A reborn Ozarks art community
“From the end of the Civil War to the end of World War II,” Hot Springs, Ark., was known as “America’s Spa,” said William Schemmel in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Babe Ruth and Al Capone were among thousands of annual visitors who soaked themselves in the mineral baths at more than two dozen bathhouses. Penicillin and other antibiotics eventually rendered thermal cures obsolete, and by 1985 the Buckstaff was the only establishment on Bathhouse Row that remained open. Now the city is enjoying a renaissance, driven not by sitz baths, needle showers, and massage tables, but by modern art. An Italian artist named Benini opened a studio across from Bathhouse Row in 1987. “He attracted scores of artists from around the country and abroad, then, like the Pied Piper, moved on.” A gallery walk— the country’s longest-running—is held on the first Friday of every month, attracting thousands of visitors to exhibits at a dozen downtown galleries. Contact: Hotsprings.org
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
