What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1281647
10 WHAT'S UP! AUGUST 23-29, 2020 FYI As the Momentary's artistic offerings encompass visual, performing and culinary, so too do the outdoor engagements activate all of these realms. In wanting to activate the Green on the Momentary's campus, staff had to get creative in the ways they could encourage the community to gather in the space, even outdoors, in the face of the coronavirus. Enter: two brand new, full size bocce ball courts, and expanded outdoor culinary and bar offerings. "The hope was whatever we did under the canopy would be an activity that wouldn't be too complicated and the public could easily pick up," Emily Neuman, public relations manager, says. "And I think bocce ball, while it may be new to some in the area, offered that right balance to be a great outdoor, family-friendly game without being too complicated." Visitors can also pick up some bites and some beer (among other offerings) from the outdoor expansion of the RØDE Bar while they play a game or just enjoy the Green in a safe and socially distanced way. Neuman also points out that along with the rotating schedule of indoor and outdoor artworks, for those who are still not quite comfortable venturing to the campus, the art space has a robust virtual programming schedule it will maintain through the end of the year. "There's a lot of great offerings online still, for those who want to engage with us in that way. We're trying to make sure there's a good balance between in-person and virtual." COST — $10/hour, $8 for members INFO — themomentary.org "Our goal is to make art a part of your daily life, so that you maybe don't realize it, but you're seeing an amazing artwork by a world-renowned artist and experiencing it while you have a cup of coffee or something like that," shares Elizabeth Miller with OZ Art. Through their collection of works and their community partnerships, like this loan to the Momentary, OZ Art endeavors to connect Northwest Arkansas experiences outside of art with the arts community. "With Crystal Bridges coming online and now the Momentary, we really are getting an amazing reputation for an arts location that's like a hidden gem and drives tourism," Miller continues. "And people really understand that this is something we're doing — we're creating an arts hub for Arkansas, but really for the world." The final new work on display on the Momentary campus is by an artist Maestas reveals she has been following for some time. Iván Navarro's "This Land Is Your Land" evokes both the Woody Guthrie song of the same name and the migrant worker experience through the use of a series of water towers. "Coming to Northwest Arkansas and driving around — because driving is such a big part of being in this region; you have to drive to get anywhere — I started to notice the water towers, these sort of markers of where you were in space and time," Maestas recalls of moving to the area. "Specifically Northwest Arkansas, it's interesting because it does feel like one big region, sometimes you can lose track of where you are, especially if you're new. So I found the water towers to be this really incredible anchor for me in navigating my way around the region, and also they were each very individual and had their own characteristics, and I found that to be really special." By using these communal icons, Navarro also reflects on his own experience as an immigrant and uses light to draw the viewer in to have more complicated conversations or meditations about migration and immigration, Maestas details. The artist was a natural fit for the Momentary campus as he marries the two ideas that exist between Crystal Bridges and the Momentary, she continues: thinking about American art and American experiences, but also broadening what America looks like and how we define American art. "I think it's helpful to understand why we have them, and why so many," Maestas says, musing on all the outdoor activations. "And I think the answer is we are really trying to speak to the idea of the Momentary, which is always to be in the moment. "Because we are a satellite space of Crystal Bridges and we're a non-collecting organization, there's inherently an element of temporality in everything we do. So nothing is permanent." As it is indoors with the temporary exhibitions, that concept is reflected in the term lengths for the outdoor projects as well. Each exhibition varies, and the campus will frequently change in its engagement opportunities. "The program is ever-evolving. So, we're starting to have a conversation with our audience where they understand they can come and have the outdoor experience and hopefully see something new somewhat often." Momentary Continued From Page 9 FEATURE "They pick up the reflection of the architecture and there are some really stunning, old architectural remnants from the factory on that north side," shares Momentary assistant curator, Kaitlin Maestas, of the placement for the new Yayoi Kusama installation "Narcissus Garden," which comprises nearly 900 mirrored spheres. "I really wanted to think about what it would look like for the reflection to capture architecture, people, nature, but then also the sky. It's pretty incredible when you stand in front of them, because you get to see yourself reflected in all of these elements, which is really special." Yayoi Kusama, "Narcissus Garden," Collection of OZ Art. Courtesy of Ota fine Art and Victoria Miro. Copyright Yayoi Kusama. (Courtesy Image/the Momentary, Photo by Ironside Photography)