Arts Entertainment AND
toward suburban sprawl by contributing to revitalization efforts in their hometown. Pairing this desire with a second of their passions, contemporary art, the couple embarked on a journey to create an oasis where art challenges and amuses, stimulates conversation and provokes new ideas. (The collection in Bentonville achieves all of this.) The pair partnered with world-renowned architect Deborah Berke to realize their vision on the three existing properties. 21c Museum Hotels claims to redefine the art of modern Southern hospitality — which would explain why Bentonville guests are greeted by a mutant wombat in the lobby, offspring in various stages of gestation protruding from its grotesque back. (The wombat is actually part of the current exhibition, a work by Australian artist Patricia Piccinini crafted from silicon, hair and other materials). The space itself is airy and light-filled, welcoming and beguiling. A serpentine vintage Italian couch winds its way through the lobby, behind which hang the arresting photographs of South African artist Pieter Hugo. (They all linger in the mind, but there’s one particularly stirring image of a child atop a chained hyena that still haunts me.) A striking photograph of a bison (as large as an actual bison) hangs behind the front desk; a sparkling pile of crystal encrusted antlers twinkle in the hallway; an interactive sculpture of whirring fans sits outside the elevators. It’s a full-immersion experience into the world of 21st century art, where no place is out-of-bounds — from bathrooms to the boardroom and gym. Two inaugural exhibitions at the hotel will run through July: One, titled “Dead Ringer,” features work from artist Slater Bradley and noted cinematographer Ed Lachman; the other, “Hybridity: The New Frontier,” highlights more than 85 pieces from the 21c collection, including the aforementioned wombat-esque creature and a taxidermied turkey wearing a wig. The hotel has several permanent pieces, but rotates exhibitions. Even before setting foot in the museum, however, you feel transported to some distant and exotic cosmopolis. The experience begins outside when you spy Cuban artist Alexandre Arrechea’s Orange Tree in the courtyard, a large-scale sculpture of a metal tree sprouting basketball hoops and surrounded by basketballs. (They’ve since had to erect stanchions around the piece to deter visitors from trying to shoot hoops.) You’re also drawn to the concrete bench by the entryway that looks like stacked suitcases and offers a surprisingly comfortable
ENJOY YOUR STAY: Kenny Belaey performs at the 21c Museum Hotel grand opening.
OFFBEAT BENTONVILLE IN
21c Hotel opens with bike tricks and parkour, naturally. BY KATHERINE WYRICK
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erhaps best known as the world headquarters of Walmart, Bentonville, in a delicious slice of incongruity, is fast becoming a center of art and design, thanks primarily to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art but also to 21c Museum Hotel, which opened in February. It’s the third in a mini-chain of art-obsessed hotels, with others in Louisville and Cincinnati (and plans for more in Durham, N.C., and Lexington, Ky.). Located on the northeast corner of the Bentonville town square, a short walk from Crystal Bridges’ south entrance, 21c is a swell 104-room boutique hotel, contemporary art museum and cultural civic center all in one. Among its features are 12,000 square feet of exhibition space that’s freely open to the public 24/7; The 24
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Hive restaurant (already creating a buzz), loaner bicycles that guests can use to access the area’s 20-plus miles of cycling paths and a flock of giant plastic green penguins (explanation to follow). The hotel seamlessly marries thoughtful design, culinary creativity and contemporary art by emerging and internationally acclaimed artists (hence the name, paying homage to the 21st century). The lively grand opening, held April 19-21, drew an eclectic mix of artists and art critics from all over the country. Before recounting the weekend’s festivities, however, a brief history: 21c, which launched in downtown Louisville in 2006, was born of a desire to integrate contemporary art into everyday life. Troubled by development encroaching upon Kentucky’s farmlands, philanthropists and contemporary art collectors Laura Lee Brown and Steve Wilson sought to reverse the trend
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