Crystal Bridges significantly expands craft collection
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, A announced a significant expansion of its craft collection on May 21, 2026,through new acquisitions by leading artists working across ceramics, glass, fiber, metal, and wood. Led by Jen Padgett, Windgate Curator of Craft, the acquisitions reinforce the museum’s commitment to championing artists whose work is grounded in skilled making and the creative exploration of material and process. The works highlight the breadth and innovation of contemporary craft practices while deepening Crystal Bridges’ broader mission to present a more expansive understanding of American art.
The acquisitions come as Crystal Bridges prepares to unveil its historic expansion, led by Safdie Architects, and transform the museum experience, opening June 6 and 7, 2026. Crystal Bridges will expand access to five centuries of American art by adding another 114,000-square-feet of new space and showcasing a transformed way for visitors to interact with every part of the building – facilitating surprise and delight, joyful learning, and ever-broadening American stories. Crystal Bridges sits on a 134-acre campus along with Heartland Whole Health Institute and Alice L. Walton School of Medicine.
“As we prepare to open our expansion, these acquisitions reflect our commitment to broadening how we present American art,” said Padgett. “From quilts to monumental ceramics, the works span a range of materials and forms that can immediately engage our visitors. They show technical mastery while also offering compelling personal and cultural narratives that will resonate strongly with our audiences. Works based in craft practices appear across our gallery spaces, not separated into a distinct category but centered within a dynamic vision of American art.”
The new acquisitions include works by acclaimed artists including Jun Kaneko’s Untitled, Heads (2013), a commanding ceramic installation that reflects the artist’s internationally celebrated approach to scale, repetition, and abstraction. Betty Woodman’s House of the South (1996) further strengthens the museum’s holdings in ceramics at an impressive scale, while University of Arkansas Associate Professor of Art Linda Lopez’s Squishy Dust Furry with Blue Rocks (Watermelon) (2021) exemplifies her playful and animated approach to clay.
The acquisitions also spotlight artists whose practices push material traditions in innovative and deeply personal directions. Judith Schaechter’s immersive stained-glass work Super/Natural (2025) reimagines the historical medium through a contemporary lens, its eight-foot-tall dome with 65 glass panels envisioning the natural world in all its beauty, vibrancy, decay and growth. Basil Kincaid’s work Melanin Activation (2020–2022), quilted from the artist’s own clothing along with Ghanaian wax fabric, embroidery, and sequins, reflects his layered exploration of generational history and textiles across the African diaspora. Lia Cook’s Su Series (2006–2015) similarly expands the possibilities of fiber art, experimenting at the intersection of weaving, photography, and data visualization.
Works by Preston Singletary and Flo Perkins further deepen Crystal Bridges’ engagement with artists whose skill and distinct creative vision shape contemporary glass practice. Singletary’s Seal Grease Bowl and Soul Catcher (both 2004) use blown and sand-carved glass as a storytelling medium, drawing from Tlingit culture and design for their symbolism. Flo Perkins’ Cactus Serenus (2008) and Easter Cactus (1998) use techniques drawn from Venetian glassblowing and forms inspired by nature, reimagining the prickly thorns and delicate blooms of a cactus in luminous, handblown glass.
Wood-based practices are represented through acquisitions by Leon Niehues and Norm Sartorius, artists widely recognized for exploring the expressive potential of wood through highly skilled making. Niehues’ Bentwood Sphere(2015) and Prince Andrei (2017) demonstrate his use of traditional Ozark basketmaking techniques in novel ways, their lyrical curves characterizing his sculptural approach. Sartorius’ Perseid (2010) and Spouting Off at the Tip (2009) showcase his decades-long practice making carved spoons, working in harmony with his material to bring out the unique properties of each piece of wood.
Gifts of Craft
The museum’s growing craft collection has been shaped by the extraordinary generosity of collectors and supporters whose gifts continue to expand the breadth of artists and materials represented at Crystal Bridges. A transformative gift from the Windgate Foundation in 2020 establishing both a dedicated curatorial position and acquisition endowment shaped the vision and direction for the craft program. A contribution from the Alice L. Walton Foundation to the Fund for Craft endowment further strengthened the museum’s ability to grow an exceptional collection.
A remarkable group of works were acquired as part of the landmark donation from Candace and Michael Humphreys, significantly deepening the museum’s holdings across craft and contemporary art.
Additional significant works have entered the collection through gifts from Merle and Michael Orlove, Fleur S. Bresler, John and Robyn Horn, William and Rebecca Ballantine, Elizabeth Harvey Levine, and Marvin Lipofsky Studio, along with gifts honoring Monique Knowlton from Olivia Walton and Tom Walton.
