Portals to Ourself

A massive white circle erupts across the vast Arkansas sky. A knocking sound echoes from and then, suddenly, closer, as if the gods themselves are on the other side trying to enter. But this phenomenon is no door like you or I could walk through. It’s a heavenly portal outside of our control—and what comes through is not what you would expect. The eight and half minute drone show that follows is the culmination of “The Portal,” a new, 90-minute experience curated by Jewel Kilcher at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

“Shape is our first language,” the artist mononymously known as Jewel explains from her home in the San Juan mountains in Colorado. Perhaps most famous for her four-time Grammy-nominated singing-songwriting career, Kilcher originally studied sculpture while attending the Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan. Though she has experimented with different fine arts in the decades since—oftentimes turning to her artistic mediums as tools work on her mental health—this project is unlike any other that she’s attempted before. “It’s like a total museum takeover,” she laughs. But actually, it is.

“The Portal,” which just opened this past month and runs until the end of July encompasses painting, sculpture, music, and even food for an experience that Kilcher says “really feeds the body, mind, and spirit.” It also spans Crystal Bridges’ property, starting with a seven-foot hologram of the artist-curator herself that welcomes guests into the Bentonville, Arkansas museum. There, in its contemporary wing, Kilcher has selected ten works from Crystal Bridges’ collection that interact with what the curator calls “the three spheres of existence.” Genesis Tramaine’s Evidence of Grace from 2020, for instance, is connected to “the inner world because it reminds me of the psyche,” says Kilcher, whereas a wire-y untitled work from Ruth Asawa ca. 1965-1970 that resembles a tree sprouting roots in a circle is “the outer world.” Julie Mehretu’s sprawling Retopistics: A Renegade Excavation complete the series represents “the unseen.”

In addition to other works by Fred Eversley, Mickalene Thomas, and Sam Gilliam, two news pieces by Kilcher are on view: an oil painting of her son, and a striking new sculpture from poured Lucite. “Everything was technically challenging,” says the artist, including the latter, a life-sized see-through figure sitting cross-legged with their insides—four different pills floating about. But beyond lessons in degassing, Kilcher says the learning curve was high to produce “The Portal.” From the technical challenges of creating audio environment overtop a lake to choreographing a 200-piece aerial drone show. (For guests with time on their side, a three-course dining add-on at the museum’s restaurant, Eleven, enhances the program's curation.)

“It sums up and unifies what ‘The Portal’ is about,” says Kilcher of the evening’s finale, which set to a new musical score by the artist. “It really allowed me to use all of my skills and abilities and interests—music, art, behavioral health—and for me what was really satisfying.”

“The Portal” is on view until July 28, 2024 at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art at 600 Museum Way, Bentonville, AR 72712.