Nov 27, 2015 In the month of December, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art invites visitors to enjoy Winter Break Wonders, celebrate the New Year with NEW 365, and explore the temporary exhibition Picturing the Americas: Landscape Painting from Tierra del Fuego to the Arctic. Picturing the Americas is on view now through January 18, featuring more than 100 oil paintings, watercolors, prints, and photographs, including works by well-known American landscape painters and masters of the genre from both north and south of the United States. Every Monday and Thursday through January 18, visitors can experience an in-depth discussion about a single work of art, the artist, and location in our Picturing the Americas Snapshot Tour. On December 7, the Museum Library will host The Great Reveal: Maps and Prints of the America, where guests will discover evolving knowledge and depictions of the American landscape. Beginning December 19 through January 3, Winter Break Wonders offers free, family activities such as art-making, music, puppets, and more. A full schedule of each day is offered online. On December 31, the Museum’s first Noon Year’s Eve invites families to celebrate the New Year without staying up past bedtime. The day includes a show from StoneLion Puppet Theatre, music, dancing, magic, art-making, family-friendly toast after a countdown at noon. Down the street, the Scott Family Amazeum will be celebrating Noon Year’s as well. On December 31, Crystal Bridges will celebrate the New Year through an immersion of art, fantasy, and inspiration with NEW 365. A video art & light show on the walls of the Great Hall will light the way to midnight, and guests will find surprises around each turn with stunning dance and theater performances, live music, and art-making. A full listing of December programs is below. Information and registration are also available on Crystal Bridges’ calendar of events. Picturing the Americas Snapshot Tour (Through January 18) Monday, Thursday, 1 p.m. Join a Museum Gallery Guide to explore a new landscape through a work of art in Picturing the Americas. Experience an in-depth discussion about a single work of art, the artist, and the location depicted. No registration is required for the tour, but you must have an admission ticket to the exhibition to enter. Thursday, December 3, 7 to 8 pm Music Concert » John Two-Hawks and Johanna Kurkela Travel to a winter wonderland with this concert presented by Grammy-nominated recording artist John Two-Hawks and Finnish singing star Johanna Kurkela. The two will perform music from their new musical creation, Noel, in which they join their musical gifts together, producing one enchanting, angelic sound. Noel will feature familiar holiday songs everyone loves, performed in the enchanting sounds of Finnish, Lakota, and English. $10 (Free for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Friday, December 4 through Monday, December 7 Museum Store Member Double-Discount Days Crystal Bridges Members will receive double discounts (20% off) on all purchases during this special four-day event. Discounts do not apply to works by Chihuly Workshop. Friday, December 4, 10:30 am to 6 pm Saturday, December 5, 10 am to 6 pm Featured Artisan » Rae Ann Bayless For more than 20 years, Rae Ann Bayless has dedicated her craft to the idea of jewelry as wearable art. Approaching jewelry making with the eye of a painter, Bayless adds the tactile sensibilities of a sculptor, combining rich colors and textures— with just a touch of the exotic. In this way, each piece becomes an expression of personal adornment, a signature of the wearer. Bayless designs jewelry for the fanciers of both the contemporary and the classic. Her full collection will be on display and available for purchase during this event. Member Bonus: Crystal Bridges Members receive double discounts (20%) on all Store purchases this weekend (Chihuly Editions not included). Free, no registration required. Sunday, December 6, 6:30 to 8:30 pm CR(EAT)E Food Series » Picturing the Americas Enjoy an in-depth glimpse and taste of how art inspires the culinary world of Crystal Bridges, hosted by Culinary Director Case Dighero and Executive Chef Bill Lyle, along with special guests. We’ll be discussing the exhibition Picturing the Americas: Landscape Painting from Tierra del Fuego to the Arctic, while enjoying dinner inspired by landscape painting. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and dinner begins at 7:00. $100 ($80 for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Monday, December 7, 1 to 3 pm Figure Drawing Join us on the first and third Mondays of each month for this adult Figure Drawing class to draw from a clothed model. Whether you’ve always had a love for figure drawing or are trying it for the first time, you’ll enjoy an afternoon drawing with other guests at the Museum. A variety of drawing materials will be provided, and model poses will include both shorter warm-up poses and longer poses. $10 ($5 for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Monday, December 7, 1:30 to 2:30 pm The Great Reveal » Maps and Prints of the Americas Discover evolving knowledge and depictions of the American landscape through maps, prints, and atlases in the Library’s rare books collection, viewed in relation to works from the temporary exhibition Picturing the Americas. Free, register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Wednesday, December 9, 7 to 8 pm Film and Discussion: Barking Water Filmmaker Sterlin Harjo takes viewers on a road trip through his own personal Oklahoma, which includes an eclectic mix of humanity. Join a ride in the backseat of Frankie and Irene’s car, wrapped up in the charm and love of Oklahoma through the people and places Irene and Frankie visit along the way. In this sparingly sentimental and achingly poignant film, Harjo claims his place as one of the most truthful and honest voices working in American cinema today. Following the film, enjoy a discussion with Harjo. Sponsored by Demara Titzer and inVeritas. Free, register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Thursday, December 10, 11:30 am to 2 pm Preschool Playdate » Landscapes! Enjoy art projects, story time, and creative play inspired by the temporary exhibition Picturing the Americas: Landscape painting from the Tierra del Fuego to the Artic. Sponsored by The Hershey Company and the Roy & Christine Sturgis Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A. Trustee. Free, no registration required. Thursday, December 10, 1 to 2 pm Art Talk » The 1491s Sketch comedy group the 1491s present a lively discussion highlighting artworks from our Permanent Collection. Join them this afternoon in the galleries for this memorable talk, and then be sure to return tomorrow for their humorous Live Arts performance. Free, no registration required. Friday, December 11, 7 to 8 pm Live Arts » Comedy Sketch Performance: The 1491s The 1491s are a sketch comedy group based in the wooded ghettos of Minnesota and buffalo grass of Oklahoma. This comedy collective is full of cynicism and splashed with a good dose of indigenous satire, appearing on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart and in numerous videos of their own making. Be ready for a night of slapstick performances and witty short videos from this comedic group. This performance is recommended for teens and up. Sponsored by Demara Titzer and the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation. $10, (Free for Members) register online or with Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Sunday, December 13, 6:30 to 8:30 pm CR(EAT)E Food Series » Eleven’s Riedel Comparative Glass Seminar For 11 generations, Riedel Glass has represented the high art of glassmaking, and as the first varietal-specific glasses on the market, they are known for changing the perception of how you drink wine. We’re excited to be joined again by Chris Hillin with Riedel Glass for our second Comparative Glass Seminar. This event begins with hors d’oeuvres from Eleven and continues with three sparkling wines featured in specific Riedel glassware. You’ll take home your glasses, valued at over $100, as well as a whole new outlook on wine. There will be opportunity an to purchase additional glassware for your own collection. Doors open at 6 p.m. $90 ($72/Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Monday, December 14, 11 am to 12:30 pm Journaling Group » Explorers Paul Fussell, a scholar of travel literature, once wrote: “Travel sharpens the senses. Abroad, one feels, sees, and hears things in an abnormal way.” Join historian and John Brown University Associate Professor Trisha Posey as she leads us in discussing descriptive writing techniques used by famous explorers. We’ll explore how we might use these styles to write about our own journeys today. $8 (Free for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Saturday, December 19 through Sunday, January 3, 1 to 4 pm Winter Break Wonders Join us at the Museum over your school break! We’re planning special family-friendly activities each afternoon, including art-making, music, puppets, and more! Free, no registration required. Saturday, December 19, 8 to 11:30 pm Salsa Night Come out and enjoy the Great Hall’s spectacular dance floor with a night of Salsa dancing to Latin beats! Special thanks to the Hispanic Latino Associate Resource Group. Free, register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Monday, December 21, 1 to 2 pm Art Talk » Cultural Symbolism of Plants in Art Discuss the symbolic relevance and artistic representation of plants in European and Native American art with University of Arkansas Associate Professor Justin Nolan. Looking closely at nineteenth-century landscape paintings from the exhibition Picturing the Americas, Nolan will lead us in discovering the multi-cultural symbolism and uses of many familiar plants. Your Art Talk ticket doubles as your exhibition ticket to Picturing the Americas, register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Thursday, December 31, 11 am to 3 pm Noon Year’s Eve Family Celebration! Ring in the New Year (without staying up past bedtime!) at the Museum’s first-ever, family-friendly Noon Year’s Eve celebration. Enjoy a toast at noon after a special Noon Year’s Eve countdown, a new marionette show from StoneLion Puppet Theatre, music, dancing, magic, art-making, and more! Just down the street, our friends at the Scott Family Amazeum are celebrating Noon Year’s as well, so plan to spend the afternoon with us both. Free at Crystal Bridges, no registration required. Thursday, December 31, 9 pm to Sunday, January 1, 1 am NEW 365 Celebrate the New Year through an immersion of art, fantasy, and inspiration set within the breathtaking architecture of Crystal Bridges. We’ll light the way to midnight with a mesmerizing video art & light show on the walls of the Great Hall, and you’ll find surprises around each turn with stunning dance performances, theater acts, and art-making activities. On the dance floor, explore all genres of music with performances by Crescent City Combo, The Symphony of Northwest Arkansas, Smoky & The Mirror, Arkansauce, and more! Enjoy access to galleries, have a festive drink, and sample mouthwatering delights from the Eleven chefs. The celebration doesn’t end when the New Year begins! We’ll be dancing in the Great Hall until 1 a.m. Open to participants ages 21 and up. $65 ($48/Members) register online or with Guest Services.
