Divine Nature

Make your way to the 21c Museum Hotel, just steps from the quaint main square in Bentonville, Arkansas. The hotel, which exhibits a rotating collection of contemporary art, is the perfect base for our weekend exploration of art and architecture. Meet your Frank Lloyd Wright Trust tour leaders and fellow travelers in the afternoon for an introduction to Bentonville, as well as a tour of the hotel’s art collection. In the evening, get to know your fellow guests during a festive Welcome Dinner.
21c Museum Hotel Bentonville, D 

After breakfast on your own at the hotel or one of Bentonville’s trendy coffee shops, depart on a guided walking tour to Crystal Bridges, a world-renowned museum designed by Moshe Safdie. Its core collection of American Art has grown over the years to include the work of international artists, and we will see large-scale installations by James Turrell, Dale Chilhuly and Yayoi Kusama along the way. 

Upon reaching the museum, enjoy an exclusive, private tour of the Bachman-Wilson House, a classic example of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian architecture. Originally built in 1956 along the banks of the Millstone River in New Jersey for Gloria and Abraham Wilson, the house was acquired by architect/designer team Lawrence and Sharon Tarantino in 1988, who lovingly restored it. Unfortunately, the site was prone to repeated flooding, and the Tarantinos eventually determined that selling the house to an institution willing to relocate it was the best option for its preservation. Crystal Bridges acquired the house in 2013, and during the following year it was packed up and moved to Arkansas to be reconstructed on a similar wooded, waterfront site near the south entrance of the museum. 

After lunch at the excellent Eleven at Crystal Bridges—housed in one of Moshe Safdie‘s “bridge” structures suspended over the water—join a collection highlights tour. The rest of the afternoon is yours to further explore the museum, and a short walk back to the hotel brings you to Bentonville’s small and eclectic dining scene. For music lovers, there’s a free concert at the town square in the evening during the town’s beloved “First Fridays” program.
21c Museum Hotel Bentonville, L 

After breakfast on your own, depart along winding roads in the Ozarks to Eureka Springs, a small resort town that has the highest number of Victorian-era houses west of the Mississippi. Our destination is the 1980 Thorncrown Chapel designed by Taliesin fellow and Arkansas native E. Faye Jones. Thorncrown was listed fourth on the AIA’s top ten buildings of the 20th century and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2000. Inspired by the light-filled gothic chapel Sainte Chappelle of Paris, it is hard to determine where the building ends and nature begins. Jones affectionately labeled Thorncrown’s style as “Ozark Gothic.” 

Continue our scenic drive to the small town of Huntsville. We are invited to the Faubus House (also known as the Governor House) by the owner, architect Jonathan Formanek. The luxurious 7,356 square- foot mansion, which hovers along the edge of a bluff, was designed by E. Faye Jones in 1967 for Governor Orval Faubus and his wife Alta. After lunch, we explore the house: While the primary building material is local fieldstone, the west elevations are almost entirely of glass, shaded by the wide roof overhang. Inside, two spacious living rooms are separated by a fieldstone wall with back-to-back fireplaces. Jones also designed some of the furniture, which is still in use. The house exhibits the integration of site, nature, and architecture that became a hallmark of Jones’ subsequent designs.  

Return to the hotel for some time to relax, then gather for cocktails and a Farewell Dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, Hive, which is known for Southern cuisine with a modern twist.
21c Museum Hotel Bentonville, L D 

After breakfast on your own, check out of the hotel and depart for Fayetteville. Our destination is the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel, also by Jones. Like Thorncrown, this chapel is transparent. Over 4,000 square feet of glass cover a structure of fifteen 50-foot steel gothic arches, totaling 31 tons. Despite its weight, the chapel is light and airy, at one with the surrounding pine and oak trees. Next, depart for the Northwest Regional Airport. The bus will stop at the hotel for those staying on. Extra nights are available upon request.

WARNING: This program involves walking on steep and rocky terrain. Participants must be physically fit.

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Daily Itinerary subject to change.