Kick Up Your Heels, a work by the sculptor and political cartoonist John Deering, is a bronze depiction of three life-size figures in territorial dress, reminiscent of the legend of the Arkansas Traveler.

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The sculpture depicts a pioneer man standing on a tree stump playing a fiddle while a woman and boy dance to his music. The piece, which emphasizes the state’s heritage and hospitality, was unveiled at the Governor’s Mansion in 2012 and was made possible through efforts of the Mansion Commission and Association to enhance the Mansion Sculpture Garden.

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John Deering of Little Rock is well-known for his public artworks in addition to being a political cartoonist for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. His bronze sculpture of the Little Rock Nine, which depicts African-American school children during the 1957 school desegregation crisis, is a highlight on the State Capitol grounds in Little Rock.