If you’re in Bentonville next year, take a minute to take in The Momentary.
Scheduled to open Feb. 22, The Momentary is a new contemporary art space in downtown Bentonville that will exist as a satellite to the acclaimed Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
The Momentary will be located in the transformed, 63,000-SF Kraft Foods plant and will focus on visual, performance and culinary discovery with an emphasis on contemporary art. The facility will include studio space for resident artists, restaurant space, green space for concerts and events and a rooftop bar.
The Momentary also will have dedicated studio spaces for artists from around the world in its artist-in-residence program, director Lieven Bertels said.
“While Crystal Bridges provides a deep, historical context of American art within a traditional museum setting, the Momentary will have a more experimental feel, focusing on the work that is created today—right now, in the moment—and how it reflects the times we are living in,” Bertels said.
The Momentary was announced in 2016 and given its name in the fall of 2017. The “Meet the Momentary” event in early October was a family-friendly event held on the Momentary Green outside the museum, giving people their first taste of what the Momentary experience will be like.
Nick Cave, whose art will be featured in one of the Momentary’s first exhibits, was on hand to provide an artist talk and Grammy-nominated Hot 8 Brass Band provided music.
Officials have announced that the first exhibit will be State of the Art II, a follow-up to the successful State of the Art exhibit held at Crystal Bridges a few years ago. An exhibition of Cave’s work will follow.
The Momentary is located at 507 S.E. E St. in the southeast area of downtown, about 1 1/2 miles from Crystal Bridges, near 8th Street Market and along the Razorback Greenway.
Momentary and Related Exhibits
• State of the Art II, Crystal Bridges and the Momentary, Feb. 22-May 24, work by artists from across America exploring themes of nature, globalism, technology.
• Hank Willis Thomas: All Things Being Equal, Crystal Bridges, Feb. 8-April 20, featuring 70 works including photographs, sculptures and mixed media. The exhibit is the first comprehensive survey of Thomas’ career.
• Nick Cave: Until, The Momentary, July 18-Jan. 3, features massive installations made of unique objects to address issues of gun violence, race relations and gender politics in contemporary America.
• Ansel Adams: In Our Time, Crystal Bridges, May 23-Sept. 7, 2020, Adams captured the beauty of the country’s natural landscape for more than 50 years. His work will be displayed alongside contemporary artists whose work points directly to Adams’ legacy.
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