BENTONVILLE, Ark.- Crystal Bridges opened their new exhibit entitled “Get in the Game: Sports, Art and Culture” on Sept. 13. The exhibit contains sports-themed art in the form of fashion, mixed media, tapestries, videos, paintings and more.
Organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the exhibit has five sections: Winning and Losing, Field of Play, Breaking Records, Breaking Rules, Mind and Body and Fan’s Life. In these sections, the exhibit focuses on how sports affect mental and physical health, culture and sexism.
When a guest first approaches the exhibit, they soon encounter works by Ernie Barnes and learn his story.
Barnes was a football player turned artist and a lot of his pieces are shown in the exhibit. Barnes’ football coach paid his salary during his transition into becoming a full-time artist because he believed in his artistic talent.
Upon entering the exhibit, there’s a wall that is a big picture of the University of Arkansas student section. It then transitions into the first section of the exhibit Winning and Losing.
Winning and Losing portrays the famous words of Sportscaster Jim McKay “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” Different pieces throughout the exhibit embody what it means to win and what it means to lose.
In the section, there are a variety of different pieces of artwork.
One that tends to stand out is a piece by Cary ‘Candy-Ass’ Leibowitz. The piece is composed of different items and trinkets such as pennants, photographs, a football and more. It tells the story of how Leibowitz was bullied for being a gay Jewish boy from the suburbs.
A few steps later guests transition into the next part of the exhibit, entitled Field of Play. Field of Play is about the different areas in which people play sports. In the Field of Play section, a lot of the artwork shows the different ways people play or engage in sports activities.
“Open Swim” by Derek Fordjour shows African American people swimming and sitting around a pool. The piece explores the relationship between African Americans and water. The relationship stems from the segregation of pools and The Middle Passage, the name given to the ocean voyage endured by many slaves on their way to America.
When guests are greeted by Thom Browne’s “Look 10,” they’ve reached the Breaking Records, Breaking Rules section. This section is all about the unwritten and written rules in sports.
The section also has an interactive Atari beach volleyball game which incorporates how the field of play has extended from the real-world to the gaming world and how you can break a high score record in the game.
This section has more three-dimensional pieces of art such as white lacy boxing gloves hanging from the ceiling and white, lacy shoulder pads.
Mind and Body is another key part of the exhibit. Different pieces of art show the mental struggle of what it’s like to be an athlete.
“Blow Dry” by Joan Semmel shows two women in a mirror naked blow-drying their hair. As their blow-drying their hair, one girl is walking away with a towel covering her which makes it seem that she isn’t comfortable showing her body or that she’s insecure.
Another pivotal piece is “Ascension” by Titus Kaphar. It shows the outline of Michael Jordan and an image of the crucifixion inside that outline. The piece represents religious martyrdom and the mental sacrifices that athletes constantly face.
The last section is all about the fans. It showcases what it’s like to be a fan of a sports team. One of the last pieces near the exit shows African Americans sitting in a barbershop watching Jackie Robinson’s highlights after he passed away. The frame was engraved and said “Reminiscing About Jackie Robinson.” Across from the piece was a custom-made foosball table.
The exhibit is open to the public until January 26, 2026. General Admission is $15 and it’s free for museum members, SNAP participants, veterans and those 18 and under.