Division of Cultural Affairs
Sue M. Cobb
Secretary of State

For Immediate Release
Contact: Allison McCarthy
March 8, 2006
850.245.6475
amccarthy@dos.state.fl.us

W. Stanley “Sandy” Proctor to be
Inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame

TALLAHASSEE, FL – On Wednesday, March 29, 2006, Secretary W. Stanley “Sandy” Proctor, a renowned sculptor, will be inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame. The induction will take place at the R.A. Gray Building in Tallahassee during the Florida Heritage Month Gala. “The remarkable vision and works of Sandy Proctor demonstrate a powerful lifelong commitment to Florida’s rich heritage,” said Secretary Cobb. “Sandy Proctor has devoted his life and work towards creating a more pleasing and inspirational environment for the citizens of Florida.”

Nominated by Mrs. Peyton Fearington Deison, Mr. Proctor was recommended for the Hall of Fame honor from a slate of finalists by the Florida Arts Council. He shares the 2006 honor with fellow inductee, Harlem Renaissance artist John Rosamond Johnson.

A native Floridian, Mr. Proctor enjoys a national reputation as an accomplished professional sculptor. Beginning his career as a professional painter and stone carver, he received international recognition early on. He began concentrating almost exclusively in bronze sculpture, and has installed numerous public and private commissions in the last several years. He has completed commissions for the Boyds Collection in Pennsylvania, the Raymond James Financial Art Collection in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Florida Sheriff’s Association, the Florida Highway Patrol, and the Florida Sheriff’s Youth Ranch.

Recently, he completed “Integration: Books, Bats and Beauty,” a larger than life-size sculpture commemorating integration at Florida State University, as well as a monumental sculpture of Head Football Coach Bobby Bowden for Florida State University’s Doak Campbell Stadium.

His latest work is the design for the Wuerffel Trophy, a portrait bronze of Danny Wuerffel as he prays after a touchdown. This trophy is presented to the college football player who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement. Mr. Proctor has been commissioned to create the maquette-size trophy for the award, which is given to one player chosen each year.

Other work by Mr. Proctor includes a large installation at the Florida Governor’s Mansion Children’s Park, the National Jewish Center Hospital in Colorado, the Arts Foundation of Farmers Branch in Texas, the Living Desert Museum in California, Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, the Leon County Courthouse in Tallahassee, Fairhope High School in Alabama, the Florida Association of Broadcasters; two public libraries and two public mall areas.

He also has pieces on display at the White House, the Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, Florida, Tallahassee Memorial Hospital, University of South Alabama Women’s and Children’s Hospital, and Maymount Gardens in Virginia.

Mr. Proctor regularly participates in many art shows around the country, and he has been the featured Master Sculptor at the Easton Waterfowl Festival in Maryland, the Southeastern Art Exposition in South Carolina, and the Plantation Wildlife Arts Festival in Georgia. His work is shown in many private galleries across the country.

He is a member of the National Sculpture Society, and in 2004 received the American Artists Professional League award for the best work depicting traditional realism.

Established by the Florida Legislature in 1986, the Florida Artists Hall of Fame recognizes persons, living or deceased, who have made significant contributions to the arts in Florida either as performing or practicing artists in individual disciplines. These individuals contribute to Florida's national or international reputation as a state with a strong and sustained commitment toward the development of cultural excellence. The Florida Artists Hall of Fame currently consists of over 30 inductees, including musician and performer Ray Charles, writers Zora Neale Hurston, Tennessee Williams and Ernest Hemingway, and visual artists Duane Hanson, Robert Rauschenberg and James Rosenquist.

For more information, please contact Allison McCarthy at 850.245.6475 or visit www.florida-arts.org.

Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, The Capitol, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0250 850.245.6475  •  FAX: 850.487.3367  •  http://www.florida-arts.org/