This month, the Arkansas Arts Council named Fayetteville sculptor Hank Kaminsky its 2018 Arkansas Living Treasure. The program annually recognizes an Arkansas artist who excels in the creation of a traditional craft and who preserves that craft through community outreach and education. Kaminsky has worked in Arkansas for nearly 50 years and is best known for creating the World Peace Prayer Fountain outside the Fayetteville Town Center. Kaminsky has also been a fixture in the community through his work at The Art Experience, which for a long time was an art school in the area.
Fayetteville Sculptor Hank Kaminsky Named Arkansas Living Treasure
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Sculptor Hank Kaminsky stands beside the World Peace Prayer Fountain outside the Fayetteville Town Center.
courtesy: Arkansas Arts Council
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Kaminsky working on the World Peace Prayer Fountain. The sculpture took a year and a half to create.
courtesy: Hank Kaminsky
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The World Peace Prayer Fountain when it was unveiled on New Year’s Eve in 2002.";
courtesy: Hank Kaminsky
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“The Miracle of the Double Helix” sculpture outside the main entrance of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock.";s:
courtesy: Hank Kaminsky
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A portrait of a child Kaminsky sculpted out of clay. Kaminsky says he has done more than 1,000 similar portraits of various public and private individuals.
courtesy: Hank Kaminsky
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The Sacred Ground Project is a collection of concrete sculptures that are intended for gardens and other places people find worthy of devotion and love.
courtesy: Hank Kaminsky
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Kaminsky’s current work focuses on the nature of God and the peace that comes from knowing that no matter how chaotic our understanding, we are still connected to greater truths. This sand-cast zinc sculpture is part of his Spirit Wind series.";
courtesy: Hank Kaminsky
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Kaminsky is also known for his much smaller sculptures in the form of earrings or pendants that he has sold for years at the Fayetteville Farmers Market.
courtesy: Hank Kaminsky
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In addition to earrings and pendants, Kaminsky also makes belt buckles, which he says is one of the first things he made when he first moved to Eureka Springs from New York City.
courtesy: Hank Kaminsky