A few years ago, Alice Walton, heir to a Walmart fortune estimated at more than $20 billion, decided to share her love of art with the public. The result of that decision, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, opened in Bentonville, Arkansas, late last year. The facility is a 200,000 s.f. complex of several galleries surrounding a lake at the bottom of a forested ravine. It is itself a work of art - designed by architect, Moshe Safdie, and engineer, Buro Happold - with a cost estimate exceeding $50,000,000. There is no admission fee to view the permanent collection.
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| George Washington Gilbert Stuart, 1797 |
Miss Walton and the Walton Family Foundation recently endowed the museum with an $800,000,000 gift to sustain operations, maintenance, and museum acquisitions in perpetuity. This circumstance makes Crystal Bridges an immediate leader among American museums and positions it for a great future as a seed for art and community in the Southern Plains and Mississippi Valley.
What makes Crystal Bridges different is its mission:
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| Kindred Spirits Asher Durand, 1849 |
to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of landscape. We explore the unfolding story of America by actively collecting, exhibiting, interpreting, and preserving outstanding works that illuminate our heritage and artistic possibilities.
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| The Lantern Bearers Maxfield Parrish, 1908 |
extraordinary building is a pleasing instructive journey and one most people would never expect in a smaller metropolitan area - it ranks 109th in the nation. The caveat here is the place's identity as the sixth fastest growing area in the country, thanks in part to being the home of Walmart, Tyson Foods, J.B Hunt Transportation Services and 2,000 offices of companies supporting these industries.
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| Sound Suit Nick Cave, 2010 |
It won't be long before Alice Walton's vision will be the heart of an art and education network "exploring the unfolding story of America" for a million residents and millions of visitors. We should thank Alice Walton and the Walton Family Foundation for their foresight, generosity, and desire to share their good fortune. Perhaps their example will both encourage others to make good use of the fertile, entrepreneurial environment this nation affords its super achievers and find joy in sharing the fruits of their circumstance.
N.B. It will be interesting to see how the sons and daughters of Helen and Sam Walton use their wealth. The family and its foundation have a history of sharing their wealth quietly and somewhat modestly, given a combined worth exceeding $100,000,000,000. When Helen died in 2007 she gave her entire share - over $16 billion - to a variety of charities in a multi-year disbursement. Alice, as a 63 year-old, childless divorcee who loves art, horses, and the University of Arkansas, could be positioned to do some spectacular things in the near future. Time will tell.
Sources: Wikipedia, Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art,
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