Arkansas Living Treasure Award

The Arkansas Living Treasure award is an annual recognition by the Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of the Division of Arkansas Heritage, that is presented to people who have mastered the traditional arts and crafts that exemplify the state. The award is intended to underscore the identity of Arkansas through its history and culture. It is presented for lifetime achievement in contributions to the field of traditional arts and crafts so that those skills may be passed along to future generations.

The program began in 2002 and was expanded in 2021 to also include performing folk arts. Traditional crafts recognized through the Arkansas Living Treasure award program include basketweaving, blacksmithing, bladesmithing, cabin construction, knife-making, metalworking, pottery, quilting, textile work, weaving, and woodcarving along with the arts of folk dancing and traditional oral expression. The 2024 award was for canoe building.

Nominations are accepted annually around the first of each year, with the award announced in the spring. Applications can be submitted by community members, family, friends, mentors, students, etc. However, neither self-nominations nor posthumous submissions are accepted.

According to the Division of Arkansas Heritage, traditional crafts and folk arts are fading away across the nation. The Arkansas Living Treasure award helps to highlight the significance of creative individuals who have a lifetime of achievements working in heritage arts and crafts as well as helping to sustain folk traditions in Arkansas.

Criteria for eligibility include the nominee having lived in Arkansas at least one year at the time of nomination, having a longstanding history of quality traditional folk arts or crafts in their communities, and showing exceptional mastery of those traditional folk arts or crafts. Nominees must have created work that is culturally significant and is firmly rooted in Arkansas. Candidates for the award must also have contributed to carrying on the tradition of their particular art or craft via such avenues as advocacy, apprenticeships, mentorships, and teaching, either in an academic setting or by leading informal groups. Individuals must also promote visibility of their craft by helping organize activities such as festivals or other types of events, along with providing opportunities to connect younger generations with traditional folk arts or crafts.

The independent judging panel that determines the award recipient comprises professionals in various fields of folk arts and traditional crafts. They rank nominees based on such criteria as experience, mastery, preservation of traditional crafts and folk arts by sharing their knowledge, and demonstration of ties to Arkansas’s culture, history, identity, and/or traditions.

Recipients of the Arkansas Living Treasure Award:

For additional information:
“Arkansas Living Treasure Award.” Division of Arkansas Heritage. https://www.arkansasheritage.com/arkansas-art-council/aac-programs/arkansas-living-treasure-award (accessed August 3, 2024).

“Arkansas: Living Treasure Films Series.” National Assembly of State Arts Agencies. https://nasaa-arts.org/newsletter/2014-nasaa-notes-issues/june-2014-nasaa-notes/showcasing-saa-ingenuity/  (accessed August 3, 2024).

Smittle, Stephanie. “Bladesmith Lin Rhea Named 2023 Arkansas Living Treasure.” Arkansas Times, April 24, 2023. https://arktimes.com/rock-candy/2023/04/24/bladesmith-lin-rhea-named-2023-arkansas-living-treasure (accessed August 3, 2024).

“Springdale Canoe Maker Named 2024 Arkansas Living Treasure.” Arkansas Arts Council, April 19, 2024. https://www.arkansasheritage.com/blog/dah/2024/04/19/springdale-canoe-maker-named-2024-arkansas-living-treasure (accessed August 3, 2024).

Nancy Hendricks
Garland County Historical Society