BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Cycling will roll into the halls of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art this fall, where bikes ridden by Olympic and World Championship athletes will stand alongside masterpieces of American painting and sculpture.
The “Get in the Game: Sports, Art, Culture” exhibition, running from September 13 through January 26, will explore the intersection of athletic performance and artistic expression, blending equipment, photography, and fine art to showcase the cultural impact of sport.
Three USA Cycling National Team bikes anchor the exhibition: the Specialized Epic mountain bike used by Christopher Blevins at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the custom-painted Liv Brava cyclocross bike raced by Clara Honsinger, and the Canyon Speedmax Track bike that carried the Women’s Team Pursuit squad to Olympic gold in Paris 2024.
An Artist Connection
“My Olympic bike represents a milestone in my career, but seeing it here at Crystal Bridges, where my great (x4) grandfather’s work also hangs, gives it new meaning,” Blevins said. “It shows how both sports and art can outlast a single moment — bringing people together, strengthening community, and inspiring the next generation.”
Blevins’ connection underscores the intersection of sport and art the exhibition seeks to highlight. His great-grandfather, painter John Singleton Copley, is represented in the museum’s permanent collection with portraits of colonial figures such as Paul Revere and Samuel Adams.
It’s Kind of About the Bikes
Honsinger’s cyclocross bike, meanwhile, symbolizes a different type of endurance. A four-time national champion, she rode it at her final World Championships in the Czech Republic in 2024. The bike’s custom paintwork itself becomes a piece of visual art, a canvas that reflects the individuality of the athlete.
The Canyon Speedmax Track bike which was raced by Chloe Dygert, Kristen Faulkner, Jennifer Valente, and Lily Williams, completes the trio, representing technological innovation fused with athletic achievement. It was engineered specifically for the women’s team pursuit squad, who set a record-breaking time of 4:04.306 in route to the United States’ first gold medal in the event.
Crystal Bridges curators say the exhibition is designed to explore how the energy of sport has long inspired art and design, while sport itself often pushes the boundaries of creativity in technology and performance.
A Free Celebration
The show’s opening day on Sept. 13 will feature a free community celebration with performances, interactive activities, and food from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tickets for the exhibition are $15, with free admission for members, youth under 18, veterans, and SNAP participants.
The timing places the bikes on display as the Ozarks cycling calendar ramps up. Crystal Bridges is encouraging visitors to view the exhibit during Big Sugar Week in Bentonville, Oct. 12-18, or while in Fayetteville for the USA Cycling Cyclocross National Championships, Dec. 10-14.
Organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Get in the Game is curated by Jennifer Dunlop Fletcher, Seph Rodney, and Katy Siegel, with the Crystal Bridges presentation led by Austen Barron Bailly and Laura Pratt. The national tour is sponsored by Bank of America, with additional support from local and national donors.
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