Anthony Tidwell, a native of Hot Springs, is an artist, mentor, barber, an art educator for at risk youth, and most recently a recipient of a 2019 Governor’s Arts Award – the Judge’s Recognition Award, to be specific.
Each year the Arkansas Arts Council, in collaboration with the governor, recognizes artists and businesses across the state for outstanding contributions to the arts in Arkansas.
Recipients are nominated by the public, then selected by an independent panel of arts professionals. They will receive their awards at a ceremony in the spring of 2019.
In 2014, Tidwell founded a non-profit hands-on art program, Cutwell 4 Kids (C4K), that not only allows children to do what they do naturally – play – but also helps kids develop self-esteem, build confidence and learn coping skills to use in their daily lives.
He started with a crazy dream and planted a seed that has found broad community support and is impacting the lives of many bright, young minds who might not have otherwise found the opportunity for self-expression.
Tidwell’s path to creativity came about through a traumatic experience in his youth. He was haunted by nightmares and for nearly a year after this terrifying time he did not speak.
Finally, a teacher suggested he draw what he was thinking and feeling, and through his art, he was ultimately able to cope with his pain and confusion, as he explains it, by “leaving it all on the paper.”
When asked what has driven him to work so selflessly all these years, Anthony explains, “I know first-hand how art saved my life, and I wanted to ‘pay forward’ the therapeutic benefits I received as a youth.”
Anthony cites a quote from iconic artist Pablo Picasso as the heart and soul of C4K – “All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
The 2019 Awardees are:
Judge’s Recognition Award – Anthony Tidwell.
Arts Community Development Award – Steve Clark, Fort Smith. Steve Clark is the CEO and founder of Propak Corp., a national logistics and supply chain management company.
Arts in Education Award – The Center for Children and Youth, Fayetteville. The Center for Children and Youth (CCY) has implemented numerous arts integration outreach programs around the state.
Corporate Sponsorship of the Arts Award – Murphy USA, El Dorado. Giving back to the community is a commitment Murphy USA has made to its employees, customers, suppliers and other stakeholders to support sustainable growth in El Dorado and encourage volunteerism among employees.
Folklife Award – Oxford American, Little Rock. Oxford American is a nonprofit arts organization and national magazine featuring Southern writing and documenting the complexity and vitality of the American South.
Individual Artist Award – Marjorie Williams-Smith, Little Rock. Marjorie Williams-Smith is a nationally known silverpoint artist who created the design for the Congressional Gold Medal awarded to the Little Rock Nine in 1999.
Patron Award – Jim and Joyce Faulkner, Little Rock. James H. Faulkner and Joyce Faulkner are longtime supporters of the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. Their generous gift of $6 million helped to create the campus’s Jim & Joyce Faulkner Performing Arts Center, a state-of-the-art performance venue with over 500 seats.
Lifetime Achievement Award – Billie Jo Starr, Fayetteville. Billie Jo Starr served as regional fundraising chairwoman for the Walton Arts Center and joined forces with Helen R. Walton to secure funding to complete the $19 million performing and visual arts center.
