Business of the Arts: Capturing a Sense of Place

At boutique hotel The Ozarker Lodge in Branson, experience is the name of the game.

On its website, guests are offered amenities like private cabanas, creekside soaking tubs and reservable firepits with wine and s’mores.

Occasionally, art is another amenity, with guests given the opportunity to watch artists in action as part of a residency program.

The opportunity is offered only sporadically, but sales and events manager Sophia Meltke says she is currently retooling it, with hopes of more regular offerings come fall.

The most recent artist in residence was visual artist Ashley Laren, who used a weekend stay in May 2024 to complete a colorful abstract painting and a series of pen-and-ink drawings – mostly in the lobby and on the grounds, where guests could observe her processes.

The Ozarker Lodge opened in 2023 and that year was named best independent hotel in the nation by the Independent Lodging Congress. The $10 million renovation of the former Fall Creek Inn & Suites on Branson’s State Highway 165 was a project of Jeremy Wells and Dustin Meyers, partners in hospitality branding firm Longitude LLC and investment group Flyover Developments LLC, in partnership with national firm Eagle Point Hotel Partners, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

It turns out that a fresh idea locally is reflective of a national trend. A 2024 article in Travel & Leisure magazine notes that hotels around the world are embracing art, not only through galleries and displays, but by offering space and time for artists to create.

An example is found in The Betsy, a classic Art Deco hotel in Miami’s South Beach. In a decadelong program named The Betsy Writer’s Room, artists from multiple disciplines – with preference given to poets – are offered accommodations to complete works. Five-day stays are offered at no charge and include breakfast and a small per diem allocation.

The Betsy website says the program recognizes historic writing rooms that existed in 1940s hotels. The idea goes back even further, however, with Impressionist painter Claude Monet given accommodations by the Savoy, London, in 1899.

Another more recent example is found at the Ace Hotel in Brooklyn, which since 2014 has offered a room as studio space for an artist for a month, then showcases the resulting body of work on-site. Public programs are part of the experience.

Business Traveller magazine in an article from this month states the trend is driven by changing consumer demands, with travelers looking to hotels as a portal to local culture. “A hotel shouldn’t just be a transient stop, but part of an enriching, authentic travel experience,” the article states.

Meltke concurs. She said visitors at The Ozarker don’t just use the hotel as a home base while they attend parks and shows; instead, the lodge itself is the draw.

“A lot of people come to Branson to go out and explore,” she said. “With The Ozarker Lodge, we are very experience oriented. When guests come to stay at the lodge, we don’t want them in their room; we want them to stay on the property and explore the lodge, too.”

The lobby is cozy and features lots of natural light, Meltke said, and artists can set up there or on the grounds.

“It depends on the artist and what they’re here to create – what feeds their inspiration,” she said.

For Laren, inspiration came in the lobby, and patterns from its textiles and decor are echoed in her painting, “Inn by the Creek.” She said she enjoyed answering questions from guests who wandered by as she worked.

But Laren also enjoyed working outdoors, she said.

“I liked the creek behind the lodge – it was surrounded by trees, and I could hear water flowing over rocks,” she said. “It was comforting, and it was nice and sunny the whole time.”

Laren learned about the program from a fellow artist who had participated, and this prompted her to inquire about the opportunity. After that, it was as easy as scheduling her three-night stay, she said.

Asked how many residencies The Ozarker has hosted so far, Meltke wasn’t sure. The program has been carrying on in a low-key, informal way, with a handful of artists accommodated as space, interest and whimsy dictated.

But that’s going to change, with a target of formalizing the program to commence this fall, she said. She said she plans to offer two to three nights at no charge – or possibly more, depending on the project the artist has in mind. Artists would be given other perks, too, like complementary beverages, snacks, Ozarker swag and the Creekside package, ordinarily a $200 add-on that includes a two-hour firepit experience with s’mores, wine and a charcuterie board. The artist is also welcome to bring a companion and a pet, she said.

According to Meltke, having an artist in residence showcases a different side of the Ozarks to visitors. Indeed, Laren’s contemporary, shape-driven, abstract style may offer a whole new idea about the region if one’s main point of reference has been “The Beverly Hillbillies.”

“Although we’re out here in the Ozarks boonies, art and culture is everywhere,” Meltke said. “It comes in all different shapes, styles and forms – that’s what art is all about.”

The Ozarker also has a music program, with musicians playing every Wednesday and Saturday. There, too, guests can experience the current art of the Ozarks, she said – much more than just banjos and fiddles, though those are embraced, too.

Those artists and writers who are interested in participating in the revamped residency program this fall are invited to contact The Ozarker Lodge for details, Meltke said.