Located in the heart of Bentonville, our Crystal Bridges Campus features three landmark institutions nestled within 134 acres of Ozark forest: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Heartland Whole Health Institute, and Alice L. Walton School of Medicine.
Both Heartland Whole Health Institute [HWHI] and the highly anticipated Alice L. Walton School of Medicine [AWSOM] opened in 2025, joining the Museum and adding to the sturdy pillars on which Bentonville’s whole health hub stands. Each founded by philanthropist, Alice L. Walton, this triad of industry-shaking spaces embodies her desire to redefine how we view wellbeing, urging the healthcare community to adopt a much wider lens.
Heartland Whole Health Institute
Established in 2019, HWHI works with the healthcare industry to develop a whole-health approach to care with disease prevention and sustained wellness at the forefront of its cause. In addition to Ms. Walton’s own health care experiences, the Institute’s mission is driven by research revealing that the United States has one of the highest levels of health care spending worldwide, yet relatively low rankings in overall health. Aside from improving quality of care, HWHI aims to transform care by reducing costs and expanding access; first in the heartland, with plans to expand nationwide.
Completed in May 2025, the 85,000-square-foot building, designed by Marlon Blackwell Architects, features public areas on the first floor, including art galleries, event spaces, and a café, while upper floors are dedicated to offices for the Institute and other non-profits founded by Walton, including Art Bridges Foundation and Alice L. Walton Foundation. Inside, materials including pecan and walnut wood, travertine stone, venetian plaster, and wool are used to elicit memories of time spent in nature. The exterior features giraffe-stone walls and pre-weathered brass fins that blend with the surrounding Ozark woodlands.
“With the Institute opening on the campus of a world-class museum of art, we have the opportunity to help visitors experience art and wellness offerings, and how they can aid whole health – our physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being,” said HWHI President, Claude Pirtle.
Alice L. Walton School of Medicine
Taking action at the core of care, Walton founded AWSOM in 2021 to establish a first-of-its-kind medical degree program that enhances a traditional medical education with arts, humanities, and whole health principles. Where traditional Western medicine focuses primarily on treating acute and chronic illness, AWSOM graduates will be equipped to also offer preventative treatments, applying the evidence-based ARCHES curriculum to prevent, promote, and restore patient health.
[ARCHES: Art of Healing, Research, Clinical, Health Systems Science, Embracing Whole Health, and Science of Medicine.]
The architecturally acclaimed 154,000-square-foot building was designed by Arkansas-based firm, Polk Stanley Wilcox, with landscape and rooftop park design by NYC-based design and planning studio, OSD: Office of Strategy + Design.
AWSOM’s glass facade reflects its rich landscape, which features more than 550 new trees and 140,000 native plants, trails, gardens, meditation terraces, outdoor classrooms, and a woodland amphitheater with a 215-foot water feature.
Visitors have access to the school’s interactive grounds in addition to its first-floor gallery and café space on the second level. Meanwhile, AWSOM students enjoy state-of-the-art teaching and recreational spaces, including a Clinical Skills Center, Simulation Center, and a Makerspace for projects like 3D-printed anatomical models, and wellness studio.
“Well-designed spaces play a role in our well-being, and as we train future physicians to successfully tackle the health care challenges of the 21st century, it’s essential that we support their physical, mental, emotional, and social health,” said Walton.
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art
The oldest child, so to speak, is nearing the end of its recent growth spurt. The Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art will open a 114,000-square-foot expansion, designed by Safdie Architects, in conjunction with the Nation’s 250th birthday, June 6th and 7th, 2026. The addition increases the museum’s facilities by more than 50 percent, adding galleries, studios, dining options, and more.
Offering free access to the general public, the Crystal Bridges Campus unites art, architecture, nature, education, and wellness to create transformative experiences that foster learning and enhance health and well-being. Each of these industry-shaking spaces stands out in its own right while collectively boosting Bentonville’s culture, economy, and presence as both a cornerstone of progress and the standard for enriching communities.
Photography courtesy of Alice Walton School of Medicine and Heartland Whole Health Institute.
"AWSOM is designed to transform the future of medical education, transcending traditional boundaries between art, architecture, nature, and wellness." Wesley Walls
Philanthropist and Founder, Alice L. Walton
Alice Walton is deeply committed to the advancement of art and wellness. She founded the Alice L. Walton Foundation to increase access to arts, improve education, enhance health and well-being, and advance economic opportunity. Her transformative experiences in the arts led to an interest in wellness and how art, nature, and the spaces around us shape and improve our lives. The addition of the Institute and School to the Crystal Bridges Campus fulfills Walton's vision of integrating art and wellness.