We traveled to Northwest Arkansas a few weeks ago to visit our daughter, son-in-law and his mom, the three of them having recently moved there from Asheville, NC.
We usually try and see Crystal Bridges when in the area and that was the plan again this time. Alexis, our daughter, said we needed to see another museum in Bentonville founded by members of the Walton family, a contemporary art space called The Momentary, so we headed that way on a late Sunday morning.
I learned The Momentary opened on February 22, 2020. It is supported by the Walton Family Foundation, inspired by Tom, Olivia and Steuart Walton. It’s main mission is cultivating art and culture in Northwest Arkansas.
Every time I go to Bentonville I’m a bit overwhelmed by how it’s changed since I worked there from 1996 to 1999. Those feelings surfaced again as we drove through what is now known as the Walmart Campus, a few square blocks that give you the feeling of a city within a city.
We looked for a parking place and were lucky to find one in the shade on the west side of the museum, which is housed in what was once a cheese plant, the original building remaining mostly intact by the team of architects.
There is a recorded history on the area, which dates back to 1673, when the Osage hunted there. You can find it at the U of A, in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.
In the 1800’s, Benton County was mainly known for apple orchards and fields of strawberries. In 1889, with plans to form a community near Bentonville’s town center, an architect named Blanck bought 40 acres, the same land where The Momentary sits today.
In 1947 the Kraft Company opened a cheese factory on the land after years of lobbying by local civic leaders who felt the dairies in Benton County needed a place to process closer to home. On October 11 in 1947, at the new plant’s dedication ceremony, J.L. Kraft told the crowd, “Your feet are on the ground, build up bigger farms, large dairy herds, save your money and you won’t have to call on Uncle Sam in your old age. I built a plant here because I fell in love with the community and everyone I met here.” The Kraft plant was in production over 65 years, until it was closed by the company in 2013, resulting in a loss of 60 jobs.
Three years later Crystal Bridges announced they had plans to use the old cheese factory for a contemporary art space and in February of 2020 The Momentary opened to the public.
Two new exhibits had just opened and we headed inside. The first exhibit you come to after entering the building is “Ordinary Wonders” by Chuck Ramirez, who began as an artist in San Antonio, where he was a graphic designer for a grocery chain. His photographs on display at The Momentary express wonder from the ordinary. I was especially captivated by his “Seven Day Series,” where he shot restaurant and home eating areas.
The description reads, “Napkins crumpled, silverware askew, and bites of unfinished food litter this series. Ramirez was inspired by the fleetingness of life captured in Dutch Master still life paintings. Their ornately appointed scenes of life and luxury served the primary purpose of reminding viewers of mortality’s lurking presence. Ramirez’s contemporary response similarly offers manifestations of splendor – from the nauseatingly garish birthday fare of a child’s party to the somber simplicity of a lonely meal in bed. Seven Days is a snapshot of the aftermath, the cooldown after the celebration subsides.” The exhibit runs through January 10 of next year.
Next we came to “The Beginning of Convenience” by British artist Lucy Sparrow.
If felt is your thing, you may never want to leave as you walk through aisles filled with Sparrow’s incredible display of over 20,000 hand-crafted, detailed felt replicas of supermarket products, ranging from food and beverage items to beauty and household merchandise.
Throughout the exhibition the artist explores a particular moment in history that she refers to as the “beginning of convenience,” a time when the rise of dual-income households in the 1980s necessitated consumer goods that prioritized speed and convenience over effort and taste. Changing roles within the household led to the development and fast growth of quick and easy consumer goods, such as microwave dinners, frozen foods, and out-of-the-box meals.
Sparrow burst into the art world only eight years ago in London’s East End with her Cornershop store, a small market fully stocked with familiar products made from felt. It was a commercial and critical success. Next came Warmongery, which explored issues of gun control and mental health.
In October 2015, Sparrow’s Madame Roxy’s Erotic Emporium opened its doors in the back streets of London’s Soho. Showcasing Lucy’s commitment to her artistic vision, she recreated an entire sex shop in glorious technicolor, including a fully working, animated felt peep show. She says her inspiration for the work was her five years working as a stripper in a nightclub in London.
Then in 2016, the BBC commissioned Lucy to recreate the Crown Jewels in felt, to celebrate HRH The Queen’s 90th birthday.
The Momentary is showcasing Sparrow’s first museum exhibit in the U.S. and it was well worth the trip for all of us.
The Beginning of Convenience will be on display through July 11, 2027.
As for the artist, Lucy lives in a felt cave in an undisclosed location, with her companion Sebastian and six cats. Sources – Vintage Bentonville, The Momentary, Lucy Sparrow - Sew Your Soul
The felt frozen foods display at The Momentary in Bentonville by artist Lucy Sparrow.