Kevin Kresse shaping a small-scale model of his Cash statue. Photograph courtesy of Kevin Kresse.
The US Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection tends to honor politicians and historical figures—Ronald Reagan, Sam Houston, Brigham Young, Barry Goldwater . . . you get the idea. But with-in the next year or so, a statue with a decidedly different vibe will be unveiled: an eight-foot likeness of country-music great Johnny Cash.
The Man in Black will be arriving in DC thanks to Arkansas, where he was born. Each state is allowed two entries in the Statuary Hall Collection, displayed in various places around the Capitol. Arkansas’s current contributions—which have stood in the Capitol for more than a century—depict men with ties to the Confederacy, and the state is in the process of replacing both. (Whether they’re specifically being removed for that reason depends on whom you ask.) So 19th-century attorney Uriah Milton Rose will give way to celebrated civil-rights activist Daisy Bates, while former Arkansas governor and US senator James Paul Clarke will yield his spot to Cash.
Which is why right now, in a Little Rock studio, artist Kevin Kresse is crafting the roughly 1,200-pound bronze sculpture that will—he hopes—capture Cash’s essence. Kresse, an Arkansas native with connections to Little Rock’s music scene, got the gig by answering an open call for artists. After being selected, he first needed to decide which era of Cash’s long career to spotlight. Kresse read multiple books, watched hours of documentary footage, and consulted with some of Cash’s family members. Ultimately, he settled on the early ’70s.
Then Kresse started playing around with clay. He first considered a pose that suggested Cash the superstar, but the more he thought about it and talked to Johnny—yes, he talks to his work—the more he realized he needed to show Cash the person. “He was full of contradictions, which he fully admitted to—the light and dark sides of himself,” says Kresse.
The Cash statue’s journey to the Capitol hasn’t been without some political hiccups. The Arkansas House had to approve the idea, and some Republicans objected due to “the drugs, the alcohol, the women, that kind of thing,” as one lawmaker put it in 2019. (Their alternate suggestion: Walmart founder Sam Walton.) But in the end, Cash got the nod.
Kresse sees Cash’s struggles as part of the singer’s story. That’s why, in a departure from the typical heroic poses found around Statuary Hall, the sculptor is depicting Cash in a reflective moment, his face cast downward. In one hand, he holds a Bible; the other grasps the strap of his guitar, slung over his back. “The body language from across the room has to start telling the story,” says Kresse, “and then it has to unveil itself by layers as you get closer. The payoff at the end will be the expression on the face.”
Now that Kresse has finalized the design, the next step will be to create a full-size foam version using a 3-D scanner and lathe. Eventually, the Crucible Bronze Foundry in Norman, Oklahoma, will make a negative ceramic cast, into which 2,000-degree bronze will be poured.
Kresse, who has previously sculpted musicians such as Al Green and Levon Helm, hopes his statue will be ready for an unveiling at the Capitol by the end of the year. For now, he’s just focused on getting it right. “If you were doing a documentary on him, you would have an hour and a half to flesh things out and you’d still fall short,” he says. “To try to capture Cash in a frozen moment is particularly challenging. I feel such responsibility to just nail this one.”
This article appears in the May 2022 issue of Washingtonian.
A Johnny Cash Statue Is Coming to the Capitol
The sculptor explains how he captured Cash’s complexity.
The US Capitol’s National Statuary Hall Collection tends to honor politicians and historical figures—Ronald Reagan, Sam Houston, Brigham Young, Barry Goldwater . . . you get the idea. But with-in the next year or so, a statue with a decidedly different vibe will be unveiled: an eight-foot likeness of country-music great Johnny Cash.
The Man in Black will be arriving in DC thanks to Arkansas, where he was born. Each state is allowed two entries in the Statuary Hall Collection, displayed in various places around the Capitol. Arkansas’s current contributions—which have stood in the Capitol for more than a century—depict men with ties to the Confederacy, and the state is in the process of replacing both. (Whether they’re specifically being removed for that reason depends on whom you ask.) So 19th-century attorney Uriah Milton Rose will give way to celebrated civil-rights activist Daisy Bates, while former Arkansas governor and US senator James Paul Clarke will yield his spot to Cash.
Which is why right now, in a Little Rock studio, artist Kevin Kresse is crafting the roughly 1,200-pound bronze sculpture that will—he hopes—capture Cash’s essence. Kresse, an Arkansas native with connections to Little Rock’s music scene, got the gig by answering an open call for artists. After being selected, he first needed to decide which era of Cash’s long career to spotlight. Kresse read multiple books, watched hours of documentary footage, and consulted with some of Cash’s family members. Ultimately, he settled on the early ’70s.
Then Kresse started playing around with clay. He first considered a pose that suggested Cash the superstar, but the more he thought about it and talked to Johnny—yes, he talks to his work—the more he realized he needed to show Cash the person. “He was full of contradictions, which he fully admitted to—the light and dark sides of himself,” says Kresse.
The Cash statue’s journey to the Capitol hasn’t been without some political hiccups. The Arkansas House had to approve the idea, and some Republicans objected due to “the drugs, the alcohol, the women, that kind of thing,” as one lawmaker put it in 2019. (Their alternate suggestion: Walmart founder Sam Walton.) But in the end, Cash got the nod.
Kresse sees Cash’s struggles as part of the singer’s story. That’s why, in a departure from the typical heroic poses found around Statuary Hall, the sculptor is depicting Cash in a reflective moment, his face cast downward. In one hand, he holds a Bible; the other grasps the strap of his guitar, slung over his back. “The body language from across the room has to start telling the story,” says Kresse, “and then it has to unveil itself by layers as you get closer. The payoff at the end will be the expression on the face.”
Now that Kresse has finalized the design, the next step will be to create a full-size foam version using a 3-D scanner and lathe. Eventually, the Crucible Bronze Foundry in Norman, Oklahoma, will make a negative ceramic cast, into which 2,000-degree bronze will be poured.
Kresse, who has previously sculpted musicians such as Al Green and Levon Helm, hopes his statue will be ready for an unveiling at the Capitol by the end of the year. For now, he’s just focused on getting it right. “If you were doing a documentary on him, you would have an hour and a half to flesh things out and you’d still fall short,” he says. “To try to capture Cash in a frozen moment is particularly challenging. I feel such responsibility to just nail this one.”
This article appears in the May 2022 issue of Washingtonian.
Most Popular in News & Politics
See a Spotted Lanternfly? Here’s What to Do.
Meet DC’s 2025 Tech Titans
Patel Dined at Rao’s After Kirk Shooting, Nonviolent Offenses Led to Most Arrests During Trump’s DC Crackdown, and You Should Try These Gougères
The “MAGA Former Dancer” Named to a Top Job at the Kennedy Center Inherits a Troubled Program
Trump Travels One Block From White House, Declares DC Crime-Free; Barron Trump Moves to Town; and GOP Begins Siege of Home Rule
Washingtonian Magazine
September Issue: Style Setters
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
Why a Lost DC Novel Is Getting New Attention
These Confusing Bands Aren’t Actually From DC
Fiona Apple Wrote a Song About This Maryland Court-Watching Effort
The Confusing Dispute Over the Future of the Anacostia Playhouse
More from News & Politics
Administration Steps Up War on Comedians, Car Exhibition on the Mall Canceled After Tragedy, and Ted Leonsis Wants to Buy D.C. United
What Happens After We Die? These UVA Researchers Are Investigating It.
Why a Lost DC Novel Is Getting New Attention
Bondi Irks Conservatives With Plan to Limit “Hate Speech,” DC Council Returns to Office, and Chipotle Wants Some Money Back
GOP Candidate Quits Virginia Race After Losing Federal Contracting Job, Trump Plans Crackdown on Left Following Kirk’s Death, and Theatre Week Starts Thursday
5 Things to Know About “Severance” Star Tramell Tillman
See a Spotted Lanternfly? Here’s What to Do.
Patel Dined at Rao’s After Kirk Shooting, Nonviolent Offenses Led to Most Arrests During Trump’s DC Crackdown, and You Should Try These Gougères