What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1287620
JOCELYN MURPHY NWA Democrat-Gazette N ick Cave has had a relationship with the Momentary in Bentonville since well before the arts venue even opened. The artist — who will be known to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art visitors for his "Soundsuit" sculptures — first visited the Momentary campus in late 2016 when he was part of Crystal Bridges' Distinguished Lecture Series. The space was quite different back then, but Cave was already preparing for the largest exhibition of his career to fill the Momentary's halls. "It's an amazing facility for amazing things to happen," Cave says of the multi-disciplinary arts space that opened earlier this year. "It's a convening space; it's a gathering space; it's a space to bring people from, really, the entire region to one place to experience the arts through dance, through music, through voice and also through the visual arts. So it's a space that it's going to really become this magnet that's going to draw and bring talent to the region from around the entire world." "Nick Cave: Until" opens at the Momentary, which co-commissioned the exhibition, following stops at Tramway of Glasgow in the United Kingdom, Carriageworks in Sydney, Australia, and its debut at MASS MoCA in Massachusetts. The ambitious exhibition will occupy the entire footprint of the Momentary, where the sheer volume of material gathered and assembled is sure to astound: 16,000 wind spinners; millions of plastic pony beads; thousands of ceramic birds, fruits, and animals; 13 gilded pigs; more than 10 miles of crystals; 24 chandeliers; one crocodile; and 17 cast-iron lawn jockeys. "I think the abundance of materials to build the work is evident in the commitment — in the commitment to [injustice], in the commitment to social change," Cave explains. "So the material language is very much a part of the behavior and the sort of demand, and the commitment to stand behind something and to put your best foot forward. "It's an opportunity for me to, on one hand take us away, take us to a place of the unknown, and yet to create this fantastical, overwhelming sort of experience. But at the same time, hit us right in the gut and force us to look at what we're doing to one another right now in the world." 8 WHAT'S UP! SEPTEMBER 13-19, 2020 FAQ 'Nick Cave: Until' WHEN — Through Jan. 3 WHERE — The Momentary in Bentonville COST — Free INFO — themomentary.org or 367-7500 FYI — With the opening of 'Nick Cave: Until,' the Momentary returns to its regular operating hours of 10 a.m.- 7 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday; 10 a.m.- 10 p.m. Thursday-Satur- day; closed Monday. A Moment To Reflect Nick Cave exhibit makes space for contemplation "There's so much going on, and I do hope that the exhibition is a space where people can maybe just come in and breathe," offers Lauren Haynes, director of artist initiatives and curator, contemporary art, at Crystal Bridges Museum and the Momentary. "Even during the installation, walking into the spaces as they were transforming, I felt like I was able to take a deep breath, in a way. And that's also what I hope that this space offers: a moment for people to breathe deeply and maybe feel a little bit of a respite from everything that's going on, but still feeling like work needs to be done." (Courtesy Photo/ MASS MoCA) COVER STORY