Ask Walton today about Kyrgyzstan and she spouts off numerous facts about the former Soviet republic in Central Asia. Museum visitors peer into the still in progress yurt. The centerpiece is Walton's rare ceremonial white yurt.
Yurts are the portable homes and a national symbol of the Kyrgyz people.
Perhaps through this yurt, we can raise people's awareness of Kyrgyzstan. Perhaps through this yurt, the economic incentive the Kyrgyz people need to maintain their artistic tradition will be created. It was this yurt that took Walton to Kyrgyzstan on an eye-opening trip last summer. A member of the Walton family of Wal-Mart fame, with a big heart and a pocketbook to match, she had been contacted by a longtime friend in the State Department. And when it was time to ready the Mingei exhibit, Walton flew its creators here.