Arts & The Park 2023 brings an array of activities to Hot Springs

Arts & The Park, the annual ten-day celebration of the arts in Hot Springs, will be held April 28 – May 7, 2023 and will feature a host of engaging and fun creative offerings. The theme for the festival is “Art & Soul” which reflects the important role the arts play in the lives of artists as a vehicle for self-expression, healing, and communication. Typically thought of as something to be consumed or viewed, “Art & Soul” will emphasize the purpose and necessity of art for the creators and the community. Hosted by the Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance, Arts & The Park 2023 will include live performances, workshops, art exhibitions, children’s events, the Glover Awards for Songwriting, plein air painting, virtual cooking classes, demos, and much more! Visit HotSpringsArts.org for a full list of events.  

Presented by Arvest Bank, Arts & The Park is sponsored by Visit Hot Springs, and funding is provided, in part by the Arkansas Arts Council, a division of the Department of Arkansas Heritage, and the National Endowment for the Arts, along with the Arkansas Community Foundation, Mid America Arts Alliance, and Elizabeth Wagner Foundation.

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—Arts & The Park Highlights—

Art Moves: Art & Soul
Opening at 5 p.m., Friday, April 28
Hot Springs Creek Greenway
Exhibit will be on display until Spring of 2024

The Art Moves outdoor art exhibition will kick off the 2023 Arts & The Park with an opening at 5 p.m. on Friday, April 28 at the Hot Springs Creek Greenway beginning at Hollywood Avenue. Visitors can view the exhibition by walking north along the Greenway where the selected artwork which has been reproduced on 30” x 40” metal sheets will be on display. Attached to each piece is a scannable QR code that links to the corresponding artist statement. Artists will also be present at the opening to discuss their work. The Art Moves exhibit will be on display until next spring when a new series of work will be featured. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

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Art Springs
10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 29
and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
on Sunday, April 30 at Hill Wheatley Plaza
in downtown Hot Springs

Art Springs, the two-day outdoor arts festival will be held April 29-30 at Hill Wheatley Plaza and the adjacent entertainment district on Malvern Avenue between Bridge Street and Spring Street in downtown Hot Springs. The juried festival is bursting with offerings by talented fine artists and artisans, along with fun children’s activities and events, and a wide variety of live performances. Art Springs is free and open to the public. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 29, and from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 30.

The Art Springs stage will showcase live performances from the headliner Brave Combo, as well as favorite local artists such as Jacob Flores, Miranda Brewer, Big Papa Binns, the Arkansas Highlands Folk Band, and The Glover Awards for Songwriting. The festival will also include a sidewalk chalk competition, “Under Pressure” a steamroller printing event, the Hot Springs Renaissance Faire, free children’s book give-away, a graffiti wall, Starstuff Studio Storytime, and a wide array of work by fine artists and artisans. Bring your appetite, as there will be plenty of food and drinks to purchase from some of the area’s best food trucks.

Art Springs is produced in partnership with Cutwell 4 Kids, Emergent Arts, Garland County Library, Hot Springs Renaissance Faire, the Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance (HSACA), and the Arkansas Highlands Folk Project. Art Springs is sponsored by Arvest Bank, Visit Hot Springs, ASMSA, Glover Girl Global Inc., and Walmart. Support for HSACA is provided in part by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, and the National Endowment for the Arts, Arkansas Community Foundation, and Elisabeth Wagner Foundation.

For a full schedule of events visit HotSpringsArts.org, pick up the April Issue of The Springs Magazine, or checkout The Springs Magazine online at https://thespringsmagazine.com.

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Brave Combo featured at Arts Springs Festival
Performing at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 –
Art Springs stage at Hill Wheatley Plaza in
downtown Hot Springs

Brave Combo, a Denton, Texas-based quintet, has, in their words, “Perfected a world music mix that includes salsa, merengue, rock, cumbia, conjunto, polka, zydeco, classical, cha-cha, the blues and more. They are America’s Premier Dance Band and a rollicking, rocking, rhythmic global journey.”

The band has been performing for over three decades, won two Grammy Awards, and have been nominated seven times. They have been featured in caricature on the iconic television series, The Simpsons. Brave Combo will perform live on the Art Springs stage on Saturday, April 29th, at 7 PM. The concert is free and open to the public.

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Chalk Walk at Art Springs – a free, judged sidewalk chalk event for students in grades K-12
8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m., Saturday, April 29, 2023 at Hill Wheatley Plaza in downtown Hot Springs

The Hot Springs Area Cultural Alliance (HSACA) will host the 5th Annual Sidewalk Chalk Walk during Art Springs, the two-day outdoor arts festival at Hill Wheatley Plaza in downtown Hot Springs. Chalk Walk will be held Saturday, April 29, from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. The event is a free, judged sidewalk chalk event for students in kindergarten through twelfth grades. Students will be divided into the following divisions: K-3, 4-6, 7-8, and 9-12. Judging will take place from 12-12:45 p.m. Winners will be announced on the Art Springs stage in Hill Wheatley Plaza at 1 p.m. Prizes will be awarded by division, and one prize will be given for the overall People’s Choice Award. Pre-registration is required. There will also be a creative expression area for children Pre-K and under. Adult supervision is required. Chalk Walk is generously sponsored by Walmart. The event will take place on the sidewalks adjacent to Hill Wheatley Plaza along Spring Street in downtown Hot Springs. Visit HotSpringsArts.org to register!

Photo by Kai Coggin (c)

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Henry Glover Songwriting Competition at Art Springs
Saturday, April 29 during Art Springs at Hill Wheatley Plaza
in downtown Hot Springs; The Glover Awards will be
announced at 6 p.m.

The third annual songwriting contest that pays homage to local music legend singer/songwriter, Henry Glover, will be held during Art Springs at Hill Wheatley Plaza in Hot Springs. The 2023 contest will be emceed by Arkansong’s Stephen Koch and will feature two categories of songwriting–instrumental and songs with lyrics. The Glover Awards, sponsored by Sharon Griffith Turrentine, will be held on Saturday, April 29 at 6 p.m. under the Glover Girl Global Tent at Art Springs. The Glover Award trophies were donated by ASMSA and are handmade by local artist Brad Wreyford.

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Kid’s Book Give-away at Art Springs
10 a.m. – 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 29 and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
on Sunday, April 30 at Hill Wheatley Plaza in downtown Hot Springs

Sponsored by the Theta Pi Sorority and a grant from the Arkansas Community Foundation, HSACA offers free children’s books to Art Springs guests.

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Children’s Crafts at Art Springs

11 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 29
and Noon – 4 p.m. on Sunday, April 30
at Hill Wheatley Plaza in downtown Hot Springs

Presented by the Garland County Library and Emergent Arts, Children can enjoy creating their own treasures as part of Art Springs!

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Hot Springs Renaissance Faire at Art Springs
Saturday, April 29 – Sunday, April 30
at Hill Wheatley Plaza in downtown Hot Springs

Enjoy the merriment of the faire as a glimpse of the Hot Springs Renaissance Faire will be featured at Art Springs in downtown Hot Springs. Play with the pirates, frolic with the fae, visit the townsfolk, and even meet the Queen herself. Medieval games, stories, activities, and more!

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Plein Air Painting Event
April 28-29 in Hot Springs
Concluding Exhibit and Awards Ceremony: 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 30 at Art Springs – Hill Wheatley Plaza in downtown Hot Springs 

As part of the Heart of America Artists’ Association’s series of Painting the Arkansas Parks, the association will be hosting a plein air painting event in Hot Springs, April 28-29 with a concluding exhibition and award ceremony planned for 1 p.m. on Sunday, April 30 at Art Springs. Artists wishing to participate in the event, can visit www.HeartOfAmericaArtists.com for registration information. Entry requires membership and an entry fee. The Heart of America Artists’ Association was created by respected artists Todd Williams and John P. Lasater IV, who have the vision to grow the appreciation of two-dimensional fine art, and to promote the culture of the Midwest to the fine arts community nationwide.

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Swap Meet at Art Springs
Noon – 3 p.m. on Saturday, April 29
at Hill Wheatley Plaza in downtown Hot Springs

What is the value of a life story? What would you trade for your tale? What is the value of being truly listened to? What makes an object value, is it the thing itself, or the memory attached to it? Swap Meet is a pop-up interactive art experience that explores those questions. Art Springs visitors can participate in free improvisational performances by finding the Swap Meet cart and sharing a story with the “vendor.” Pai Yin Mros, Michelle Crandell, Steve Bonner, and Jaylene Gonsalves will be creating improvisational performances with anyone wishing to explore the nature of interpersonal exchanges.

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Art Events at the Garland County Library
1427 Malvern Avenue, Hot Springs 

A variety of art and literary events will be held at the Garland County Library located at 1427 Malvern Avenue, during Arts & The Park. Visit www.HotSpringsArts.org for details and register for the writing workshop at www.gclibrary.com

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Studio Tours
10 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Saturday,
May 6 and Sunday, May7, 2023 

Learn more about talented area artists as they open their studios for on-site tours! Maps and directions to each studio are available in the April 2023 issue of The Springs Magazine (https://thespringsmagazine.com). Studio Tours are presented in partnership with Riser Ford.

Studio and artwork by Daniel Mark Cassity

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Gallery Walk
Friday, May 5, 2023 – participating galleries
and studio spaces in downtown Hot Springs

Gallery Walk is held the first Friday of every month from 5-9 p.m. Hot Springs area galleries and participating studio spaces will host a range of special events including new exhibit openings, demos, live music, refreshments, and more as part of Arts & The Park!

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Virtual Cooking with Chef Raymond Bauer of J&S Italian Villa
6 p.m. on May 2 via Zoom

Hot Springs’ very own interactive cooking show! A wildly popular virtual event where participants cook along with Chef Raymond Bauer of J & S Italian Villa, virtually, from the comfort of their own kitchen. The event is held via Zoom and participants are encouraged to ask questions of the chef as they cook. The finalized menu and shopping list will be emailed approximately one week before the event. Sign up at HotSpringsArts.org!

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The Finale: IBLA Foundation and Hot Springs
Dance Troupe Performance 7 p.m.
on Saturday, May 6 at The Pocket Theater 

The IBLA Foundation in New York City organizes annual music competitions for pianists, singers, instrumentalists and composers which take place in Ragusa Ibla, Italy. Winners have been presented in prestigious venues such as Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center Alice Tully Hall in New York; KIOI Hall and Tokyo Opera City Hal in Japan; Tchaikovsky Bolshoi Hall in Moscow; as well as other prestigious venues globally. The international performers will visit Hot Springs for a one night only performance at The Pocket Theater for the finale event of the 2023 Arts & The Park celebration of the arts.

The IBLA performance will feature six international artists, along with a performance from the Hot Springs Dance Troupe. The event will be held at the Pocket Theater is located at 170 Ravine Street in Hot Springs. For tickets, visit www.TicketLeap.com.