Hot Springs, Arkansas, one of the top cities for art in America is not short on galleries. Most of the galleries are lined up along Central Avenue, right across from Bath House Row and the Visitor’s Center, making for easy window shopping. While the more remarkable works of art range into the thousands, a budget of $500 can snag a pretty remarkable piece. Shopping in Hot Springs is not complete without wandering through the art galleries.
Like most family destinations, the art gravitates toward landscapes and watercolors. Scenes of meadows and mountains are certainly beautiful, but my cup of tea is something a little more edgy. Surprisingly, I found the S.T.A.R. Gallery, aimed at art consumers a little less traditional. It was definitely my favorite. Some works were a little dark (a carved skull with a meat cleaver stuck in it). Some works were an appealing mixture of bright colors with a dark message. Others were just darn cheerful. In the back room, a small drawing, looking like a biker tattoo caught my eye. I wasn’t attracted to the biker girl, but the message “Mess With Texas.” I brought home a ceramic fish from a table of ceramic fishes. If I decorated a hotel lobby, I would have a cabinet with dozens of the fishes. Perhaps that’s why I don’t decorate hotel lobbies. They would also be a great find for a hotel boutique. This is definitely an art gallery for bikers more than grandmas. Unless grandma is a biker, of course.
Blue Moon Gallery, my other favorite art gallery in Hot Springs, showed a variety of artists. My favorite was Wendeline Matson. Of course I gravitate toward simple images with bright colors.
www.bluemoonartgallery.com
When you arrive, looking for something to do in Hot Springs, pick up a gallery guide from the Hot Springs Convention & Visitors Bureau Visitor’s Center on Central Avenue. You can also visit their website, but all galleries may not be listed, as S.T.A.R. Gallery is not.
Here are some of the Arkansas art galleries on Central Avenue in Hot Springs:
- Alison Parsons Gallery – 802 Central Ave – www.alisonparsons.com
- American Art Gallery – 724 Central Ave – www.americanartgalleryandgifts.com
- Artists Workshop Gallery – 810 Central Ave – www.artistsworkshopgallery.com
- Blue Moon Gallery – 718 Central Ave – www.bluemoonartgallery.com
- Crystal Springs Gallery – 626 Central Ave – www.hsfac.com
- Gallery 726 – 726 Central Ave – www.gallery726.com
- Gallery Central – 800 Central Ave – www.gallerycentralfineart.com
- Justus Fine Art Gallery – 827A Central Ave – www.justusfineart.com
- Legacy Gallery – 804 Central Ave
- Linda Palmer Gallery – 800B Central Ave – www.lindawilliamspalmer.com