House Resolution 1081, sponsored by Rep. Tippi McCullough, was read and adopted in the House, on March 19, while Sen. Clarke Tucker introduced Senate Resolution 49. The resolutions recognized Kresse鈥檚 artistic achievements and his contribution to Arkansas鈥檚 cultural legacy.

鈥淚 was completely surprised,鈥� Kresse said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never been recognized or honored in this way before. Representative Tippi McCullough and Senator Clarke Tucker wrote to me to say they were sponsoring a resolution for me.鈥�

During the proceedings, the House presented Kresse with a resolution highlighting his life and career. He then moved to the Senate chamber, where Sen. Tucker introduced him, and the Senate voted to adopt its version of the resolution.

鈥淚 was able to say a few words to the Senate members and was then presented with the Senate version of the resolution,鈥� Kresse said. 鈥淚t was a very special afternoon for me, for which I am very appreciative of Representative McCullough and Senator Tucker for giving me this honor.鈥�

Kresse鈥檚 statue of Johnny Cash, dedicated in 2024, replaced one of the two statues representing Arkansas in the National Statuary Hall Collection. His work has been widely praised for capturing the essence of the iconic musician, cementing Kresse鈥檚 legacy in the artistic and cultural history of the state. You can learn more about the sculpture鈥檚 creation and dedication by watching the Arkansas PBS documentary, 鈥�,鈥� which debuted the same day Kresse was honored by the Arkansas Legislature.

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The documentary, directed by award-winning filmmaker Nathan Willis, follows the journey of both statues, from concept to completion, and explores the enduring legacies of civil rights activist and journalist Daisy Bates and country music icon Johnny Cash. It also provides a behind-the-scenes look at the artists, including Kresse and sculptor Benjamin Victor, as they brought these historic figures to life in bronze.

鈥溾�楿nveiled鈥� explores the profound impact of Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash on the history of our great state and the nation,鈥� Arkansas PBS Executive Director and CEO Courtney Pledger said. 鈥淔rom their humble beginnings to their lasting influence, their statues stand as a tribute to the pivotal roles they played in shaping American culture and society.鈥�

For Kresse, the premiere of the documentary is a chance for Arkansans to see the dedication and collaboration that went into making the statues a reality.

鈥淭hese statues belong to the people of Arkansas, so I鈥檓 glad they鈥檒l get a peek behind the curtain on everything it took to bring them to fruition,鈥� said Kresse, who was honored as 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock’s Distinguished Alumnus of the Year in February. 鈥淎 lot of people put time and effort into helping create these pieces鈥攆rom the search committee, the steering committee, the Secretary of State鈥檚 office, 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, the foundry, and even the families of Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash. It was a true collective effort.鈥�

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock played a special role in the creative process, hosting Kresse and Victor at the Windgate Center of Art + Design, where they worked on their sculptures for a week. The public was invited to witness the artists at work, interact with them, and experience firsthand the meticulous effort involved in crafting the statues.

鈥淗aving Kevin Kresse and Benjamin Victor work on these statues at the Windgate Center of Art + Design gave people a chance to see the artistic process up close,鈥� said Joli Livaudais, interim director of the School of Art and Design. 鈥淲atching the sculptures take shape in real time made the history behind them feel more tangible and personal. The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock School of Art and Design was proud to host the artists. It gave our students the opportunity to engage with this important moment in Arkansas history.鈥�

Kresse expressed excitement about seeing the film鈥檚 final cut, praising Willis for his storytelling abilities.

鈥淚 saw several short clips of the documentary during the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival this past fall,鈥� Kresse said. 鈥淣athan Willis is an extremely talented and sensitive storyteller, and I was extremely impressed with what I鈥檝e seen so far. I鈥檓 also interested in seeing how he weaves together a single film about these two separate Arkansas icons.鈥�

Creating the Johnny Cash statue was a career highlight for Kresse, who acknowledged the challenge of sculpting such an iconic figure.

鈥淚 feel very fortunate that all the reactions I鈥檝e seen or heard about the Johnny Cash piece have been extremely positive,鈥� he said. 鈥淪culpting someone whose likeness and personality are so well known is a precarious position to be in. I put a lot of time and effort into it and felt proud of the final result, but you never know how people will react. It鈥檚 been very gratifying to receive such positive feedback.鈥�

The Johnny Cash statue, cast at The Crucible in Oklahoma, depicts the musician in a contemplative stance, gripping his guitar strap and a Bible. It was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 24, 2024.

In addition to the film鈥檚 premiere, Kresse shared that he is currently working with the Cash estate on a series of reproductions of the statue.

鈥淭his will be the first time I鈥檝e done reproductions,鈥� Kresse said. 鈥淚鈥檓 working on a small resin version of the statue as well as different bronze versions, including smaller full-figure statues and a bust taken from the original sculpture.鈥�

A free, advance screening of 鈥�Unveiled鈥� will be held in March, with additional details available at. Arkansas PBS will also release a series of digital shorts on Facebook and Instagram leading up to the March 20 premiere, which can be shown on Arkansas PBS, at , and in the .

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鈥淭he biggest thing I鈥檓 feeling is relief that he鈥檚 safe,鈥� Kresse said, while preparing the statue for transportation to Washington, D.C. 鈥淛ohnny鈥檚 actually been in Eureka Springs for the past year while they鈥檝e been working on the pedestal, and we鈥檝e been waiting for an unveiling date.鈥�

The Division of Arkansas Heritage has been housing the statue of the country music icon and Arkansas native in Little Rock until it is transported to Statuary Hall in the Capitol Visitor Center in Washington, D.C. Cash will be the second Arkansan to be recognized with a statue on Capitol Hill this year after civil rights leader Daisy Bates was honored in May.

The first time that Kresse created a sculpture of Cash was in 2018 as part of a series of Arkansas musicians. Ever since presenting his idea for the Cash sculpture to the National Statuary Hall Steering Committee in 2020, Kresse has had plenty of time for his perception of Cash to evolve as people would share their stories of the star.

鈥淧eople who know that I鈥檝e been working on this would come up to me and tell me their Johnny Cash stories,鈥� Kresse said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 one of the nice things about being in a small state like Arkansas. It鈥檚 more stories of his kindness and generosity. He hadn鈥檛 talked about all these generous things he did like giving money to build chapels for prisons and orphanages and tucking money inside people鈥檚 bibles.鈥�

Kresse worked closely with Cash鈥檚 children to create the statue of the country music star.

鈥淚 couldn鈥檛 have asked for nicer people to work with,鈥� he said. 鈥淗is children helped me a lot through the process. I was able to send them photos throughout the whole process of crafting the sculpture to get their feedback. They were wonderful about being encouraging the whole time and giving their suggestions about how to make it better.鈥�

Roseanne Cash, a singer-songwriter and Cash鈥檚 oldest daughter, saw the bust 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 in Dyess.

鈥淪howing the bust to Roseanne for the first time was one of the highlights of this journey,鈥� Kresse recalled. 鈥淪he was so emotional, and that lets you know you are right on track.鈥�

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. While Cash never lived to see his restored childhood home, Kresse said the idea of this served as inspiration for his statue.

鈥淭he idea was that Johnny had gone back to his childhood home,鈥� Kresse said. 鈥淭his is obviously a fantasy story of Johnny going through the restored home for the first time. He is looking over the fields, reliving the trauma of , and thinking about his success. It鈥檚 a very introspective, life-review moment that he is having. I wanted to make sure that there is plenty of humility and introspection in the pose. When people look up at him, Johnny will really be looking through them because he is lost in thought.鈥�

Kresse will arrive in Washington, D.C. on Sept. 20 to uncrate the statue, secure the statue to the plinth, and make final preparations for the ceremony.

鈥淚t鈥檚 difficult to capture a person in a single frozen moment,鈥� Kresse said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 such a worldwide icon. I hope that when people see it, they will feel the humanity in him and the sense that he would have treated a homeless person and a king the same way.鈥�

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