Material Nature: The Robyn and John Horn Collection

Robyn and John Horn built their collection on personal artistic inspiration, a devoted relationship with the craft community, and lifelong friendships. They started purchasing work with no intention of amassing an extensive craft collection.

Robyn Horn was exploring her own artistic pursuits and was in search of forms that inspired her. She began to immerse herself in a community of makers. The craft community is a welcoming and generous space where many artists share their knowledge. Learning from her peers allowed her to find her own voice as an artist. During their exploration of craft, the Horns met artists who would become lifelong friends. They acquired work that inspired them, and they recognized that purchasing art was an important way to support artists, giving them the financial means to keep working in the studio. Their home is filled with memories, stories, and beloved works of art.

Craft is deeply rooted in tradition. Historically, crafts were made by highly skilled artisans creating furniture, textiles, utilitarian ceramics, glassware, and silver service sets. Since the mid-19th century, artists have been pushing the materials beyond traditional techniques and elevating them to complex sculptural forms. In the 20th century, craft began to split into two directions: functional objects and nonfunctional works.

Most of the art in the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Foundation Collection from the Horns is non-functional, sculptural works, exploring how materials are pushed, explored, and reimagined into forms that embody mass, movement, and sophistication. Their collection ranges from the pioneers of the Studio Craft Movement in the 1950s and 1960s, with works by Toshiko Takaezu, Ed Rossbach, Stephen de Stabler, and Dale Chihuly, to the current voices of Hoss Haley, Michael Peterson, Todd Hoyer, Thomas Spleth, Mary Giles, and more.

This expansive craft collection demonstrates the devotion of skilled artists who explore an innovative approach to traditional materials. The Horns have generously gifted over 250 works to the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts Foundation Collection. Material Nature will be presented in both the Robyn and John Horn Gallery in the Wingate Art School from August 22, 2026, until April 25, 2027, and on view in the Governor Winthrop Rockefeller Gallery from March 14, 2026, until March 7, 2027.

The works in the Robyn and John Gallery show a wide range of techniques and materials from the collection. The objects reflect the expertise and precision of each artist and serve as inspiration for the students in the Windgate Art School and for all who visit AMFA. The Horn collection works on view in the Governor Winthrop Rockefeller Gallery continue to showcase the depth of Horn’s contemporary craft collection and place the work in conversation with the Museum’s permanent collection, creating a dialogue about artistic expression and the history of 20th and 21st-century art.

Material Nature is a small selection of the Horn collection that together demonstrates the passion for making, collecting, and living with art. Meeting artists over the years has been the Horn’s greatest joy. The relationships are at the heart of the collection. AMFA is grateful to John and Robyn Horn for their commitment to contemporary craft and craft education. Material Nature welcomes you to explore, investigate, and learn.