Feb 19, 2014 Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art’s March events include a week of spring break fun, a theater skit and reading, and the opening of The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism, an exhibition featuring more than 60 works from the extraordinary private collection of William S. Paley, the late founder and guiding spirit of CBS. The Wiliam S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism, opening Saturday, March 15, will feature works by several French modern masters, including Henri Matisse, Paul Cézanne, and Edgar Degas. The night before the opening, grab a drink during Culture Hour and enjoy behind-the-scenes films of these artists in their element and at work. Arkansas Stage will present a free reading and skit on March 26 from American writer Gertrude Stein’s works, some of which were inspired by her circle of artist friends who are featured in A Taste for Modernism. Finish the month with a week full of spring break specials: art activities and more for you and the kids while school is out! A full listing of March programs is below. Information and registration are also available on the calendar of events on Crystal Bridges’ website: http://calendar.crystalbridges.org/. March Public Programs Sunday, March 2, 1 to 4 pm One District One Book Celebration Join us as we wrap up the city-wide One District, One Book reading program with a fun party for students and their families. Enjoy games, art, and more inspired by the delightful children’s book The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O’Connor. Sponsored by Rockline Industries. Free, no registration required. Wednesday, March 5, 6:30 to 8:30 pm Film Series | The Rape of Europa by Robert Edsel The Rape of Europa tells the epic story of the systematic theft, deliberate destruction, and miraculous survival of Europe’s art treasures during the Third Reich and the Second World War. The film begins and ends with the story of Gustav Klimt’s famed Gold Portrait, stolen from Viennese Jews in 1938 and now one of the most expensive paintings ever sold. Joan Allen narrates this breathtaking chronicle through seven countries, and tells the story of the young art professionals and ordinary heroes who made extraordinary efforts to safeguard, rescue, and return the millions of lost, hidden, and stolen treasures. Admission is free, but tickets are required, as space is limited. Reserve tickets online or at Guest Services. Friday, March 7, 14, and 21, 2 to 3:30 pm Homeschool Friday Fun | Water This program is designed for families who want to provide their homeschool students with enriching and fun activities that incorporate inquiry, discovery, and studio art-making. Water is the essential element of life and throughout history the mysterious nature of water has pushed artists to new depths of creativity. In this session students will be exploring water both as a medium and as an inspiration. $45 ($36 for Members) /3 classes. Register online or at Guest Services. Saturday, March 8, 1 to 2 pm Art Talk | Reactions to War in Art Museum Educator Sara Segerlin will be in the Twentieth-Century Art Gallery to explore the impacts of WWI and the Cold War on art styles, leading eventually to the birth of Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art. Free, no registration required. Sunday, March 9, 1 to 4 pm Drop-In Drawing Drop in anytime for a free, informal drawing session. Materials are provided and an art instructor will be on hand to get you started. Check at Guest Services for the specific location. All ages are welcome! Free, no registration required. Monday, March 10, 11 am to 12:30 pm Journaling Group | Rejuvenate with Art through Writing! Inspired by Julia Cameron’s book, The Artist’s Way, join Museum Educator Sara Segerlin in absorbing artworks through creative writing. This journaling session will explore a selection of artworks from the temporary exhibition At First Sight: Collecting the American Watercolor, followed by lessons from The Artist’s Way, and journaling techniques to open up creative language. Participants learn to share and express their writing with final readings afterwards. Free with online registration. Wednesday, March 12, 6:30 to 8 pm Boundless | Evening Book Discussion on The Dinner by Herman Koch Guests may order a glass of wine from Eleven and bring it with you to Boundless, Crystal Bridges’ evening book discussion group that selects literary stories pushing the boundaries on our view of popular culture, current trends, and our diverse individual interests. The Dinner, an international bestseller by Herman Koch, tells the story of two families in Amsterdam wrestling to make the hardest decision of their lives—all over the course of one meal. The horrific act by the couples’ two fifteen-year-old sons has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable, insulated worlds of the families. Skewering everything from parenting values to pretentious menus to political convictions as civility and friendship disintegrate from polite discourse, The Dinner reveals the dark side of well-mannered society and asks what each of us would do in the face of an unimaginable tragedy. Free with online registration, meet in the lower lobby. Wednesday, March 12, 6 to 7 pm WOW | Wednesday Over Water Join Crystal Bridges Culinary Director Case Dighero in this celebration of craft beers and regional brewers from the Northwest Arkansas area, along with delicious accompaniments from Eleven and lively conversation about the importance of beer in life, art, and history! Open to guests ages 21 and above. Sponsored by Premier Dermatology. $30 ($24 for Members). Purchase tickets online or at Guest Services. Thursday, March 13, 11:30 am to 2 pm Preschool Playdate | SQUARES Monthly Preschool Playdates feature performances, art projects, creative play, and story time, based on themes from our collection. Activities are geared for children ages 2 to 5 with an adult and begin with a family-friendly performance in the Great Hall at 11:30 am. Free, no registration required. Friday, March 14, 5 to 6:30 pm Exhibition Opening | Culture Hour avec des films en Français Drop-in at Culture Hour in the Great Hall for a special pre-exhibition get-together featuring avant-garde French films of Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Alberto Giacometti at work! Enjoy a drink while watching behind-the-scenes mid-twentieth-century studio films about your favorite French artists, en Français, including the famously surreal scene of Picasso painting on glass from Paul Haesaerts’ 1949 documentary Visite à Picasso. Members may also preview The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism, which opens to the public on Saturday, March 15. The film screening is a free, drop-in program for everyone. No registration necessary. A cash bar will be available for wine, beer, and light appetizers. Get a preview of some of the films that will be showing here: http://www.openculture.com/2013/02/iconic_artists_at_work_watch_ rare_videos_of_picasso_matisse_kandinsky_renoir_monet_and_more.html Friday, March 14, 6:30 to 8:30 pm Photo Salon | Featured Photographer: Timothy Hursley Join Crystal Bridges’ Photo Salon to explore the Museum’s stunning architecture, landscape, and views. The monthly event features a talented photographer from our region to share his or her work and lead the group on a photo excursion. For our opening event, architectural photographer Timothy Hursley kicks off the series. Explore Hursley’s work here: timothyhursley.com $10 for non-members, free for Members. Register online or at Guest Services Saturday, March 15, 10 am to 6 pm Museum Store Event | Meet the Artist: Susan Tinker Color and fabric have been the constant elements guiding Kansas artist Susan Tinker’s life as a weaver, seamstress, quilter, and painter. Susan’s silk charmeuse scarves are created from her original artwork. Guests will be able to watch Susan painting and drawing on the silk, using French silk dyes. She will also display scarves in various stages of completion so guests can have a better understanding of her process. Saturday March 15, Sunday March 16, 11 to 5 pm Weekend Intensive | Building with Clay Delve into the art of ceramics through hand building with talented artist Linda Lopez! Become inspired by the work of 3-D artists in our permanent collection, then create your own sculptural work through coil construction and pinching while focusing on form and texture. Works will be fired off-site and available for pick up at a later date. Materials are provided and all experience levels are welcome. Visit Linda’s website at www.lindalopez.net. $175 ($140 for Members) / 2 classes. Register online or at Guest Services Sunday, March 16, 6:30 to 9pm Cr(EAT)e Food Series | The Progression of Art and Cuisine 6:30 to 7 p.m.—Meet & Greet/ hors d’oeuvres and aperitifs 7 to 9 p.m.— Dinner Delve into a delicious, dynamic, food-show excursion that promises to be equal parts art, science, and fun. Hosted by Crystal Bridges’ Culinary Director Case Dighero, and featuring Eleven’s Chef Bill Lyle and Front-of-House Manager Jay Dee Bratcher. $120 for non-members / $96 for members. Register online or at Guest Services. Wednesday, March 19, and Friday, March 21, 7 to 8 pm Unplugged Concert | Vivaldi’s Sounds of Spring Go on a musical and creative journey for the Spring Equinox in a two-part concert series guided by NWACC Music Professor Miles Fish. The program will lead us through a discussion on the 20th century’s re-discovery of the 17th century creative genius, Antonio Vivaldi, followed by a concert of selections by a classical string ensemble, vocal ensemble, and a visiting Italian opera singer, ANTONELLA GOZZOLI, accompanied by video and a live painting performance. Between performances, Fish will lead a discussion on the story of Antonio Vivaldi, a baroque genius who perfected the concerto and whose music was lost and virtually unheard until after WWII. Since then, he has become the most recorded composer in the history of classical music. Admission is free, but tickets are required, as space is limited. Reserve tickets online or at Guest Services. Thursday, March 20, 1 to 2 pm Art Talk | Modernist Styles 101 Join Associate Curator Manuela Well-Off-Man to discuss and analyze three paintings by artists who made major contributions to the development of modern art and influenced generations of European and American artists: L’Estaque by Paul Cézanne, Odalisque with a Tambourine by Henri Matisse, and Boy Leading a Horse by Pablo Picasso. Review the stylistic elements and the importance of these works within the artists’ oeuvre, and explore the influences and meanings of each of the paintings. Free, no registration required. Friday, March 21, 6:30 to 8:30 pm Art by the Glass | Oil Pastels Spend an evening inspired by some of the more colorful and vibrant paintings in our collection. Enjoy wine, cheese, and great conversation while working from a unique still-life display. Let loose and make some bold marks in this lively media! The registration fee includes two glasses of wine. $45 ($36 for Members). Register online or at Guest Services Saturday, March 22 through Sunday, March 30 Spring Break Specials Spend some family time at the Museum while school’s out – we’ll have fun, drop-in Spring Break activities daily! A complete list of events and activities can be found at the end of this release and on the Museum website. See a full schedule below. Free, no registration required. Wednesday, March 26, 7 to 9 pm Art Out Loud | Gertrude Stein Plays Paris by Arkansas Stage Arkansas Stage presents a reading of works by one of Paris’s most famous American writers, Gertrude Stein. The theatre skit and readings will bring to life Stein’s stories of Paris life and “Stein’s Salons,” the writer’s circle of artist friends, as found in the temporary exhibition, The William S. Paley Collection: A Taste for Modernism. Readings include “Three Lives,” which was inspired by Paul Cézanne; “Matisse and Picasso,” which was published in Alfred Stieglitz’s Camera Work; as well as her humorous short stories “Please Do Not Suffer, “He Said It,” and “Turkey Bones and Eating and We Liked It.” Free, no registration required Spring Break Specials: Saturday, March 22 All Day: Spring Bingo Pick up a bingo card in the main lobby before you enter the galleries. Complete your bingo hunt and stop back in the lobby to pick up a prize. Noon to 3 p.m.: String Painting Drop in anytime between noon and 3 p.m. for a free, guided studio session. Be inspired by Janet Sobel’s drip paintings in our permanent collection and try this irresistible, gooey technique. Materials are provided and all ages are welcome! 1 p.m.: Family Tour Join our friendly volunteer guides for a fun family tour – and each child participating will receive a pair of I-Spy Gallery Glasses to use on the tour and decorate at home! 2 p.m.: Stone Lion Puppet Theatre presents Stellaluna Enjoy this puppet presentation of Stellaluna, the story of a little bat who is separated from her mother during a night of foraging and lands in a nest full of birds. Mama bird happily adopts her, but Stellaluna just can’t change her “batty” ways. A great tale of acceptance adapted from the beloved children’s book by Janell Cannon. Sunday, March 23 All Day: Spring Bingo Pick up a bingo card in the main lobby before you enter the galleries. Complete your bingo hunt and stop back in the lobby to pick up a prize. Noon to 3 p.m.: Pop-Up Playground with Project Play Every Day Noon to 3 p.m.: Drop-in Drawing Drop in anytime between noon and 3 p.m. for a free, informal drawing session. Materials are provided and an art instructor will be on hand to get you started. Check at Guest Services for the specific location. All ages are welcome! Monday, March 24 All Day: Spring Bingo Pick up a bingo card in the main lobby before you enter the galleries. Complete your bingo hunt and stop back in the lobby to pick up a prize. 1 p.m.: Family Tour Join our friendly volunteer guides for a fun family tour – and each child participating will receive a pair of I-Spy Gallery Glasses to use on the tour and decorate at home! Noon to 3 p.m.: Pop-Up Playground with Project Play Every Day. Wednesday, March 26 All Day: Spring Bingo Pick up a bingo card in the main lobby before you enter the galleries. Complete your bingo hunt and stop back in the lobby to pick up a prize.1 p.m.: Family Tour Join our friendly volunteer guides for a fun family tour – and each child participating will receive a pair of I-Spy Gallery Glasses to use on the tour and decorate at home! Noon to 3 p.m.: Spring Critters Create a mini-sculpture in marvelous Model Magic air-drying clay. Thursday, March 27 All Day: Spring Bingo Pick up a bingo card in the main lobby before you enter the galleries. Complete your bingo hunt and stop back in the lobby to pick up a prize. Noon to 3 p.m.: Spring Critters Create a mini-sculpture in marvelous Model Magic air-drying clay. Friday, March 28 All Day: Spring Bingo Pick up a bingo card in the main lobby before you enter the galleries. Complete your bingo hunt and stop back in the lobby to pick up a prize. 1 p.m.: Family Tour Join our friendly volunteer guides for a fun family tour – and each child participating will receive a pair of I-Spy Gallery Glasses to use on the tour and decorate at home! Noon to 3 p.m.: String Painting Drop in anytime between noon and 3 p.m. for a free, guided studio session. Be inspired by Janet Sobel’s drip paintings in our permanent collection and try this irresistible, gooey technique. Materials are provided and all ages are welcome! Saturday, March 29 All Day: Spring Bingo Pick up a bingo card in the main lobby before you enter the galleries. Complete your bingo hunt and stop back in the lobby to pick up a prize. 1 p.m.: Family Tour Join our friendly volunteer guides for a fun family tour – and each child participating will receive a pair of I-Spy Gallery Glasses to use on the tour and decorate at home! Noon to 3 p.m.: Spring Critters Create a mini-sculpture in marvelous Model Magic air-drying clay. Sunday, March 30 All Day: Spring Bingo Pick up a bingo card in the main lobby before you enter the galleries. Complete your bingo hunt and stop back in the lobby to pick up a prize. Noon to 3 p.m.: Drop-in Drawing Drop in anytime between noon and 3 p.m. for a free, informal drawing session. Materials are provided and an art instructor will be on hand to get you started. Check at Guest Services for the specific location. All ages are welcome!
