On Sept. 5, renowned sculptor and mining historian Craigger Browne will lead a lecture on his work and the history of Sylacauga marble.
Browne, a native Alabamian, has worked in France and Italy, home to the oldest stone studios and marble quarries in the world. He now sculpts exclusively in Alabama’s own white marble. From 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. at the Homewood Public Library, community members can learn how his global experiences and local roots shape his work.
“Sylacauga marble brought me here. It’s the people that make me stay,” Browne told Alabama Living Magazine.
“We are particularly excited about this summer’s ambitious exhibition, since it is our first three-dimensional sculpture presentation” said Shannon Marie Schneider, Arts Council chair in a statement. “We also are pleased that our featured artist is acclaimed sculptor Craigger Brown, who has marble sculptures found in museum, corporate, private and public collections across five continents. For this Homewood show, Browne wanted to feature many of his favorite creations from across the state of Alabama.”
Marble sculptor Craigger Browne with a piece made from Alabama marble of Vulcan statue creator Guiseppe Moretti.Courtesy Homewood Arts Council
In 1986, Browne graduated from Vestavia Hills High School and received a bachelor of fine arts from the University of Montevallo in 1991, according to the Jemison Carnegie Heritage Hall Museum and Art Center.
His love for sculpture and interest in marble work took him to another continent, but today, Browne lives and works in Sylacauga – he is Sculptor-In-Residence for the City of Sylacauga – known for its rare white marble deposits.
Discovered in the early 1800s, Sylacauga marble “developed a reputation for its lustrous quality and fine texture…It has been used in many famous buildings and works of art,” Browne told AL.com in May.
“Famous works such as Gutzon Borglum’s bust of Abraham Lincoln in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capital Building. The ceiling of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, is made of Sylacauga marble because of its translucent properties.”
You can learn more about Browne’s work, life and love for Sylacauga marble at the free, local event on Sept. 5. The Homewood Art Council’s “Sketches in Stone,” an exhibition of Browne’s works across Alabama is now open in the lobby of Homewood City Hall, and runs through Tuesday, Sept. 9.
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