October 3, 2025 • 26 mins
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is buzzing this fall with updates including the "Get in the Game" exhibition, the return of "Time Loop," and plans for a massive expansion doubling the museum's size by 2026.
"Get in the Game: Sports, Art and Culture" is open through January 26 and explores the intersection of sports and art with over 150 objects representing 22 sports with items like the iconic Air Jordan 1 sneakers, USA Cycling Olympic bikes, and more. "Time Loop" returns for a second year, transforming the North Forest with light and sound and runs through January 4. Crystal Bridges is also expanding by 50%, with new galleries, educational spaces, community areas, and more opening June 6-7, 2026
Visit crystalbridges.org for tickets and to learn more about future plans.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Natalie Leding (00:10):
Welcome back to A New American Town presented by
Visit Bentonville.
I'm your host, Natalie, andtoday we're joined by Alejo
Benedetti, the Curator ofContemporary Art, and Laura
Pratt, the Manager of CuratorialAffairs at Crystal Bridges
Museum of American Art.
We're going to talk about aseason full of exciting updates,
from the brand new exhibitionGet in the Game to the return of
(00:32):
Time Loop, and even a lookahead at the museum's ambitious
expansion project.
Crystal Bridges is doubling insize, creating more space for
art, architecture andexperiences that connect people
with American creativity.
I'm so excited to dive in.
I feel like I'm in the presenceof royalty.
So thank you guys so much forjoining me today.
So, laura, I would love tostart and chat with you about
(00:56):
Get in the Game.
It just opened up.
How are you feeling?
Laura Pratt (00:59):
Absolutely.
I'm feeling wonderful and Ithink that it's such an exciting
show for our audiences andbrings a lot to the area.
So I'd love to share a littlebit more about Get in the Game.
Get in the Game sports, art andculture is an exciting
exploration of all theintersections between art and
sports that really highlightswhat our love of the game can
tell us about our contemporaryculture.
(01:19):
So, whether you've beenwatching the US Open, whether
you are challenging your friendto a weekend bike race, that
desire to play, to compete, tocheer and win is everywhere the
joy and risk-taking of athletics, and they channel it into
vibrant, engaging work thatreally sparks dynamic
(01:47):
conversations about identity,passion, resilience, ambition
and a lot more.
Natalie Leding (01:53):
Yeah, and sports really are present in our
society everywhere.
They change the landscape ofhow we live our lives.
Whether it's a football gameyou want to watch on Saturday or
even hear the LPGA coming toNorthwest Arkansas, it really
shapes who we are and I had theprivilege of seeing it, and the
fact that you walk in and seethe University of Arkansas, the
(02:16):
stadium and all the fanscheering and doing the famous
woo pig you know, we know whatthat sounds like.
If you haven't heard itlisteners, go and look it up,
because it's iconic.
It really sets the scene and itsets the scene for the culture
here in Northwest Arkansasspecifically that.
I feel like you walk in with theperfect lens.
What are some of yourparticularly favorite aspects of
(02:38):
the exhibition and how do youfeel like you've connected to it
as a person?
Laura Pratt (02:41):
Yeah, it's just been a really fun exhibition for
me as someone who would notpreviously have considered
myself a sports person.
But really, what Get in theGame has illustrated for me is
that sports are everywhere.
I catch myself, since, workingon the exhibition using sports
metaphors, I'm like hold on.
There's a reason for that,there's a reason that I'm using
this terminology and it's justit's ever present.
(03:05):
What I really love about theshow is that, with over 150
objects representing 22 sportsacross a range of different
media, there's really somethingfor everybody in this show,
whether you're interested inlearning about new contemporary
artists that have never beenexhibited at Crystal Bridges
before, whether you'reinterested in evolutions of
sports equipment design, whetheryou are a sneakerhead, whether
(03:27):
you're interested in seeing allthe great collaborations that
Nike has done over the yearswith their athletes.
The show is bright and vibrantand engaging and really allows
for multiple points ofconnection for anybody who comes
into the show, and I've reallyenjoyed building on that
excitement, really feeling thatroar of the crowd as you come in
and as you're charging down thefield with those yard lines on
(03:50):
the ground.
It really feels like you'reentering a stadium of
competition and it's been reallywonderful to learn more about
sports in general, and alsoabout how athletes take this
challenge of sports and use itto show us new things about
ourselves and our culture.
Natalie Leding (04:07):
Yeah, absolutely , you hit it on the head.
I could dive into every singlething you talked about, but
particularly the sneakerheadpart is what hit home for me I
love Nike and I love the storybehind the Jordan 1s and the
fact that you guys have those ondisplay.
People should go just to seethose, but I mean the whole
exhibition lives up to thatexpectation and stands beside
(04:31):
amazing pieces of art and partsof our history, so I love it.
I would love to know how theidea for this really came to
happen and why is it at CrystalBridges?
Laura Pratt (04:41):
Absolutely so.
This exhibition was originallydeveloped by an amazing team of
curators at the San FranciscoMuseum of Modern Art, and they
were really inspired by thatcentral role that sports play in
our everyday lives.
The curators then created a showthat would attract and welcome
broader audiences byhighlighting the relevant and
(05:01):
meaningful points of connectionbetween art and athletics.
There's a common misconceptionthat I think that this show does
such an incredible job ofaddressing is this thought that
athletes and artists are likediametrically opposed.
But what this show really showsus is that there are all these
incredible parallels between thetwo the hours of practice and
preparation that go in topresenting on this main stage,
(05:26):
hours of practice andpreparation that go in to
presenting on this main stageeither the arena or the museum,
and just like all the invisiblesupport that they have behind
them those teams of you knowgallerists or trainers.
And so what this show reallyallows us is it provides sports
lovers the chance to explore artin new ways, just as much as it
allows our art lovers toexplore new perspectives through
(05:46):
the world of sports.
Natalie Leding (05:47):
Yeah, absolutely , and like the connection of
movement too, and how sports hasinspired these artists and vice
versa.
I love how it's allinterconnected and it really
makes anyone feel like they canwalk into the show and connect
with a certain piece of art ormultiple pieces of art,
Absolutely.
Laura Pratt (06:03):
We're so thrilled that this show could travel to
Crystal Bridges from SanFrancisco Museum of Modern Art.
It gives us the opportunity towelcome in new audiences with
that content that is excitingand relevant and to provide
access to incredible examples ofcontemporary art, fashion and
design.
Natalie Leding (06:20):
Yes, oh my gosh, all of the different pieces of
art.
We could spend all day talkingabout the different mediums,
from fashion and design totrophies, to, obviously, regular
painting and textiles, thesneakers, digital.
There's even an Atari.
Laura Pratt (06:39):
I mean, it's pretty cool.
Natalie Leding (06:42):
I really love that you guys have the FIFA.
It's the FIFA soccer ballsright.
Laura Pratt (06:47):
That's right.
Natalie Leding (06:48):
Yeah, those were really exceptional to look at.
Lastly, I really want to talkabout the USA Cycling bikes that
are being displayed, and howdid that come to fruition?
Of course, we have a closeconnection to USA Cycling as one
of their sponsors, but it'sreally special to us to see that
being displayed, because we'rethe mountain biking capital of
the world.
Laura Pratt (07:08):
Exactly, you hit it right on the head.
So, as San Francisco'spresentation gave some special
focus to surfboarding andskateboarding, which we don't
see, as much of here we had tomake sure that we really
represented our local audiencesand our local sports communities
.
So, in addition to spotlighting,of course, the?
U of A team and fishing, wewere fortunate enough to partner
(07:31):
with USA Cycling to bring inthese three incredible examples
of bike design evolution.
So USA Cycling generouslyfacilitated these loans from
their athletes, and so we havethree very different examples.
One is a custom paintedcyclocross bike, an emerging
Olympic sport that is belongingto four-time cyclocross national
(07:52):
champion, clara Hansinger.
The cyclocross nationalchampionship is coming back to
Fayetteville this December, soit's the perfect time to have it
on view at Crystal Bridges.
The connection to mountainbiking, of course, is one that
we are all very familiar with,and on display in the exhibition
is the mountain bike ridden bytwo-time Olympian and former
(08:14):
world champion, ChristopherBlevins, and it's that solid
frame that we're all familiarwith that is built to absorb
shock on all of our trailsaround here that people love to
race on.
And last is a really funexample that almost doesn't look
like a bike at all.
It is from USA Cycling'sProject 405, which was this
research-based initiative tocreate an aerodynamic bike frame
(08:38):
that could travel and take theathletes across the course in
under four minutes and fiveseconds, which is the time
needed to get an Olympic gold,and they achieved that goal in
Paris 2024.
It was designed and engineeredspecifically for USA Cycling
Olympic track team and thewomen's team pursuit brought
(08:59):
home that gold at the ParisOlympics and it's such an
interesting compare and contrastwith the different frames and
we're so fortunate to be able tospotlight a range of different
experiences of biking that is someaningful to our audiences.
Natalie Leding (09:14):
Yeah, absolutely .
I love that.
With all of the festivitiescoming up, it's like anyone can
walk into this exhibition andfeel welcomed and seen and it's
beautiful.
So, kind of changing to that,how can visitors?
Culture is open now and on viewuntil January 26, 2026.
Laura Pratt (09:41):
Tickets are $15 for adult general admission.
The tickets are free formembers, snap participants,
veterans and youth 18 and under.
Natalie Leding (09:48):
That's great, yeah, that's perfect.
And, ultimately, I feel likewe've really hit the nail on the
head that we want everyone towalk in there and feel seen,
feel welcome and feel likethey're a part of the cheer and
of the audience.
Yeah, yeah.
Laura Pratt (10:01):
The ability to come together with your fellow fan
and have a game of Atari, likeyou mentioned, or a game of
foosball in that last gallery,is really important to celebrate
all that athletics and sportcan show us about ourselves, and
that moment of celebration isreally critical to experiencing
the exhibition.
Natalie Leding (10:22):
Yeah, absolutely .
Thanks, Laura.
Laura Pratt (10:24):
Thank you.
Natalie Leding (10:25):
So, pivoting over to Alejo, I'm so excited to
talk to you about the secondyear of Time Loop.
So for those who haven't beenyet, a little bit of background.
How would you explain time loopand 30 seconds?
Alejo Benedetti (10:39):
sure so or less time loop is an outdoor
nighttime light experience thatis happening in our north forest
and is organized by clipcollective and which is a group
of artists who are based inphiladelphia, and they came out
and they were inspired by ourforest and they said we can do
(11:00):
something here and we're goingto think about this very
specific place.
We're going to respond to theforest in ways that you could
never imagine and we're going totransform it into something
that feels familiar but totallynew.
Natalie Leding (11:14):
Wow, I actually had no idea that it was created
specifically for our forest here.
That's really special.
Alejo Benedetti (11:20):
Yeah.
Natalie Leding (11:20):
And because it feels like that when you walk
through it you're like, oh mygosh, like that was made just
for that space, Absolutely Cool.
Is there anything new ordifferent from this year?
Alejo Benedetti (11:30):
So if you did come last year, what you will
see this year is more light,more sound.
Fun is more light, more sound,fun.
The path has changed a littlebit.
We've also gone back in, andRicardo Rivera, who is the kind
of mastermind behind ClipCollective, he was like I want
to take all the works up to 11in the second year.
(11:52):
I want to amp it up a littlebit, I want to go back in, I
want to remix some of thesethings.
But the biggest thing, thecoolest thing, is that last year
when this happened up in theforest, it was a couple months
after all the storms and all thetornadoes, and so the forest
looked pretty devastated.
Natalie Leding (12:09):
Yeah.
Alejo Benedetti (12:10):
This year the forest is back.
The forest looks stunning andeverything feels a little bit
different.
It feels a little bit fullerand you can tell that the
artwork is interacting in a moreintentional way now, because
Mother Nature is there playing apart.
Natalie Leding (12:29):
Totally rejuvenated itself.
Alejo Benedetti (12:30):
Absolutely.
Natalie Leding (12:31):
Did they originally create it when the
forest was before the tornadohit was?
Alejo Benedetti (12:36):
before the tornado hit.
So we had all the plans inplace, we knew what we were
doing.
That happened and there was abig discussion of okay, are we
going to pause this?
Are we going to delay it?
And, to his credit, Ricardosaid here's the thing nature is
resilient, nature is going tocome back, nature is going to
(12:58):
show us what we need to do inorder to, to respond to this
space and you know, for a showthat is called time this sort of
cyclical nature loop.
That is about of uh, of theworld around us and of the
natural world.
Natalie Leding (13:09):
this is living proof like meaning wow, that's
cool, wow.
So if you saw it last year,that means that this year looks
totally different it looks.
Alejo Benedetti (13:19):
It looks very different, and, and the coolest
thing is that it will continueto look different as time goes
on.
So we're here, we're still insummer, frankly, and as we get
further into fall and then intowinter, the vistas are going to
change.
The way that the forest isinteracting with the light out
there is going to continue tofeel different, and so it's
(13:41):
something that it's great to seeit right now, because
everything's so full.
It's so cool to see it in thewinter too, because again the
leaves have fallen off.
You have a different kind offeel, a different kind of
openness that happens in there.
Natalie Leding (13:55):
Absolutely, and there's sort of like this
meditation that happens asyou're walking through.
What was the artist or clipcollective's overall point to
having that kind of meditativesound as you're walking through
the forest?
Alejo Benedetti (14:07):
Yeah, I mean the thought is that this is
supposed to be, this is supposedto feel like a journey, this is
supposed to feel like you aretransported to someplace that is
at times, otherworldly, and themusic is part of that.
The music is all, again, customto this experience.
They worked with incrediblemusicians and collaborators to
(14:30):
come up with something that feltreally right for here, and you
can't really have thisexperience without the music
component.
You can't have it without thelight component.
It's all sort of part of apackage to really transport you
somewhere else.
Natalie Leding (14:46):
Yeah, and really make use of the space when the
rest of the year, people, wedon't walk in the forest in the
middle of the night, you know,it's like super awesome to feel
like you're making use of aforest like you haven't been
able to for the rest of the yearand appreciating the darkness
and that what surrounds youlooks so different when it's not
(15:07):
sunlight out.
Alejo Benedetti (15:08):
For sure.
Natalie Leding (15:09):
What's your favorite part about?
Alejo Benedetti (15:13):
the exhibition .
But I would say that whenRicardo and I first started
talking about this project, hesaid I want to build a time
machine and I was like, allright, this is scratching all of
the sort of like nerdy, likegeeky, like itches that.
Natalie Leding (15:33):
I have.
This is my project.
Alejo Benedetti (15:36):
And he did it.
And so there's a work that's inthe show that's called the
Broken Time Machine, and so youwalk up to it and it's like sort
of shattered.
And as you walk up you seeyourself, because there are
cameras that are set up that aretransmitting your image onto
the surface of this, your imageonto the surface of this.
(16:00):
And what he's done in thesecond year is that you see that
.
But then on another one of theparts of this you see it start
to kind of glitch, and so yourimage shows up, but it's
glitching and it's a coupleseconds delayed, and so you see
these different moments on thesethree different parts of this
broken time machine, and so youget the sense that, okay, I am
here, I'm part of thisexhibition, but I'm also
(16:21):
experiencing this in kind of arange of different ways.
And so I'm in this space, I'mon this screen, I am part of
this exhibition or part of thisexperience in an exciting way.
Natalie Leding (16:33):
Yeah, yeah, it's very interactive.
I feel like for more than justthat, but that piece is, yeah,
like the anchor piece and I loveit.
It's so fun to see otherpeople's faces in line.
I feel like oftentimes we neveryou really start to pay
attention.
And yeah, it's, it's reallybeautiful.
Um, I love that there's anopportunity to kind of take a
(17:05):
resting point in the middle ofthis exhibition.
Um, you guys have a food truckout there.
There's some um bathrooms outthere, just like a resting spot,
um, which I Make sure that youdon't rush through that
experience.
So if you've never been before,there is a place to stop in the
middle of.
You don't have to sprintthrough the forest, but you can
(17:26):
really take your time andappreciate it.
Alejo Benedetti (17:29):
And in that same spot.
There are games in there likedifferent light up, sorts of
things that you can make trulyan evening of this.
This is an outing, this is anevent for folks to experience.
Natalie Leding (17:42):
I love that no one's kicking them out, right.
Alejo Benedetti (17:45):
No, until you close.
Natalie Leding (17:48):
Cool.
So for visitors that want to go, how can they get their tickets
?
When can they come and see it?
And what do you want people tocome feeling or learning after
they've left?
Alejo Benedetti (18:00):
Right, so the experience runs through January
4th, so anytime between now andthen.
It's open Wednesdays throughSundays, every evening after
sunset.
Easiest place to get tickets ison our website, .
(18:20):
The easiest place to get ticketsis on our website,
crystalbridges.
org, and I think the mostimportant thing if you're coming
to this, come with an open mindand if you know the Ozarks, if
you know the Ozark Forest,expect to be a little surprised,
because you will see it in anew light.
You will see it in a slightlydifferent way, and that is the
(18:42):
sort of thing that a reallygreat artist or really great
collective of artists is able toshow us, the world around us in
ways that we could never haveexpected.
Natalie Leding (18:51):
That's really sweet.
I'm going to cry.
I love that.
Well, thank you both.
So much for talking about thosespecific exhibitions.
I'm so excited for all of ourlisteners to go to them and
experience the amazingness thatis right in our back door.
It's so cool.
But speaking of right in ourback door, I mean there's the
huge expansion that we've allbeen watching take place.
(19:12):
From the A Street Flyover, youcan see what's happening.
Everyone is so excited aboutthe expansion, so I wanted to
take a second to just pick yourbrain both of your brains about
when is the opening date andwhat can people look forward to.
Alejo Benedetti (19:32):
This little project that we have going on.
Yeah, yeah, June 6th and 7th of2026.
Natalie Leding (19:39):
Mark your calendars, mark your calendars,
mark your calendars.
Alejo Benedetti (19:41):
Yes, that's good, it is going to be wild.
We have so many differentthings that we are planning over
the past 15 years since we'vebeen open, and how do we take
(20:07):
what we've learned and run withit?
Laura Pratt (20:11):
It's incredible just thinking about the sheer
scope that we're expanding by50%.
Natalie Leding (20:17):
We can put an entire.
Laura Pratt (20:18):
Crystal Bridges on the other side, adding on to
what we already have.
And, in addition, we're notjust getting more gallery space
for all of our incredibleacquisitions and exhibitions,
we're getting more educationalspaces, we're getting dedicated
floors for community gatheringareas, art studios, maker spaces
, a new cafe and even, for thosewho like to be outdoors, a
(20:40):
splash pad in our outdoor plaza.
Natalie Leding (20:44):
Wow, that's exciting.
So, as far as what's happeningright now in the museum space
that we know, is the temporaryexhibition space going to stay
over there or is that going tobe moved over?
Is there any thoughts you canshare with our audience on that?
Alejo Benedetti (21:03):
So we will continue to have the current
temporary exhibition space thatwe have.
It's an exciting space.
It's where Get in the Game isright now.
It's a space that we've come tolove over the years, and the
coolest thing is that we'regoing to keep that going.
We're also going to open asecond temporary exhibition
(21:24):
space, and the feel of that onewill be slightly different.
It's a little bit bigger,airier, and so we will be able
to have two large temporaryexhibitions up and running
simultaneously.
Natalie Leding (21:37):
Wow, yeah, so excited.
So are we Super cool?
That's going to be a gamechanger and people will really
spend like a full day at CrystalBridges and keep coming back
and, yeah, it's going to beawesome.
So why should people come andvisit Crystal Bridges at the
expansion date in particular?
Alejo Benedetti (21:58):
There are folks who, to this day, will
come up to me and talk about how, on 11-11-11, when the museum
opened, they were one of thefirst people in the door.
We are thinking about thisexpansion, really, as it is a
continuation and there's acertain way that that weekend is
(22:25):
going to be part of our historymoving forward, and it's cool
to be part of something likethat.
That feels like a big shift,that feels like a momentous
occasion.
That feels like a momentousoccasion.
Laura Pratt (22:48):
And so, while we want folks to continue coming
long after that weekend, there'ssomething exciting about being
there when it all happens.
Yeah, just really thinkingabout the influence of building
on our mission and that goal ofproviding access to art for all
in this setting that unites thepower of art with the beauty of
nature for all in this settingthat unites the power of art
with the beauty of nature, andwhat we're able to accomplish
with this massive expansionproject is really powerful and
we are so excited to welcome ourcommunity in to support that
(23:09):
mission and be a part of that.
Crystal Bridges 2.0.
Natalie Leding (23:13):
That was so well said.
Absolutely, Crystal Bridgeschanged the trajectory of
Bentonville massively and itshifts our culture and it shifts
all the people that you pass byon the street, all the people
that visit.
So it is amazing to hear youguys say that and hear the
stories.
So, between getting the gameand time loop and the expansion,
(23:33):
what is one thing that youdon't want visitors to miss over
the next year?
Alejo Benedetti (23:38):
I think that for me, one of the coolest
things is that at no point overthe next year, I think that for
me, one of the coolest things isthat at no point over the next
year are we going to be closingthe museum.
We are going to stay open theentire time, and yet we are also
reinstalling all of ourgalleries, and so if you show up
right now, you get a little bitof a behind the scenes, like a
(24:02):
sort of work in progress.
You can see how we arerethinking some of the ways that
we're going to be tellingstories.
That is a cool thing.
It will be great to show up andgo and see.
Get in the game.
You should absolutely do it,but don't miss out on the
permanent collection galleries,because they will continue to be
open.
(24:22):
The early American galleries arewhat we're calling the
foundations of American art,which is a big part of our
pre-1960s collection.
We finished that.
We have opened it, so you cango and you can see.
You can get a taste of whatit's going to look like
throughout the rest of themuseum that's great.
Already up in the galleries.
Natalie Leding (24:42):
Yeah, I didn't know that.
That's really exciting.
Laura Pratt (24:45):
And Alejo stole my answer.
I was going to echo that.
The ways that we're thinkingabout reinstalling the
collection.
It's putting new acquisitionsand these really exciting
conversations with old favoritesand bringing out some artwork
that people have long loved,that we haven't had a chance to
have on view in a while, andreally thinking of a prominent
position for them.
(25:05):
And so just thinking aboutthese incredible conversations
and illuminating new Americanstories of art is really
powerful and one of, as Alejomentioned, you shouldn't miss
out on.
Natalie Leding (25:16):
I love that.
Thank you both so much.
That was great insight.
So anyone that wants to learnmore, how should they go find
tickets for getting the game?
Obviously, tickets for timeloop.
You mentioned it before but toreiterate, CrystalBridges.
org.
Yeah, that's one-stop shop.
You can even see all of the funevents and all of the things in
(25:39):
the culinary space, things forkids.
There's an array of thingsready for you to experience when
you come and visit CrystalBridges.
So thank you guys for joiningme, thank anyone that is
listening right now.
We're so excited to have youvisit Bentonville.
Don't forget that you can go tovisitbentonvillecom to learn
more.
Follow us on social media atVisit Bentonville and stay tuned
(25:59):
for the next one.
Thank you, guys.
Bye.
Welcome back to A New American Town presented by
Visit Bentonville.
I'm your host, Natalie, andtoday we're joined by Alejo
Benedetti, the Curator ofContemporary Art, and Laura
Pratt, the Manager of CuratorialAffairs at Crystal Bridges
Museum of American Art.
We're going to talk about aseason full of exciting updates,
from the brand new exhibitionGet in the Game to the return of
(00:32):
Time Loop, and even a lookahead at the museum's ambitious
expansion project.
Crystal Bridges is doubling insize, creating more space for
art, architecture andexperiences that connect people
with American creativity.
I'm so excited to dive in.
I feel like I'm in the presenceof royalty.
So thank you guys so much forjoining me today.
So, laura, I would love tostart and chat with you about
(00:56):
Get in the Game.
It just opened up.
How are you feeling?
Laura Pratt (00:59):
Absolutely.
I'm feeling wonderful and Ithink that it's such an exciting
show for our audiences andbrings a lot to the area.
So I'd love to share a littlebit more about Get in the Game.
Get in the Game sports, art andculture is an exciting
exploration of all theintersections between art and
sports that really highlightswhat our love of the game can
tell us about our contemporaryculture.
(01:19):
So, whether you've beenwatching the US Open, whether
you are challenging your friendto a weekend bike race, that
desire to play, to compete, tocheer and win is everywhere the
joy and risk-taking of athletics, and they channel it into
vibrant, engaging work thatreally sparks dynamic
(01:47):
conversations about identity,passion, resilience, ambition
and a lot more.
Natalie Leding (01:53):
Yeah, and sports really are present in our
society everywhere.
They change the landscape ofhow we live our lives.
Whether it's a football gameyou want to watch on Saturday or
even hear the LPGA coming toNorthwest Arkansas, it really
shapes who we are and I had theprivilege of seeing it, and the
fact that you walk in and seethe University of Arkansas, the
(02:16):
stadium and all the fanscheering and doing the famous
woo pig you know, we know whatthat sounds like.
If you haven't heard itlisteners, go and look it up,
because it's iconic.
It really sets the scene and itsets the scene for the culture
here in Northwest Arkansasspecifically that.
I feel like you walk in with theperfect lens.
What are some of yourparticularly favorite aspects of
(02:38):
the exhibition and how do youfeel like you've connected to it
as a person?
Laura Pratt (02:41):
Yeah, it's just been a really fun exhibition for
me as someone who would notpreviously have considered
myself a sports person.
But really, what Get in theGame has illustrated for me is
that sports are everywhere.
I catch myself, since, workingon the exhibition using sports
metaphors, I'm like hold on.
There's a reason for that,there's a reason that I'm using
this terminology and it's justit's ever present.
(03:05):
What I really love about theshow is that, with over 150
objects representing 22 sportsacross a range of different
media, there's really somethingfor everybody in this show,
whether you're interested inlearning about new contemporary
artists that have never beenexhibited at Crystal Bridges
before, whether you'reinterested in evolutions of
sports equipment design, whetheryou are a sneakerhead, whether
(03:27):
you're interested in seeing allthe great collaborations that
Nike has done over the yearswith their athletes.
The show is bright and vibrantand engaging and really allows
for multiple points ofconnection for anybody who comes
into the show, and I've reallyenjoyed building on that
excitement, really feeling thatroar of the crowd as you come in
and as you're charging down thefield with those yard lines on
(03:50):
the ground.
It really feels like you'reentering a stadium of
competition and it's been reallywonderful to learn more about
sports in general, and alsoabout how athletes take this
challenge of sports and use itto show us new things about
ourselves and our culture.
Natalie Leding (04:07):
Yeah, absolutely , you hit it on the head.
I could dive into every singlething you talked about, but
particularly the sneakerheadpart is what hit home for me I
love Nike and I love the storybehind the Jordan 1s and the
fact that you guys have those ondisplay.
People should go just to seethose, but I mean the whole
exhibition lives up to thatexpectation and stands beside
(04:31):
amazing pieces of art and partsof our history, so I love it.
I would love to know how theidea for this really came to
happen and why is it at CrystalBridges?
Laura Pratt (04:41):
Absolutely so.
This exhibition was originallydeveloped by an amazing team of
curators at the San FranciscoMuseum of Modern Art, and they
were really inspired by thatcentral role that sports play in
our everyday lives.
The curators then created a showthat would attract and welcome
broader audiences byhighlighting the relevant and
(05:01):
meaningful points of connectionbetween art and athletics.
There's a common misconceptionthat I think that this show does
such an incredible job ofaddressing is this thought that
athletes and artists are likediametrically opposed.
But what this show really showsus is that there are all these
incredible parallels between thetwo the hours of practice and
preparation that go in topresenting on this main stage,
(05:26):
hours of practice andpreparation that go in to
presenting on this main stageeither the arena or the museum,
and just like all the invisiblesupport that they have behind
them those teams of you knowgallerists or trainers.
And so what this show reallyallows us is it provides sports
lovers the chance to explore artin new ways, just as much as it
allows our art lovers toexplore new perspectives through
(05:46):
the world of sports.
Natalie Leding (05:47):
Yeah, absolutely , and like the connection of
movement too, and how sports hasinspired these artists and vice
versa.
I love how it's allinterconnected and it really
makes anyone feel like they canwalk into the show and connect
with a certain piece of art ormultiple pieces of art,
Absolutely.
Laura Pratt (06:03):
We're so thrilled that this show could travel to
Crystal Bridges from SanFrancisco Museum of Modern Art.
It gives us the opportunity towelcome in new audiences with
that content that is excitingand relevant and to provide
access to incredible examples ofcontemporary art, fashion and
design.
Natalie Leding (06:20):
Yes, oh my gosh, all of the different pieces of
art.
We could spend all day talkingabout the different mediums,
from fashion and design totrophies, to, obviously, regular
painting and textiles, thesneakers, digital.
There's even an Atari.
Laura Pratt (06:39):
I mean, it's pretty cool.
Natalie Leding (06:42):
I really love that you guys have the FIFA.
It's the FIFA soccer ballsright.
Laura Pratt (06:47):
That's right.
Natalie Leding (06:48):
Yeah, those were really exceptional to look at.
Lastly, I really want to talkabout the USA Cycling bikes that
are being displayed, and howdid that come to fruition?
Of course, we have a closeconnection to USA Cycling as one
of their sponsors, but it'sreally special to us to see that
being displayed, because we'rethe mountain biking capital of
the world.
Laura Pratt (07:08):
Exactly, you hit it right on the head.
So, as San Francisco'spresentation gave some special
focus to surfboarding andskateboarding, which we don't
see, as much of here we had tomake sure that we really
represented our local audiencesand our local sports communities
.
So, in addition to spotlighting,of course, the?
U of A team and fishing, wewere fortunate enough to partner
(07:31):
with USA Cycling to bring inthese three incredible examples
of bike design evolution.
So USA Cycling generouslyfacilitated these loans from
their athletes, and so we havethree very different examples.
One is a custom paintedcyclocross bike, an emerging
Olympic sport that is belongingto four-time cyclocross national
(07:52):
champion, clara Hansinger.
The cyclocross nationalchampionship is coming back to
Fayetteville this December, soit's the perfect time to have it
on view at Crystal Bridges.
The connection to mountainbiking, of course, is one that
we are all very familiar with,and on display in the exhibition
is the mountain bike ridden bytwo-time Olympian and former
(08:14):
world champion, ChristopherBlevins, and it's that solid
frame that we're all familiarwith that is built to absorb
shock on all of our trailsaround here that people love to
race on.
And last is a really funexample that almost doesn't look
like a bike at all.
It is from USA Cycling'sProject 405, which was this
research-based initiative tocreate an aerodynamic bike frame
(08:38):
that could travel and take theathletes across the course in
under four minutes and fiveseconds, which is the time
needed to get an Olympic gold,and they achieved that goal in
Paris 2024.
It was designed and engineeredspecifically for USA Cycling
Olympic track team and thewomen's team pursuit brought
(08:59):
home that gold at the ParisOlympics and it's such an
interesting compare and contrastwith the different frames and
we're so fortunate to be able tospotlight a range of different
experiences of biking that is someaningful to our audiences.
Natalie Leding (09:14):
Yeah, absolutely .
I love that.
With all of the festivitiescoming up, it's like anyone can
walk into this exhibition andfeel welcomed and seen and it's
beautiful.
So, kind of changing to that,how can visitors?
Culture is open now and on viewuntil January 26, 2026.
Laura Pratt (09:41):
Tickets are $15 for adult general admission.
The tickets are free formembers, snap participants,
veterans and youth 18 and under.
Natalie Leding (09:48):
That's great, yeah, that's perfect.
And, ultimately, I feel likewe've really hit the nail on the
head that we want everyone towalk in there and feel seen,
feel welcome and feel likethey're a part of the cheer and
of the audience.
Yeah, yeah.
Laura Pratt (10:01):
The ability to come together with your fellow fan
and have a game of Atari, likeyou mentioned, or a game of
foosball in that last gallery,is really important to celebrate
all that athletics and sportcan show us about ourselves, and
that moment of celebration isreally critical to experiencing
the exhibition.
Natalie Leding (10:22):
Yeah, absolutely .
Thanks, Laura.
Laura Pratt (10:24):
Thank you.
Natalie Leding (10:25):
So, pivoting over to Alejo, I'm so excited to
talk to you about the secondyear of Time Loop.
So for those who haven't beenyet, a little bit of background.
How would you explain time loopand 30 seconds?
Alejo Benedetti (10:39):
sure so or less time loop is an outdoor
nighttime light experience thatis happening in our north forest
and is organized by clipcollective and which is a group
of artists who are based inphiladelphia, and they came out
and they were inspired by ourforest and they said we can do
(11:00):
something here and we're goingto think about this very
specific place.
We're going to respond to theforest in ways that you could
never imagine and we're going totransform it into something
that feels familiar but totallynew.
Natalie Leding (11:14):
Wow, I actually had no idea that it was created
specifically for our forest here.
That's really special.
Alejo Benedetti (11:20):
Yeah.
Natalie Leding (11:20):
And because it feels like that when you walk
through it you're like, oh mygosh, like that was made just
for that space, Absolutely Cool.
Is there anything new ordifferent from this year?
Alejo Benedetti (11:30):
So if you did come last year, what you will
see this year is more light,more sound.
Fun is more light, more sound,fun.
The path has changed a littlebit.
We've also gone back in, andRicardo Rivera, who is the kind
of mastermind behind ClipCollective, he was like I want
to take all the works up to 11in the second year.
(11:52):
I want to amp it up a littlebit, I want to go back in, I
want to remix some of thesethings.
But the biggest thing, thecoolest thing, is that last year
when this happened up in theforest, it was a couple months
after all the storms and all thetornadoes, and so the forest
looked pretty devastated.
Natalie Leding (12:09):
Yeah.
Alejo Benedetti (12:10):
This year the forest is back.
The forest looks stunning andeverything feels a little bit
different.
It feels a little bit fullerand you can tell that the
artwork is interacting in a moreintentional way now, because
Mother Nature is there playing apart.
Natalie Leding (12:29):
Totally rejuvenated itself.
Alejo Benedetti (12:30):
Absolutely.
Natalie Leding (12:31):
Did they originally create it when the
forest was before the tornadohit was?
Alejo Benedetti (12:36):
before the tornado hit.
So we had all the plans inplace, we knew what we were
doing.
That happened and there was abig discussion of okay, are we
going to pause this?
Are we going to delay it?
And, to his credit, Ricardosaid here's the thing nature is
resilient, nature is going tocome back, nature is going to
(12:58):
show us what we need to do inorder to, to respond to this
space and you know, for a showthat is called time this sort of
cyclical nature loop.
That is about of uh, of theworld around us and of the
natural world.
Natalie Leding (13:09):
this is living proof like meaning wow, that's
cool, wow.
So if you saw it last year,that means that this year looks
totally different it looks.
Alejo Benedetti (13:19):
It looks very different, and, and the coolest
thing is that it will continueto look different as time goes
on.
So we're here, we're still insummer, frankly, and as we get
further into fall and then intowinter, the vistas are going to
change.
The way that the forest isinteracting with the light out
there is going to continue tofeel different, and so it's
(13:41):
something that it's great to seeit right now, because
everything's so full.
It's so cool to see it in thewinter too, because again the
leaves have fallen off.
You have a different kind offeel, a different kind of
openness that happens in there.
Natalie Leding (13:55):
Absolutely, and there's sort of like this
meditation that happens asyou're walking through.
What was the artist or clipcollective's overall point to
having that kind of meditativesound as you're walking through
the forest?
Alejo Benedetti (14:07):
Yeah, I mean the thought is that this is
supposed to be, this is supposedto feel like a journey, this is
supposed to feel like you aretransported to someplace that is
at times, otherworldly, and themusic is part of that.
The music is all, again, customto this experience.
They worked with incrediblemusicians and collaborators to
(14:30):
come up with something that feltreally right for here, and you
can't really have thisexperience without the music
component.
You can't have it without thelight component.
It's all sort of part of apackage to really transport you
somewhere else.
Natalie Leding (14:46):
Yeah, and really make use of the space when the
rest of the year, people, wedon't walk in the forest in the
middle of the night, you know,it's like super awesome to feel
like you're making use of aforest like you haven't been
able to for the rest of the yearand appreciating the darkness
and that what surrounds youlooks so different when it's not
(15:07):
sunlight out.
Alejo Benedetti (15:08):
For sure.
Natalie Leding (15:09):
What's your favorite part about?
Alejo Benedetti (15:13):
the exhibition .
But I would say that whenRicardo and I first started
talking about this project, hesaid I want to build a time
machine and I was like, allright, this is scratching all of
the sort of like nerdy, likegeeky, like itches that.
Natalie Leding (15:33):
I have.
This is my project.
Alejo Benedetti (15:36):
And he did it.
And so there's a work that's inthe show that's called the
Broken Time Machine, and so youwalk up to it and it's like sort
of shattered.
And as you walk up you seeyourself, because there are
cameras that are set up that aretransmitting your image onto
the surface of this, your imageonto the surface of this.
(16:00):
And what he's done in thesecond year is that you see that
.
But then on another one of theparts of this you see it start
to kind of glitch, and so yourimage shows up, but it's
glitching and it's a coupleseconds delayed, and so you see
these different moments on thesethree different parts of this
broken time machine, and so youget the sense that, okay, I am
here, I'm part of thisexhibition, but I'm also
(16:21):
experiencing this in kind of arange of different ways.
And so I'm in this space, I'mon this screen, I am part of
this exhibition or part of thisexperience in an exciting way.
Natalie Leding (16:33):
Yeah, yeah, it's very interactive.
I feel like for more than justthat, but that piece is, yeah,
like the anchor piece and I loveit.
It's so fun to see otherpeople's faces in line.
I feel like oftentimes we neveryou really start to pay
attention.
And yeah, it's, it's reallybeautiful.
Um, I love that there's anopportunity to kind of take a
(17:05):
resting point in the middle ofthis exhibition.
Um, you guys have a food truckout there.
There's some um bathrooms outthere, just like a resting spot,
um, which I Make sure that youdon't rush through that
experience.
So if you've never been before,there is a place to stop in the
middle of.
You don't have to sprintthrough the forest, but you can
(17:26):
really take your time andappreciate it.
Alejo Benedetti (17:29):
And in that same spot.
There are games in there likedifferent light up, sorts of
things that you can make trulyan evening of this.
This is an outing, this is anevent for folks to experience.
Natalie Leding (17:42):
I love that no one's kicking them out, right.
Alejo Benedetti (17:45):
No, until you close.
Natalie Leding (17:48):
Cool.
So for visitors that want to go, how can they get their tickets
?
When can they come and see it?
And what do you want people tocome feeling or learning after
they've left?
Alejo Benedetti (18:00):
Right, so the experience runs through January
4th, so anytime between now andthen.
It's open Wednesdays throughSundays, every evening after
sunset.
Easiest place to get tickets ison our website, .
(18:20):
The easiest place to get ticketsis on our website,
crystalbridges.
org, and I think the mostimportant thing if you're coming
to this, come with an open mindand if you know the Ozarks, if
you know the Ozark Forest,expect to be a little surprised,
because you will see it in anew light.
You will see it in a slightlydifferent way, and that is the
(18:42):
sort of thing that a reallygreat artist or really great
collective of artists is able toshow us, the world around us in
ways that we could never haveexpected.
Natalie Leding (18:51):
That's really sweet.
I'm going to cry.
I love that.
Well, thank you both.
So much for talking about thosespecific exhibitions.
I'm so excited for all of ourlisteners to go to them and
experience the amazingness thatis right in our back door.
It's so cool.
But speaking of right in ourback door, I mean there's the
huge expansion that we've allbeen watching take place.
(19:12):
From the A Street Flyover, youcan see what's happening.
Everyone is so excited aboutthe expansion, so I wanted to
take a second to just pick yourbrain both of your brains about
when is the opening date andwhat can people look forward to.
Alejo Benedetti (19:32):
This little project that we have going on.
Yeah, yeah, June 6th and 7th of2026.
Natalie Leding (19:39):
Mark your calendars, mark your calendars,
mark your calendars.
Alejo Benedetti (19:41):
Yes, that's good, it is going to be wild.
We have so many differentthings that we are planning over
the past 15 years since we'vebeen open, and how do we take
(20:07):
what we've learned and run withit?
Laura Pratt (20:11):
It's incredible just thinking about the sheer
scope that we're expanding by50%.
Natalie Leding (20:17):
We can put an entire.
Laura Pratt (20:18):
Crystal Bridges on the other side, adding on to
what we already have.
And, in addition, we're notjust getting more gallery space
for all of our incredibleacquisitions and exhibitions,
we're getting more educationalspaces, we're getting dedicated
floors for community gatheringareas, art studios, maker spaces
, a new cafe and even, for thosewho like to be outdoors, a
(20:40):
splash pad in our outdoor plaza.
Natalie Leding (20:44):
Wow, that's exciting.
So, as far as what's happeningright now in the museum space
that we know, is the temporaryexhibition space going to stay
over there or is that going tobe moved over?
Is there any thoughts you canshare with our audience on that?
Alejo Benedetti (21:03):
So we will continue to have the current
temporary exhibition space thatwe have.
It's an exciting space.
It's where Get in the Game isright now.
It's a space that we've come tolove over the years, and the
coolest thing is that we'regoing to keep that going.
We're also going to open asecond temporary exhibition
(21:24):
space, and the feel of that onewill be slightly different.
It's a little bit bigger,airier, and so we will be able
to have two large temporaryexhibitions up and running
simultaneously.
Natalie Leding (21:37):
Wow, yeah, so excited.
So are we Super cool?
That's going to be a gamechanger and people will really
spend like a full day at CrystalBridges and keep coming back
and, yeah, it's going to beawesome.
So why should people come andvisit Crystal Bridges at the
expansion date in particular?
Alejo Benedetti (21:58):
There are folks who, to this day, will
come up to me and talk about how, on 11-11-11, when the museum
opened, they were one of thefirst people in the door.
We are thinking about thisexpansion, really, as it is a
continuation and there's acertain way that that weekend is
(22:25):
going to be part of our historymoving forward, and it's cool
to be part of something likethat.
That feels like a big shift,that feels like a momentous
occasion.
That feels like a momentousoccasion.
Laura Pratt (22:48):
And so, while we want folks to continue coming
long after that weekend, there'ssomething exciting about being
there when it all happens.
Yeah, just really thinkingabout the influence of building
on our mission and that goal ofproviding access to art for all
in this setting that unites thepower of art with the beauty of
nature for all in this settingthat unites the power of art
with the beauty of nature, andwhat we're able to accomplish
with this massive expansionproject is really powerful and
we are so excited to welcome ourcommunity in to support that
(23:09):
mission and be a part of that.
Crystal Bridges 2.0.
Natalie Leding (23:13):
That was so well said.
Absolutely, Crystal Bridgeschanged the trajectory of
Bentonville massively and itshifts our culture and it shifts
all the people that you pass byon the street, all the people
that visit.
So it is amazing to hear youguys say that and hear the
stories.
So, between getting the gameand time loop and the expansion,
(23:33):
what is one thing that youdon't want visitors to miss over
the next year?
Alejo Benedetti (23:38):
I think that for me, one of the coolest
things is that at no point overthe next year, I think that for
me, one of the coolest things isthat at no point over the next
year are we going to be closingthe museum.
We are going to stay open theentire time, and yet we are also
reinstalling all of ourgalleries, and so if you show up
right now, you get a little bitof a behind the scenes, like a
(24:02):
sort of work in progress.
You can see how we arerethinking some of the ways that
we're going to be tellingstories.
That is a cool thing.
It will be great to show up andgo and see.
Get in the game.
You should absolutely do it,but don't miss out on the
permanent collection galleries,because they will continue to be
open.
(24:22):
The early American galleries arewhat we're calling the
foundations of American art,which is a big part of our
pre-1960s collection.
We finished that.
We have opened it, so you cango and you can see.
You can get a taste of whatit's going to look like
throughout the rest of themuseum that's great.
Already up in the galleries.
Natalie Leding (24:42):
Yeah, I didn't know that.
That's really exciting.
Laura Pratt (24:45):
And Alejo stole my answer.
I was going to echo that.
The ways that we're thinkingabout reinstalling the
collection.
It's putting new acquisitionsand these really exciting
conversations with old favoritesand bringing out some artwork
that people have long loved,that we haven't had a chance to
have on view in a while, andreally thinking of a prominent
position for them.
(25:05):
And so just thinking aboutthese incredible conversations
and illuminating new Americanstories of art is really
powerful and one of, as Alejomentioned, you shouldn't miss
out on.
Natalie Leding (25:16):
I love that.
Thank you both so much.
That was great insight.
So anyone that wants to learnmore, how should they go find
tickets for getting the game?
Obviously, tickets for timeloop.
You mentioned it before but toreiterate, CrystalBridges.
org.
Yeah, that's one-stop shop.
You can even see all of the funevents and all of the things in
(25:39):
the culinary space, things forkids.
There's an array of thingsready for you to experience when
you come and visit CrystalBridges.
So thank you guys for joiningme, thank anyone that is
listening right now.
We're so excited to have youvisit Bentonville.
Don't forget that you can go tovisitbentonvillecom to learn
more.
Follow us on social media atVisit Bentonville and stay tuned
(25:59):
for the next one.
Thank you, guys.
Bye.
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