Lazaro Aleman: Greene Publishing, Inc.
Starting this Friday, May 5, the 1020 Art Gallery in Tallahassee will hold an exhibition of the sculptures of the late Bradley Cooley Sr., a longtime Jefferson County resident and well-known artist who died earlier this year at age 78.
Madison Countians are very familiar with one of Cooley’s works – the Ray Charles statute in Haffye Hays Park in Greenville. Other sculptures, produced either singularly or collaboratively, include the sculpture of St. Margaret of Scotland, on display on the front lawn of St. Margaret Catholic Church in Monticello; and group statutes of Seminole families and warriors – can be seen on the lawn of the R.A. Gray Building in Tallahassee.
The Ray Charles Memorial, sculpted by Bradley Cooley and Bradley Cooley Jr. in 2005, is located in Haffye Hays Park in Greenville.
The exhibition, which is free to the public and features numerous of Bradley’s works, will continue through June 30, but the opening reception is set for 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. Friday, May 5.
Bradley, a self-taught artist who got a late start in his vocation, was said to be the Seminole Indians’ favorite sculptor, a sobriquet he earned because of his many works for and of the Seminole Tribe. In fact, Bradley and his son, also named Bradley and also an accomplished artist in his own right, are credited with producing 40 life-size bronze sculptures for the Tribe, many of which are on display at the tribe’s headquarters in Hollywood, FL. Besides sculptors and portrayals of Native Americans, the Cooleys also did wildlife representations and notable sports personalities.
The 1020 Art promises to have a large collection of Bradley’s works on display. On Friday, May 5, it will also feature a demonstration by Bradley Jr. of the process that he and his father used to create their sculptures.
The 1020 Art is located at 1020 East Lafayette Street, across and just west of The Moon. The exhibition is titled Legacy: celebrating sculptor Bradley Cooley.
For more information please call (850) 383-1020.
Pictured, from left to right, are: Artists Bradley Cooley, Jr. and Bradley Cooley, Sr. posing with the King at the dedication ceremony for the 'American Royalty' sculpture installation in Tallahassee.