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State of Arkansas 1
95th General Assembly 2
Regular Session, 2025 HR 1081 3
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By: Representative McCullough 5
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HOUSE RESOLUTION 8
TO HONOR SCULPTOR KEVIN KRESSE FOR CREATING THE 9
SCULPTURE OF ARKANSAS MUSIC ICON JOHNNY CASH NOW ON 10
DISPLAY IN THE NATIONAL STATUARY HALL COLLECTION IN 11
THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL. 12
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Subtitle 15
TO HONOR SCULPTOR KEVIN KRESSE FOR 16
CREATING THE SCULPTURE OF ARKANSAS MUSIC 17
ICON JOHNNY CASH NOW ON DISPLAY IN THE 18
NATIONAL STATUARY HALL COLLECTION IN THE 19
UNITED STATES CAPITOL. 20
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WHEREAS, Kevin Kresse is a Little Rock native and full -time sculptor 22
and painter who was awarded the commission to create the bronze statue of 23
Johnny Cash that now resides in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the 24
United States Capitol; and 25
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WHEREAS, Kevin Kresse was born and raised in North Little Rock, 27
attended Catholic High School for Boys and the University of Arkansas at 28
Little Rock, and continues to live in central Arkansas; and 29
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WHEREAS, Kevin Kresse's sculpture of Johnny Cash is one (1) of two (2) 31
sculptures that now represent Arkansas in the capital city of the United 32
States; and 33
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WHEREAS, Kevin Kresse was the tenth of eleven (11) children born to 35
parents whom he remembers as excelling at making and fixing things by hand; 36 HR1081
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and 1
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WHEREAS, Kevin Kresse drew and painted as a young man, but did not 3
begin formal art study until college; and 4
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WHEREAS, Kevin Kresse said that after a career in advertising, 6
"Sculpture came back in my life when I started teaching drawing [and] 7
painting at the Arkansas Arts Center. I sat in on figure sculpting classes, 8
doing clay work . . . I went back to UALR and learned bronze casting with 9
Michael Warrick. But honestly, both painting and sculpting, I learned in the 10
studio through trial and error"; and 11
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WHEREAS, Kevin Kresse has created busts of legendary Arkansas musicians 13
Levon Helm and Al Green as well as the Breaking the Cycle sculpture at 14
Riverfront Park in Little Rock and the Mother Earth fountain sculpture at 15
North Little Rock's Argenta Art Park; and 16
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WHEREAS, Kevin Kresse also paints, and has completed murals including 18
the Dogtown Proud mural in the Argenta neighborhood of North Little Rock; and 19
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WHEREAS, Kevin Kresse has exhibited his work around Arkansas as well as 21
in Memphis, Tennessee, Atlanta, Georgia, New York City, New York, and 22
Washington, D.C.; and 23
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WHEREAS, Kevin Kresse has earned acclaim for his work, including 25
receiving the Governor's Art Award for Individual Artist in 2015 and being 26
selected in 2016 by the Mid -America Arts Alliance for a painting fellowship 27
and as one (1) of only four (4) artists to represent the Alliance at the 28
fiftieth anniversary of the National Endowment for the Arts; and 29
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WHEREAS, Kevin Kresse said of being selected to create the statue of 31
Johnny Cash, "As far as my career, this was the biggest stage so far. I 32
really wanted to get Johnny right technically, but also get Johnny's 33
qualities of humbleness and soulfulness into the piece as well . . . 34
Sculpting Johnny Cash for the U.S. Capitol is such an incredible honor . . . 35
I felt quite a bit of a responsibility to kind of represent Arkansas and say 36 HR1081
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there's world class art that's produced here"; and 1
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WHEREAS, Johnny Cash's daughter Rosanne Cash said of Kevin Kresse's 3
sculpture of her father, "I was not expecting to feel as moved as I was and 4
to see how much truth and intensity is in this work. It's uncanny how he 5
brought soul into this statue. It's startling and beautiful", 6
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NOW THEREFORE, 8
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY -FIFTH GENERAL 9
ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS: 10
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THAT the House of Representatives honor sculptor Kevin Kresse for 12
creating the sculpture of Arkansas music icon Johnny Cash now on display in 13
the National Statuary Hall Collection in the United States Capitol. 14
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BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT upon adoption, a copy of this resolution be 16
presented to Kevin Kresse by the Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives. 17
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