Barney Bright

Barney Bright Biography Jeptha Barnard “Barney” Bright, Jr. was born in Shelbyville, Kentucky in 1927. Growing up, he excelled in school projects. He opened the Bright foundry (a workshop or factory for casting metal) which was his own sculpture business. During the 1950s, Bright received several commissions to create sculptures near fountains. Some were made of bronze. Barney Bright is arguably the single most influential Louisville artist of the second half of the 20th century.

The Louisville Clock In 1970, Bright was commissioned to create a major landmark for the city to be located in the new River City Mall development (later the Louisville Galleria, and then Fourth Street Live!). In 1974 construction began and the clock was dedicated on December 3, 1976 before a crowd of 3,000 people. However the final result was scaled back considerably due to cost. At noon each day, a bugle announced the beginning of a race between five hand-carved statues of figures with local significance. Several mechanized sculptures of notable past Louisvillians watched from above in a Victorian-esque gazebo. Unfortunately, the clock has been moved around quite a bit over the years and can’t seem to find a permanent home.

The Sculptor However, Barney Bright was primarily a sculptor. One notable work accomplished by Bright was “The River Horse Romano” in front of the Mazzoli Federal Building's entrance. You can see his “Truth & Justice” in front of the Legal Arts Building in Louisville as well as sculptures in Cave Hill Cemetery,

Other Barney Bright Works “Two Children Playing” “The Centaur” “The Search”

He completed many commissioned works but one of his most notable commissions is a sculpture of basketball legend Julius Erving (Dr. J.) in Philadelphia. Bright died in 1997 of lung cancer. He is buried in Cave Hill Cemetery where several sculpture of his reside. He even designed his own grave marker.

The Barney Bright Technique Often, Barney Bright would make a small version of the final sculpture to work out all the details. This is also where he would get approval for his commissioned works. He wanted to make sure the people who were paying for the sculpture were going to like the finished product! He would then create the larger piece from his model.

Now it’s your turn! The first step is to come up with an idea! Would you like to design a landmark sculpture, like Barney Bright? What would you sculpt that is important to you—family member, favorite pets, hobbies, friends??? How do you think art, science, and history all play an important role when creating a public sculpture, or the personal one that you create? What role do memories play? Next you want to gather your materials. For our project, you will need a lump of clay and a tool used to carve the clay. Before starting your project, you want to place some sort of covering down on your work are so you can keep it tidy, and you will need a paper towel for your hands. Carve Away!

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