The School of Art at the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences congratulates visiting assistant professor Anthony Sonnenberg and alumna Hannah McBroom as selected artists in the upcoming 'State of the Art 2020' exhibition at The Momentary and Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. 

State of the Art 2020 opens this weekend as the inaugural exhibition for The Momentary, a new contemporary art space satellite to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. A total of 60 artists from around the country have been selected for the exhibition and will be on display Feb. 22-May 24, and is free for all visitors. 

"The opening of The Momentary is another incredible milestone for the Northwest Arkansas area, and we are proud to have the school represented by faculty and alumna in this inaugural exhibition," said Gerry Snyder, executive director of the School of Art. "Crystal Bridges is a leader in the arts regionally, nationally, and internationally. To now have additional space dedicated to contemporary art, including visual and performative arts, music and culinary experiences, is a testament to the commitment of world-class art in our community."

The exhibition is an exploration into contemporary art that began in 2014, when Crystal Bridges presented State of the Art: Discovering American Art Now. The exhibition sought to showcase art being created across the U.S. and develop the understanding that contemporary art is approachable and relevant to topics of the day.

PBS created a documentary released in April 2019 called State of the Art, following the journey of seven artists featured in the exhibition. School of Art assistant professor Linda Lopez was one of the seven artists featured in the documentary and exhibition.

Sonnenberg was approached to participate in the exhibition this past summer. He will have approximately 18-20 ceramic sculptures in a larger installation featured in the exhibition at The Momentary. 

"This show is definitely a new high water mark for my career," said Sonnenberg. "I remember very clearly the first State of the Art exhibition and wanted to be a part of it then, now I am honored to be a part of the next iteration. I feel a certain amount of validation that can be hard and fleeting to attain in the arts business."

Sonnenberg describes the work included in the exhibition as an intersection of beauty and death and the facades we create to invoke denial of them.

He began teaching at the School of Art in fall 2018 and shares how his work has hit a new level since moving into the Northwest Arkansas area. The combination of great thrifting, access to great facilities and the challenge of teaching a high level of students has helped him broaden and reach a new depth of exploration in ceramics.

Woodpile, by Hannah McBroom

Hannah McBroom recently graduated from the School of Art, Master of Fine Arts program in May 2019. She is currently living in St. Louis, Missouri and will have two pieces of work included in State of the Art 2020.

In addition to being selected for this exhibition, McBroom is working on two art commissions and starting a new series on Trans Representation and Censorship. Her work is also in current exhibition Lady Parts at the Mindy Soloman Gallery in Miami, Florida. McBroom remains involved and working on several projects with local organizations in Bentonville, Arkansas.

See both of these talented artists and experience the opening of The Momentary this weekend, Feb 21-23. Register for free-timed entry tickets at themomentary.org.