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03/24/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 03/24/2026 09:24

Crystal Bridges Museum Of American Art Expands Commitment To Indigenous Art With Major Acquisitions And Commissions

Historic Expansion Set To Open June 6-7

Nicholas Galanin, I think it goes like this (memory and interference)

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BENTONVILLE, AR. - Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art announces a significant group of new acquisitions and commissions of contemporary Indigenous art, reinforcing the museum's ongoing commitment to championing historically underrepresented artists and expanding the narrative of American art. Led by Jordan Poorman Cocker , curator of Indigenous art and NAGPRA officer at Crystal Bridges, these acquisitions bring together nationally celebrated voices and leading regional artists whose work explores identity, sovereignty, memory, language, community, and cultural continuity.

The acquisitions come as Crystal Bridges prepares to unveil its historic expansion, led by Safdie Architects, and revolutionize the art museum experience, opening June 6 and 7, 2026. Crystal Bridges will expand access to five centuries of American Art by adding another 114,000-square-feet of new space and showcasing a transformed way for visitors to interact with every part of the building - facilitating surprise and delight, joyful learning, and ever-broadening American stories. Crystal Bridges sits on a 134-acre campus along with Heartland Whole Health Institute and Alice L. Walton School of Medicine .

"Indigenous art is foundational to every American art collection. Throughout this reinstallation and expansion, I am questioning what American art is and who decides. Expanding Crystal Bridges' collection of Indigenous art reflects years of intentional work, sustained relationship-building, and deep trust, especially with those who have produced new commissions for the collection," said Poorman Cocker. "It's important now, more than ever before, to elevate and celebrate artists, communities, and diverse histories that connect us as human beings. Today, this long-term commitment is helping set a new precedent for what it means to thoughtfully steward, present, and support Indigenous art within an American art museum context."

The new acquisitions include works by several acclaimed artists, including Jeffrey Gibson, whose interdisciplinary practice merges Indigenous aesthetics with global pop culture and political text to examine identity and power. His 2024 work The Enforcer, continues his bold visual language of pattern and color. Nicholas Galanin, 2024 Don Tyson Prize for the Advancement of American Art recipient known for incisive conceptual works that confront colonial narratives and institutional authority, joins the collection with I think it goes like this (memory and interference) (2024) and Unconverted / Converted (2022), two works that interrogate systems of translation, erasure, and cultural disruption. Kent Monkman's monumental 2023 painting Saving the Newcomers brings his signature history painting practice to the collection, reimagining traditional American historical narratives through a sharply critical, Indigenous lens.

The museum has also acquired Trade Canoe: Making Medicine II (2024-2025) by the late Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, one of the most influential Indigenous artists of the past five decades, whose work has reshaped the field of contemporary Native art. Raven Halfmoon's commanding ceramic sculpture Caddo Woman Warrior (2021) asserts presence and power through scale and material, while Caddo artist Jeri Redcorn's commissioned works, including Sheyahtse, Warrior and pieces from her Daho Nutte (Three Sisters) series, reflect a deep commitment to the revitalization of Caddo ceramic traditions. Teri Greeves, renowned for translating contemporary Native experience through intricate Kiowa beadwork, has created a new commission for the museum, Gkou Stah Gyah, Gyah Sta'ah Gyah (2025).

Among the regional artists newly represented in the collection is Addie Roanhorse's Eldest Daughter (2025), which reflects her practice of highlighting intergenerational strength and contemporary Osage matriarchy. Kelly Church, a fifth-generation basket maker, brings deep material knowledge to Sustaining Traditions: Basket of Resilience(2024), continuing her work revitalizing ancestral black ash weaving traditions while emphasizing the protection of natural resources central to Indigenous life. Cherokee Nation artist Jane Osti's 2024 ceramic vessels, including The Abundance, A Sacred Fire, and Spirit of Survival, draw upon storytelling traditions to explore place, ceremony, and the enduring relationship between land and community.

By investing in both iconic and emerging Indigenous artists, Crystal Bridges continues to build a collection that reflects the richness and breadth of American art, past, present, and future. Please see below for a complete list of Crystal Bridges' Indigenous art acquisitions and commissions.

Jeffrey Gibson , The Enforcer, 2024

Teri Greeves , Gkou Stah Gyah, Gyah Sta'ah Gyah , 2025 (commission)

Nicholas Galanin

  • I think it goes like this (memory and interference), 2024
  • Unconverted / Converted, 2022

Kent Monkman , Saving the Newcomers, 2023

Jeri Redcorn (commissions)

  • Sheyahtse, Warrior, 2024
  • "Coo-noocah-kekusneh Nutte" Pumpkin Woman from "Daho Nutte" Three Sisters, 2024
  • "Dah-bus Nutte" Bean Woman from "Daho Nutte" Three Sisters
  • "Kee-see Nutte" Corn Woman from "Daho Nutte" Three Sisters
  • "Kaoshun" Caddo Dance
  • "Tayshas" Friends

Lehuauakea , Still Finding My Way Back Home, 2025

Jaune Quick-to-See Smith , Trade Canoe: Making Medicine II, 2024 - 2025

Raven Halfmoon , Caddo Woman Warrior, 2021

Addie Roanhorse , Eldest Daughter (2025)

Bobby C. Martin , The Guardians (2025)

Jane Osti

  • The Abundance, 2024
  • A Sacred Fire, 2024
  • The River's Gift to the People, 2024
  • Journey Through Arkansas, 2024
  • Spirit of Survival, 2024

Roy Boney

  • ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᎩ : ᎢᎸᎯᏳ ᏥᎨᏒ Language: A Long Time Ago, 2025
  • ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᎩ : ᎾᎯᏳ ᏥᎨᏎᏍᏗ Language: By This Time, 2024
  • ᎦᏬᏂᎯᏍᎩ : ᏃᏊ ᏥᎩ Language: Right Now, 2025

Kelly Church , Sustaining Traditions: Basket of Resilience (2024)

Brenda Mallory , Recurring Chapters in the Book of Inevitable Outcomes ( ᏗᎪᏪᎵ ᏂᎦᎵᏍᏔᏂ ᎢᏳᎵᏍᏙᏗ ᏗᏯᏙᎸᎢ ᏱᎦᎵᏍᏔᏁᎩ ), 2015

Ryan RedCorn , Acquisition of 5 Large-Scale Portraits

  • Ardina Revard Moore & Hikele Byrd, 2018 - 2023
  • Raymond RedCorn, 2018 - 2023
  • Kiowa Cozad, Erica PrettyEagle Moore Cozad and Mamie Cozad, 2018 - 2023
  • George Shannon & Elnora Supernaw, 2018 - 2023
  • Celena White, 2018 - 2023

Lola Cody , Two Grey Hills, 2025

Jeffrey Gibson, The Enforcer, 2024

About Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art

The mission of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is to welcome all to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of nature. Since opening in 2011, the museum has welcomed more than 15 million visitors across its spaces, with no cost for admission. Crystal Bridges was founded in 2005 as a public 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization by philanthropist Alice Walton . The collection spans five centuries of American masterworks from early American to current day and is enhanced by temporary exhibitions .

The museum is nestled on 134 acres of Ozark landscape, the land is ancestral and treaty territory to the Caddo Nation, Osage Nation, and Quapaw Nation, and was designed by the world-renowned Safdie Architects . A rare Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house was preserved and relocated to the museum grounds in 2015. Crystal Bridges offers public programs including lectures, performances, classes, and teacher development opportunities, and is the home of the prestigious Don Tyson Prize for the Advancement of American Art and Tyson Scholars of American Art Program . Some 558,375 school children have participated in the Willard and Pat Walker School Visit program , which provides educational experiences for school groups at no cost to the schools.

Additional museum amenities include a restaurant , gift store , library , and five miles of art and walking trails. In February 2020, the museum opened the Momentary in Downtown Bentonville (507 SE E Street), a venue for the music, art, and food of our time. Crystal Bridges' 114,000 square foot expansion will open to the public June 6 and 7, 2026, allowing the museum to expand access for all. For more information, visit CrystalBridges.org . The museum is located at 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, Arkansas 72712.

About Crystal Bridges Campus

Crystal Bridges Campus in Bentonville, Arkansas, features 134 acres dedicated to art and wellness. It is home to three landmark institutions designed by acclaimed architecture firms: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Safdie Architects), Heartland Whole Health Institute (Marlon Blackwell Architects), and Alice L. Walton School of Medicine (Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects). Envisioned by founder and philanthropist Alice Walton, the campus unites art, architecture, nature, education, and wellness to create transformative experiences that foster learning and enhance health and well-being. More than five miles of trails connect the iconic buildings, featuring art installations both inside and outside. The campus terrain varies from Ozark forest to display gardens, and includes streams, ponds, and Crystal Springs. In 2024, the campus received Arboretum accreditation . The campus is open daily from dawn to dusk. Additionally, the Momentary, an extension of Crystal Bridges, is located 1 mile south of campus.

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