Today on the show, Lucy Branch interviews Dr. Neil Armstrong, who has created one of Cornwall's most distinctive sculpture parks. What began as a simple need for "proper playtime" evolved into Treemenheere: a sculpture park built upon a philosophy.

This is the story of a man who turned his back on funding bodies and committees to create something purely according to his own vision. As Neil puts it, everything arrives "on the good ship serendipity," and that openness to possibility has created one of Britain's most thoughtful contemporary art spaces.

Find out more: Treemenheere

Key Discussion Points

• From GP to Garden Creator - How a mid-career need for adventure led to creating Treemenheere
• The Holy Trinity Philosophy - Balancing landscape, sculpture and planting in perfect harmony
• Learning What Not to Do - His three-month European sculpture park research sabbatical
• The Committee of One - Why he avoids funding bodies and committees to preserve his vision
• Sculptures Must Earn Their Keep - How artworks function within the landscape, not just decorate it
• The Good Ship Serendipity - His unique approach to discovering and selecting artists
• The Serious Amateur Tradition - Pursuing excellence for love rather than money
• From Personal Passion to Public Good - How a private project became a cultural institution

Please support the show by buying Wax On Wax Off by Lucy Branch - at Amazon UK and can be ordered wherever books are sold

⁠This podcast is created by ⁠Antique Bronze⁠

In this episode, Lucy Branch speaks to sculptor and Royal Academician, Nigel Hall, who discusses his lifelong passion for sculpture.

Nigel shares insights into his academic journey and experiences in America that solidified his commitment to sculpture. He delves into his prolific creative process and how he has sustained a successful artistic career over the course of several decades.

Follow Nigel’s journey and discover more about his work on his website and Instagram.

⁠Please support the show by buying ⁠Bronze Behaving Badly: Principles of Bronze Conservation⁠

or

⁠Wax On Wax Off: How To Care For BronzeSculpture⁠

This podcast is created by ⁠Antique Bronze⁠ - conservators of sculpture and architectural features.

Today's episode is an informal yet informative glimpse into host, Lucy Branch's, world behind the bronze as Lucy shares her excitement about completing her latest novel, a 17th-century historical romance.

Lucy discusses the spontaneity of creative projects and answers listener questions about her work, podcast, and life.

There is also bonus material at the end of the episode if listeners would like to hear the first chapter of her previous book, 'Restoration Murder.'

00:00 Introduction to Sculpture Vulture

00:37 Celebrating a New Novel

03:38 Q&A Session Begins

04:24 Eric Gill Sculpture Controversy

07:01 Smart Water for Sculpture Protection

09:39 Journey into Novel Writing

15:01 Public Sculpture Behaviour

20:03 Influential Books and Time Management

Younger Next Year - Chris Crowley and Harry Lodge

Essentialism by Greg McKeown

The Big Leap - Gay Hendricks

24:21 Podcasting Journey and Future Plans

29:01 Sample Reading from 'Restoration Murder'

In this episode, host ⁠Lucy Branch⁠, introduces ⁠Steven C. Barber⁠, an American filmmaker and producer turned fundraiser for monuments in the US.

Barber has raised millions of dollars particularly championing the creation of monuments to astronauts. He shares anecdotes about his journey from documentary filmmaking to monument creator, his unique perspective on memorializing achievements, and his strategies for securing substantial donations from high-profile figures and organizations.

Barber's stories emphasize the importance of vision, persistence, and the ability to connect disparate worlds in order to achieve monumental goals.

Key Discussion Points

00:50 Vandalism and Restoration Stories

Links Mentioned in this section

⁠Robin Hood and Maid Marrion ⁠

⁠Radio Stoke and Leek War Memorial ⁠

05:50 Steve Barber's Journey into Filmmaking

10:17 Challenges and Successes in Monument Creation

21:28 Emotional Studio Visit21:56 Meeting the Sculptors

22:25 Building Apollo 11 Monument

24:15 Fundraising for Monuments

26:18 Challenges in Monument Creation

28:12 The Art of Cold Calling

33:38 The President's Monument

35:25 Reflections on Fundraising

42:02 Lucy's Roundup and Future Plans

⁠Connect with Steve C. Barber⁠

Lundeen Sculptors

⁠⁠Please support the show by joining me on Substack - it's free! ⁠

or you can buy one of my non-fiction books if you'd like help or advice with caring for bronze

⁠⁠Bronze Behaving Badly: Principles of Bronze Conservation⁠⁠

or

⁠⁠Wax On Wax Off: How To Care For Bronze Sculpture⁠⁠

This podcast is created by ⁠⁠Antique Bronze⁠⁠

Scottish sculptor Kenny Hunter joins Lucy Branch to discuss the power of public monuments in our fast-paced world.

From his first transformative touch of clay to his acclaimed public works, Kenny reveals why he sees sculptures as "phantoms looking down on the city" and shares insights on the theatrical quality of public art, where static figures silently observe as life unfolds around them.

This thoughtful conversation explores sculpture as the ultimate "slow art" – work that rewards patient creation and contemplation in an age of instant consumption, inviting listeners to reconsider the quiet monuments we often pass by without notice.

Please support the show by buying one of my books. This episode featured, Restoration Murder

Join us and BE INSPIRED BY SCULPTURE.  You canfind images to accompany the episode and a transcription of the interview at  Sculpture Vulture Blog

This podcast was brought to you by Antique Bronze specialists in sculpture conservation

Today on the show, Lucy Branch interviews Dr. Susan Owens, author, independent scholar and former curator of paintings at the V&A about her recent article in Country Life magazine titled "Time Stands Still" which takes readers on a tour of Britain through 50 monuments. They discuss the significance of some of the UK's public monuments, their cultural impact, and highlight several remarkable examples.

Key Discussion Points

Dr. Owens' background at the V&A Museum and her transition from 2D to 3D artworks

The challenge of selecting just 50 monuments from Britain's rich landscape of commemorative works

How monuments function as "the collective memory of our country"

The cultural significance of controversial monuments like the Edward Colston statue and Mark Quinn's guerrilla installation of Jen Reid

The lack of proper curation for public monuments and spaces

The ongoing debate about memorializing tragedies like Grenfell

Monuments Highlighted

Penelope Boothby memorial (1791) - A moving marble sculpture by Thomas Banks of a five-year-old girl in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, commissioned by her grieving father

Boudicca monument at Westminster Bridge - Thomas Thornicroft's bronze masterpiece depicting the Celtic queen in triumph, drawing parallels to Queen Victoria

Sir Walter Scott Monument in Edinburgh - A Gothic structure housing not just Scott's statue but figures from his novels, illustrating his influence on historical fiction

Royal Artillery Memorial at Hyde Park - Charles Sargeant Jagger's WWI memorial featuring realistic depictions of soldiers and their equipment, including the controversial fallen soldier figure

About Dr Susan Owens

Author of "Imagining England's Past: Inspiration, Imagination, Obsession" (Thames Hudson, 2023)

Recently published "The Story of Drawing: An Alternative History of Art" (Yale University Press, October 2024)

Instagram: @Susan_x_Owens

Insights

The emotional power of monuments to move us across centuries

Britain's tradition of commemorating beloved animals alongside historical figures

How monuments can become meeting places with personal significance

The human cost of creating monuments, such as the silicosis that killed many workers on the Scott Monument

Please support the show by buying one of my non-fiction books,

Bronze Behaving Badly: Principles of Bronze Conservation

or

Wax On Wax Off: How To Care For Bronze Sculpture

This podcast is created by Antique Bronze

In today's episode, ⁠Lucy Branch⁠, speaks with sculptor ⁠John Belardo ⁠about the remarkable Piccirilli brothers, six Italian immigrant sculptors who revolutionized American monumental sculpture in the early 20th century. John shares his 25-year journey researching these master craftsmen who created some of America's most iconic monuments while remaining largely unknown to the public.

About Our Guest

John Belardo is a New York-based sculptor and educator who teaches at the New York Academy of Art, Art Students League of New York, and Lehman College. With a studio practice in the Hudson Valley, John specializes in narrative sculpture featuring multiple figures that tell stories.

Website: ⁠⁠johnbelardo.com⁠⁠

Episode Highlights:

You can find images to accompany the episode and a transcription of the interview at  ⁠SculptureVulture Blog ⁠

Please support the show by purchasing, ⁠Bronze Behaving Badly⁠, about the foundations of preserving sculptureand architectural features. Or, one of several novels about sculpture such as, ⁠A Rarer Gift Than Gold⁠, by Lucy Branch. 

This episode was brought to you by ⁠Antique Bronze,⁠ specialising in the conservation and restoration of public sculpture and architectural features

The Art of War with Sabin Howard

In this episode, we sit down with sculptor Sabin Howard, the artist behind America's World War I Memorial in Washington D.C. From an unexpected creative awakening in a Philadelphia woodworking shop to creating one of the most significant public artworks of our time, Howard shares his extraordinary journey and philosophical approach to classical sculpture in the modern world.

Episode Highlights

- How an impulsive decision to quit his woodworking job led Sabin to art school and eventually to becoming one of today's leading classical sculptors

- The massive undertaking of creating the WWI Memorial: 25 iterations, 12,000 reference photos, and a 18m bronze relief

- Working with combat veterans as models and how it transformed his understanding of service and art

- His experience navigating government bureaucracy while maintaining artistic vision

- Why he believes public art should unify and elevate consciousness rather than alienate

- The upcoming documentary "Heroic" chronicling the creation of the memorial (releasing June 2025)

Memorable Quotes

"We need to kick them out of the temple and take back art for we the people and make it go in a direction that's about elevating us and about higher consciousness."

About Sabin Howard

Sabin Howard is a classical sculptor whose work combines Renaissance traditions with contemporary emotional depth. As the sculptor of America's World War I Memorial, he has created one of the largest bronze relief sculptures in history, telling the story of a soldier's journey through 38 figures across 116 feet.

Connect with Sabin Howard

- Website:www.sabinhoward.com

- Instagram: @sabinhowardsculptures

- X/Twitter: @sabinhoward

Coming Soon

Look out for the documentary "Heroic: Sabin Howard Sculpting the National World War I Memorial" releasing in June 2025.

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Other mentions in the show:Dolphin Square: The Most Notorious Address in the UK

This episode is brought to you byAntique Bronze: THE Business in Bronze Conservation

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, rate and review the podcast. It helps other sculpture enthusiasts find our show!

Today on the show, Lucy Branch talks to one of Scotland's most important figurative public sculptors, Alan Beattie Herriot.

In this episode, we explore his journey from playing in bands to fund his art, to creating iconic works like the Robert the Bruce at Marischal College and The Elizabeth Sword for the Scottish Crown.

Together, we explore how his monuments have become beloved landmarks in their communities, creating a must-listen episode for anyone interested in public art, Scottish culture, and the creative spirit.

This podcast was brought to you by Antique Bronze specialists in sculpture conservation.

Today on this solo-show, Lucy Branch, dives into Statumania - a time that saw Britain experience an unprecedented surge in public monument creation. This phenomenon reflected the era's civic pride, wealth, and desire to commemorate historical figures. Join us to be inspired by Sculpture.

The fantastic books used to support this episode were:

London Immortals by John Blackwood

Public Sculpture of Westminster by Philip Ward Jackson

The Colour of Sculpture 1840-1910

This podcast was brought to you by Antique Bronze specialists in sculpture conservation