Art & Wellness Festival Returns to the Crystal Bridges Campus with Series of Lectures Featuring Actor Goldie Hawn, Architect Moshe Safdie, Soprano Renée Fleming, and More

Three-day festival to celebrate art, nature, architecture, and holistic well-being

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BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art today announced the 2025 Art & Wellness Festival, a three-day festival celebrating art, nature, architecture, and holistic well-being. Taking place November 1 through 3 across the Crystal Bridges Campus, the festival will feature a series of keynote lectures and signature experiences aligning with themes of well-being. The theme of the festival, “Well Being Here,” invites attendees to reflect not only on the idea of well-being, but on what it means to be well – here, in the place, in this moment.

“The Art & Wellness Festival is a celebration of our full campus coming together, where art, nature, architecture, education, and wellness intersect to create transformative experiences,” said Moira Anderson, director of public programs at Crystal Bridges. “We invite the public to explore the many publicly accessible spaces across our campus, including Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, which officially opens to the public on November 3. The festival provides a chance for people to slow down, connect, learn, and explore how creativity and care for ourselves and our environment can enrich both our lives and the collective spirit of our community."

Lectures during the festival will feature architects, authors, musicians, actors, and more. Festivalgoers will be able to experience James Turrell’s SkySpace: The Way of Color in a whole new way with a unique soundscape created from participants’ brainwaves recorded in response to the installation’s shifting light. Guided gallery tours will also feature EEG (electroencephalogram) headsets—lightweight, painless devices that measure the brain’s natural electrical activity. Participants will see their brainwaves displayed live on iPads and, with the help of trained guides, discover how their minds respond to art in real time. Additional free and ticketed offerings include a Community Wellness Fair, drop-in breathwork and mindfulness sessions in the galleries, architecture tours across the campus, hands-on art-making workshops, Tai Chi, sauna and cold plunge experiences, and more.

“At Crystal Bridges, we believe that wellness is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Art and wellness can work together to support our physical, emotional, and social well-being,” said Daedelus Hoffman, director of arts in medicine and wellbeing. “Through the immersive experiences offered at the Art & Wellness Festival, we’re inviting our community to explore the healing potential of art, nature, and connection to rediscover themselves, each other, and the natural world in meaningful ways.” KEYNOTE LECTURES Each day of the festival will feature a keynote lecture led by inspiring thought leaders in the field of wellness, offering fresh perspectives and transformative insight.

On Saturday, November 1, architects Moshe Safdie (Crystal Bridges), Marlon and Ati Blackwell (Heartland Whole Health Institute), and Wesley Walls – design principal with Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects (Alice L. Walton School of Medicine) will speak about designing for art & wellness on the Crystal Bridges Campus, giving insight on how the built environment can elevate everyday experiences and nurture the spirit.

Also on Saturday, November 1, award-winning actor, producer, and philanthropist, Goldie Hawn, will speak about MindUP, the signature program of The Goldie Hawn Foundation. Built on neuroscience and social-emotional learning, MindUP offers simple, practical tools that help children, families, and educators strengthen attention, manage stress, and cultivate optimism in everyday life. In this candid, uplifting conversation, Goldie will share what sparked MindUP, why well-being skills matter now more than ever, and how small habits—from mindful breathing to gratitude practices—can create calmer classrooms, stronger families, and more connected communities.

Sunday, November 2, world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming and bestselling author Susan Magsamen will explore how science and art intersect to support mental and physical health, concluding with a signing of their acclaimed books on the topic, “Music and Mind: Harnessing the Arts for Health and Wellness” and “Your Brain on Art: How the Arts Transform Us.”

On Monday, November 3, writer Richard Reeves, the author of “Of Boys and Men,” will address how strengthening the well-being of boys and men through education, belonging, and community support creates ripple effects for healthier families and more resilient communities. SIGNATURE EXPERIENCES The Art & Wellness Festival features a dynamic mix of free and ticketed workshops, in-gallery and on-trail experiences, and family-friendly engagements led by community partners and leaders in art and wellness. SkySpace Experience – Experience SkySpace in a new way as brainwaves recorded in the space are transformed into an immersive soundscape. See How Your Brain Sees: Interactive Brainwave Tour – Guided gallery tours invite participants to wear an EEG (electroencephalogram) headset—completely safe, painless, and noninvasive—to measure their brain’s response to art in real time. PlantWave Listening Station – Located in Crystal Bridges’ Lush Garden, PlantWave makes plants “sing” by turning their natural electrical signals into real-time music so attendees can listen to what the plants have to "say." The Future of Arts & Medicine Progressive Lecture - A trail-based experience where guests encounter short talks and interactive moments led by experts as they walk throughout the Crystal Bridges Campus. Tours – A variety of tours will be offered, from full campus architecture tours to mindfulness and art tours led by museum educators, to a family “trek and sketch” tour that gets everyone moving on the grounds. On Monday, November 3, Alice L. Walton School of Medicine will premiere the first public tours of the School. Artmaking and Workshops – Hands-on artmaking and workshops invite attendees to explore creativity as a healing practice. Workshops include a watercolor session with artist Rachel Borntrager that transforms breath into abstract art, a workshop combining film, discussion, and therapeutic art inspired by a stroke survivor’s journey by Lakisha Bradley, and more. Wellness Activities – A variety of wellness activities will be offered, including Tai Chi, guided breathwork sessions, forest bathing walks through the North Forest, a trail-side sauna and cold plunge, and more. Crystal Bridges members will have early access to ticket bundles and individual lecture and workshop tickets beginning Wednesday, October 1. Public ticket sales will open on Friday, October 3. To learn more about the Art & Wellness Festival and to reserve tickets for the lectures and ticketed workshops, visit the museum’s website.

The Art & Wellness Festival is sponsored by Mercy and Procter & Gamble.

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