Jeptha Barnard Bright Jr (July 8, 1927 – July 23, 1997), better known as Barney Bright, born in

Shelby County, Kentucky Shelby County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2020 census, the population was 48,065. Its county seat is Shelbyville. The county was established in 1792 and named for Isaac Shelby, the first Governor of Kentuck ...

and was a sculptor from

Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...

, is best known for his work on the

Louisville Clock The Louisville Clock (often called the Derby Clock) was a high ornamental clock that was formerly located on Fourth Street in Louisville, Kentucky.''The Encyclopedia of Louisville'' By John E. Kleber (University Press of Kentucky) page 540 It w ...

Biography

Bright was born in

Shelbyville, Kentucky Shelbyville is a list of Kentucky cities, home rule-class city in and the county seat of Shelby County, Kentucky, Shelby County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 17,282 at the 2020 census. History Early history The town of Shelbyville ...

on July 8, 1927. He would excel in school projects growing up. Barney Bright had his own sculpting business called the Bright Foundry in which other prominent sculptors

Ed Hamilton Edward Norton Hamilton Jr. (born February 14, 1947) is an American sculptor living in Louisville, Kentucky, who specializes in public art. His most famous work is ''The Spirit of Freedom'', a memorial to black American Civil War, Civil War veteran ...

who he worked with from 1973 to 1978 and Raymond Graf was mentored by him. During the 1950s, Bright would be commissioned to do several sculptures near fountains for various buildings. Several of these were made in

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals (such as phosphorus) or metalloid ...

. Barney Bright would begin construction on the well-known

in 1974, a year after the initial project was intended to be completed. The location was to be placed at the River City Mall (now known as

Fourth Street Live! Fourth Street Live! is a entertainment and retail complex located on 4th Street, between Liberty and Muhammad Ali Boulevard, in Downtown Louisville, Kentucky. It is owned and was developed by the Cordish Company; it was designed by Louisville ...

), but the developers easily became absent-minded about the original intentions until former Louisville mayor Wilson W. Wyatt mentioned it to local leaders in 1973. They then interviewed numerous artists to do the job and eventually selected Bright. After the original concept was scaled back considerably to conform to the budgeting, Bright would work on building the clock and have it dedicated in front of 3,000 people on December 3, 1976. Other notable works accomplished by Bright were the River Horse Romano in front of the Mazzoli Federal Building's entrance, and the Winged Man, Icarus. He was also commissioned by the City of Philadelphia to create the statue of basketball legend

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

. Prior to Bright's death in 1997, he released a 36-page book titled ''Barney Bright: A Fifty Year Celebration.'' After retirement, the Brights spent a portion of their year in Louisville and a portion in Europe. Bright died at the age of 70 on July 23, 1997, from

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

. He is buried in

Cave Hill Cemetery Cave Hill Cemetery is a Victorian era National Cemetery and arboretum located at Louisville, Kentucky. Its main entrance is on Baxter Avenue and there is a secondary one on Grinstead Drive. It is the largest cemetery by area and number of buri ...

in Louisville.Cave Hill Cemetery - Bright

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bright, Barney 1927 births 1997 deaths Sculptors from Kentucky Artists from Louisville, Kentucky People from Shelbyville, Kentucky 20th-century American sculptors 20th-century American male artists American male sculptors Deaths from lung cancer in Kentucky Burials at Cave Hill Cemetery

Biography

See also

References