A world-class collection of American art, stunning architecture, and 120 acres of Ozark forest with five miles of trails. Admission to the museum is always free.
Planning a visit to Crystal Bridges this spring? Use this guide to learn what’s on and what to expect this season.
We have something for all types of learners. From educator resources to family activities to scholars, find what speaks to you and engage with us.
There’s more to the museum than just the galleries— come enjoy hands-on creative fun with art classes for all ages and experience levels..
Crystal Bridges members receive year-round perks, invitations to member-only events, travel opportunities, and more!
Museum & Buildings
Trails and Grounds open daily sunrise to sunset.
People and Places: A Collaborative Regional Exhibition
January 2013 through January 2014
People and Places: A Collaborative Regional Exhibition features objects from the collections of six partner institutions from our region. These objects tell the stories of some of our area’s unique people: from historic leaders of the Cherokee nation, to television and radio pioneer Ralph Foster, to President William Jefferson Clinton. They also showcase some of the places that make Arkansas special: from the colorful history of Eureka Springs, to the long tradition of Daisy Airguns in Rogers, and the treasure trove of state history cataloged in the University of Arkansas Special Collections. People and Places provides insight into the region’s fascinating cultural landscape.
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
The Eureka Springs Historical Museum is located in the heart of the Historic District in the 1889 Calif Building on South Main. Its mission is to collect, preserve, and exhibit the documents, photographs, and artifacts pertaining to the history of Eureka Springs and the surrounding area. In 1971, the Ozark Folk Festival Board of Directors purchased the historic Calif Building for the purpose of establishing a museum of local history, which opened to the public the same year. In 1980, the Eureka Springs Historical Museum, Inc., an association offering membership to all interested persons, assumed ownership of the museum property and oversight of its operation. The wood-and-glass store front and two-story ornamental wood porches were subsequently replaced as the building was restored to its original appearance. Over the years, Eureka Springs has been the home to hundreds of artists. The museum has a large and growing collection of paintings, photographs, prints, art pottery, jewelry, and sculptures by many who have lived in the area and been inspired by its natural beauty and Victorian architecture.
Rogers, Arkansas
While Daisy Outdoor Products has called Northwest Arkansas home since 1958, the company traces its corporate history to The Plymouth Iron Windmill Company, founded in Plymouth, Michigan, in 1882. This unusual history is told in visual displays and an audio tour at The Rogers Daisy Airgun Museum in historic downtown Rogers. Exhibits explain how the windmill company used a Daisy BB gun as a premium to spur windmill sales. Visitors will view parts that Daisy produced during WWII, when the use of steel in manufacturing was restricted to the war effort, hear about the instinctive shooting program Daisy developed for the U.S. Army, and learn why Ralphie, in the holiday classic movie A Christmas Story, was technically wrong about the Red Ryder with a compass and sundial that he wanted for Christmas.
Point Lookout, Missouri
The primary focus of the Ralph Foster Museum is to collect, preserve, interpret, and exhibit items relating to the Ozarks. One of the more famous exhibits is an original vehicle used in the television series The Beverly Hillbillies. In addition, visitors will find antiques, weapons, dolls, natural history objects, and other items from around the world. Collector Ralph Foster was a true pioneer of radio — one of the first to realize its vast potential, both educationally and as a new and exciting field of mass entertainment. In 1932, Foster and his partner moved radio station KWTO to Springfield, Missouri. Live talent broadcasts from performers such as Slim Wilson, Porter Wagoner, Chet Atkins, the Carter family, and Homer and Jethro dominated programming. The long-running popular weekly television show, Ozark Jubilee, was another Ralph Foster achievement through Crossroads TV Production, a KWTO subsidiary. It starred the late Red Foley and guest starred many well-known country music personalities such as Brenda Lee, Roy Clark, and The Browns. In the mid-1960’s Foster donated his vast collections to the College of the Ozarks, which subsequently named their museum in his honor.
Fayetteville, Arkansas
Special Collections preserves and provides access to rare and unique materials which record the broad spectrum of history in Arkansas. The Arkansas Architectural Archives, a unit of Special Collections, documents the designed environment in Arkansas and houses the collections of architects and landscape architects with significant connections to the state. The Fay Jones Collection and the Edward Durell Stone papers are two of its most extensive architectural collections. The holdings of the Arkansas Architectural Archives comprise models, drawings, photographs, and periodicals in addition to correspondence. Fay Jones (1921-2004) was an architect born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, who studied under Frank Lloyd Wright. His distinctive work is noted for its strong connections to the landscape and context as well as a thoughtful use of natural materials. In 1990, Jones was honored with the American Institute of Architects highest honor, the A.I.A. gold medal. Edward Durell Stone (1902-1978), an Arkansas native, was a prominent architect whose career spanned more than four decades. Stone was involved with the design of many significant twentieth-century projects including Rockefeller Center, the Florida State Capitol, and the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Little Rock, Arkansas
The archival and museum holdings at the Clinton Library are among the largest within the Presidential Library system. Included in these collections are approximately 80 million pages of paper documents created and used during the administration, 1.85 million photographs, and 100,000 museum artifacts (gifts given to President Clinton during his presidency). The Clinton Library provides open archival material both in the facility’s research room and online on its website. To date, the staff has digitized and posted close to one million pages of searchable Clinton Administration material. In addition to the archival collection and public research facilities, the Clinton Library features exhibitions, special events, and educational and public programming. The museum’s permanent exhibits feature full-size replicas of the Cabinet Room and the Oval Office and tell the story of the Clinton Presidency through documents, photographs, artifacts, videos, and interactive stations. A guided audio tour recorded by President Clinton himself provides a unique personal perspective to the exhibits. Since its opening in November, 2004, the Clinton Library has hosted more than 2.5 million visitors.
