring’s works.

The exhibition will showcase Haring’s sculptures, totems and masks, skateboards, clothing, boomboxes, paintings, drawings, and even a 1963 Buick Special, highlighting the breadth of his artistic experimentation. The new exhibition space enhances Crystal Bridges’ ability to host multiple temporary exhibitions at once.  

A new Contemporary American Art Gallery will includeYayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirrored Room,Teresita Fernández’s Manigua (Mirror), and more, showcasing the museum’s collection boundary-pushing contemporary works alongside its historic American works. The two galleries are connected by a bridge that provides additional space for displaying sculpture, pottery, and glassware.

The bridge also features a 40-seat café, Quartz + Honey, where visitors can dine with unobstructed views of the five acres of surrounding landscape, including streams, gardens, trails, and a 15,000-square-foot pond. Sited on a 134-acre campus along with Heartland Whole Health Institute and Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, the museum’s architecture highlights its Ozark woodland setting.  

 “Crystal Bridges has always been rooted in the belief that art can expand how we see ourselves, one another, and the world around us,” said Crystal Bridges board chair Olivia Walton. “This next chapter deepens that vision—creating spaces that invite curiosity, creativity, and connection at every turn. By bringing art, architecture, nature, wellness, and education into closer dialogue across the campus, we continue to push the boundaries of what a cultural institution can be. The expansion not only broadens access to extraordinary works of American art but also strengthens the museum’s role as a place where people can gather, learn, reflect, and experience the transformative power of art in community.” 

Extending the museum’s original looped circulation, the addition completes a figure-eight across two stream-fed ponds within the surrounding ravine and introduces a new north entrance that provides multilevel access to the museum and grounds.

Building on Safdie Architects’ original design, it is inspired by the region’s natural setting and building traditions. The expansion features exposed southern yellow pine beams, sloping roof forms with extended overhangs, expansive floor-to-ceiling glass and copper cladding, and a series of porches overlooking the landscape. 

 “The inauguration of this second phase marks the culmination of a two-decade collaboration—an evolving dialogue between architect, patron, and institution—that has shaped not only a building, but a shared vision for what a museum can be,” said said Moshe Safdie, founding partner of Safdie Architects.

“Beyond broadening its program, the expansion extends and deepens the museum’s connection to nature—embedding new spaces for community, learning, and the display of art within an architectural language shaped by the region’s terrain,” “We have been delighted by the public’s response to the integration of art and nature and look forward to visitors experiencing the expanded museum.”  

As part of Crystal Bridges’ expansion, nearly every work of art in the museum was moved, including those in the Visions of America Galleries, which include Tiffany Studios’ Mountain Landscape (Root Memorial Window), Nari Ward’s We the People (black version), Norman Rockwell’s Rosie the Riveter, and more.

The existing galleries have been completely reimagined as the museum works to tell a new story through American art, revealing the many ways to celebrate the American spirit through art and highlighting artists’ visions and voices. Visitors will be able to explore nearly 600 works from the museum’s permanent collection of more than 4,100 works, including nearly 200 works on view for the first time and dozens of recent artist commissions completed over the last two years. 

All gallery spaces will feature Indigenous art and craft objects. Anchored by a significant group of new acquisitions and commissions of contemporary Indigenous art, including Kent Monkman’s Saving the Newcomers, this reinforces the museum’s ongoing commitment to championing historically underrepresented artists and expanding the narrative of American art. The reimagined galleries go beyond traditional art history to create an immersive, interactive experience of art, artists, and their stories. 

“We’re excited to welcome everyone to the Crystal Bridges expansion,” said Rod Bigelow, executive director of Crystal Bridges. “This project represents an extraordinary undertaking for the museum, not only expanding our physical space, but shaping a renewed campus where architecture and nature work in close dialogue.

Bigelow said the museum “carefully moved, stewarded, and reinstalled nearly every work of art in our collection with intention and care.

“At its core, this expansion is about deepening our mission of access—ensuring that more people, from our local community to visitors across the country, can experience American art in more engaging and lively ways,” he said. “It’s incredibly rewarding to see this vision come to life, and we look forward to sharing it with all who visit.” 

Currently on view at the museum is America 250: Common Threads, Crystal Bridges’ major showcase honoring the country’s upcoming 250th anniversary. The exhibition features historical documents, textiles, painting, toys, and artwork from 1776 to today, with highlights including an early engraving of the Declaration of Independence, Neil Armstrong’s Apollo 11 American Flag from 1969, a copy of The Federalist Papers from 1788, and more. The exhibition will be on view until the end of July. 

Founded in 2005 as a public 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization by Walmart family heir and philanthropist Alice Walton in 2005, Crystal Bridges is located on a 134-acre campus that also includes the Heartland Whole Health Institute and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine.   

The museum, designed by the world-renowned Safdie Architects, gallery collection that spans five centuries of American masterworks from early American to current day and is enhanced by temporary exhibitions.  A rare house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright was preserved and moved to the museum grounds in 2015.

Today, Crystal Bridges offers public programs including lectures, performances, classes, and teacher development opportunities; it is also the home of the prestigious Don Tyson Prize for the Advancement of American Art and the Tyson Scholars of American Art Program.

Since opening in 2011, the museum has welcomed more than 15 million visitors across its spaces, with no admission charge. Approximately 558,375 schoolchildren have participated in the Willard and Pat Walker School Visit program, which provides educational experiences for school groups at no cost to schools.

Additional museum amenities include a restaurant, gift store, library, and five miles of art and walking trails. In February 2020, the museum opened the Momentary in downtown Bentonville, a smaller, less formal venue for the music, art, and food.

Additional amenities include a restaurant, gift shop, library, and five miles of art and walking trails. In February 2020, the museum opened the Momentary in downtown Bentonville, a smaller venue for music, art, and food, and a living room where the community gathers to be inspired, connected, and joyful,” officials say. An extension of Crystal Bridges, the Momentary was founded by the Walton family, based on the vision of Tom, Olivia, and Steuart Walton.