American Art Gallery & Gifts

If you are looking for something unique and unusual in fine art, it can be found at the American Art Gallery, 724 Central Avenue, in downtown Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas.

The American Art Gallery represents local, regional, national and International artists, and is a Thomas Kinkade (Painter of Light) Showcase Gallery.

The gallery boasts more than 4,000 square feet in two levels and displays all types of art for your viewing pleasure. The upstairs space houses the Thomas Kinkade Showcase Gallery, and the remainder of the gallery represents more than a dozen other artists, including Redlin, Barnhouse, Bush, Hanks, Govinder, Peterson, G. Harvey, Dyke, duBoise, Challenger, Frace, Thornton, Coon, Wysocki, Meger, Kunstler, Strain, Troiani, and many more.

The gallery participates in the monthly downtown Gallery Walks, which bring the entire downtown area alive with art lovers. Demonstrations by artists are scheduled to coincide with the Gallery Walks, held the first Friday of each month. Fine craft demonstrations of wood turned vessels are favorites, as are those by painters and sculptors.

Also, the gallery rotates new art shows throughout the year, with artists present to talk and demonstrate their fine art.

The American Art Gallery, which opened on Jan. 22, 1993, is owned by Willie and Ann Gilbert. The Gilberts are both active in the downtown community. Willie has served as president of the Gallery Guide Association since 1999. He also has been a member of the Arts Advisory Committee for five years. Willie and Ann are both members of the Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Merchants Association.

The Gilberts invite you to come by the American Art Gallery and Gifts LLC and Thomas Kinkade Showcase Gallery. They would love to meet you!

A Little Hot Springs Art History…

In the fall of 1988, Ann Gilbert, director of the American Art Gallery, was exhibiting art in the national park across from the Arlington Resort Hotel & Spa when the Beninis first visited Hot Springs.

The Beninis were impressed with the exhibit and, after walking through the historic district, decided Hot Springs was where they wanted to live and establish an arts community. They returned to Hot Springs a few weekends later and purchased the building that became known as THEARTFOUNDATION, and with enthusiasm, hard work and cooperation with other art patrons and artists, helped to launch an artistic renaissance downtown.

By the spring of 1989, Ann Gilbert’s works were on display at the Arkansas Art Gallery, which was located on the corner of Spring and Broadway Street in Hot Springs, and soon other artists flocked to town, bringing with them their artistic works and vision, spawning the opening of more galleries and studios downtown.

As the arts community grew, gallery owners conceived and enacted the Gallery Walk, a monthly open arts reception, in August 1989. The walks were originally held on the first Thursday and Friday evenings, but eventually were pared back to the first Friday evening of each month, and remains so today.

In order to keep Gallery walks well-coordinated, gallery owners and resident artists meet both formally and informally on a regular basis, and all galleries participate with a series of demonstrations, lectures and changing exhibits for the public to enjoy.

As the tourist hub of the state, Hot Springs attracts a varied clientele and the galleries reflect that with equally diverse art works, attracting artists from around the country and the world.

Today, Hot Springs is recognized as (No. 4) one of the “100 Best Art Towns in America.”