OLD WASHINGTON – Arkansas Living Treasure awardee Stephen Driver will talk about his pottery work during a special art talk and announcement at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, April 26, during the James Black’s Bowie Heritage Festival at Historic Washington State Park.
Driver joins only 22 other traditional and heritage creatives who have been honored with the Arkansas Arts Council’s top award for traditional and heritage arts and crafts. Several other Treasures will be attending the event in support and celebration.
A master potter of more than 50 years, Driver has inspired and mentored hundreds of pottery students and collectors. He started Mulberry Creek Pottery, where he focuses on wood fired earthenware and porcelain pottery influenced by Arkansas geography. About 10 years ago, he began annual firings that have brought together potters statewide as a community. Driver was awarded a Governor’s Arts Award in 2024, and he is part of the documentary “Ozark Wabi” by Molly Wheat and Eliot Peterson.
The announcement in April will highlight Mr. Driver while bringing together Arkansas Living Treasures from across Arkansas. Started in 2002, the Arkansas Living Treasure program helps foster, support, perpetuate and inspire those in traditional or heritage arts or crafts in Arkansas.
For more information on the program, please visit www.ArkansasArts.org. To read more about Stephen Driver, please visit us on our website. For questions, please contact Scarlet Sims, artist services manager, at [email protected].
Arkansas Arts Council
The Arkansas Arts Council, an agency of Arkansas Heritage, advances the arts in Arkansas by providing services and supporting arts endeavors that encourage and assist literary, performing and visual artists in achieving standards of professional excellence. In addition, the Arkansas Arts Council provides technical and financial assistance to Arkansas arts organizations and other providers of cultural and educational programs. Arkansas Heritage is a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.
Arkansas Heritage
Arkansas Heritage was created in 1975 and is a division of the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. There are eight agencies with unique heritage focuses under the umbrella of this division: Arkansas Arts Council, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, the Old State House Museum, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, the Historic Arkansas Museum and the Arkansas State Archives.
Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism
The Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism protects and promotes our state’s natural, cultural and historic assets, contributing to a thriving economy and high quality of life. It is made up of three divisions: Arkansas State Parks, Arkansas Heritage and Arkansas Tourism
