Artists announced for 'State of the Art 2020' exhibit

Sama Alshaibi, The Cessation, 2019 .Neon, aluminum, acrylic, copper, palm fronds, terracotta and sound Dimensions variable.Courtesy of Sama Alshaibi; originally commissioned by Artpace San Antonio

Photo by Seale Photography Studios, ©Artpace San Antonio

Artists for the second installment of Crystal Bridges’ State of the Art 2020 exhibit were announced this week.

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The show, which will be on view at the new Momentary art facility and at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art from Feb. 22-March 24, 2020, will feature work by 60 artists from all over the country representing some of the most innovative work being created in contemporary art in the United States today.

State of the Art is being lead by Lauren Haynes, curator of visual arts at the Momentary and curator of contemporary art at Crystal Bridges, along with assistance from Alejo Benedetti, assistant curator of contemporary art, Crystal Bridges and Allison Glenn, associate curator of contemporary art, Crystal Bridges.

The show will be the first for the new Momentary art space set to open on Feb. 22.

“State of the Art 2020 fits our vision for the Momentary and builds on some of what we’ve already done at Crystal Bridges — presenting contemporary artists who are making work that raise topics and important questions about this moment in time,” Haynes said in a press release issued this week.

The show will feature more that 100 works in total, most of which were created in the last 3 years, by artists that “represent a cross-section of artists working today.”

Eddie R. Aparicio, De Colon a Dolar, 2019, Rubber, tree and paint residue, found leather, acrylic, string, twine, and wood, 105 × 81 × 3 in.Courtesy of the artist.

Photo by Luis Linares

The artists selected the the show come from locations from east to west coasts and in between, from cities to rural areas. One local artists, Fayetteville ceramicist and performing artist Anthony Sonnenberg was among the artists selected for show.

The collection of work used in the show will be organized into thematic sections, including world-building: creating real and fictional spaces; sense of place: investigating ideas of home, family, immigration, and more; mapping: connections to and relationships with landscapes and power, and temporality: the concept of time and how we perceive it.

“As we traveled the US talking with artists, connections between their work and ideas began to emerge, which drove the selection of themes,” Haynes said.

State of the Art 2020 is the second installment of the original State of The Art exhibit that debuted at Crystal Bridges in 2014.

More than 175,000 visitors experienced the original exhibition, which was also the subject of a 2019 PBS documentary of the same name. After its run at Crystal Bridges, the original State of the Art also traveled to Minneapolis Institute of Art; Telfair Museums, Savannah, GA; Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, TN; The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC; and the Frist Art Museum, formerly known as the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN.

State of the Art 2020 will also become a traveling exhibit after its run at Crystal Bridges and The Momentary next spring.

“Similar to the first State of the Art, we will bring artists to Northwest Arkansas to engage with the community,” Haynes said. “The exhibition will travel and we are currently building the national tour, with dates and venues to be announced at a later time.

Suchitra Mattai, Dialectic, 2019, Vintage saris from India, Sharjah and artist’s Indo Guyanese family and rope net, 480 x 180 in. Courtesy of K Contemporary Art and the artist.

Photo by Wes Magyar

“In addition, we’re excited to commit to the next State of the Art in 2025, and plan to create a new exhibition every five years,” she said.

A full list of the artists selected for State of the Art 2020 is below.

Once the show opens in February, it will be free and open to the public.

Artists Featured in State of the Art 2020

This article is sponsored by First Security Bank. For more great stories of Arkansas food, travel, sports, music and more, visit onlyinark.com.

Artists announced for ‘State of the Art 2020’ exhibit

Artists Featured in State of the Art 2020

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