Artists

Eureka Springs is Home To the Mad Hatter

A brilliant mind hidden by an outrageous hat…the Mad Hatter was a guest at the Tea Party in Alice in Wonderland’s adventures. Today, the Mad Hatter lives in Eureka Springs and every year, he throws a big party in October called the Mad Hatter Ball!

Whimsical hats and outrageous costumes are part of the fun at the Annual Mad Hatter’s Ball in Eureka Springs.

The Mad Hatter’s Ball is the largest fundraising event for the Eureka Springs School of the Arts and is held in the Crystal Dining Room at the Historic 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa. A silent auction touts fantastic works of art and gift packages, allowing guests to support the schools mission “to cultivate, promote and encourage artistic expression by providing art education opportunities in a unique environment of beauty and creativity!” Guests are required to wear wild hats and costumes….the crazier…the better. Enjoy great food, hat contests and a whole lot of dancing. Tickets are available at ESSA.

Make it a date and stay where the party is. Check room availability at the Crescent Hotel.

October 9, 2012

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Autumn Photography Workshop with Renowned Landscape Photographer

Explore the incredible photographic possibilities of the iphone, ipad with this workshop. Edward C. Robison III takes you on a tour of Autumn in the Ozarks and shows you how to create and edit beautiful photos using apps for the iphone, ipad and ipod touch.

Robison has photographed landscapes throughout the United States and currently resides in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Robison’s photographs have been featured in the Sierra Club’s Calendar and can also be seen on the Arkansas Art Trail.

Read more about Edward C. Robison III or visit Sacred Earth Gallery to learn more.

Register for the photography workshop in Kansas beginning August 25th or in Eureka Springs, Arkansas beginning November 10th.

October 9, 2012

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Eureka Springs Art Galleries

The Eureka Springs Artists & Galleries Guide has a map to guide you. Pick up one at the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce Visitors Center.

Eureka Springs is home to hundreds of working artists and there are more than 25 art galleries in the Eureka Springs area. When you are in town, pick up an Artists & Galleries Map Directory from the Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center on Highway 62.

Here is a partial listing of galleries in and around Historic Downtown Eureka Springs:

Serendipity at Crescent Hotel – 75 Prospect

The Prospect Gallery – 42 Prospect

Gryphon’s Roost Spa & Gallery – 137 Spring

Mitchell’s Folly Art & Antiques – 130-136 Spring

Fusion Squared – 84 Spring

Magee Jewelry – 80 Spring 83

Spring Street Gallery- 83 Spring

Eureka Springs is home to dozens of art galleries and is recognized as a Top 25 Art Destination by American Style Magazine.

Zarks Fin Art Gallery – 67 Spring

The Jewel Box – 77 Spring

J.A. Nelson Gallery- 37 Spring

Eureka Daily Roast – 27 Spring

Wilson & Wilson Folk Art – 23 Spring

Eureka Thyme – 19 Spring

Iris at the Basin Park – 8 Spring

Out on Main Gallery – 1 Basin Spring Ave (stairwell)

For more art gallery listings visit the Eureka Springs Gallery Association website.

August 11, 2012

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Discover the art of vacation in August on the Arkansas Art Trail

Get back to your roots. Celebrate American heritage with some good ole mountain music in the mountain town of Eureka Springs during the Bluegrass Festival the second weekend in August. Attend an authentic Banjo Rally later in the month. You don’t play the banjo? Don’t worry, spectators are welcome. Let music uplift your spirit with an old fashioned Gospel Concert in the historic Auditorium in downtown Eureka Springs. Visit the Official Eureka Springs Calendar of Events for more details.

Eureka Springs is home to dozens of art galleries and is recognized as a Top 25 Art Destination by American Style Magazine.

Explore local flavor. Watch a cooking demonstration by Karen Gros in Eureka Springs. Join Karen in her provencial-style home for cooking demonstrations of seasonal, French inspired food. Want to try your hand a preparation? Karen will teach you to prepare the dishes on your own with a hands-on cooking class and tasting lunch. Dishes feature locally produced foods from Foundation Farm and Serenity Farms of Eureka Springs.

Discover the Art of vacation. Enjoy the sights, smells, and sounds of downtown Eureka Springs with a gallery stroll. Discover world class art in dozens of galleries. Stop to enjoy a glass of wine between galleries and listen to street musicians as you stroll from one gallery to the next. Find a treasure made by a local artist at the Holiday Island Art Show. Find inspiration with an art film at Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.

PLAN YOUR VACATION ON THE ARKANSAS ART TRAIL TODAY. STAY OVERNIGHT ON THE TRAIL.

July 24, 2012

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On the Trail: An Artist Studio Tour

All along the recently opened Arkansas Art Trail, travelers can find places where art is hung like Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art; places where art is made like the artist village of Eureka Springs; and places that inspire such art like the hills and hollows of The Ozarks. During April, the trail creators have also created a series of special workshops and exhibits entitled “April Art Experiences”. These efforts come from a partnership between the Arkansas Art Trail and the 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa, located in Eureka Springs on top of Crescent Mountain.

The first “art experience” features well-respected Eureka Springs artist, Larry Mansker. This Kansas City native has made the most of the Trail’s vistas with a focus on the panoramic views of Eureka Springs. “Whether ones view is from a mountaintop or at street level, the eye can be trained to see things in a happy mood that expresses the brighter aspects of being alive,” Mansker explained.

Mansker’s exclusive package, entitled “Artist Studio Tour”, will be held at both the Crescent and at the artist’s private studio all on the evening of April 15, 2012. The event begins with a tour of the 1886 Crescent Hotel and its eclectic art collection. The tour will be led by hotel Vice-President of Operations and Development Jack Moyer. The tour includes the commissioned display of Larry Mansker’s detailed murals that depict local scenes enhanced by popular local activities.

Detail of mural by Eureka Springs artist, Larry Mansker. April's "Art Experiences" include a tour of Mansker's private art studio and dinner with the artist.

Following the hotel sojourn will be an intimate, artist-led tour of Mansker’s studio. Wine and cheese will be served as the artist shares his private collection and workspace. Attendees will then return to the hotel for an artistically inspired dinner in the elegant Crystal Dining Room Restaurant.

“This gathering is designed to be both intimate and revealing,” said Mansker. “I want attendees to get a true feel of the elements of design –line, texture, contrast, composition and color- that create that happy mood in my paintings. I want to teach attendees how to ‘feel’ a painting with their emotions rather than simply gazing upon it with their eyes.”

The“Artist Studio Tour” package, based on two people per package, includes overnight lodging and breakfast at the Crescent Hotel, the private studio tour and reception, and dinner in the Crystal Dining Room Restaurant with the artist. Participation is limited to the first 10 reservations with package rates beginning at $199. For full package and workshop details call the Crescent Hotel at 800-342-9766.

April 10, 2012

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Art Experiences in April: Arkansas Art Trail features sites and events where nature inspires art

“Each moment of the year has its own beauty…every hour a picture which was never seen before… shall never be seen again.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Imagine a place where rare images of beauty were displayed every hour, delicate works of art which had never been seen before can be seen only once. Emerson believed these images were created by nature every moment. Waiting be discovered, nature’s most creative work is on display on the Arkansas Art Trail. Visitors discover places where art and nature come together and where threads of discovery, exploration and reverence for the American landscape weave compelling tapestries that illustrate the American experience … past and present.

During the month of April, in partnership with the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa, the Arkansas Art Trail introduces the American Experience as celebrated in Arkansas. Through art, music, dance and literature in ways that are as enigmatic as the Arkansas landscape.

The Arkansas Art Trail was inspired by the Hudson River School Art Trail. In the 19^th century, artists of the Hudson River School captured iconic landscapes of the northeast with paint. Following the example of American writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, they sought an “original relation to the universe” through a life of simplicity and independence. In the process, American artists defined what it was to be American helped to shape a national identity that valued individualism and rugged beauty.

Today, artists are still creating defining work. The American landscape, both rugged and fragile, is an inspiration. The Arkansas Art Trail highlights unique architecture created with purpose and fundamental connections to the land. It stops for breathtaking vistas and wild rivers, and introduces visitors to the artists working in the Arkansas landscape. The trail offers a deeper look at the side of Arkansas many have never seen.

April’s art experiences are limited but with year round appeal, visitors to the Arkansas Art Trail are sure to discover moments of beauty “never seen before.” A visit to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art provides an opportunity to see original 19^th century Hudson River School paintings and a stop in Eureka Springs , a Top 25 Arts Destination, allows visitors to watch regional artists paint in plein aire or get creative with an art class, enjoy the music of esteemed international musicians or sit down to an authentic hootenanny, experience life in a historic town or marvel in contemporary architecture that celebrates the beauty of the outdoors.

Here are just a few of April’s Art Experiences:

Artist Studio Tour – April 15, 2012
Take a docent led tour of the 1886 Crescent Hotel & Spa and see local artist, Larry Mansker’s murals. Meet Mansker in his art studio for a glass of wine and then settle down for a splendid dinner with the docent and Mansker at the Chef’s table in the Crystal Dining Room Restaurant.

Package includes:

Painting of downtown Eureka Springs by Larry Mansker.

• 1 night stay in a Premium Room, breakfast included
• Studio Tour for Two
• Dinner with Artist in the Crystal Dining Room Restaurant for Two
(Artist Studio Tour is limited to 20 people.)

Photography Exhibit & Workshop – April 19-20, 2012
Explore the Ozarks with renowned landscape photographer and local artist, Edward C. Robison III. Follow Robison to some of his favorite photo spots and shoot at sunset then join Robison the following morning. See some of his photographs of the Ozarks and review photos taken the day before.

Package includes:
• 1 night stay in a Premium Room, breakfast included.
• April 19th & 20th- 4 hour photo tour of the Ozarks and morning workshop

Landscape photographer Edward C. Robison III.

(Photography Exhibit & Workshop is limited to 12 people.)

Meet an Artist in Residence – April 24-26, 2012
Learn to paint abstract birds, flowers and landscapes with artist Karrie Evenson. Evenson will be working in residence at the Crescent Hotel. Meet Evenson and watch her paint on the evening of April 25^th. Enjoy wine and cheese.

Package Includes:
• Stay in a Premium Room, breakfast included
• Attend 2 workshop classes per day for two people
• Attend the wine & cheese reception on Wednesday, April 25th with Artist.

(Artist in Residence is limited to 10/workshop)

Artist in Residence Karrie Evenson.

April 4, 2012

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On the Trail: an artist’s discovery

Edward sits at the table overlooking the Crescent garden in Eureka Springs. With a contemplative smile he begins his story. “We had to helicopter into a remote part of the canyon and repel down,” he says calmly.

Inspiration point in the autumn captured by Eureka Springs photographer, Edward C. Robison III.

Edward C. Robison III is an accomplished landscape photographer. His connection to nature and his recognition of what is sacred are profound in his photographs. It is what draws people to his work.

It was an internship with renowned landscape photographer Michael Fatali that led Edward to a remote slot canyon in Utah. Having helicoptered in, Edward found himself in an isolated place where few people ever have the chance or courage to travel to; it changed him. Surrounded by natural beauty and mentored by Fatali, Edward found his purpose. Fatali openly acknowledges that he photographs, “places of mystery” where he feels, “at peace with the power of the Earth’s spirit.” Fatali believes his photographs are reflections of the “light and power” of nature. His influence on Edward’s work is unmistakable. Edward’s richly layered yet masterfully simple photographs are meditative moments. They allow the viewer to intimately connect with a sacred space in nature that they may have never witnessed on their own.

Edward brings a love of the landscape to his work. Growing up in the great outdoors, he attributes his passion for nature to time spent exploring with his father. His acute perception to the natural processes surrounding him inspired his creativity early. He began capturing nature’s moments with paint on canvas. As a young adult he followed his passion with formal art studies. Edward studied at the Kansas City Institute of Art, an institutional leader in visual arts education. “The Kansas City Institute stressed the importance of substance in art,” Edward says. “It is where I learned just how important it is to incorporate a strong spiritual element in my work.”

More than just the likenesses of a place under beautiful light, Edward’s photographs are like the quite hum of bees in a field or a softly stirring breeze through woodland trees. They nudge the viewer to joie de vivre, an exuberant enjoyment of life. With what he describes as a “sensitivity and energetic connection with nature,” he finds and captures the beauty of nature in less suspecting places. “I think I see things differently,” Edward confesses. “My appreciation of nature allows me to find the sacred in my own backyard. I try to show others what I have discovered through my work.”

Hawksbill Crag in the Buffalo River National Park captured by Edward C. Robison III.

Although Edward has photographed Yellowstone and other high profile sites, he is perhaps most recognized for his photographs of less famous (less traveled) places in the central United States and most recently in Arkansas. The ethereal qualities of Edward’s photographs have naturally placed them in the internationally acclaimed Sierra Club Desk Calendar 4 years in a row and although he could call anywhere home, Edward C. Robison and his family still live in Eureka Springs where he continues to find beauty in his backyard. His work is featured on the Arkansas Art Trail. His book, Postcards from Eureka, he records the beauty of the quirkly little Ozark Mountain town, Eureka Springs. His gallery, Sacred Earth, is located just west of Eureka Springs on the Arkansas Art Trail and catalogs his progress and travels. His work can be viewed and prints can be obtained from the Sacred Earth Gallery website.

Chances are if you are looking at an amazing photograph of the sun setting at Inspiration Point or a waterfall in the Buffalo River National Park, it is Edward’s vision and image. His photographs are in high demand and are often used to promote Eureka Springs and the surrounding area. His work is featured on EurekaSprings.com, the Arkansas Art Trail, and more recently the Buffalo River National Park Region.

Make your own discoveries on the Trail with Edward. Register for one of his Workshops. See his work displayed throughout Eureka Springs and all along the Arkansas Art Trail. Follow Arkansas Art Trail and Sacred Earth Gallery on Facebook.

March 2, 2012

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New Museum Inspires Creation of Art Trail

With attention to the Northwest Arkansas region on a high mark with the opening of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and the Sesquicentennial Commemoration of the Civil War, tourism leaders in the region have come together to develop the Arkansas Art Trail. The trail was designed to give visitors to the area an opportunity to see more of Arkansas-its natural beauty and cultural inspiration.

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art is attracting a lot of national attention and is expected to draw large groups of art enthusiasts to its official opening. Welcoming all “to celebrate the American spirit in a setting that unites the power of art with the beauty of landscape,” Crystal Bridges opens November 11, 2011. With that on the horizon, the Arkansas Art Trail has been launched to help these enthusiasts discover other culturally significant sites and inspirational natural settings. Simply put, the Arkansas Art Trail maps places in the Natural State where nature inspires art.

Inspired by the well known Hudson Valley Art Trail in New York, the Arkansas Art Trail features breathtaking vistas, mountain views, nationally significant sites, and natural settings. These points of visual interest are complimented by architectural features and made meaningful by local heritage and cultural sites. The Arkansas Art Trail includes ten stops that include destinations like Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and historic cowntown Eureka Springs but it also guides trail followers to lesser known but nationally significant points of interest like Boxley Valley and Inspiration Point.

ArkansasArtTrail.com provides resources to guide visitors on their actual or virtual journey along the Trail. Trail travelers are encouraged to do three simple things: wear comfortable shoes, open their eyes widely, and prepare to be inspired. Realistically, viewing the Arkansas Art Trail in its entirety can take three to seven days depending upon how long visitors choose to linger at each site or how many side trips are taken. The Trail has been organized into three legs that take an average of one day to complete. Side trips noted include additional inspirational sites with pictorial samples highlighting each leg of the trail.

Images from the trail seen on the website were provided by local Eureka Springs photographer Edward Robison III who owns and operates a gallery in Eureka Springs.

October 15, 2011

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