A Lifelong Learner,
Inspired by Creativity
Alice Walton is committed to increasing access to arts, improving education, enhancing health and advancing economic opportunity for all. In all of her philanthropic work, Alice is dedicated to promoting diversity and equitable access.
Alice’s interest in art began in her childhood. She and her mother often painted on family camping trips or on hikes in the Ozarks. As an adult, Alice began to collect watercolors, and over time, that grew into a broader interest in art history and all types of American art. Today, Alice “has emerged as one of America’s most important arts philanthropists in areas like arts education, boosting Americans’ exposure to world-class art and building a pipeline for diverse leaders in the field,” according to Inside Philanthropy.
Alice Walton’s 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. Through numerous projects, she is committed to making a whole-person approach to health care a more accessible option across the country.
Alice Walton’s vision and philanthropic leadership has prompted numerous accolades. She is a recipient of the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives of American Art Medal, the John Cotton Dana Medal for Visionary Leadership in Museums, the Leonore and Walter Annenberg Award for Diplomacy through the Arts and the Getty Medal for contributions to the Arts and Humanities. She was recognized by TIME magazine in 2012 as one of the most influential people in the world and was inducted into the International Women’s Forum Hall of Fame in 2018.
Alice is currently on the advisory council for the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum. She has served as a member of the board of the Amon Carter Museum in Fort Worth, Texas, the Trustees’ Council of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., and was the inaugural chairperson for the Northwest Arkansas Council. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Trinity University and an honorary Doctor of Arts and Humane Letters from the University of Arkansas.
Bringing Together
Art and Wellness
The connected campus of Crystal Bridges and the future Alice L. Walton School of Medicine include an innovative building for Heartland Whole Health Institute and Art Bridges Foundation as well. Across a total of 134 acres, Alice envisions a cohesive space for healing and learning – where museum visitors, medical students and the community can find inspiration in nature, shaping and improving the quality of our lives.
Arts and culture play an instrumental role in the development of a vibrant community and the individual.
Alice
Alice’s interest in art began in childhood, when she and her mother would paint with watercolors on family camping trips in the Ozarks. As an adult, Alice has sought to expand public access to art. Her personal collection formed the basis of the Crystal Bridges collection, and 120 acres of family land became the site for the admission-free museum. Through the Art Bridges Foundation, Alice has expanded access to American art even more, getting great works of art out of storage and on public view.
Like all American health care consumers, Alice has witnessed first-hand the need for better processes and health outcomes. Together, the Heartland Whole Health Institute and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine partnership will improve overall health and quality of life for the Northwest Arkansas community, and serve as a model for health care transformation across the country.
Bringing Together Art and Wellness
The connected campus of Crystal Bridges and the future Alice L. Walton School of Medicine include an innovative building for Heartland Whole Health Institute and Art Bridges Foundation as well. Across a total of 134 acres, Alice envisions a cohesive space for healing and learning – where museum visitors, medical students and the community can find inspiration in nature, shaping and improving the quality of our lives.
The connected campus of Crystal Bridges and the future Alice L. Walton School of Medicine include an innovative building for Heartland Whole Health Institute and Art Bridges Foundation as well. Across a total of 134 acres, Alice envisions a cohesive space for healing and learning – where museum visitors, medical students and the community can find inspiration in nature, shaping and improving the quality of our lives.
Arts and culture play an instrumental role in the development of a vibrant community and the individual.
Alice’s interest in art began in childhood, when she and her mother would paint with watercolors on family camping trips in the Ozarks. As an adult, Alice has sought to expand public access to art. Her personal collection formed the basis of the Crystal Bridges collection, and 120 acres of family land became the site for the admission-free museum. Through the Art Bridges Foundation, Alice has expanded access to American art even more, getting great works of art out of storage and on public view.
Like all American health care consumers, Alice has witnessed first-hand the need for better processes and health outcomes. Together, the Heartland Whole Health Institute and the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine partnership will improve overall health and quality of life for the Northwest Arkansas community, and serve as a model for health care transformation across the country.
A Family Legacy
of Giving
For more than 35 years, Alice and her family have sought to create access to opportunity through their philanthropic giving.
In 1987, as Walmart celebrated its 25th anniversary, Alice’s parents Sam and Helen established the Walton Family Foundation, which she, alongside her brothers and generations of their families, have helped shepherd into the future. Through her own work, Alice continues to be guided by the example set by her parents.
