Sculpture on display in Compton Gardens
Posted on Thursday, September 11, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/bcdr/News/65586/
BENTONVILLE — While construction on the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art remains tucked away in 100 acres of woods and out of public view, the institution has regularly satisfied the area’s curiosity by sharing masterworks from its growing permanent collection.
Among the masterworks are Jasper Francis Cropsey’s “ The Backwoods of America, ” Asher B. Durand’s “ Kindred Spirits ” and Charles Willson Peale’s “ George Washington. ”
“ Every time there’s any news about Crystal Bridges, I’m like a 3-year-old. I want it right now, ” said Jodi Beznoska, communications director of the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville. “ I, like so many people in northwest Arkansas, get so excited. ”
So Beznoska and the approximately 50 others who gathered in Compton Gardens following a presentation on the findings of a three-year creative economy study on Wednesday morning had plenty to be excited about. Crystal Bridges Executive Director Bob Workman and his staff unveiled “ Group of Bears, ” a posthumous casting of a sculpture by renowned artist Paul Manship. The 7-foot-tall bronze piece is the first sculpture that has been announced as part of the museum’s permanent collection and the first piece of art that will remain on public view.
According to Workman, “ Group of Bears” will remain at the center of Compton Gardens, just north of the downtown Bentonville Square, at least until the anticipated opening of Crystal Bridges in 2010. But he indicated there’s a good chance the bronze sculpture will remain there permanently, because Compton Gardens will serve as “ the pedestrian entrance to Crystal Bridges. ”
Shortly after the unveiling, Workman watched as those in attendance took photos of the bronze sculpture. In between a barrage of questions from local media, he smiled as he watched children begin to touch and climb on the sculpture.
“ This is what it’s about, ” Workman said. “ These kids and these families will forever have a special connection to this sculpture. We just felt this was the time and the place to put something on public view. ”
And if your next question is, “ Who’s Paul Manship ? ” you may be more familiar with the artist’s work than you think.
The statue in the fountain at New York City’s Rockefeller Plaza, “ Prometheus, ” is among Manship’s most famous works. Manship, who produced more than 700 works in his artistic career, is regarded as one of the most important American sculptors. There is a permanent exhibit of Manship’s work at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D. C.
The only full-size cast of “ Group of Bears” produced during Manship’s lifetime is on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. There are six other documented casts of the bears, created from a secondary rubber mold and plaster model that were destroyed after the final copy was cast in 2002. These posthumous casts are owned by the Hofstra University Museum Sculpture Garden in New York City, the Pat Hoffman Friedman Playground in New York City’s Central Park, a zoo in Jerusalem, two private collectors and the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.
The fact that the piece unveiled Wednesday in Compton Gardens features three large bears is just as important as the fact that it was created by Manship.
“ This will be the access to our major sculpture trail from Compton Gardens to Crystal Bridges, ” Workman said. “ We’ve been blessed with some major gifts. First, the museum collection. But the land was a gift from the Walton family and represents what makes this project special.
“ Guests will be able to walk from Compton Gardens into Crystal Bridges’ (100 wooded acres ) and view several sculptures on the way. Crystal Bridges is being built into the natural landscape. I’ve been told the construction crew has seen a bear on the site on a number of occasions. It was a natural fit. ”
That blurring of the line between art and nature was what had Beznoska most excited on Wednesday.
“ This museum is built into the land, ” Beznoska said. “ They’re being so careful and deliberate about that. Crystal Bridges is going to be a part of the Ozarks, and I love that. It’s going to be a part of who we are, as well as an institution people everywhere will be drawn to. ”
“ There’s been a lot of effort put into connecting Crystal Bridges to downtown (Bentonville ), ” Workman said. “ When people come to Crystal Bridges, we want them to visit the area and experience this community — this region. ”
Compton Gardens, at 312 N. Main St., offers visitors more than 6 acres of native and woodland plants, walking trails and wildlife. The site is the former homestead of Bentonville native Dr. Neil Compton, local physician, author, photographer and naturalist. For his conservation efforts, he was often referred to as the “ savior of the Buffalo River. ”
“ I believe Dr. Compton would have been delighted to have had this work of art displayed on his property, ” Workman said. “ We could not have chosen a better place to display ‘ Group of Bears. ’ ”
Compton Gardens is open to the public daily from dawn until dusk. The Interpretive Center is open from 9: 30 a. m. to 3: 30 p. m. Monday through Friday.