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The Momentary Crystal Bridges

Park It Here (And Come On In): Our New Garage

a design rendering of a parking garage structure with a curving line and circle pattern on part of the building and green trees in the foreground

At the Momentary, we don’t want anything to stand between you and a thought-provoking gallery stroll, a stress-free night at the Tower Bar, some great live music, or a breathtaking dance performance. That’s why we are very pleased to announce the opening of nearly 600 additional parking spots in our new, now-open parking garage, located just south of our building.

Designed by Chicago-based Wheeler Kearns Architects, the same architecture firm that designed the Momentary, and featuring an original design by Caddo artist Chad “Nish” Earles, this parking garage is a functional feature truly worthy of a contemporary art space.

More good news? In addition to being nice to look at, the parking lot will be free for daily use (parking may be closed or at an additional cost for special events) and free for the general public visiting the Market District. This is a multi-level win for Bentonville!

Of course, we always encourage visitors to explore self-propelled modes of transportation (read more about visiting via bicycle, rideshare, or on foot here)–but if you’re pulling in with an engine, we want to make that easy too.

READ ON for more dates, details, directions, and developments.

How to Park + What to Expect 

January 17, 2022: The Momentary has completed the construction of its new parking garage. To connect the new garage to the main building, we are creating a new pathway to flow seamlessly through our main parking lot. The new pathway will take about a month to complete and requires the lot’s closure. During the closure, please park in our new parking garage and follow the temporary walking path to the main entrance. Thank you for your patience!

ADA parking is located in the parking garage and along E St. (west side of the building) as well as along the north side of the Momentary. If you choose to park in the garage, please follow the temporary path (made of decomposed granite) to the main entrance. When the main parking lot reopens, ADA parking spots can be found there as well. 

New Garage, New Design

The design Above and Below by artist Chad “Nish” Earles is permanently featured on the grass scrim of the parking structure. Image courtesy of the artist.

Chad “Nish” Earles (Caddo) designed the glass scrim titled Above & Belowthat is located on the southwest and southeast corners of the new parking garage. The design entails a pattern providing cultural reference to the Indigenous peoples of Arkansas and the land the Momentary currently occupies. The pattern references designs found in pottery created by ancestors of the Caddo Nation. The name of the design, Above & Below, recognizes that the Caddo are still here today, above and below the ground.

“Arkansas lies within the NE part of the Caddo ancestral homeland and hunting grounds. We have numerous burial mound sites and lived amoungst [sic] the rivers and valleys. A…band of Caddos called the Kadohadacho, lived in SW Arkansas and is where we get our tribe’s name today. Archaelogist [sic] consider the Caddo pottery found in these sites and others located in the Caddo homelands to be the finest examples of Native American pottery in North America…. The design I made for the glass scrims, which reflects a body of artwork that I have created over the years, references designs found in pottery created by my ancestors at these sites. I wanted to use a design that is uniquely Caddo and a good representation of us visually.” -Chad “Nish” Earles

Three brown rotund pieces of pottery with thinner necks and round openings at the top all feature swirling line and circle patterns.
Earles’s Above and Below was informed by designs on Caddo pottery. This image, Three Hodges Engraved var. Fowler bottles (77-1/X-270, X-134, X-275), tempered with shell, showing Ebbet 4 body design found in several sites in the Middle Ouachita River Valley, provided by the artist for reference, is from Documenting Caddo Pottery: The JEC Hodges Collection, courtesy of the Arkansas Archeological Survey.

You Must Have Questions…

Is there a cost to park at the Momentary?

There is no cost to park when visiting the Momentary, in the garage or main lot. The Momentary may close general access to the garage and main lot for events, where parking would be subject to an additional cost.

If I’m going to 8th Street Market, but not the Momentary, can I still park in the garage?

Yes, the parking garage is available to the general public in the Market District, regardless of plans to visit the Momentary. However, if the Momentary has closed the garage for a special event, garage parking is subject to the rules and pricing of the event.

How much parking is there and how big is the garage?

The parking garage has 597 spots and the main parking lot, located just south of the main building has 98 parking spots, totaling 705 parking spots. The parking garage has three levels.

Are there any electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at the Momentary? 

Yes, there are 10 EV charging spots with 3 charges located inside the parking garage. There are additional EV charging spots available at 8th Street Market near Bike Rack Brewery.

How do I access the parking garage? The main parking lot?

Entry and exit of the parking garage are accessible by car by way of 8th St. Access to the main parking lot is off E St., across from Austin-Baggett Park. Please note, the main parking lot will be closed for approximately a month beginning January 10. 

Who designed the parking garage?

The parking garage was designed by Chicago-based Wheeler Kearns Architects, the same architecture firm that designed the Momentary. 

 

 

Other Constructive Notes

Pardon our dust as we keep the new, exciting developments coming to the Momentary campus. The SOMO Artspace Lofts is a 50-unit mixed-use project with affordable live/work housing for artists, creatives, and their families plus a small public art gallery. It will be located south of the Momentary’s main building (hence the name SOMO), wrapping the northeast corner of the parking garage. This project will provide vital infrastructure to help sustain a rapidly growing community of creators in Northwest Arkansas. The anticipated construction start date is March 2022 with completion in March 2023. Learn more about SOMO Artspace Lofts online at artspace.org/somo-artspace-lofts.