Summer Travels & the 1 Million Visitor Milestone (VIDEO)

In 2011, with the museum still under construction and planning its debut, many in the art world were questioning the viability of an art museum in small town Arkansas.
|
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

Summer this year has provided time for travel -- being on the road connecting with colleagues, visiting artists in their studios, and getting current with all that is happening in contemporary American art. It's been an eye-popping and mind-expanding experience -- and there's more to come about what it all means in future posts. Stay tuned.

See if you can guess where I've been, based on some random snapshots from recent travels. (Hint: we've traveled mostly west and northwest.)

This week there's also something monumental happening back at Crystal Bridges, something we couldn't have imagined happening in the 21 short months since we opened. This week, Crystal Bridges welcomed its one-millionth guest through our doors.

In 2011, with the museum still under construction and planning its debut, many in the art world were questioning the viability of an art museum in small town Arkansas. We now have one million reasons to validate that decision, one million visitors who have experienced the breadth and beauty of American art, extraordinary architecture, and the glorious Ozark setting we call home. We hope we've shared an enriching experience with each one of our visitors, and we thank them for making our museum the dynamic place it is.

Because we all enjoy a good celebration, and we're always up for a little fun, check out this parody created by several creative staff members:


Now on to our second million!

Our 2024 Coverage Needs You

As Americans head to the polls in 2024, the very future of our country is at stake. At HuffPost, we believe that a free press is critical to creating well-informed voters. That's why our journalism is free for everyone, even though other newsrooms retreat behind expensive paywalls.

Our journalists will continue to cover the twists and turns during this historic presidential election. With your help, we'll bring you hard-hitting investigations, well-researched analysis and timely takes you can't find elsewhere. Reporting in this current political climate is a responsibility we do not take lightly, and we thank you for your support.

to keep our news free for all.

Support HuffPost