Crystal Bridges Expands Craft Holdings With Major Acquisitions Across Ceramics, Glass, Fiber, Metal, And Wood

THURSDAY, MAY 21 (BENTONVILLE, Ark.) - Crystal Bridges announces a significant expansion of its craft collection 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.

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.

Please see below for a list of Crystal Bridges' recent craft acquisitions.

Andy Paiko - Reliquary Group (2020)

Basil Kincaid - Melanin Activation (2020-2022)

Beatrice Wood - Cat (1970); Untitled (1940s); Untitled (1980s); Untitled (1980s)

Betty Woodman - House of the South (1996); Pillow Pitcher (1984)

Bob Stocksdale - Bowl (1993); Tray (1997)

Candis Mosley Pettway - Pinwheel (early 1970s)

Chase Kahwinhut Earles - Batah Kuhuh Dahaw: Alligator Gar Fish III (2024); Choh'-Kah-Koot: Rolling Water, Cycle of Life (2024); Tsa Nish: Mr. Moon Origin Story (2024)

Christine McHorse - Adbibo (2018)

Chunghi Choo - Decanter (1980); Peace Lily Vase (1982)

Cliff Lee - Imperial Yellow Prickly Melon (2005)

Consuelo Jimenez Underwood - Cara Cara Flag (2023)

Dale Chihuly - Black Cylinder #53 (2006); Blanket Cylinder (1989); Crème Tabac Basket Set with Oxblood Lip Wraps(2001); Lime-Green Soft Cylinder with Mint Lip Wrap (1988)

Dan Dailey - Two Jesters (1996)

David Ellsworth - Untitled (1979); Untitled (1989)

Dona Look - Untitled (1991)

Ebony Patterson - ...bugs, reptile, fruit and bush...for those who bear/bare witness (2018)

Edward Durell Stone & George Gibson - Lounge Chair (1952)

Flo Perkins - Amoruccio (2007); Cactus Cycle (2010); Cactus Serenus (2008); Desert Bloom (1982); Easter Cactus(1998); Harlequin (2003); Key Lime (2008); Lunar Cactus (2001); Tuba City Cactus (1999); Twin Pink Buds (2004)

George Lorio - Circuitous (2000)

Gertrud and Otto Natzler - Vase (1959)

Graham Marks - Untitled (1988)

Jade Snow Wong - Bowl (n.d.)

Jaydan Moore - Oculus (2025)

John Jordan - Untitled (1990); Untitled (1996)

Jose Chardiet - Gran Fuente (2002); Viento (2001)

Judith Schaechter - Super/Natural (2025)

Judy McKie - Grizzly Bear Bench (2002)

Jun Kaneko - Dango (1999); Untitled, Heads (2013)

Karen LaMonte - Chado (2011); Nocturne 2 (2015)

Kathy Butterly - Nancy's Beans (1996); Uplift (2002); Whale Burger (2008)

Kay Sekimachi - Takarabako III (1999)

Leon Niehues - Bentwood Sphere (2015); Prince Andrei (2017)

Lia Cook - Su Series (2006-2015)

Linda Lopez - Squishy Dust Furry with Blue Rocks (Watermelon) (2021)

Loretta Pettway Bennett - Peace (2008); Pink (2012-13); Shattered (2007); Work-Clothes Strips and Pant Legs (ca. 2006-2007)

Marc Leuthold - Blue (2015)

Marvin Lipofsky - Australian Landscape 2004 #5 (2004); IGS VI 1997-98 #7 (1997-1998); Glass Form 1966 (1966); Small California Loop Series #18 (ca. 1969); Fratelli-Toso 1976-77 A (1976-77); Nambu Group 1978-93 #21 (1978-93); California Storm Series 1982 #2 (1982)

Melissa Cody - Walking Off No Water Mesa (2021)

Michael Lee - Untitled (1997)

Michael Peterson - White Stone Desert (1987); Coastal Stack XV (2017)

Michelle Holzapfel - Pomona's Spoon (2009)

Norm Sartorius - Perseid (2010); Spouting Off at the Tip (2009); Untitled (1990); Untitled (2003); Fleur's First Spoon - Two Woods (1992); Conch (1995); Bones (1997); Spiral (1998); African Blackwood Spoon (1999); Kingwood Miniature(1999); Oysterwood Miniature (1999); Paela Burl Miniature (2000); Philippine Ebony Miniature (2000); Spoon with a Headdress #2 (2000); Inside Out (2002); Collaboration with Nature (2003); Old and In the Way (2006); Collaboration with Nature (2007); Bowtie (2010); Bog Oak Spoon (2011); Juniper Burl Spoon (2011); Single Parent (2011); Airhead (2012); Black Moray (2012); Black & White Ebony Spoon (2013); Cave Paintings (2013); Concrete Oak (2013); Long & Lean(2014)

Peter Shire - Anchorage Silver Teapot (1982); Auffengile (1974); Orange Pot (1996); Scorpion Teapot (1984)

Preston Singletary - Seal Grease Bowl (2004); Soul Catcher (2004); Cranberry/Midnight Tlingit Basket (2020)

Ralph Bacerra - Untitled (Lidded Sphere) (2001)

Richard Marquis - Bell Jar #22 (1990); Crazy Quilt Teapot (1985); Exploded Stars and Stripes Teapot (1997); Granulare Teapot with Battuto (2001)

Richard Notkin - Cooling Towers Teapot No. 10 (1984)

Robert Arneson - Audio Visual (1974)

Robert Palusky - Let's Read About It In The News (2009)

Roberto Lugo - Sister Rosetta Tharpe (2021); Scottie Pippen (2021)

Robyn Horn - Already Set in Motion (maquette) (2003); Natural Bridge (1989)

Steven Young Lee - Vase with Dragon (2020)

Tiffany Studios - Mountain Landscape (1917); Arkansas State Window (1931)

Todd Hoyer - Ring Series (2003)

Toots Zynsky - Matto (2002); Riprendere (2009)

Toshiko Takaezu - Rust White Blue (2005); Rust White Blue (2005); Form Blue #31 (1990); Tall Closed Form (1970s); Crater Moon (1990s); Tall Closed Form (1974); Tall Closed Form (1980s); Tall Closed Form (1980s); Alchemy gold moon(1990s)

Viola Frey - Thinking Man (1993)

Wendell Castle - Wandering Mountain (2014)

William Morris - Caged Horn (n.d.)