A famous sculptor will join the virtual programming of the Johnny Cash Heritage Festival

0

[ad_1]

A famous sculptor will join the virtual programming of the Johnny Cash Heritage Festival

09/27/2021

JONESBORO – Kevin Kresse, an Arkansas painter and sculptor chosen to design and create the statue of world-renowned musician Johnny Cash at the National Statuary Hall in the United States Capitol, will join the talent lineup at the 2021 Johnny Cash Heritage Virtual Festival The festival is scheduled for Friday and Saturday October 15 and 16.

Kresse, a native of Little Rock, will present a behind-the-scenes look at the sculpting process and an overview of the progress of the proposed statue that won him the competition.

“This is the greatest thing that has happened to me in my artistic career, to be able to have a sculpture of me of one of my heroes,†Kresse said. The Arkansas native said he liked the idea of ​​sculpting people and had a particular fondness for creating musicians.

“Johnny Cash has a delicate face,†Kresse added. “I started working on him when the project arrived. I used to work on Levon Helm, a singer and actor from Arkansas. I also did Al Green, Glen Campbell and others from Arkansas.

In 2019, the Arkansas legislature voted to replace the two statues currently housed in the National Statuary Hall. Kresse won the honor through a selection review committee to design and create the Cash figure. Artist Benjamin Victor from Boise, Idaho, has been asked to make the statue of civil rights icon Daisy Gatson Bates that will join the statue of Cash in the lobby.

“During this process, we have been fortunate to meet some of our country’s greatest sculptors and artists,†said Shane Broadway, ASU system vice president for university relations. “Any of them could do the Johnny Cash and Daisy Bates statues, but we can only do one each. Kevin Kresse came to our interview with his Johnny Cash mockup and probably gave the best presentation that I attended.

“His passion for Johnny Cash and Arkansas and for celebrating an artist known around the world was unmatched. His talent, I already knew him from experience, but when he unveiled his Johnny Cash model, you had no doubts. on who it was and that’s very, very important.

Kresse has received painting grants from the National Endowment for the Arts – Mid-America Arts Alliance and the Arkansas Arts Council. He has also won several awards at the Arkansas Arts Center’s annual Delta Competition.

His work has been featured in articles in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Arkansas Times, North Little Rock Times, Little Rock Free Press, AY Magazine, and Soiree Magazine. It has also been featured in plays produced by local ABC television affiliates, CBS and PBS. Her work can also be viewed on her website kevinkresse.com.

“We want people around the world who visit the United States Capitol to recognize who represents our state and Kevin Kresse is a gifted artist who will create a statue that we will all be very proud of,†continued Broadway. “Having the names of Daisy Bates, a civil rights icon with the Little Rock Nine, and Johnny Cash, who will become the first registered musician in Statuary Hall, will tell a great story of Arkansas and we should all be proud. “

“Things are going well,” Kresse added. “The Cash family have been really lovely and very complementary. There are still some small changes to the face and some adjustments. But, I am ahead of the ball game. Governor Asa Hutchinson wants to unveil it at a ceremony in 2022.

General tickets for the virtual JCHF are available for $ 35 and include access to all streaming sessions. VIP tickets cost $ 75 and include streaming sessions and an in-person event on Friday, October 15, which will feature live local music, food and drink, as well as a night before the concert from Rosanne Cash.

Tickets can be purchased on the festival’s website, JohnnyCashHeritageFestival.com.

The flagship event will be an exclusive concert by Cash’s daughter, Rosanne Cash, with special performances from 14 of her musician friends which were announced last week. The artists who join Cash are Cedric Burnside, Jessica Coombs, Sheryl Crow, Rodney Crowell, Dailey & Vincent, Erin Enderlin, Vince Gill, Sarah Jarosz, Jamey Johnson, Keb ‘Mo’, The Milk Carton Kids, Margo Price, Darius Rucker and Chris Stapleton. The concert is scheduled for Friday evening, October 15.

Other events on the JCHF agenda include presentations by a roster of international academics on the festival’s theme, “Social Justice in the Life and Music of Johnny Cashâ€.

The festival is coordinated by Arkansas State University Heritage Sites and licensed by the John R. Cash Revocable Trust.

[ad_2]

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.