The 2025 Arkansas Quail and Turkey Stamp Art Competition combines art with conservation, showcasing the beauty of the state’s wildlife through the abilities of painters from all over the country while also providing funding for habitat restoration.
The Historic Cane Hill Gallery will host an exhibition, which will begin with a reception at 3 p.m. Saturday and will announce the winning paintings as well as feature all approved submissions in both the quail and turkey categories. The exhibit is free and accessible to the public and will continue to be on display weekly from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday through Saturday until April 19.
Lawrence McElroy, director of arts and culture at Historic Cane Hill, says this is the fourth year the gallery has hosted the nationwide competition for wildlife artists.
The artwork portrays the northern bobwhite quail and the eastern wild turkey, two species important to the natural heritage of the Ozarks region, according to the competition’s website.
“At one point, we had plenty of quail and turkey here, and that went away,” says McElroy. “We are bringing that back, but we also are sort of telling that story of that revival through the arts. So, we have these gorgeous paintings that are coming in, and it’s a really optimal way to tell that story.”
Artists compete to have their art featured on the 2025 Quail and Turkey Conservation Stamps issued by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The grand prize winner will get $2,500, with second and third places receiving $500 and $250.
However, this yearly art display is part of a bigger collaboration between the commission and the Arkansas Game and Fish Foundation, which aims to raise conservation awareness and provide funding to habitat restoration.
Clint Johnson, the Game and Fish Commission’s quail program coordinator, stresses how the stamp art competition connects conservationists and the arts community. The small dollars coming through a voluntary stamp program are magnified to make a bigger impact on the landscape, he says.
The commission uses the profits from the optional $9.50 stamps to assist in habitat restoration, funding more than 60 projects in 30 counties. These projects, designed in conjunction with the National Wild Turkey Federation and Quail Forever, have resulted in approximately $2.5 million in habitat improvements for wild quail and turkeys, according to the collected numbers from the commission since 2011. From grassland restoration and invasive species removal to tree thinning and managed burns, the projects aim to improve publicly accessible areas for a diverse spectrum of animals.
Last year’s first place winner in the quail category was Dan Andrews from Denver. He’s a wildlife artist working with oil paints who regularly competes in art competitions. He says he doesn’t consider himself a hunter, but in his free time, he’s outside watching animals and birds as references for his art.
In addition to attending last year’s reception, Andrews also did the museum’s Habitat Restoration Tour of the privately held land in Cane Hill, where restoration work for quail, turkey, deer, grassland songbirds and pollinators is currently ongoing.
“It’s just good to get people talking about what things to do to keep these birds and animals around,” he says. “With all the challenges of habitat loss and the climate change things that are affecting [them]. So it’s good to keep it all in front of people’s minds.”
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2025 Arkansas Quail and Turkey Stamp Art Exhibit
WHEN — 3 p.m. March 15 reception; on display 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Thursday-Saturday until April 19
WHERE — Historic Cane Hill Gallery, 14327 Arkansas 45, Canehill
COST — Free
INFO — historiccanehillar.org/2025-arkansas-quail-and-turkey-stamp-events
BONUS: The Encore Habitat Restoration Tour, which begins at 1 p.m. March 15, will provide a guided tour of Cane Hill’s privately owned acreage, where restoration work for quail, turkey, deer, grassland songbirds and pollinators is currently ongoing. The tour is free, but there is limited capacity; therefore, registration is essential.
On March 29, Historic Cane Hill will host an Encore Quail Dinner, featuring award-winning local Chef Case Dighero. Guests may have a four-course outdoor supper by Jordan Creek. The main course is harissa-rubbed quail with wild mushroom risotto, asparagus and Peruvian sweet peppers. Tickets are $150 per person.