Johnny Cash Statue Anchors New Arkansas Music Pavilion in North Little Rock

Arkansas Music Legends Pavilion Nears Completion in North Little Rock Ahead of Grand Opening

Before dawn on a Tuesday morning, a crane hoisted an eight-foot-tall bronze statue of Johnny Cash onto its pedestal at the newly built pavilion in North Little Rock, marking the final stretches of construction for a project years in the making. Sculptor Kevin Kresse stood by, watching as the figure—an exact replica of the statue representing Arkansas in the U.S. Capitol—was bolted firmly into place. The early-morning installation capped months of intense labor just days before the scheduled Friday grand opening of the atg Pavilion at Argenta Plaza.

The approximately $3 million project, which broke ground on May 11, brings together North Little Rock Tourism, the nonprofit Argenta Arts Foundation, and private donors like principal backers Scott and Ruth Landers of Applied Technology Group. Standing on the west side of the pavilion facing Main Street, the Cash statue anchors a cultural tribute designed to house 21 sculptures honoring 20 musicians and music industry executive Al Bell.

From Backyard Dream to Civic Landmark

Kresse traces the origin of the ambitious endeavor back to 2018, when he unveiled a bust of Levon Helm in Marvell. That initial effort revealed a striking gap in local recognition for artists whose roots shaped American culture. Alongside musician Greg Spradlin and radio host Stephen Koch, Kresse began conceptualizing a tribute that would not only centralize recognition in North Little Rock but also produce duplicate busts for the musicians’ respective hometowns.

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Communities including Pine Bluff, Brinkley, Dyess, Marvell, and Cotton Plant are slated to receive duplicate castings, with Pine Bluff and Brinkley expected to welcome their installations as early as spring 2027. Project campaign chair John Gaudin noted that the pavilion serves a dual purpose as both a cultural repository and an economic catalyst for the Argenta arts district. Workers spent the hottest summer months welding the elaborate steel structure under temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, evolving the design from a simple barn concept into a soaring, temple-like venue that elevates the artists metaphorically above ground level.

An Unfazed Error and What Comes Next

Even meticulous construction projects occasionally leave room for human oversight. Upon inspecting the newly installed Johnny Cash pedestal—which mirrors the design at the U.S. Capitol with lyrics from “Man in Black”—organizers discovered that Cash’s birth year was incorrectly etched as 1935 instead of his actual birth year, 1932. Kresse remained entirely unfazed by the typo, noting that it poses a minor fix that will be addressed in due time without overshadowing the bronze work itself.

As crews finish installing descriptive plaques and unwrap six additional bronze busts depicting Glen Campbell, Al Green, Levon Helm, Louis Jordan, Florence Price, and Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the focus shifts entirely to the public debut. The grand opening runs from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, coinciding with the reopening of the adjacent Argenta Music Complex.

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