Founded by the Walmart heiress, Alice Walton, the museum has been aggressively collecting notable American masterpieces, forming a collection that situates it as one of the best in the country. And, a $20 million donation from Walmart has eliminated admission fees forever.
There are so many issues surrounding this museum that deserve further exploration:
1) The oddity that is a Walmart-sponsored art museum.
2) Alice Walton's purchase from Fisk University's Steiglitz collection. Her museum isn't even open yet and Alice is already breaking the rules pretty aggressively, reminiscent of the cutthroat world of capitalism.
3) The "Walton-effect": Alice Walton's readiness to snag any and every significant American painting to come up for sale. This freaks out the art world ("She's got Asher Durand's 'Kindered Spirits'? Noooo!" D: ).
4) According to the Washington Post, the art world thinks the museum is "too rich, too conservative, and too reflexively American" to be considered a "major player." An American Art Museum being too reflexively American...hmmm.
4) According to the Washington Post, the art world thinks the museum is "too rich, too conservative, and too reflexively American" to be considered a "major player." An American Art Museum being too reflexively American...hmmm.
5) A self-proclaimed modern/progressive cultural institution outfitted with an architecturally chic space in the presumably socially-conservative state of Arkansas. I've been to Arkansas-- this is weird.
6) The migration of hundreds of American masterpieces to the rural south, in effect highlighting the rugged, landscape-y, transcontinental aspects distinct to the spirit of American Art...pretty cool, actually.
7) Because Crystal Bridges is an institution that apparently cares about cultural betterment and universal access, Walmart's corporate slogan ("Save Money, Live Better") oddly works for the museum, too.
7) Because Crystal Bridges is an institution that apparently cares about cultural betterment and universal access, Walmart's corporate slogan ("Save Money, Live Better") oddly works for the museum, too.
BUT, what I'd like to focus on is the relation this story has to this week's reading: James B. Twitchell's article, "Museumworld: The Art of Branding Art." Twitchell writes that "Most museums...claim to have a higher calling than competing for market share. They are not soiled by the workday world. They don't sell a product. They are not an industry..." This remark is really interesting to consider in terms of the Crystal Bridges Museum, aka the Walmart Museum. There isn't a corporation that better embodies the sprit of American consumerism and capitalism than Walmart, and now it has a museum. According to its website, "Walmart Stores, Inc., is in no way connected to the development, construction or planning of the museum or the development and ownership of the permanent collection," but I'm curious to know how much Walmart Stores, Inc. advertises it's stake in Crystal Bridges. From Walmart's point of view, why wouldn't they flaunt their philanthropic efforts? We'll have to keep an eye on the impact of the museum in Arkansas and beyond.
I'd like to end with an insightful and relevant question posed by my fellow culture warrior/blog fan/dad after discussing the cultural impact of a Walmart-funded museum: "Will there be greeters?"
I'd like to end with an insightful and relevant question posed by my fellow culture warrior/blog fan/dad after discussing the cultural impact of a Walmart-funded museum: "Will there be greeters?"
I believe that Alice Walton separates herself (if not her money) distinctly from Wal-mart. Does the average Wal-mart shopper care much about art, Crystal Bridges, and Bentonville? What does it mean to be too reflexively American? Sounds like pure jealousy to me but perhaps those critics have a point about defining the word American. At the National Portrait Gallery we learned that curators are thinking hard about the definition of American--and that the first portrait in the museum depicts Pocohantas. Watch your it's (contraction for it is) and its (possessive). If they hired some greeters, we might actually like the place all that much more for its social conscience. How do they figure on tourists coming to Bentonville? Here's what the Chamber of Commerce has to say: "A town of 35,000 will have one of the nation's most incredible art museums, a corporate museum of the world's largest retailer and one of the world's most unique hotel experiences." Will you get back to me on the Wal-mart corporate museum and the unique hotel experience?
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