Lieven Bertels Takes The Momentary Leap of Creating

Lieven Bertels 
Director of the Momentary

In August 2017, Lieven Bertels was named director of the Momentary, a new contemporary arts venue by Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art that is set to open in 2020. Prior to that, he was CEO and cultural director of the Leeuwarden-Fryslân 2018 European Capital of Culture, a yearlong festival in the Netherlands; director of the Sydney Festival in Australia; artistic coordinator of the Holland Festival in Amsterdam; and inaugural artistic director for cultural center and performing arts venue Concertgebouw in Bruges, Belgium.

Lieven Bertels, a Belgium native, was made a knight in the Belgian Order of the Crown in 2013.

What will the Momentary add to Crystal Bridges?
The Momentary will transform a 63,000-SF cheese factory in downtown Bentonville into a multidisciplinary space for visual, performing and culinary arts, as well as artist residencies. While Crystal Bridges provides a deep historical art context within a traditional museum setting, the Momentary will have a more experimental feel, encouraging visitors to participate in ongoing conversations about art and to get closer to the creative process with artists, performers and chefs.

Why is it so important?
The vibrant new space will add to the unique sense of place, bringing the community and artists together for transformative arts experiences. With free admission, the Momentary will increase access to contemporary art, enhance quality of life for the region and add to the growing arts and cultural landscape, positioning northwest Arkansas as an international arts destination.

What could we be doing, or doing better, when it comes to the arts?
So far, we have perhaps focused too strongly on “old” art, museum pieces from artists long gone. We hope that focusing on work by living artists will inspire people to value the creativity around them, and to recognize the many artists, artisans and professional creatives in our community. A community without artists is like a dish without flavors or spices.

What role do the arts play in economic development? Why should businesses support projects like the Momentary?
People are often surprised to hear that, on a national scale, our creative industries — including TV, cinema, graphic design, streaming — are economically more important than agriculture or the car industry. Within those creative industries, the arts proper can be seen as the R&D part of the sector, where people push the boundaries. As business leaders appreciate the role of creatives in areas such as problem-solving, change management, marketing and communication or product development, they might see value in supporting a state-of-the-art contemporary arts lab in our region, to further enhance our collective creative mindset.

Another important aspect of the arts is that they bring people together and enable conversation and shared social experiences, which improve the quality of life in our region and help attract and retain better staff for our businesses.