The Momentary
The Momentary is sort of an offshoot of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville, Arkansas. The purpose of the art space is to bring together “visual and performing arts, culinary experiences, festivals, artists-in-residence, and more” (themomentary.org). I got the opportunity to go the weekend after the space opened, and I was thoroughly pleased with my experience.
When I first got there, I was worried there wouldn’t be a place to park. Instead of going to their actual parking area, I tried to park at the park besides the building. However, the park didn’t have any parking spaces. Why is there a park if there isn’t any parking? After this major inconvenience, I went back to The Momentary’s actual parking area, and I found a space immediately. I felt dumb for ever thinking there wouldn’t be one on a Saturday afternoon.
Me and my friend didn’t do much research on whether the venue was free or if we needed tickets, so we went in expecting the worst. Fortunately, it was free, which is to be expected because Crystal Bridges is free as well. Walking into the building was art in itself. The building had been an old cheese factory, and the industrial-esque feel was quite nice.
Luckily, I went on a day that was extremely pleasant. The temperatures were in the high sixties, and it was a beautiful sunny day. The perfect day to walk around and talk with a friend. The first thing one sees when they go into the exhibit is the gift shop. There were a variety of items and collectible art pieces to be purchased. After the gift shop, going to the left, you start to see some art. To be honest, I don’t really remember much of the art. I’m not one for looking at art, I’m more of a person who goes to art exhibits to converse and stroll around. The atmosphere in The Momentary was perfect for that type of outing. One of my favorite parts while being there was messing around in the stairwell. Whenever you shut the door there was a really loud, deep echo that was fun to listen to.
Once we were done on the left side we went to explore the other side of the exhibit. The other side contained a few art pieces and a pink Onyx. This was the most crowded area in the entire building. My friend and I opted out of stopping in, and instead we decided to walk outside around the building. In the end, I would rate my experience a 9 out of 10. It’s a great place to go and take pictures, and there’s a great atmosphere.