School & Education - ECB Publishing - Monticello News & Jefferson Journal

March 10, 2010

Helping choose the location where the sculpture will be placed on the NFCC campus are, left to right, NFCC instructor Lisa Barden, students Stephanie Winburn (Suwannee County), Wesley Sullivan (Madison), Joshua Isom (Madison), Matthew Smith (Jefferson), Bobbi Crafton (Madison), Ross Everett (Jefferson), Dana Anderson (Suwannee), Dana Parsons (Madison), professional sculptor Bradley Cooley Jr., students Will Culpepper (Madison) and Amy Frey (Jefferson).

North Florida Community College art students are getting first-hand experience in building a metal sculpture from the ground up while working with professional sculptor Brad Cooley Jr. of the Lamont, Fla. based business Bronze by Cooley which specializes in life size and monumental sculptures. Cooley, an NFCC alumnus, is donating his time and labor to the student project and said he is glad to be on campus sharing his talent and knowledge with students.

Cooley has been working with the NFCC Art Club and NFCC art instructor Lisa Barden since late November collecting recycled pieces of metal, creating the sculpture design – a sea turtle – and welding the base and interior structure of the sculpture into place. Several NFCC students have even had the opportunity to work in the Bronze by Cooley studio in Lamont while working on the project. The group plans to complete the project in March 2010.

"This project is an amazing educational opportunity for our students who are working closely with a professional artist while learning about new materials and methods," said Lisa Barden, art instructor at NFCC. "The students are excited to leave behind their artistic mark on campus to be enjoyed for generations. We are so grateful to Mr. Cooley for generously donating materials and offering his time and guidance."

Cooley was named among NFCC's Outstanding Alumni in 2006 and while a student at NFCC studied under former NFCC art instructor Dr. Bill Gardner on an art scholarship. For the past twenty years Cooley and his father Bradley Cooley have devoted their creative abilities to creating amazing sculptures and have earned a reputation for their exceedingly large and realistic sculptures of American Indian subjects and wildlife. The Cooley's life-size bronze sculpture of famous musician Ray Charles can be seen in Haffye Hays Park in Greenville, Fla. and they have over 40 commissioned monumental and life-size sculptures in public parks, government grounds, college campuses, museums and corporations in Florida alone.

When complete the NFCC sculpture will be permanently located near NFCC's Marshall Hamilton Library (Bldg. 4) – a prime location for students and campus visitors alike to enjoy the piece of art. The NFCC Art Club also hopes add landscaping and seating around the sea turtle sculpture which will be around six feet wide.

"I think it's really awesome that we, students, can have a physical impact on the campus," said NFCC student Ross Everett.

For more information about the NFCC Art Department and upcoming projects and exhibits, contact Lisa Barden at (850) 973-1642, email BardenL-@nfcc.edu or visit www.nfcc.edu (search: Visual Arts). For more information on Bronze by Cooley visit www.bronzebyco-oley.com.