- University News Archive - 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock /news-archive/tag/national-statuary-hall-steering-committee/ 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Fri, 29 Jul 2022 12:53:28 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Artist Kevin Kresse Brings Music Icon Johnny Cash to Life /news-archive/2022/07/29/kevin-kresse-cash-sculpture/ Fri, 29 Jul 2022 12:53:28 +0000 /news/?p=81936 ... Artist Kevin Kresse Brings Music Icon Johnny Cash to Life]]> Once complete, this bronze statue will grace the halls of the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., where statues representing our nation鈥檚 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 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock and was moved by the community鈥檚 reaction to his work. 鈥淪o many people came through, and it was a very rewarding experience,鈥 Kresse said. 鈥淚 had some people who got emotional seeing it, and that鈥檚 always a good sign in my business. It鈥檚 difficult assessing your own work when you are in the middle of it. I鈥檓 at a point where I am feeling very happy about the piece.鈥 Members of the community were fascinated by Kresse鈥檚 work. Klansee Tozer, a senior graphic designer at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, said she and her daughter, Lani, were blown away by seeing the clay model of the statue up close in person. 鈥淲alking in, it was very big, massive is what came to mind,鈥 Tozer said. 鈥淪eeing 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鈥檚 talent, and that Arkansas is being represented by this great 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock artist.鈥 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鈥檚 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 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.

KARK interviews Kevin Kresse about his Johnny Cash Sculpture during a public visit at 糖心Vlog传媒 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鈥檚 New Deal program. Arkansas State University restored the Cash family home and opened it as a museum in 2014. Kresse鈥檚 statue represents Cash during the golden age of his career while he starred on 鈥淭he Johnny Cash Show鈥 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. 鈥淚t was kind of a golden time for Johnny Cash,鈥 Kresse said. 鈥淗e 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鈥檛 realize until I was well into the project that he was actually an ordained minister.鈥 Kresse鈥檚 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鈥檚 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鈥檚 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. 鈥淭he Cash family is happy,鈥 Kresse said. 鈥淲henever 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.鈥漖]> Sculptor Works on Finishing Touches of Daisy Bates Statue at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock /news-archive/2022/04/29/daisy-bates-statue/ Fri, 29 Apr 2022 13:02:17 +0000 /news/?p=81470 ... Sculptor Works on Finishing Touches of Daisy Bates Statue at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock]]> 鈥淚t鈥檚 been such an honor,鈥 he said. 鈥淲hen 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鈥檛 imagine any person more worthy than Daisy Bates of being immortalized in Statuary Hall.鈥 Victor would know well since the Bates statue is the fourth statue he鈥檚 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. 鈥淚 wanted to show her in motion walking because she was an activist,鈥 Victor said. 鈥淪he didn鈥檛 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.鈥 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鈥 flower, NAACP pin, and her jewelry at the Windgate Center of Art and Design at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. The trip has given him the chance to learn more about Bates鈥 life. 鈥淚 got to walk through her home and the Daisy Bates Museum and Little Rock Central High School,鈥 he said. 鈥淎ll 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鈥檚 cast in bronze and be a part of the process.鈥 Victor has also had the chance to meet with members of the public, art faculty and students, and people who knew Bates personally. 鈥淪o far, it鈥檚 been wonderful. I really loved the university鈥檚 facilities,鈥 Victor said. 鈥淭his is a beautiful facility, and it鈥檚 been great getting to know the people in the art department and spending time with people from the Daisy Bates Museum. That鈥檚 been irreplaceable. I think the heart of the statue lies with them. I鈥檝e met people who knew Daisy Bates, and that鈥檚 been an irreplaceable part of the process.鈥
enjamin Victor works on the sculpture of Daisy Bates in the Windgate Center of Art + Design.

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鈥 newspaper when she retired in 1988, said seeing the clay statue of Bates in person left her in awe. 鈥淚鈥檓 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,鈥 she said. 鈥淭his is a great day for Arkansas and the country.鈥 Kearney served as a consultant on the statue and provided newspaper articles, photos, and information to assist Victor with the creation of the statue. 鈥淒aisy would have been so excited and so grateful and so humbled by it,鈥 Kearney said. 鈥淪he would have wished that her husband was alive to see it.鈥 Kevin Kresse, a 糖心Vlog传媒 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鈥檚 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. 鈥淭here are a number of things that stood out to me about Daisy Bates,鈥 Victor said. 鈥淗er 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鈥檝e ever seen. It all really inspires me as an artist.鈥漖]> Public Invited to See Sculptors of Daisy Bates, Johnny Cash Statues at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock /news-archive/2022/04/22/bates-cash-artists/ Fri, 22 Apr 2022 17:05:25 +0000 /news/?p=81408 ... Public Invited to See Sculptors of Daisy Bates, Johnny Cash Statues at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock]]> 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 糖心Vlog传媒 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 糖心Vlog传媒 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.]]>