- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Stewart Gains Valuable Experience Through Internship with Johnny Cash Sculptor Kevin Kresse

John Hill — Fri, 26 Aug 2022 13:19:42 +0000

Nicole Stewart, a junior studio art major at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, had a rare opportunity to work on a public sculpture that will be placed in the U.S. Capitol Building after interning with Johnny Cash sculptor Kevin Kresse this summer. The National Statuary Hall Steering Committee selected Kresse, a ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumnus and skilled artist, in June 2021 to create an eight-foot-tall bronze statue of the country music star as one of two new statues that will represent Arkansas in the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Idaho artist Benjamin Victor is creating the second statue of Daisy Bates, a civil rights leader and journalist. As part of her internship, Stewart has worked on the Cash sculpture throughout the summer and has learned all the “tips and tricks” that go into creating a sculpture. Stewart equates interning with Kresse to “learning karate from Mr. Miyagi.” While already a fan of Cash, Stewart said she’s learned a lot more about the musician’s activism and good works during her internship. “We’ve talked a lot about his activism and his work with prisoners,” Stewart said. “I like working on something that talks about Johnny Cash, his message, and what he stood for. It’s pretty amazing to be a part of documenting someone so important in history that is being immortalized in the nation’s capital. It’s a great honor to work with Kevin on that.” Stewart met Kresse while working on the 7th Street Mural Project together in downtown Little Rock. Stewart later told Michael Warrick, a professor emeritus of art at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, that she would like to intern with Kresse. Warrick, who is a longtime friend and sculptor partner with Kresse, was happy to connect the two. “Nicole is the third intern I’ve had from sculpture majors that’s worked with him over the years,” Warrick said. “It’s a great opportunity to have a young artist work with a senior artist to gain knowledge and skills and perspective. Nicole is one of the best. She was my studio assistant this summer for the two artWAYS workshops I did. Her energy, her aptitude, and her skill set is out of the box and through the roof.” Kresse identified Stewart as a “dynamo” who has stepped up to help him complete the Cash project this summer. “When I was having a rough week, Nicole was jumping in, and I realized what a great eye she has,” Kresse said. “I told my wife that I can tell more at this age which young artists will make it through their personality if they have the grit and determination to do it, rather than seeing their portfolio. She has the work ethic and the eye and the grit to become a great artist.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock alum Kevin Kresse, right, and assistant Nicole Stewart, left, work on a clay model of Arkansas music legend Johnny Cash at the Windgate Center of Art + Design from which a bronze statue will be cast. Photo by Ben Krain.

When Stewart joined ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2018, she saw it as a second chance to complete her college education. After graduating from high school in 1999, Stewart attended community college for a short time before beginning a career in event planning and catering. “At first, it was intimidating to come back to college,” Stewart said. “A lot has changed since 1999. I’ve been really fortunate to have all these incredible mentors. It’s been really inspiring for me. Even though I am in my 40s, I’m so happy I came back. I’ve had great experiences at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Plus, I came back right when they opened this new art building. I came back at the perfect time to pursue art.” Stewart will graduate from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in studio art focusing on sculpture and a minor in applied design focusing on ceramics. While she had previously given art up for 15 years before going back to college, Stewart is more dedicated than ever to having art in her life, participating in everything from sculpting and painting to insect taxidermy and bone carving. “Art is a buffet, and I want to take a bite out of all of it,” she said.

Artist Kevin Kresse Brings Music Icon Johnny Cash to Life

John Hill — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 12:53:28 +0000

��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumnus and famed Arkansas artist has spent the past year of his life taking on a monumental task – creating an 8-foot-tall statue that will capture the life and legacy of country music icon Johnny Cash. Once complete, this bronze statue will grace the halls of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., where statues representing our nation’s best reside for all to see. Kresse, of Little Rock, showed off his work while visiting with members of the public July 25-28 at the Windgate Center of Art and Design at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and was moved by the community’s reaction to his work. “So many people came through, and it was a very rewarding experience,” Kresse said. “I had some people who got emotional seeing it, and that’s always a good sign in my business. It’s difficult assessing your own work when you are in the middle of it. I’m at a point where I am feeling very happy about the piece.” Members of the community were fascinated by Kresse’s work. Klansee Tozer, a senior graphic designer at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, said she and her daughter, Lani, were blown away by seeing the clay model of the statue up close in person. “Walking in, it was very big, massive is what came to mind,” Tozer said. “Seeing it up close, I could see the texture of the clay and how he worked his magic to form this realistic image of Johnny Cash. It was very breathtaking. I am just impressed by Kresse’s talent, and that Arkansas is being represented by this great ��Vlog��ý Little Rock artist.” Arkansas currently has statues of attorney Uriah Rose and U.S. Sen. and former Gov. James Clarke on display at the U.S. Capitol. Both statues are more than a century old. In 2019, the state legislature approved legislation replacing them with statues of Cash and Daisy Gatson Bates, a renowned civil rights activist. Gov. Asa Hutchinson created the National Statuary Hall Steering Committee to oversee the replacement of the state’s two statues. The committee selected Kresse to create the Cash statue in June 2021.

KARK interviews Kevin Kresse about his Johnny Cash Sculpture during a public visit at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.

Born in 1932 in Kingsland, Arkansas, Cash moved with his family at age 3 to live in the Eastern Arkansas farming community of Dyess, which was created in 1934 as part of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program. Arkansas State University restored the Cash family home and opened it as a museum in 2014. Kresse’s statue represents Cash during the golden age of his career while he starred on “The Johnny Cash Show” that aired on ABC from 1969 to 1971. In the statue, Cash carries a guitar on his back and a Bible in his right hand. “It was kind of a golden time for Johnny Cash,” Kresse said. “He was healthy and happy, and it seemed like an appropriate time frame. The guitar on the back was an iconic image of Cash. Having the Bible in his hand at his side felt appropriate. His faith was such an integral part of who he was, but he never pushed it on people. I also didn’t realize until I was well into the project that he was actually an ordained minister.” Kresse’s clay model of the Cash statue is nearing completion and will be delivered to the Crucible Bronze Foundry in Norman, Oklahoma, on Aug. 8. The foundry employees will review the clay model for technical issues before creating molds for the final bronze statue. State authorities plan to unveil the statues of Cash and Bates during a December ceremony in Washington, D.C. Cash’s family has also been involved in the creation of the statue, providing Kresse with stories about Cash as part of his research as well as providing feedback on photographs of the sculpture in process. Roseanne Cash, a singer-songwriter and Cash’s oldest daughter, saw the upper part of the statue for the first time on , when she received an honorary doctoral degree from Arkansas State University for her support in preserving the Cash childhood family home. “The Cash family is happy,” Kresse said. “Whenever I do a posthumous piece, my biggest goal is to make sure the family is happy because they are the ones who know the subject the best. I was able to show Roseanne (Cash) the bust back two or three months ago. She had an emotional reaction to the piece. That was a very rewarding experience.”

Public Invited to See Johnny Cash Sculptor Kevin Kresse at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

John Hill — Mon, 25 Jul 2022 13:34:17 +0000

The public is invited to visit with famed Arkansas artist Kevin Kresse, a ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumnus who has been commissioned to create a new statue of country music icon Johnny Cash that will eventually represent Arkansas in the U.S. Capitol. Kresse will be available for public visits from 1-4 p.m. Monday, July 25, to Thursday, July 28, at the Windgate Center of Art and Design at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Group visits can be scheduled for specific times by emailing Kurt Naumann at kurt.naumann@sos.arkansas.gov. Arkansas currently has statues of attorney Uriah Rose and U.S. Sen. James Clarke, also a former governor, on display in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. Both statues are more than a century old. In 2019, the state legislature approved replacing them with statues of Cash and Daisy Gatson Bates, a renowned civil rights activist. State authorities plan to unveil the statues of Cash and Bates during a December ceremony in Washington, D.C. Kresse is an Arkansas native who graduated from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 1984. He was named the 2015 Individual Artist for Arkansas from the Governor’s Art Awards and was one of four people selected by the Mid-America Arts Alliance to be interviewed for a video celebrating the 50th anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts in 2016. He has won several awards in the Arkansas Arts Center’s annual Delta Exhibition, as well as painting fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts through the Mid-America Arts Alliance and the Arkansas Arts Council. Kresse’s public sculptural work includes the bust of Winthrop Paul Rockefeller in the Arkansas State Capitol, a monumental sculpture of WWII hero General William O. Darby in Fort Smith, the Compassion and Hope sculpture in Little Rock’s Baptist Hospital Healing Garden, and the Mother Earth sculptural fountain in the Argenta Arts District, among many others. One of Kresse’s sculptures, “The Ground Breaker,” is on display in front of the Engineering Technology and Applied Science building at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock after being donated to the university by Jack Kinnaman, founder of Kinko Constructors Inc., in 2018.

Sculptor Works on Finishing Touches of Daisy Bates Statue at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

John Hill — Fri, 29 Apr 2022 13:02:17 +0000

, the artist chosen to create a bronze statue of for the U.S. Capitol, has been inspired by Bates for many years. “It’s been such an honor,” he said. “When I read about her life and legacy and accomplishments, I know it will take the best of me in order to do justice to her spirit and legacy. I can’t imagine any person more worthy than Daisy Bates of being immortalized in Statuary Hall.” Victor would know well since the Bates statue is the fourth statue he’s created for Statuary Hall. He was commissioned by the National Statuary Hall Steering Committee and the Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission to create a 7-foot-6-inch bronze sculpture of Bates, a renowned civil rights activist. Bates will be one of the first Black women to be featured in Statuary Hall. She and her husband, L.C. Bates, launched the Arkansas Weekly, an African American newspaper dedicated to the civil rights movement. It would become the largest Black-owned newspaper in Arkansas. Bates, who served as president of the Arkansas chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), is also famous for her role in organizing the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School by nine Black students in 1957. The statue will show Bates in motion with one foot stepping forward, dressed in a business suit while holding a notebook and pen in her right hand and a newspaper in her left hand. “I wanted to show her in motion walking because she was an activist,” Victor said. “She didn’t just stay in one place. She was in motion and action for her cause. I saw this beautiful photo of her holding the newspaper in her hand as she walks and leads a crowd behind her. I thought that was a perfect image. In her right hand, she is holding a notebook and pen to show that she is a journalist.” Victor is working on the clay model from which the bronze statue will be cast. He traveled all the way from his home and studio in Boise, Idaho, to work on final details like sculpting Bates’ flower, NAACP pin, and her jewelry at the Windgate Center of Art and Design at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. The trip has given him the chance to learn more about Bates’ life. “I got to walk through her home and the Daisy Bates Museum and Little Rock Central High School,” he said. “All of these experiences help with my experience. All the people who are most integral to the project can see the full-size clay statue before it’s cast in bronze and be a part of the process.” Victor has also had the chance to meet with members of the public, art faculty and students, and people who knew Bates personally. “So far, it’s been wonderful. I really loved the university’s facilities,” Victor said. “This is a beautiful facility, and it’s been great getting to know the people in the art department and spending time with people from the Daisy Bates Museum. That’s been irreplaceable. I think the heart of the statue lies with them. I’ve met people who knew Daisy Bates, and that’s been an irreplaceable part of the process.”

Benjamin Victor works on the sculpture of Daisy Bates in the Windgate Center of Art and Design. Photos by Ben Krain.

Janis Kearney, a former newspaper manager for Bates who also purchased Bates’ newspaper when she retired in 1988, said seeing the clay statue of Bates in person left her in awe. “I’m also so very happy that she is being recognized by not only the state of Arkansas but the country for the leadership and service that she gave for this country,” she said. “This is a great day for Arkansas and the country.” Kearney served as a consultant on the statue and provided newspaper articles, photos, and information to assist Victor with the creation of the statue. “Daisy would have been so excited and so grateful and so humbled by it,” Kearney said. “She would have wished that her husband was alive to see it.” Kevin Kresse, a ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumnus, has been commissioned to create a Johnny Cash statue that will also be placed in the U.S. Capitol. The Bates and Cash statues are expected to be dedicated in Washington, D.C. in December. Arkansas PBS has been filming this week’s activities and will run an hour-long documentary on the selection, creation, and installation of the new statues in 2023. Additionally, Arkansas PBS will develop classroom-ready resources aligned with state and national academic standards for social studies and arts education for K-12 students to accompany the film. When Victor returns to his home in Idaho, he will make the final touches on the clay statue, create molds, and then cast the bronze version of the statue that will lie in Statuary Hall. “There are a number of things that stood out to me about Daisy Bates,” Victor said. “Her leadership was unmatched, and her energy and her positivity really spoke to me. She had an incredibly negative experience in life as a child when her mother was raped and murdered and her father had to leave. It must have been just horrible, and she described it in her book. She turned it into positive action for her people in the face of such negativity. She stood up for civil rights in the face of the worst negativity and treatment that we’ve ever seen. It all really inspires me as an artist.”

Public Invited to See Sculptors of Daisy Bates, Johnny Cash Statues at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

John Hill — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 17:05:25 +0000

The artists who are creating the new statues of civil rights leader Daisy Bates and singer Johnny Cash that will eventually represent Arkansas in the U.S. Capitol will visit the University of Arkansas at Little Rock the week of April 25. The public is invited to visit with nationally recognized sculptor Benjamin Victor as he works on the sculpture of Bates in the Windgate Center of Art and Design at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. He will be available:

Monday, April 25, 3-7 p.m.
Tuesday, April 26, 1-5 p.m.
Wednesday, April 27, 1-5 p.m.
Thursday, April 28, 1-5 p.m.
Friday, April 29, 1-3 p.m.

Group tours with specific times can be arranged by emailing Amber Crawford at amber.crawford@sos.arkansas.gov. Victor has been commissioned by the National Statuary Hall Steering Committee and the Arkansas Capitol Arts and Grounds Commission to create a 7-foot-6-inch bronze sculpture of Daisy Gatson Bates, a renowned civil rights activist. Victor is working on the clay model from which the bronze statue will be cast. He brought the model from his home and studio in Boise, Idaho. Victor and Arkansas artist Kevin Kresse, a ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumnus who has been commissioned to create the Cash statue, will speak about their work during a reception from 5-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 27, at the Windgate Center of Art and Design. Tickets for the event, which is hosted by the Political Animals Club, are $25 and can be made . For more information on this event, email politicalanimalsclub@gmail.com. Arkansas currently has statues of attorney Uriah Rose and U.S. Sen. James Clarke, also a former governor, on display in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. Both statues are more than a century old. In 2019, the state legislature approved replacing them with Cash and Bates.

Groundbreaking sculpture finds new home at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 20 Jun 2018 13:42:20 +0000

In 2000, Jack Kinnaman, founder of Kinko Constructors Inc., became enamored with a sculpture Kevin Kresse, a family friend, created for his daughter. The sculpture was so beautiful that Kinnaman asked Kresse to create a life-size sculpture for his home. “Kevin created this sculpture of an old woman who is turned and looking back at a young girl, her granddaughter, who is waving back,” Kinnaman said. “I was incredibly moved by it. It captured the emotion of the moment so well. I told Kevin I would like to commission him to do a sculpture in honor of my dad, a very talented guy who worked in construction all his life.” After discussing various ideas, Kresse, a 1984 graduate of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, designed a sculpture of a muscular railroad worker driving a stake into the ground with a sledgehammer. The sculpture, aptly named “The Ground Breaker,” stood proudly in the Kinnamans’ home overlooking the river in the Vantage Point neighborhood until 2016. When Kinnaman moved to a smaller home that could not house his beloved sculpture, he donated the sculpture to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.

Jack Kinnaman

“I want somebody to be seeing this beautiful sculpture 40 or 50 years from now,” Kinnaman said. The sculpture has recently found a new home in front of the Engineering Technology and Applied Science (ETAS) building, which also houses the Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering. This is a fitting home for the new sculpture since Kinnaman was instrumental in the department’s creation. In the 1990s, Kinnaman was among a group of leaders in the Arkansas construction industry who urged the university to begin a postsecondary education program in construction management. ”I was invited to join the Dean’s Advisory Council at Fayetteville for the express purpose of starting a construction school, but I thought that the school should be in Little Rock since six of the top seven construction firms were in Little Rock and Conway at the time,” he said. “It’s become one of the very best construction engineering and construction management programs in the United States.” Kinnaman has been a long-time supporter and advocate for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. He is a 2004 inductee of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Athletics Hall of Fame and a 2013 recipient of an honorary doctor of construction education degree. His contributions to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Athletics include the construction of the Trojans’ indoor practice facility and Wheeler Complex, the building of the Trojans’ first indoor hitting facility, and a new state-of-the-art indoor practice facility and press box at Gary Hogan Field. He also provided renovations to the men’s and women’s basketball offices, volleyball offices, and men’s and women’s basketball locker rooms in the mid-1990s at no cost to the university. In support of the construction management program, he has funded the Jack Kinnaman Constructor Endowed Scholarship and the Phyllis Kinnaman Memorial Scholarship in memory of his first wife. After allowing three days for the concrete pad and new sidewalk East Harding Construction poured to settle, Kresse, Michael Warrick, professor of art, and Patrick Fleming assembled the more than 600-pound sculpture on June 4. They also painted a fresh coat of protective paste wax on the surface to protect the sculpture. Kresse said it was a very poignant experience to place “The Ground Breaker,” which was his first life-size bronze sculpture, at his alma mater. “I think it’s wonderful that my sculpture is at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” Kresse said. “My very last class before I graduated ��Vlog��ý Little Rock was a sculpture class with Michael Warrick, and I really enjoyed it and ended up learning how to cast bronze. This is where I learned how to make a mold, cast bronze, the whole process. It’s all very fitting that my very first bronze sculpture is now at the school where I learned to make bronze sculptures.”

Michael Warrick (left), Kevin Kresse (middle), and Patrick Fleming (right) stand next to Kresse’s sculpture, “The Ground Breaker,” which was recently installed at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock after being donated by Jack Kinnaman. Photo by Ben Krain/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Stewart Gains Valuable Experience Through Internship with Johnny Cash Sculptor Kevin Kresse

Artist Kevin Kresse Brings Music Icon Johnny Cash to Life

Public Invited to See Johnny Cash Sculptor Kevin Kresse at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Sculptor Works on Finishing Touches of Daisy Bates Statue at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Public Invited to See Sculptors of Daisy Bates, Johnny Cash Statues at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Groundbreaking sculpture finds new home at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Public Invited to See Johnny Cash Sculptor Kevin Kresse at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Sculptor Works on Finishing Touches of Daisy Bates Statue at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Public Invited to See Sculptors of Daisy Bates, Johnny Cash Statues at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Groundbreaking sculpture finds new home at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock