Northwest Arkansas holds a special place in my heart. It’s the community where I went to school and where my mom ran the local bookstore. It’s the place where I grew up playing in the woods that are now home to a world-class art museum.
Today, we are excited to support Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art on the announcement of a space for innovative art exhibitions, music, theater, film and artist-in-residence programs that will be housed in downtown Bentonville. The New York Times described it as a venue that “would not only provide a place to show more contemporary art but would also continue a transformation of the small city and the surrounding region into a cultural alternative to cities like New York and Los Angeles.”
Our region has been a place where people come to chase opportunity, but we now see people attracted to the area for the quality of life, especially young professionals. At the Walton Family Foundation, we are working hard with our partners to create the lifestyle that helps us retain that talent.
Surrounded by a vibrant food scene that will soon include NorthWest Arkansas Community College's new culinary school, along with great urban trails like the Razorback Regional Greenway, this experimental space will be a living room for the community, sitting at the intersection of art and everyday life. By bringing together some of the things that make our hometown great, this project continues to solidify our position as one of the best places to live in the nation.
