ArtStroll features soap making and dancers

The Second Friday ArtStroll January 13 from 5-7 p.m. will feature art, a soap making demonstration, and special dance and musical performances by a Russian troupe. The event continues on Still Strolling Saturday during regular business hours. This is the first ArtStroll of 2017 and it promises to be lots of fun.

Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation has brought Moscow Nights/Golden Gates performers to town. Participating Stroll businesses will close shortly before 7 p.m. for the concert.

Pick up a Stroll map at any Stroll business to find the location of artists and musicians. Return the map to the host location, Hot Springs County Museum and Historical Society, at the end of Friday evening’s stroll to be entered to win a piece of art work donated by the artists.

Jen Taylor will demonstrate soap making on Friday evening at 6 p.m. at the Hot Springs County Museum. Taylor has honed her skills making goat milk soap and lotions in a variety of scents and will share this talent at 6 p.m. Bring the family for a Make It and Take It Art Activity. While at the museum, view the Joe & Mildred Ernst doll display which features dolls from around the world collected by Mildred on their trips abroad.

Work by Jack Beckwith will be on display. Beckwith produces incredibly detailed images of history and fantasy. He works with pen and ink, oils, and acrylics. Artist Joyce Fletcher will demonstrate her textile art. She began crocheting when she was 10 years old and has added knitting, looming, hair pin lace, liquid embroidery, Tunisian crochet, and tatting to her repertoire. She is also a great teacher of all these needle arts.

Stephanie Conrad and Stefanie Gilbert will be featuring handmade and repurposed items and they offer a variety of classes. Sallie will be showing her multi-media art. Mike Howland will be performing at the Stroll.

Terry Sani’s colorful cardboard bird decoys will be on display. Sani started making decoys for himself and then began to create decoys for sale as folks saw and admired his work. Jondi Alcor is a multimedia artist who makes furniture, instruments, and other items, and describes himself as the Head Dismantlatista of The Sawdust Factory.

Several locations will be selling raffle tickets to support Smoking Waters Art Guild’s monthly Strolls and to offer demonstrations and other educational activities to members and the community at large. Raffle tickets are $1 each, 6 for $5, and 13 for $10. The drawing will be at the SWAG Gala on Tuesday, Jan. 17 and you need not be present to win. Four Guild members have donated eye-catching pieces of art for the raffle. The artwork by Cindy Clancy (acrylic painting), Marcia Nelson (fused glass), Debbie Stroppel (photography) and Sallie Wesaw (pottery) will be on display.

Continue strolling on Still Strolling Saturday during regular business hours. Be sure to catch John Davis talking about his recently published “Trial of Tom Horn” at the museum at 2 p.m. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served.

The Second-Friday ArtStroll and Still Strolling Saturday are organized by Hot Springs Greater Learning Foundation and Smoking Waters Art Guild with additional help from Main Street Thermopolis and Hot Springs Travel & Tourism.