Yesterday we got one of those fall days where everything seems to be perfect: the temperature, the breeze, the sunshine, the colors. Amazingly enough, it was a day when we'd decided to travel, which usually brings extreme heat or snow, so I don't know how we managed to choose such a day.
We drove down to Bentonville, Arkansas, to visit Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. We'd never heard of it until one of my co-workers recommended it ... and I'm glad she did!
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| Crystal Bridges, November 2015 |
The museum itself is unlike any I've seen before. When you approach it, you see rolling copper and glass buildings with rounded roofs and windows everywhere. The walls curve and wind, leading you from gallery to gallery, with a few side rooms that seem to appear out of nowhere as you explore. The exhibits lead you from Colonial and early 19th-century art through the 21st century. We saw works by Mary Cassatt, John Singer Sargent, Georgia O'Keeffe, Norman Rockwell, Roy Lichtenstein, Winslow Homer and many more.
That's not all there is to experience, however. The museum is located in a forest, with natural springs and native plants. There are several trails that give breathtaking views and also offer more art.
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| Tortoise and Hare by Nancy Schon |
We had a lot of fun wandering around the grounds on the Art Trail, spotting a Frank Lloyd Wright house and several sculptures, some medium-sized and some very large. The leaves were turning colors and some of them were bigger than my hand! There were streams and squirrels, bridges and benches. It was a great afternoon.
If you're ever in northwest Arkansas, I recommend a trip to this museum. There's something there for almost everyone!
This looks like a beautiful place to visit. You seemed to have picked a wonderful day of the year to go.
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