Johnny Cash Statue

Arkansas gave this statue to the National Statuary Hall Collection in 2024. Before this commission, artist Kevin Kresse worked on a bust of Cash for a series of sculptures depicting Arkansas musicians.

Kevin Kresse's portrait of Johnny Cash, the first statue in the collection to honor a musician, centers on an imagined moment: Cash, as a mature artist, visits his childhood home on the way to perform at a festival named after him. Cash looks downward as he steps forward with his right foot. Lost in thought, he grapples with many different emotions, his left hand gripping his guitar strap at his chest, his right hand clasping a Bible at his side. Though his posture is still, the bowed head draws the viewer's eye toward his face. Cash's serious, contemplative expression belies his sense of humor, instead underscoring the gravity of the moment.

Though the charismatic Cash was more than six feet tall, his meditative stance emphasizes his human qualities, also evident in his songs, interviews and autobiographies: his capacity for empathy; his sincere interest in marginalized people; his sense of loss and grief; and his vulnerability in sharing his personal struggles—including episodes of substance abuse. Cash was a storyteller, and Kresse portrays him reflecting on his life's stories.

Kresse imagined Cash reliving elements of a difficult childhood, including the death of his beloved older brother Jack, his father Ray's poor treatment of him, and hours spent in the family's cotton fields during the Great Depression. Cash, originally named JR, was born in Kingsland, Arkansas, and lived in a New Deal farming colony in Dyess, Arkansas, until he graduated from high school. The plank floor of the self-base references the porch of this home, now restored as part of the Historic Dyess Colony site.

The statue portrays Cash at about age 40, around 1970. This period was the peak of his initial fame—in addition to live performances, he hosted a television program from 1969 to 1971 and appeared in films and television productions. He had recently recorded two of his most successful albums, live performances at Folsom and San Quentin prisons. It also captures a time of relatively good health, after Cash successfully stopped using drugs for the first time and before the health issues of later years made public appearances impossible.

The statue's textured clothing evokes Cash's stage attire. Kresse drew details from several of Cash's garments to create an ensemble that conveys the general impression Cash made as a performer. His tuxedo shirt has ruffles leading up to a bow tie and high collar and slipping below his folded coat cuffs, which have a row of buttons. His mid-thigh-length box-back coat is open but drawn close over his buttoned vest, and his size 13 cowboy boots break the line of his pants between knee and ankle.

The Bible Cash carries references his Christian faith. Though Cash often failed to live up to his own standards, he was open about his challenges and how important his faith was to him.

Cash's guitar is slung over his back, the neck pointing toward the ground. Kresse modeled the body on a Martin D-35 acoustic guitar, the type of guitar Cash frequently used onstage. Cash enlisted in the Air Force shortly after high school, and it was while he was stationed in Germany as a radio intercept officer that he began developing his skills on the instrument.

The statue was cast at The Crucible in Oklahoma and stands on a pedestal clad with tan limestone from Eureka Springs, Arkansas, with a total height of nearly 11 feet. The inscription on the front of the pedestal provides an overview of Cash's life:

ARKANSAS
Johnny Cash
1932–2003
Singer – Songwriter
Artist – Humanitarian

The proper right side of the pedestal is inscribed with lyrics from Cash's song "The Man in Black," often cited as a prime example of his solidarity for a wide range of marginalized people:

"I wear the black for the poor and
the beaten down
livin' in the hopeless, hungry
side of town

I wear it for the prisoner who has
long paid for his crime,
but is there because he's a victim
of the times"

On the proper left side, the inscription is something Cash used to say to his children:

"All your life you will be faced
with a choice. You can choose
love or hate.
I choose love."

The statue was unveiled in the U.S. Capitol Visitor Center's Emancipation Hall on September 24, 2024.

Artist

Kevin Kresse (1961- ) grew up with 10 brothers and sisters, several of whom were interested in art. He first took formal art classes in college and completed an art degree at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. After several years working in advertising, he shifted to focus exclusively on his own artwork. His early work consisted primarily of paintings and other 2D works. While teaching at the Arkansas Arts Center (now the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts), Kresse took sculpture classes and began to include 3D works in his gallery shows. He also completed a bronze casting workshop at the University of Arkansas Little Rock. He has exhibited work in New York City; Washington, D.C.; Memphis, Tennessee; Atlanta, Georgia; and at various locations in Arkansas. His monumental statues and busts are displayed from Alaska to Georgia, including a bust of musician Levon Helm at Helm's childhood home in Arkansas. His awards and fellowships include the 2015 Individual Artist for Arkansas from the Governor's Art Awards and a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts—Mid-American Arts Alliance. Kresse continues to paint in addition to his sculptural work and has started working on community-oriented outdoor murals.

While working on this statue of Cash, Kresse consulted typical sources like photographs and biographies. He visited museums to see Cash artifacts and listened to Cash's music while he was working. Cash's family provided feedback on the likeness and clothing, and Kresse inscribed the names of Cash's children on the lining of the coat. The state statue commission also shared measurements from Cash's tailor. Kresse worked with a model, a Cash impersonator who closely matches Cash's proportions, to refine the statue's posture. Kresse identified with the peaks and valleys of Cash's career, and he appreciates Cash's humanitarian or activist side. In an interview, he noted that when people learn about this statue and tell him their personal stories about Cash, they always speak about moments of kindness or acts of generosity—of "choosing love."