03/02/2026
🐦⬛ Multi-talented Hot Springs artist Jeri Hillis has created the logo that will identify the first Birding Festival of the South, to be held in Hot Springs, Arkansas October 8 – 10!
“Jeri Hillis’ logo, featuring Arkansas’s official bird — the mockingbird — is the perfect visual representation of our intention to present the best possible experience for birding enthusiasts from across our region,” said Alexis Hampo, special events manager for Visit Hot Springs. “We’re hard at work lining up three days of events and experiences that will bring our area’s rich birding resources to everyone in the region who loves all aspects of birding.”
“The mockingbird was chosen for the logo for the first Birding Festival of the South in Hot Springs because it is the state bird of Arkansas,” Hillis said. “I placed the bird inside a circle with a background of the misty hills of Hot Springs National Park and a clear yet hazy soft blue sky, moist from the hot springs.
“Being aware of the traditional and historic nature of the town, I was struck by the iconic structural presence of the historic Bathhouse Row and I wanted to include this heritage of Hot Springs in the logo.”
Hillis has been a part of the Hot Springs arts community for 20 years. She was the 2020 artist in residence for the National Park Service in Hot Springs. She received a BA degree from Hampshire College in Amherst, Mass., and has been a teaching Artist-in-Education with the Arkansas Arts Council for 11 years. She teaches pottery classes at National Park College Continuing Education. She recently became an adjunct professor at National Park College, teaching painting and 3D design.
Describing details of the logo, Hillis said, “I created a line drawing of the architectural facades of the bathhouses for the mockingbird to stand upon in a strong westward pose, positioning the mockingbird facing left with a classic stern and straight attitude. Incorporating the historical architecture directly aligns with the uniqueness the location and with one of the reasons for visiting Hot Springs National Park, enjoying a hot therapeutic bath.
“There is a Compass Rose centered beneath the bird's feet. This was a suggested design element which I feel carries the weight of the geographical expanse that the festival will hopefully have. I enjoyed penning by hand the typeface Seaford Display as the logo typeface. Inside the border I incorporated bird footprints traveling counterclockwise following the direction of the bird's gaze, hoping for a little whimsy.”
“This is a new event that will highlight bird watching opportunities in and around Hot Springs,” said Visit Hot Springs Marketing Director Bill Solleder. “I know we are blessed with vast areas of protected habitat in the National Park and the surrounding Ouachita National Forest, plus we have our three area lakes, so we’re perfectly situated for prime birding opportunities.”
The Birding Festival of the South will be designed around the interests of beginner, novice and serious birders alongside cultural arts events that will be inspired by birding. The timing of the event will coincide with the annual Fall Migration, opening the exciting opportunity to see birds not native to Hot Springs. Bird watching is gaining significant momentum in the United States with participation nearly doubling in recent years.
A 2022 United States Fish and Wildlife Service survey found that 96 million Americans — more than a third of adults — participate in the activity, making it one of the most popular outdoor pastimes in the country.
