Tidwell recipient of ’19 Governor’s Arts Award

Hot Springs artist Anthony Tidwell was among the winners of the 2019 Governor’s Arts Awards, winning the Judges Recognition Award.

Tidwell is the founder of Cutwell 4 Kids, a nonprofit he started six years ago that offers painting sessions to at-risk youngsters. Winning the award, Tidwell said, brought legitimacy to the work he has done.

However, Tidwell said just getting nominated felt better than actually winning the award.

Tidwell was nominated after a Hot Springs resident — JoAnn Mangione — wrote a letter recommending him for the award. “That someone thought about me, to write a letter and mail it in … It felt good,” Tidwell said, noting he has since had the letter framed.

C4K started, Tidwell said, because he was once in the same position as the kids he teaches. After a traumatic time in his youth, someone taught him how to create artworks. “The hours I (spent) drawing, I could have been doing something different,” he said.

Over the last few years, Tidwell has held his art sessions between May and the first of August. At the end of the season, an art exhibit called “The Birth of an Artist” is held that showcases the children’s artwork. Here, even more so than with the governor, is where Tidwell said he gets the best reward.

“The biggest reward is seeing a kid sell a piece of artwork at a show,” Tidwell said, noting the look on the faces of the children and their parents when

somebody picks up their artwork is one of the best parts.

The number one thing about the program, he said, is for the children to have fun, but they are also learning valuable skills. Tidwell compared it to alphabet soup. It’s fun to play with the letters in the soup while eating it, but the soup also provides important nutrients.

Last year, the program saw around 300 students. It started as a program for children aged 4 to 12, but now Tidwell said he will have artists from the time when they are able to hold a brush to when they are in a walker. Parents and grandparents now paint with their children and grandchildren in his sessions.

The demand for the sessions has grown so high Tidwell has decided to add a new after-school class next semester.

The class, which will only be for children 12 years old and younger, will be held on Mondays. As this is a new project, Tidwell said he is limiting the class to 15 students. Those interested in putting their children in the class can call Tidwell at 214-497-3715.

Tidwell said that, over the last six years, the community has been very supportive of his efforts. Those that have helped C4K include the National Park Service, Emerson Center for the Arts, 4-H Club, Worldfest in Little Rock, Job Corps, Tim’s Barber Shop, and the Maurice Bath House. One of the first people to really support the project was Napoleon Thomas.

A lot of these organizations have stepped up to help C4K over the past two years after their studio was heavily damaged in a storm.

In the storm, the roof was taken off the building, and the inside of the building was ruined. Since then, Tidwell has been raising money to get the studio back open. Tidwell said he is about $2,500 away from the goal of reopening the studio. The next fundraiser to help that goal will be held this Saturday at 501 Prime Restaurant at 215 E. Grand Ave.

The event is a pop art reception where Tidwell painted

15 pieces of colorful pop art. These pieces were commissioned in advance, and the people who commissioned them will be able to finally see the artwork and take home the pieces.

The reception will last from

7 to 9 p.m., and C4K will be accepting donations at the event.

Tidwell said the idea for the fundraiser came from Laura Lee Willard, noting he was initially reluctant. “I like to promote the kid’s artwork instead of mine,” he said. However, Tidwell said Willard convinced him to try it. He also wanted to thank the owner of 501 Prime, Matt Fuller, for letting him use his space for the event.

The building that the studio is in has been a part of Tidwell’s family for decades. It used to house his grandparents’ businesses. His grandfather ran a barbershop and his grandmother ran a restaurant.

The next fundraiser is planned for April.