The Momentary will close at 3 pm on TUESDAY, JuLY 22, to prepare for the ALABAMA SHAKES concert. LEARN MORE.

State of the Art 2020

Exhibition | The Momentary and Crystal Bridges

February 22—July 12, with the artworks remaining in the Lobby Gallery through August 16

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February 22—July 12, with the artworks remaining in the Lobby Gallery through August 16.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art begins the new decade with the opening of the Momentary and the debut of State of the Art 2020 at both locations with free admissions. This new exhibition continues the journey launched in State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now (2014), and our curators traveled once again to find and feature artists working in communities around the country.

Lauren Haynes, curator of visual arts at the Momentary and curator of contemporary art at Crystal Bridges, is leading State of the Art 2020, along with Alejo Benedetti, associate curator of contemporary art, Crystal Bridges and Allison Glenn, associate curator of contemporary art, Crystal Bridges. The team visited studios across the country, resulting in the selection of a diverse group of 61 artists, from varied backgrounds and at different points in their careers.

Click to experience State of the Art 2020 VR

Did you miss State of the Art 2020 or want to relive it again? State of the Art 2020 VR is a virtual exploration of the exhibition in which users explore the artworks as they appeared in the Crystal Bridges and Momentary galleries. No matter where you are in the world, you can still experience State of the Art 2020.

Zoom in and out of artworks to explore details, read wall text, and see artworks in conversation with one another.
Listen to audio recorded by the exhibition curators (Lauren Haynes, Allison Glenn, and Alejo Benedetti), providing information on the exhibition, art, and artists.
A guided tour option is available that leads a viewer through the highlights of the exhibition.

State of the Art 2020 VR will expand to a full launch (to include mobile access on iOS and VR through the Oculus Store) in September 2020.

Schedule of events

Speaker bios

State of the Art 2020

The 61 individuals in State of the Art 2020 represent a cross-section of artists working today and their artwork will be organized into thematic sections including world-building: creating real and fictional spaces; sense of place: investigating ideas of home, family, immigration, and more; mapping: connections to and relationships with landscapes and power, and temporality: the concept of time and how we perceive it.

More than 100 artworks will be featured in State of the Art 2020 — most created in the last three years. A number of artists are making site specific works in response to the interior architecture of both spaces as well as the histories of this region. At both the Momentary and Crystal Bridges, artwork will include paintings, sculpture, photography, video, performance, and mixed media.

State of the Art 2020 is the continuation of an exploration into contemporary art that began in 2014, when Crystal Bridges presented State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now. The exhibition sought to showcase art being created across the US and develop the understanding that contemporary art is approachable and relevant to topics of the day. More than 175,000 visitors experienced the exhibition and engaged in meaningful discussions and events surrounding the show. PBS created a documentary released in April 2019 called State of the Art, which follows the journeys of seven artists featured in that exhibition. After its opening at Crystal Bridges, State of the Art then traveled to the Minneapolis Institute of Art; Telfair Museums, Savannah, GA; Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Memphis, TN; The Mint Museum, Charlotte, NC; and the Frist Art Museum, formerly known as the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, Nashville, TN.

Bank of America

Willard and Pat Walker Charitable Foundation, Inc.

Christie’s

Stella Boyle Smith Trust

Trott Family Foundation

Alturas Foundation

Bracken Darrell

Fred and Shelby Gans

National tour sponsored by Bank of America

The Momentary will close at 3 pm on TUESDAY, JuLY 22, to prepare for the ALABAMA SHAKES concert. LEARN MORE.

State of the Art 2020

State of the Art 2020 VR

State of the Art 2020 Summit

Schedule of events

Speaker bios

Explore the exhibition

Artists Featured in State of the Art 2020

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