Art Bridges Foundation

This fall, families are discovering Pop Art in exciting new ways at the Arlington Museum of Art (AMA)! With support through one of our Learning & Engagement Awards, the museum has successfully launched two community-centered programs to activate its loans of Andy Warhol’s "Self-Portrait (Fright Wig)" and Marjorie Strider’s "Girl with a Radish." Continuing through the spring of 2026, these programs are designed to welcome and inspire visitors of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. Storytime at the AMA Held in partnership with the Arlington Public Library, this program transforms reading into an immersive art adventure for children under 10 and their families. Bilingual storytelling sessions are paired with guided gallery tours and hands-on creative activities. AMA's Teen Council This program empowers youth voices and provides valuable professional development opportunities. The inaugural group consists of 12 teens representing communities across the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, who are shaping the future of museum engagement. With these programs, AMA has built new collaborations and broadened its reach—aligning closely with our mission of expanding access. These are just two examples of how we partner with museums to create programming that nurtures imagination and makes space for every family to learn, play, and explore together. Want to collaborate with us? Reach out at the link below, and let's talk: https://bit.ly/3IMiu6M Images: Storytime at the AMA, courtesy of the Arlington Museum of Art

Who's ready for a new traveling exhibition?! 👀 Get an inside look at "I Refuse to be Invisible: Self-Portraiture Across American Art," the first group exhibition drawn primarily from the Art Bridges Collection that is curated by our very own Associate Curator Javier Rivero Ramos, PhD! This available exhibition both questions and celebrates what it means to be seen, spotlighting artists who use self-portraiture to explore identity, visibility, and belonging in American society. Pairing household names, such as Andy Warhol and Keith Haring, with artists like Jaune Quick-to-See Smith and Ana Mendieta, who have only recently been acknowledged by canonical art history, "I Refuse to be Invisible" invites audiences to reflect on how artists define themselves within (and sometimes against) the narratives of culture and history. The exhibition is complemented by works from Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the National Academy of Design. Javier will share more about this exhibition and the stories behind the artworks in our upcoming webinar on Thursday, October 30 at 1 pm CST. Mark your calendars and register now at the link below: https://lnkd.in/e7hE49Qb Credit Lines: Charles Wilbert White (1918-1979), "Our Land," 1951, tempera on panel, 24 x 20 in. Art Bridges. Will Wilson (b. 1969), "John Gritts, Citizen of the Cherokee Nation, U.S. Dept. of Education, Indian Education Expert, with an Image of his Great-great-grandmother, Dockie Livers, Survivor of the Trail of Tears," 2013, printed 2018, archival pigment print from wet plate collodion scan, 22 x 17 in. Art Bridges. Photography by Brad Flowers. Mari Hernandez, Colonizer, 2017, inkjet print, 29 × 25 × 2 in., Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, Arkansas, 2020.39. Image courtesy of the artist. Thomas Eakins (1844-1916), Self-Portrait, 1902, oil on canvas, 30 × 25 in. National Academy of Design, New York, NY. T.C. Cannon (1946 – 1978), "Grandmother Gestating Father and the Washita River Runs Ribbon-Like," 1975, oil and acrylic on canvas. 50 x 40 in. Art Bridges.

Save the Date! Borrowing with Art Bridges + Insights from Smarthistory 🗓 October 30, 2025 🕐 1 PM CST | Free Webinar Curious what it takes to be a borrowing venue with us? Or how your institution can better leverage Smarthistory? Hear from Jonathan Frederick Walz, PhD, Director of Curatorial Affairs and Curator of American Art at The Columbus Museum in Georgia, who will speak about the borrowing experience through our Partner Loan Network. Then, Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, Executive Directors and Co-Founders of Smarthistory, will provide an overview of the world's most visited art history resource and how it can serve art museums of all sizes. Plus, our very own Associate Curator, Dr. Javier Rivero Ramos, will give you an inside look at a new available traveling exhibition, "I Refuse to be Invisible: Self-Portraiture Across American Art." This show, the first group exhibition drawn from the Art Bridges Collection, revolves around self-portraiture to both question and celebrate visibility and representation in American society. Will you join us?  🔗 Register at the link below: https://lnkd.in/e7hE49Qb

Our Cohort Program hosted yet another impactful Research & Development convening in our home at the Heartland Whole Health Institute in Bentonville, Arkansas, last week! Like the gathering last month, this convening brought together 10 museums, offering a collaborative space for partners to explore their collections, share organizational goals, and imagine possibilities for future art-sharing projects. The museums also had the opportunity to learn from our new partners, Ki Futures (Ki Culture) and Articheck, about advancing art access and sustainability. In the months ahead, these “Wave 1” participants, led by Boise Art Museum and the American Folk Art Museum, will embark on yearslong art-sharing partnerships and relationship building. Boise Art Museum cohort members: Whatcom Museum, Utah Museum of Fine Arts, and Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon American Folk Art Museum cohort members: Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library; Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Maryland Center for History & Culture; Peoria Riverfront Museum; and Historic Deerfield

What unfolds when art and wellness collide? Next week, we’re hosting "Works in Progress: Defining the Art of Wellness in Museums," a new convening at our home on the Crystal Bridges Campus in Bentonville, Arkansas. For the first time, we’re bringing together 6 museums from across the country—Allentown Art Museum, Baltimore Museum of Art, El Paso Museum of Art, Frye Art Museum, Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico, and North Carolina Museum of Art—to explore how art can nurture care, connection, and community wellbeing. Over 3 days of collaboration and hands-on workshops, these participating museums will develop projects that center visitor health and wellness in museum practice, supported by our funding and partnership. This convening is rooted in our mission to share the power of American art and deepen engagement in communities across the nation, and we are excited to collaborate with these museums to reimagine how they can be spaces of healing and inspiration! Learn more: https://brnw.ch/21wWqcu

Want to stay in the loop on all things Art Bridges? Our YouTube webinar playlist is your go-to hub for how museums spark curiosity, engage audiences, and leave a lasting impression! Catch up on previous sessions to hear from our partners and see how they leverage our support to expand access to art and elevate community programming. Each one-hour conversation is packed with updates, resources, and actionable ideas to measure impact, providing inspiration to help you create art experiences that are accessible, meaningful, and simply unforgettable. 🎥 Explore the full playlist anytime via the link below: https://lnkd.in/gZ3NHjen

Historically, quilts have served as vital maps of Black life and culture—or as author bell hooks so beautifully said, “history as life lived.” Now, you can bring this history to your community with our traveling exhibition, "Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California." As the first group exhibition drawn from the African American quilt collection at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), "Routed West" traces the flow and flourishing of quiltmaking during the Second Great Migration, featuring over 60 quilts by nearly 50 artists—primarily women with ties to the San Francisco Bay Area. Each piece holds significance beyond function, telling stories of collective care, resilience, and creative ingenuity. Interested in bringing "Routed West" to your museum? Contact us at the link below to confirm availability. We can't wait to see these quilts inspire reflection and dialogue in new spaces! https://brnw.ch/21wWeuO Credit Line: Installation view of “Routed West: Twentieth-Century African American Quilts in California,” an exhibition organized by the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive and curated by Elaine Y. Yau, Associate Curator and Academic Liaison, with Matthew Villar Miranda, Former Curatorial Associate.