Spotlight Talks

Meet artist Max Ferguson in a discussion with Curator Chad Alligood. An American artist, Ferguson is best known for his realistic paintings of vanishing urban scenes in and around New York City, and his work has been widely exhibited since the 1980s.

Curator Chad Alligood and President of Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge Tanya Smith discuss art as awareness as they explore the motivation and meaning behind Andy Warhol’s Endangered Species series.

Professor Ana Pulido Rull and Senior Educator Sara Segerlin explore multicultural visuals in Miro’s painting, Figures and Stars, and move between Spanish and English dialog to help fully express the artist’s cultural, mythical, and political messages.

This old-timey live radio show about the 1930s art era is hosted by KUAF's Kyle Kellams.  Embark upon the American story as expressed by popular artists of the New Deal era through an eclectic mix of storytelling by curators and comedians.

Learn about Ursula Von Rydingsvard’s vision in art-making, and her significance as a female large-scale sculptor working in a male-dominated art world through her massive, earthy sculpture Unraveling.

Museum Educators Sara Segerlin and Sally Ball explore the persona of Alfred Stieglitz through his collection of artworks and circle of friends.

Walk through the process of creating an exhibition with a behind-the-scenes discussion on the planning, design, and installation of The Artists’ Eye with Exhibition Coordinator Catherine Hryniewicz.

Learn how the Stieglitz Circle unlocked the essence of three mediums—photography, painting, and sculpture—to help define a new American Modernism from Aaron Jones and Manuela Well-Off-Man.

Fayetteville Roots Festival Director Bryan Hembree and This Land curator Manuela Well-Off-Man discuss their collaborative project The Music Experience of This Land—a digital music tour that explores the exhibition.

21 C Museum Manager Dayton Castleman and world-class dancer Karen Castleman explore dance icon Martha Graham's great influence on the art world. The Castlemans lead an exploration of Graham’s profound way of envisioning space and movement in the twentieth century—transforming modern dance, music, and visual arts of her time. Several of the artists represented in Crystal Bridges’ collection have been inspired by Graham, including Marisol, Robert Rauschenberg, and Isamu Noguchi. Karen Castleman performs a short dance inspired by Martha Graham and the Crystal Bridges art collection.

Alissa Walls, Assistant Professor of Contemporary Art, U of A shares how Cave uses a wide variety of fabrics, found objects, and natural materials to create suits that express his personal and cultural identity, and address questions of racial identity.

Laurie Moffatt, the leading expert on Norman Rockwell and the director of the Norman Rockwell Museum led a discussion on her inspirations for the special exhibition.

Director of Education & Exhibitions Niki Stewart and Assistant Professor of Political Science Angie Maxwell lead a conversation about the changing role of women in the work force during the 1940s, and their challenges in performing tough jobs during WWII.

Discover how the architectural design of Safdie affects your perception of space & navigation. Deputy Director of Operations Rod Bigelow and Director of Guest Services & Membership Kathryn Roberts share behind-the-scenes details of the Museum’s design.

Director of Curatorial David Houston describes the graphic backgrounds and interests of artists like Crawford and Kent while Graphic Designer Anna Vernon gives a designer’s perspective on each artwork.

Assistant Curator Manuela Well-Off-Man and Curatorial Assistant Ali Demorotski discuss Curtis’s journey with tribal members in Oklahoma while explaining different styles of photography at the turn of the twentieth century.

Ever wonder how a large artwork is installed? Public Program Coordinator Sara Segerlin talks with Lead Preparator Chuck Flook about the process of transferring and installing the massive Claes Oldenburg sculpture, Alphabet/Good Humor.

Public Programs Coordinator Sara Segerlin and Lead Preparator Chuck Flook explore our fascination with light—from scientists Edison and Tesla, to late nineteenth century artists, to current artists working with lighted objects.

Library Director Catherine Petersen & Chief Financial Officer Tracy Cude discuss literature women may have read at the time, and thoughts on reading as leisure, private escape, or a sign of female independence & intellectual growth.

Librarian Jason Dean and Ashley Dowling, Assistant Professor of Acarology and Molecular Systematics at the U of A share the fascinating story of Thomas Eakins’s life as an artist and amateur scientist.

Senior Administrative Assistant Alison Nation and University of Arkansas History Professor Jeannie Whayne discuss how the regionalist painters of the New Deal era transformed agriculture in the South.

In honor of Women’s History Month, Sandy Edwards, Deputy Director of museum relations, conducts a conversation about the works of Joan Mitchell & Janet Sobel with Prof Janine Parry, & Asst Prof Alissa Mazow both from the University of Arkansas.

Where have you seen nature's forms and life cycles turn up in your own city's infrastructure? Find out how studies in botany and twenty-first-century artists are twisting our ideas of nature's influence from Director of Trails and Grounds Scott Eccleston and Lead Prepator Chuck Flook In this conversation about artist Roxy Paine's obsessive exploration of nature versus the machine.

How have our perspectives changed towards nature? Horticulturist Cody George and Director of Education Niki Stewart discuss how perspectives on nature have shifted, from the Hudson River School of painting to a twenty-first-century interpretation in Roxy Paine’s outdoor sculpture, Yield.

Devorah Sperber craftily used 20,736 colored spools to form a large-scale wall replica of Leonardo da Vinci’s The Last Supper, intended to be viewed through a clear acrylic viewing sphere. Executive Director Don Bacigalupi and Admin Asst Alison Nation debate the connections between Sperber’s After The Last Supper, the history of art, and your grandma’s tea towels.

This talk by Anne Kraybill, School Programs Manager, and Calvin White Jr., Director of African and African American Studies at the U of A focuses on interpreting the painting Our Town, by Kerry James Marshall.

Closely examine the shadows and shapes in Louise Nevelson’s Night Zag Wall, a large-scale wall sculpture of individual boxes and geometric shapes painted black which, when assembled together, form a larger image in its entirety. Deputy Director of Museum Relations Sandy Edwards and Preparator Clay Little discuss the physicality of the piece and the intricate installation of this artwork. Delve into the artist’s fascinating life and philosophy toward art-making, which transformed the tradition of sculpture.

Learn about the expansive documentary masterwork, The North American Indian, by photographer Edward S. Curtis through this discussion between Curatorial Assistant Ali Demorotski and Assistant Curator Dr. Manuela Well-Off-Man on Curtis’ historical photographic prints and texts which show his efforts to record the fading traditions and culture of more than 80 Native American tribes.

George Wesley Bellows painted "Excavation at Night" in 1908, illustrating the construction site of the Pennsylvania Railway Station, an innovative architectural project chosen to showcase New York City as a world-class destination. Flash forward to the present with a conversation between Crystal Bridges Director of Facilities David Burghart, and Interpretation Manager Aaron Jones on the parallels between Bellows’ Penn Station and Crystal Bridges’ construction and its expected impact on Northwest Arkansas.