After more than a year of work, artist Kevin Kresse says he expects to finish a mural on the Boys and Girls Clubs of Central Arkansas building in North Little Rock by the end of this weekend. He has been a familiar sight for drivers passing by on Main Street during late afternoon and evening hours once the sun sinks behind the large brick structure.
Kevin Kresse looks at his Boys and Girls Club mural in North Little Rock on Friday, June 15, 2024. All photos: Michael Hibblen
Kresse works alone, often hoisted in the air by a piece of heavy equipment while painting images and words of inspiration with a brush. The project began in May 2023, with breaks of a few months each when the weather got too hot last summer and too cold last winter.
“God knows how many hours I have in it though — I would be afraid to find out,” he said. “I like it, I’m proud of it. I played basketball here as a kid, grew up like seven blocks away. It feels good to leave something in the community I grew up in.”
Before Kresse began the project, the building alongside a bridge that crosses the Union Pacific rail yard was stark and bare. With the entrance and parking lot on the opposite side from Main Street, for those passing by on the busy thoroughfare, the building looked void of life. But now it features dramatic images of people in front of skies of clouds and stars.
On the east side of the building, two kids are shown sitting with books in their laps — one fully engrossed by what she’s reading, the other with his head back, eyes closed and a big smile. Between them, both emerge from a point in a swirl, flying through the air in capes with their fists outstretched. The boy is wearing a graduation cap and gown, while the girl is wearing scrubs and a stethoscope. Underneath them, while I was visiting with Kevin, he was another layer of color to the words “Knowledge IS POWER” with three exclamation points for emphasis.
Kevin Kresse adds another layer of paint to the words “Knowledge IS POWER!!!”
Part of the east side of the Boys and Girls Club building.
Separated by a Boys and Girls Club logo, a young woman is shown bouncing a volleyball that looks like the moon in a nighttime sky. On the north side of the building, a young woman is swimming, arms blurred in motion, hair spread out, with a look of bliss on her face. Below her is the Arkansas River along with the Broadway and Main Street bridges and just a hint of each city’s skylines along with the words “Dream BIG.”
Next to her on the most visible corner of the building, with the words “Be a Mentor,” is an image of Little Rock art dealer and collector Garbo Hearne of Hearne Fine Art, blowing what looks like glitter. “She was sweet enough to model for me,” Kresse said.
The goal for the mural is to convey the many activities that benefit kids inside, he says, while encouraging them to “basically dream bigger about everything. So take it and pump it up and make it a little bit more fun with magical realism.”
In addition to sports and a pool, homework tutoring and leadership training are also offered. The mural being painted coincides with the 54-year-old building undergoing repairs and upgrades.
The north side of the building features a likeness of Garbo Hearnes, along with a young woman swimming.
This is just the latest project for Kresse, who has adorned his hometown with many works of art. He painted a “Dogtown Proud” mural alongside Main Street in the Argenta District, which is a reference to the days when Little Rock reportedly would dump stray dogs in its neighboring city. He also has a Mother Earth sculpture and fountain with stone benches on 5th Street.
As part of Little Rock’s 7th Street mural under two railroad overpasses, he painted an amazing likeness of radio veteran and longtime KABF-FM 88.3 Program Director John Cain. And most notably, Kresse was selected by the state to make a statue of Johnny Cash that will represent Arkansas in the U.S. Capitol. An unveiling ceremony for that is expected to occur in September.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 36-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
