If your holiday travels take you through northwest Arkansas, be sure to stop at the new Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.  The newly opened complex is the dream of Alice Walton, the wife of Sam Walton, founder of Wal-Mart and Don Bacigalupi.  It features 400 works of American art that Mrs. Walton collected over the years.  They showcase all the different art movements from Colonial America up through the present day.

The building is a beautiful piece of modern architecture, sculpted in round shapes with a copper roof that mimics the rolling hills of the Ozark Mountains.  The building winds back and forth like a country stream.  Around the building are four hiking trails with concrete paths, so that even people in wheelchairs can take a hike through the woods.  In the center of the complex is a large concrete patio that would make a wonderful location for a party or wedding reception.

“Art, like the beauty of our natural world, should be accessible to everyone,” says the founder, Alice Walton. 

This museum is just that.  The elevators are extra wide and the layout flows from one area to the next, making it easy to take an elderly relative along with you.  There are plenty of free wheelchairs available at every elevator.  Also free of charge are iphones that have tape recorded lectures about the best works so that those people who have trouble reading the signs can still learn about that artist.  The descriptions of the works go far beyond the typical title/artist/date signs, and educate the visitor about the movement, subject and attitudes of the time.  The display is obviously put together by someone who is well educated, and wants to share that gift with others.

The artists are varied from famous to “in the style of” compositions.  The collection includes a Mary Casset and a Remington, a bigger than life size portrait of George Washington by Charles Willson Peale, and field drawings of American Indians that were produced by artists on explorations.

The collection is grouped into seven galleries that cover five centuries of work, plus a library and classrooms.  The Modern Art gallery includes works by Andy Warhol, Georgia O’Keefe, John Batdessari and Jenny Hotzer.  It will take a full day to see the entire exhibit.

The museum is open year round, and is free of charge.  The café features upscale sandwiches, wine and beer, all priced reasonably, and very tasty.  It may be sponsored by Wal-Mart and located in the country, but this is a museum that even New York would envy.

Crystal Bridges is located off of Interstate 540 at exit 88 in downtown Bentonville.  For more information, go to crystalbridges.org or call 479-418-5700.

Alice Walton has been nominated for the Examiner’s America Inspired contest.  Vote for Mrs. Walton, and the museum could win $1,000.