"Ranger Cabin in Afternoon Light" by Richard Stephens. Photo courtesy of Hot Springs Nat'l Park.

The Artist-in-Residence program at Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

Strolling through the Fordyce Bathhouse, visitors can learn all about the history of the bathing industry in Hot Springs, but they also have an opportunity to view a multitude of artistic renderings of Hot Springs National Park – created by participants of the park’s Artist-In-Residence Program.
Started in 2004, the program has welcomed close to 50 professional artists, who live and work in the park for two to four weeks to interpret its beauty through various media. Participants have included painters, photographers, sculptors, crafters, filmmakers, performers, writers and composers.
“It’s a great way for them to meet our visitors and share their love of art and share what they’re creating,” said Park Interpreter Lisa Garvin, who helps oversee the program.
The park welcomes at least three artists each year, who complete their residency at a quaint cabin located at the Gulpha Gorge Campground. At the end of their stay, each artist donates one piece of original artwork to the park’s permanent collection, which is on display in the Fordyce Bathhouse.
The artists, who must complete an application for consideration, are selected by a panel of park staff and subject matter representatives. In 2004, the program featured all local artists, with Alison Parsons selected as the first artist-in-residence.

“Fire Pit at Gulpa Gorge” by Alison Parsons. Photo courtesy of Hot Springs Nat’l Park.
“The first year… we went to the different artists here in Hot Springs and worked with them one-on-one because we knew we had some great artists,” Garvin said.
The program was then expanded to applicants nationwide and has since welcomed artists from Colorado, California, and Florida. Other local artists who have participated over the years include Linda Palmer, Beverly Buys, Gary Simmons, D. Arthur Wilson, Donna Dunnahoe, and Richard Stephens.

“A Day at the Bath” by D. Arthur Wilson. Photo courtesy of Hot Springs Nat’l Park.
“The Artist-in-Residence program at Hot Springs National Park was one of the most encouraging things that ever happened to me as an artist,” said Buys, a photographer who completed a residency in May 2009.
“The opportunity just meant the world to me in terms of having a whole month to devote to my art and nothing else,” she said. “I feel that I was happier making my art then than at any other point in my career. It was a month for me to devote myself entirely to the experience of interpreting the beauty of the park. As an artist, that just does not happen very often.”
At the Gallery Walk following their residencies, the artists display their works in the Fordyce lobby and participate in a meet and greet with the public. For more information about the program or to download an application form, click here.