340 replies to this topic

[Aporkalypse]

Mith242, on Oct 31 2005, 04:52 PM, said:

I've heard a little about Bentonville's downtown area but not a whole lot about Rogers.  Are there many old buildings there, or any way you'd like to describe it?  Too bad you broke your camera, hope it wasn't a very expensive camera.

Not much at all, there are a few buildings and there hasn't been a lot of updating there.  My family reunion is actually at Lake Atalanta.  Bentonville has a classic square but strangely enough other than the Wal-Mart museum it's kind of dead, ironically the legacy of Wal-Mart itself like thousands of other small towns.  Springdale's downtown is also lacking.

Bentonville's downtown actually does have a ton of potential for investors.

[Mith242]

Aporkalypse, on Oct 31 2005, 11:56 PM, said:

Not much at all, there are a few buildings and there hasn't been a lot of updating there.  My family reunion is actually at Lake Atalanta.  Bentonville has a classic square but strangely enough other than the Wal-Mart museum it's kind of dead, ironically the legacy of Wal-Mart itself like thousands of other small towns.  Springdale's downtown is also lacking.

Bentonville's downtown actually does have a ton of potential for investors.

Yeah I thought I'd heard Bentonville's downtown is already picking up some.  Although I think it is partly from people anticipating Crystal Bridges having a big influence and helping also draw interesting into their downtown.  I actually think they've tried to revitalize some of Springdale's downtown.  But I don't think any of the new shops or restaurants/coffeeshops ever did very well.  I think unfortunately people in Springdale want to go shop or eat somewhere nice they automatically think to look outside the city.

[mcheiss]

Mith242, on Oct 31 2005, 04:52 PM, said:

I've heard a little about Bentonville's downtown area but not a whole lot about Rogers.  Are there many old buildings there, or any way you'd like to describe it?  Too bad you broke your camera, hope it wasn't a very expensive camera.

There's not very many "tall buildings", in Roger's Downtown. It's got one 7 story building, a maybe a dozen 3 and 4 story buildings. There are some nice mexican restaurants and stores in the downtown. There's a daisy airgun musem that's pretty nice along with a lot of old fashioned buildings. It's got potential, we just need large projects to happen in the area.

The camera wasn't too much, but I'm going to have to get a new one.

[mcheiss]

Looks like Bentonville is real serious about this trolley thing.

Now, they want to start making more transit-oriented projects like Multi-use buildings, walkable streets, bike friendly areas and such along Downtown Bentonville.

[Mith242]

mcheiss, on Nov 3 2005, 03:01 PM, said:

Looks like Bentonville is real serious about this trolley thing.

Now, they want to start making more transit-oriented projects like Multi-use buildings, walkable streets, bike friendly areas and such along Downtown Bentonville.

It sounds interesting.  I wonder what their downtown will look like in the near future.

[mcheiss]

Mith242, on Nov 3 2005, 04:12 PM, said:

It sounds interesting.  I wonder what their downtown will look like in the near future.

It's sounds like lots of townhomes are being developed, along with a lot of front street retail. I'd say next to Fayetteville, they have taken on the biggest interest in their downtown area.

[Mith242]

mcheiss, on Nov 3 2005, 05:18 PM, said:

It's sounds like lots of townhomes are being developed, along with a lot of front street retail. I'd say next to Fayetteville, they have taken on the biggest interest in their downtown area.

Perhaps there will be some competition in the future between Fayetteville and Bentonville's downtown areas in the future.

[mcheiss]

Mith242, on Nov 3 2005, 04:36 PM, said:

Perhaps there will be some competition in the future between Fayetteville and Bentonville's downtown areas in the future.

May'be.

I would like to see them work together, but I know it's almost impossible.

I read where on the Bentonville Downtown Master Plan 2000 where almost 80% of the plan has already been completed for what is supposed to be completed in 2020 or so.

[Mith242]

They have no hired a curator for the museum.  I don't have the paper at the moment and don't recall his name.  He is from Maine and has won some awards up there.  They apparently had people interesting in the job from New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles.  But those people also wanted to stay in those cities and they were insisting that the person had to live in this area.  I really wish I had my paper at the moment so I could give the exact names.  Supposedly Alice Walton has been buying more artwork for the museum in New York.  But it's all speculation so far and it sounds like all the works won't be identified till the museum opens.  Some of the paintings mentioned were impressive, I can't wait till it opens.

[mcheiss]

Mith242, on Dec 2 2005, 02:16 PM, said:

They have no hired a curator for the museum.  I don't have the paper at the moment and don't recall his name.  He is from Maine and has won some awards up there.  They apparently had people interesting in the job from New York City, Chicago, and Los Angeles.  But those people also wanted to stay in those cities and they were insisting that the person had to live in this area.  I really wish I had my paper at the moment so I could give the exact names.  Supposedly Alice Walton has been buying more artwork for the museum in New York.  But it's all speculation so far and it sounds like all the works won't be identified till the museum opens.  Some of the paintings mentioned were impressive, I can't wait till it opens.

Yeah I heard about him.

He's been the director of the William Farnsworth Art Museum in a small town in Maine of around 7,000.

[Mith242]

mcheiss, on Dec 2 2005, 02:18 PM, said:

Yeah I heard about him.

He's been the director of the William Farnsworth Art Museum in a small town in Maine of around 7,000.

Since I'm not going to be able to be on as much if you find anymore info on him or the possible artwork that Alice Walton has bought it would be nice to have on here.  Or everyone can just wait on me whenever I get a chance to get one again when I have my paper with me.

[mcheiss]

Mith242, on Dec 2 2005, 02:27 PM, said:

Since I'm not going to be able to be on as much if you find anymore info on him or the possible artwork that Alice Walton has bought it would be nice to have on here.  Or everyone can just wait on me whenever I get a chance to get one again when I have my paper with me.

If I get any updates I'll be sure to post.

Hope it's nothing serious with you. Best of Luck hearing from you.

[Mith242]

No, it's nothing serious.  I'm just not going to be able to be on as much as I've gotten used to for a bit.  I'm certainly not looking forward to it, but hopefully in a few weeks everything will be back to normal and I'll be back to driving up my posts per day total again.

[Mith242]

Okay now I have my paper so I can post some more details.  Christopher Crosman is the name of the new curator.  He comes by way of Rockland Maine.  He apparently is originally from Chicago.  The article in the Arkansas Democrat Gazette also mentioned that Crystal Bridges did draw a lot of attention when it was looking for a curator.  Partly from the fact that a new museum only opens around once every two years in the US.  I also think it will be because it has a major backer who's trying to bring in some serious pieces.  And there's not much around to compete against it really.  That's not to say that there aren't some nice art centers in the state.  But I can't see any of them bringing in paintings bought for over $30M either.

[Mith242]

Okay, now there are no comfirmations of this but apparently there is talk that Alice Walton has bought another piece of artwork from NYC.  A portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart that once was owned by Alexander Hamilton.



This about the best I can find so far.  George Stuart did a number of George Washington portraits.  This isn't one of the most well known ones but I don't think those are going to be leaving Washington DC anytime.  Still yet another nice piece with some history, if all of this is true.  The bad thing is that I don't think Crystal Bridges plans to reveal anymore about what they have till they open, which is still a while away.  It's another piece that the New York Public Library held.  It didn't bring as much money as some thought.  Expectation have been high ever since Alice Walton bought Asher Durand's Kindred Spirits for $35Mil.

Edited by Mith242, 03 December 2005 - 09:49 AM.

[Mith242]

Okay here are some pieces that are known to be part of the museum.  

Asher Durand's Kindred Spirits 1849




Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait's The Life of a Hunter: A Tight Fix 1858



Norman Rockwell's Sick Puppy 1923



Charles Willson Peale's George Washington 1780-1782



John La Farge's Peonies in a Breeze 1890



Charles Bird King's Ottoe Half Chief, Husband of Eagle of Delight 1821-1822



Winslow Homer's Spring 1878



Martin Johnson Heade's Cattleya Orchids, Two Hummingbirds and a Beetle 1875-1890



Marsden Hartley's Hall of the Mountain King 1908-1909



As I said these are the only ones that have been made official as of now.

Edited by Mith242, 03 December 2005 - 10:04 AM.

[mcheiss]

Mith242, on Dec 3 2005, 09:47 AM, said:

Okay, now there are no comfirmations of this but apparently there is talk that Alice Walton has bought another piece of artwork from NYC.  A portrait of George Washington by Gilbert Stuart that once was owned by Alexander Hamilton.



This about the best I can find so far.  George Stuart did a number of George Washington portraits.  This isn't one of the most well known ones but I don't think those are going to be leaving Washington DC anytime.  Still yet another nice piece with some history, if all of this is true.  The bad thing is that I don't think Crystal Bridges plans to reveal anymore about what they have till they open, which is still a while away.  It's another piece that the New York Public Library held.  It didn't bring as much money as some thought.  Expectation have been high ever since Alice Walton bought Asher Durand's Kindred Spirits for $35Mil.

This would be amazing!!!!!

This picture is just as good as Asher Durand's piece. We are really going to be put on the map up here in the art world.

[Mith242]

mcheiss, on Dec 3 2005, 12:45 PM, said:

This would be amazing!!!!!

This picture is just as good as Asher Durand's piece. We are really going to be put on the map up here in the art world.

Yeah I'm really hoping that the rumors are true.  It sounds like there's a good chance.  It sounds like something she was interested in and especially the fact that it went cheaper than expected.  You'd think that if she was in the least bit interested she would have jumped on it just for the fact that it went for less than predicted.  I don't remember exact figures, seems like they were expecting $10-$12Mil and it only went around $8Mil.

Edited by Mith242, 03 December 2005 - 01:51 PM.

[mcheiss]

I'd really like a lot of local art also to be on display.

Like a section devoted to High School Art Work or something like that.

[Mith242]

mcheiss, on Dec 3 2005, 02:46 PM, said:

I'd really like a lot of local art also to be on display.

Like a section devoted to High School Art Work or something like that.

I'm not sure if they'll do something like that or let some of the other art centers have that type of stuff.  I know the art center in Springdale does quite a bit of that type of stuff.  I think they have something once a year where they bring in stuff from all the nearby states along with Arkansas stuff.