The Arkansas Arts Council, which annually recognizes artists and craftsmen as Arkansas Living Treasures, has named Nashville, Ark., bladesmith Jerry Fisk as an Honorary Arkansas Living Treasure, and will hold a recognition reception 5-7 p.m. May 23, at the Historic Arkansas Museum, 200 E. Third St., Little Rock.
The honorary award is a first for the Arts Council; the Living Treasure program honors those who preserve and advance their craft through community outreach and by teaching others.
Fisk has created or re-created various styles of knives, including the Bowie Knife, a fighting knife first made in Arkansas. His knives are in the permanent collections of museums, including the New York State Museum and the Historic Arkansas Museum, where he is an adviser. He also holds workshops on traditional knife-making techniques.
Fisk was named a National Living Treasure in 1999 and helped start the Arkansas Living Treasure program in 2002.
Ricardo Vilar, also a Nashville bladesmith, will speak during the reception; Arkansas Arts Council Director Patrick Ralston will present the award.
“The Arkansas Arts Council and its Arts Advisory Council wanted to recognize Mr. Fisk’s continuing influence on its programs that grow and preserve Arkansas’s traditional crafts,” Ralston said. “He has also worked with us to highlight artists of many other traditional disciplines. He is the very definition of an Arkansas Living Treasure.”
Admission to the reception is free; deadline to make reservations is May 8. Call (501) 324-9348, email robin.mcclea@arkansas.gov or visit arkansasarts.org.