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Crystal Bridges’ Twentieth-Century Art Gallery, denuded of artwork in preparation for the installation of “State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now.”

Over the next several weeks, visitors to Crystal Bridges may be slightly inconvenienced by the closure of all or part of our Twentieth-Century Art Gallery. We apologize for the bother, but it’s necessary as we prepare this space for the upcoming exhibition State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now.

Since the Twentieth-Century Gallery is one of our permanent collection exhibition spaces, it’s very unusual to see it completely emptied of art work! Almost everything from the permanent collection has been de-installed now, and the crews are starting to patch walls, build and install new walls, and paint–both in this gallery and in the Temporary Exhibition Gallery. Both spaces will be completely transformed for the State of the Art exhibition.

Meanwhile, on the South Lawn, another new installation is taking place!

Artist Kim Dickey installing her artwork, “Mille-fleur,” for the upcoming exhibition “State of the Art.”

Kim Dickey, a Boulder, Colorado-based artist selected for State of the Art, is at work installing her work, Mille-fleur: a 21-foot-long wall covered in 10,000 ceramic floral shapes that are gorgeously painted in a garden pattern reminiscent of a sixteenth-century tapestry. From a distance, the pattern is evident. Up close, the individual ceramic flowers come into focus and the colors and shapes seem to become more abstract. It’s a perfect work for the Museum’s South Lawn, which is surrounded by green trees and colorful native plant beds.

A closer look at Kim Dickey’s “Mille-fleur.”

Dickey told me that two hummingbirds have already come to investigate the artwork, and a few rather frustrated butterflies have landed on it while she’s been working.

So that’s two installations down for State of the Art: 225 to go!

Linda DeBerry is Crystal Bridges' Copy Editor.

Linda DeBerry is Crystal Bridges’ Copy Editor.

(Bit of insider information here, just between me and you: Kim will be returning to the Museum in October to give a Spotlight Lecture about her work. But don’t tell anyone I told you.)

Category: Artists, Artworks, State of the Art, installation, Kim Dickey, Mille-fleur, preparation