Feb 16, 2015 During the month of March, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art offers free family activities, keynote lectures, the launch of new public tours, and programs specific to the exhibition (in red), Van Gogh to Rothko: Masterworks from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery, on view through June 1, 2015. In celebration of National Women’s History Month, Crystal Bridges offers an exploration of important women figures in art history with weekly Inspiring Women Tours, a Spotlight Lecture about Joan Mitchell, Keynote Lecture with Susan Rothenberg, one of the most influential painters in contemporary art, and an interactive film event with actress Joey Lauren Adams, who’ll lead a discussion about key women in the local film industry. Van Gogh to Rothko also provides a glimpse into the impact of artists like Georgia O’Keeffe and Frida Kahlo in the emerging 20th century art movements. Crystal Bridges’ art programs provide hands-on learning with Homeschool Friday Fun, and preschool and afterschool classes throughout the month. While the kids are out of school March 21-29, Spring Break Specials provides drop-in family fun from 1-4 pm every day. Two new drop-in tours have recently been added. No registration is required. Big Picture Tour: Saturdays at 11 am beginning March 7 Join this tour to receive a fun, general overview of the art, nature, and architecture of Crystal Bridges. Each group discusses highlights of the architectural design, discovers one the Museum’s most iconic paintings, and concludes with a short walk to Crystal Spring, the natural spring from which Crystal Bridges takes its name. Meet in the lower lobby. Special Exhibition Tour: Exploring Abstract Expressionism in Van Gogh to Rothko: Thursdays, 1 pm, February 26 through May 28, 2015 Learn more about Abstract Expressionism in the temporary exhibition, Van Gogh to Rothko: Masterworks from the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. This tour will highlight six Abstract Expressionists and their work. This tour requires purchase of Van Gogh to Rothko ticket. Meet in the Temporary Exhibition space. A full listing of March programs is below. Information and registration are also available on the calendar of events on Crystal Bridges’ website. Sunday, March 1, 1 to 4 pm One District One Book Join Crystal Bridges for this wrap-up celebration for the city-wide One District, One Book reading program with a fun party full of music, art, games, and more! Sponsored by Rockline Industries. Free, no registration required. Wednesday, March 4, 11, and 18, 1 to 2:15 pm Preschool Art Class » Art & Emotion (For ages 3 to 5 with an adult.) Our youngest guests will explore the potential of color to express emotion, drawing inspiration from select works in the temporary exhibition, Van Gogh to Rothko. Parents or caregivers participate with their preschoolers in gallery conversations and art-making activities each week working on recognizing and expressing feelings. Session includes three consecutive Wednesday classes. All materials are provided. $30 ($24 for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Wednesday, March 4, 7 to 8 pm Architecture Speaker Series » Deborah Berke: Out of the Ordinary Deborah Berke is the founder of the New York-based architecture and design firm Deborah Berke Partners. Works designed by the firm include several award-winning projects for 21c Museum Hotels. Berke will speak about her goal to create buildings that are “inevitable, though not predictable.” The projects she presents will illustrate her process of layering design, vision, patterns of life, and the context of place. In 2012 Berke was awarded the inaugural Berkeley-Rupp Architecture Professorship and Prize by the University of California, Berkeley. She has taught at the University of Maryland, the University of Miami, the Rhode Island School of Design, and the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies. A monograph of her work was published by Yale University Press in 2008. $10 (Free for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Friday, March 6, 13, and 20, 2 to 3:30 pm Homeschool Friday Fun » Why Make Art? (For ages 5-8 and 9-12) Discover new artists and works in the exhibition Van Gogh to Rothko and think about why they (and we) make art. Through gallery conversations and accompanying studio projects, we’ll look at one artist each week and consider his or her reasons for creating. $45 ($36 for Members)/3 classes. Register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Saturday, March 7, 9 am to 1 pm Saturday Session for Teachers » Van Gogh to Rothko Meet with fellow educators and journey through the Van Gogh to Rothko exhibition as we trace the development of art from Post-Impressionism through Abstract Expressionism. Then join us back in the studio to express yourself in your own original written or visual work of art inspired by the exhibition. Four hours of PD credit available. This workshop will be messy so dress accordingly. (Aprons will be available for use.) $10, register online. Sunday, March 8, 1 to 5 pm College Workshop » Create a Massive Pollock Painting The Crystal Bridges College Ambassadors invite you to participate in a large group painting project using the splatter action techniques of Jackson Pollock as seen in the Van Gogh to Rothko exhibition. Please register online for this free, spontaneous workshop. Free with online registration. Sunday, March 8, 6:30 to 8 pm cr(EAT)e Food Series » Art Inspires Cuisine Get an in-depth glimpse (and taste) of how art Inspires the culinary world of Crystal Bridges. Co-hosts Case Dighero, Culinary Director at Crystal Bridges; and Eleven’s Executive Chef Bill Lyle will offer insights into how they use the Crystal Bridges collection as inspiration to plan and prepare a multi-course meal before your eyes. With the help of close-up video projection, guests will be able to watch the chefs at work as they take you step-by-step through the process, with plenty of fascinating information and entertaining banter along the way. Don’t miss this rare opportunity to get behind the scenes in one of the region’s most innovative restaurants. $100 ($80 for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Only three spots left. Monday, March 9, 11 am to 12:30 pm Journaling Group » Automatic Writing Participate in our inspiring, free Journaling Group with an invigorating series focusing on the Van Gogh to Rothko exhibition using the automatic writing technique popular among Surrealists and action painters. The journaling sessions include an opening discussion on writing techniques, followed by writing time in the galleries and reading reviews. Free with online registration or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Monday, March 9, 1 to 2 pm Art Talk » Native American Perspectives Paintings, sculpture, prints, and photographs from the 19th century reflect the changing perspectives and attitudes regarding Native Americans, as evidence in the focused exhibition, Changing Perspectives of Native Americans. The very earliest images are documentary: recording characteristics and customs of the native residents of North America. In the wake of controversial laws such as the Indian Relocation Act (1830), the ethnographic and documentary emphasis grew into more romantic renderings. Join curator Mindy Besaw for a closer look at works by George Catlin, John Mix Stanley, Edmonia Lewis, and Edward Curtis. Free, no registration. Wednesday, March 11, 1:30 to 2:30 pm Art Book Club » Paintings in Proust: Visual Companion to In Search of Lost Time by Eric Karpeles Join our reference librarian Jim Everett for a fascinating look at one of his personal passions, Marcel Proust. Paintings in Proust refers to all the paintings the author makes reference to in his novel In Search of Lost Time. A beautiful, yet easy read that places small passages from the book next to images of art; masterfully complementing the famous novel. Check out Jim’s PROUST READER blog. Free with online registration or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Wednesday, March 11 & 25, 6:30 to 8:30 pm Figure Drawing Join us on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month 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 evening drawing with others 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 (Free for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Thursday, March 12, 11:30 am to 2 pm Preschool Playdate » V is for Van Gogh This Preschool Playdate features a live performance, art projects, and creative play inspired by the exhibition Van Gogh to Rothko. Activities are geared for children ages 2 to 5 with an adult, and begin with a live performance in the Great Hall at 11:30 a.m. Sponsored by The Hershey Company. Free, no registration required. Friday, March 13, 6:30 to 8:30 pm TEN » Flashback Friday Studio This Teen Experience Night (TEN) will take you back to your creative grade-school days. Drop in and show off your creativity skills with Shrinky Dinks, melty beads, Play-Doh, spin art, and more. We’ll have prizes for the best “kid costumes,” plus flashback snacks! Organized by the Museum’s Teen Council for area high school students. Free, no registration required. Friday, March 13, 6:30 to 8 pm Film » Celebrating Salvador Dalí with filmmaker Luis Buñuel Explore the birth of Surrealist cinema, with two films by the leading director of Surrealist films. Luis Buñuel, created in collaboration with Salvador Dalí: Un Chien Andalou (1929. France. Luis Buñuel. Approx. 16 min.) and L’Age d’Or (1930. France. Luis Buñuel. 62 min.). Sponsored by Demara Titzer and Legacy Condominiums. Free with online registration, or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Saturday March 14, 1 to 4 pm Language of Art » A Multilingual Open House Explore the art and nature of Crystal Bridges across languages! Visit the galleries and take part in outdoor activities on the Museum’s trails to discover Crystal Bridge’s unique artwork and environment. Enjoy multicultural entertainment, create your own artwork, and learn about resources and organizations within our community that serve diverse English language learners. Spanish and Marshallese interpretation will be available. Free and fun for all ages: no reservations required. Sunday, March 15, 1 to 5 pm Adult Workshop » Tapestry Weaving Eureka Springs sculptural weaver Eleanor Lux will introduce hand tapestry weaving inspired by the weavings of Anni Albers, who was the wife of painter Josef Albers, a colleague of the Abstract Expressionists and a faculty member at Black Mountain College. Create your own small-scale weaving using a variety of colors and basic patterns. Sponsored by Demara Titzer. $55 ($44 for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Sunday, March 15, 4 to 5:30 pm Spotlight Lecture » The Lady Painter: Joan Mitchell Author Patricia Albers will present a lecture that brilliantly reconstructs painter Joan Mitchell’s large and impassioned life: her growing prominence as an artist; her marriage and affairs; her friendships with poets and painters; and her extraordinary work. Patricia Albers is the author of Shadows, Fire, Snow: The Life of Tina Modotti, selected as one of the Library Journal’s Best Books of 1999, and Joan Mitchell, Lady Painter: A Life, one of Booklist‘s ten best biographies of 2011. Albers is currently working on a biography of Budapest-born photographer André Kertész. Free with online registration, or call Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Monday, March 16, 1 to 2 pm Art Talk » A Progressive Visual Jazz Journey Take a musical walking tour through the Van Gogh to Rothko exhibition to explore jazz music as expressed in the works and studios of Jackson Pollock and other Abstract Expressionist painters. This will be a guided experience with Senior Educator Sara Segerlin and the Block St. Hot Club. Free, no registration required. Wednesday, March 18, 5 to 6 pm WOW » Van Gogh to Rothko Please join Crystal Bridges Culinary Director Case Dighero along with special guests as they discuss incredible connections between these two artists and their influence on the cuisine of Eleven. Open to guests ages 21 and above. Sponsored by Premier Dermatology and Riedel Glassware. $30 ($24 for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Wednesday, March 18, 6 to 7 pm Boundless Book Club » Black Swan Green, by David Mitchell Jason Taylor is an English boy of 13 years, the age which teeters between the innocent sweetness of childhood and the sexual stirrings of puberty. He writes poetry—an activity he keeps secret, for it would surely mean instant social death at the hands of his school mates. He also has a speech impediment, which is just about as bad. His speech demon, Mr. Hangman, routinely blocks him from saying certain sounds. Free with online registration. Friday, March 20, 6 to 6:30 pm Member Meet & Greet with Susan Rothenberg and Michael Auping Crystal Bridges Members are invited to a Meet and Greet with artist Susan Rothenberg and The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth’s Chief Curator Michael Auping in the Great Hall prior to the public lecture at 7 pm. Free with registration online or by calling the Member Priority Line: 479.418.5728. Separate registration is required for the lecture. Friday, March 20, 7 to 8 pm Keynote Lecture » Featuring Artist Susan Rothenberg Join us for a special interview experience with iconic painter Susan Rothenberg in a thoughtful discussion with her long-time curator, Michael Auping from The Modern Art Musum of Fort Worth. Rothenberg became known as one of the leading female American artists of the last half-century. Rothenberg and Auping will discuss how Rothenberg has grown as a painter, the challenges and successes she has experienced, and her intertwined relationship with the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Rothenberg’s work offers an interesting counterpoint to the Van Gogh to Rothko exhibition—whereas most of the works in the exhibition were completed before 1970, Rothenberg’s work picks up in the 1970s and represents a change in attitude toward figurative painting. Susan Rothenberg’s painting, Four Color Horse, is part of Crystal Bridges’ permanent collection. You can read an article on this artwork in the Huffington Post, written by board member Don Bacigalupi, here. $10 ($8 for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Saturday, March 21, 10 am to 6 pm (Demonstrations at noon, 2 pm, and 4 pm) Featured Artisan and Demonstration » Cold Process Soap Making View soap maker Jane Wheeler as she demonstrates the cold process technique to create soaps inspired by works in the exhibition Van Goth to Rothko. Jane Wheeler of Peighton’s Place started making soap in her kitchen 15 years ago. She now has a workshop in her home and is a member of the Handcrafted Soap Making Guild. Using the cold process method, Wheeler employs a variety of techniques, including swirling, layering, and blending to create her soaps’ unique appearances. Every bar is a work of art and no two are the same. All Peighton’s Place soaps are made with natural ingredients such as olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, goat’s milk, herbs, and clays. “I do not skimp on the good stuff when it comes to ingredients,” Wheeler says. “Only the best for your skin and mine.” Free, no registration required. Saturday, March 21 through Sunday, March 29, 1 to 4 pm Spring Break Specials Spend some family time at the museum while school’s out! We’ll have fun, drop-in Spring Break activities daily between noon and 4 p.m. Visit the Museum website for a schedule of events and activities. Free, no registration required. More details to come online. Wednesday, March 25, 7 to 9 pm Film & Performance» Action! Film in Arkansas with Joey Lauren Adams Learn about the art of filmmaking in an interactive live show directed by actress Joey Lauren Adams. The show kicks off with a special film production reenactment demonstrating the behind-the-scenes challenges of shooting a scene. Guests will be invited to participate in the scene as well! Following the performance, listen in on a discussion with key women leaders in the Arkansas film industry, offering the top five tools for filmmaking, from fashion to photography to set design. Joey Lauren Adams, who will be moderating the program, is a Golden Globe nominated, Arkansas-born actress and film director known for roles in Chasing Amy, Dazed and Confused, and Big Daddy. Come Early Morning, written and directed by Adams, was filmed in Arkansas and selected by the Sundance Film Festival and garnered her the Dorothy Arzner Directors Award. Joining Adams is Springdale-based executive producer Kerri Elder. The two met on the Film Valley Inn, and soon after formed Argenta Productions with the intention of bringing film and video productions to Arkansas. Last year the team produced their first film, All The Birds Have Flown South, which was shot entirely in the state. Free with online registration, register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Friday, March 27, 6:30 to 8:30 pm Art by the Glass » Self Portrait with…. What objects and atmosphere describe you best? Create a self-portrait with still life using objects symbolic of your personality, based on Frida Kahlo’s Self Portrait with Monkey from the Van Gogh to Rothko exhibition. With assistance from the instructor, each participant will pose for a photographic self portrait with your object. Then, use your printed photograph as the basis for an artwork. Registration fee includes two glasses of wine and light hors d’oeuvres. Participants should bring a smartphone and one object for your still life. All other materials are provided. $45 ($36 for Members), register online or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Friday, March 27, 7 to 8 pm Live Arts » Music and Film Performance: Death of Narrative (and Happy Birthdays) Experience a series of sonic and visual works that defy our expectations through the genius of modern composer Alvin Lucier and avant-garde filmmaker Stan Brakhage. University of Arkansas Professor Er-Gene Kahng and contemporary musician Ryan Cockerham will present this exploratory concert featuring both sound and film components. In addition, audiences will witness a thrilling use of a quasi-installation piece, being amplified through a long, thin wire. Free with online registration or by calling Guest Services at 479.657.2335. Saturday, March 28, 1 to 4 pm Drop-In Art Making » Paper Mosaics Design a mosaic drawing using tracing paper and markers. Combine unique colors and shapes to create a work inspired by Lee Krasner, an Abstract Expressionist featured in Van Gogh to Rothko. Free, no registration required. Sunday, March 29, 1 to 4 pm Drop-In Drawing » Drawing Systems Discover drawing systems used by select artists represented in Van Gogh to Rothko, and create your own system. Free, no registration required.
