The Cazenovia Public Library will host sculptor Dexter Benedict at 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 18, in the library community room. His presentation, “Lincklaen Sculpture: The Bronze Casting Process,” will focus on his latest commission and his artistic process.
Dexter Benedict is the owner/operator of the Fire Works Foundry and Sculpture Studio near Penn Yan in Yates County. He received a B.A. in Art from Ottawa University in Kansas and an M.F.A. in sculpture from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
In 2010, Benedict retired from Keuka College, where he was honored with the title of Professor of Art, Emeritus.
Benedict’s work is primarily figurative in imagery. To create a piece, he works directly in clay to develop the form, and then, using the Lost Wax Process, casts the work in bronze at his foundry. He has completed a number of corporate and private commissions, ranging from small commemorative awards to monumental bronze portrait figures. Locally, he created the Ben Franklin statue in Syracuse’s Franklin Square, as well as the Jerry Wilson statue and The Stone Throwers statues on Tipperary Hill.
Benedict is currently developing a bronze statue of Cazenovia’s founder, John Lincklaen, to be erected in Lakeland Park. The sculpture, “Lincklaen’s Vision,” will be installed in celebration of Cazenovia’s 225th Anniversary.
All events at the Cazenovia Public Library are free and open to the public. For more information, call 315-655-9322 or visit cazenoviapubliclibrary.org.
