By NewsLine Staff
mail@floridanewsline.com
Throughout the month of December, Mandarin Museum hosted Open Studio with Brenda Councill at the historic Mandarin Store and Post Office. The space was transformed into an artist’s studio, giving visitors the opportunity to interact with Councill as she sculpted her newest piece, “Harriet Beecher Stowe in Mandarin,” a life-size sculpture to be cast in bronze featuring Stowe and two young boys from her orange grove. Renowned for her 1852 novel, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe was a winter resident of Mandarin from 1867 to 1884. During her time spent in her adopted state of Florida, she lived on 30 riverfront acres along Mandarin Road, operated a commercial orange grove, and was a champion for the education of all children regardless of race following the U.S. Civil War. The bronze sculpture will depict Stowe instructing the two young orange grove laborers, symbolizing this commitment to education. Open Studio with Brenda Councill will continue throughout January, every Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Visitors can follow Councill’s progress as she begins with armature construction and ends with a full-size clay sculpture ready for the foundry.
Admission to Open Studio with Brenda Councill is free. Limited edition prints of Councill’s popular Mandarin series will be available for purchase. All proceeds support “Harriet Beecher Stowe in Mandarin” and its eventual installation in Walter Jones Historical Park.
The Historic Mandarin Store and Post Office is located at 12471 Mandarin Road. Visit www.mandarinmuseum.org or call (904) 268-0784 for more information on this event or how to support the project.
Photo courtesy Mandarin Museum and Historical Society
Open Studio with Brenda Councill will continue throughout January at the Historic Mandarin Store and Post Office.
