LEE COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION Southern Base of the Research Triangle Region NEWS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, August 21, 2006 BRICK SCULPTURE UNVEILED AT SANFORD-LEE REGIONAL AIRPORT SANFORD -- It took months to create and more than a week to install, but a new brick sculpture now graces the terminal building at the Sanford-Lee County Regional Airport. Covering one wall in the lobby, the deep red sculpture uses the medium of brick, an integral part of the local identity, to interpret Lee County's economic development. Images representing the area's past -- tobacco leaves and a cotton boll, among others -- give way to larger images representing contemporary manufacturing, medical research and recreation. Mason artist Johnny Hagerman, who created the work, also captured the county's railroad heritage by incorporating tracks as a design element, and paid homage to the sculpture's new home with a large aircraft wing jutting from the wall. Johnny, who carved the work at his studio in Pounding Mill, a small community in southwestern Virginia, had it shipped in segments to the airport just off of U.S. 1 in northeastern Lee County. There, he and associate Thomas Hagerman spent more than a week preparing the space and installing the sculpture. As Johnny applied mortar to one piece of the sculpture and gently tapped it into place, Thomas was moving quickly around the terminal floor, laying out carved bricks that would compose the next section. Over several days, the sculpture rose slowly from the ground up. Each brick was lathered with red-tinted mortar, put carefully in place and checked time and again to make sure it was level before moving to the next one. Even the mortar was treated with care, the artist using masonry tools and his hands to shape the material exactly as he intended. As he prepared one brick, Johnny explained that this sculpture has been "in progress" for months. "If we were working just on this piece," he explained, "it might have taken three weeks to a month. But, we have several going on at the same time." Johnny works for General Shale Brick, which donated the sculpture to the airport. The company, based in Johnson City, Tenn., operates four brick plants and employs hundreds of people in Sanford and the immediate area. In addition to the airport project, Johnny and Thomas, who helps with carving and installation, are currently working on sculptures to be installed in an elementary school and an outdoor park for visually handicapped children. "We have sculptures all over," he said. "One of our jobs now is in Chicago." Dan Swanson, director of the airport, said visitors are welcome to stop by the airport, view the brick sculpture and get a taste of local aviation. Families occasionally stop by on weekends, he said, to watch planes take off and land. And some even arrange for sightseeing flights to soar above the ground and see the area from a different perspective. In some ways, that's the same thing artist Johnny Hagerman had in mind when he created the brick sculpture now standing in the terminal lobby -- to help people take a fresh look, and gain a new perspective, of the area and what it has to offer. The Lee County Economic Development Corp. is a nonprofit organization established to attract industry, enhance job opportunities and promote sound planning across Lee County. Funding is provided by the county, as well as the City of Sanford and Town of Broadway, the two county municipalities. -- 30 -- Media Contacts: Bob Heuts, Director Jane Haber, Administrative Assistant 919-774-8439 (phone) 919-775-5410 (fax) info@lcedc.com (e-mail) LCEDC Media Web: http://www.lcedc.com/media/ This release: http://www.lcedc.com/media/releases/nr082106.txt Sanford-Lee Airport: http://www.sanford-leecoairport.com PHOTOS: Brick Sculpture Being Installed Johnny Hagerman uses tools to shape mortar joining two bricks in the sculpture. http://www.lcedc.com/media/temp/IMG_4338_sm.jpg Johnny Hagerman adjusts one brick. http://www.lcedc.com/media/temp/IMG_4340_sm.jpg Bricks on the floor, waiting to be installed. http://www.lcedc.com/media/temp/IMG_4352_sm.jpg Johnny Hagerman applies mortar to one brick. http://www.lcedc.com/media/temp/IMG_4364_sm.jpg Thomas Hagerman, who carved portions of the sculpture, prepares one section for installation. http://www.lcedc.com/media/temp/IMG_4374_sm.jpg A wide view of Johnny Hagerman at work on the brick sculpture. http://www.lcedc.com/media/temp/IMG_4379_sm.jpg A map of North Carolina showing Sanford, one central portion of the brick sculpture. http://www.lcedc.com/media/temp/IMG_4385_sm.jpg Tools of the mason artist. http://www.lcedc.com/media/temp/IMG_4403_sm.jpg Johnny Hagerman installs more bricks into the sculpture. http://www.lcedc.com/media/temp/IMG_4409_sm.jpg More tools of the trade. http://www.lcedc.com/media/temp/IMG_4410_sm.jpg Thomas Hagerman makes sure all bricks in the new section are ready to be installed. http://www.lcedc.com/media/temp/IMG_4412_sm.jpg Wide shot of Johnny Hagerman and Thomas Hagerman working on the brick sculpture. http://www.lcedc.com/media/temp/IMG_4418_sm.jpg