Exhibit at Brookdale by Renowned Toms River Sculptor Brian Hanlon

LINCROFT, NJ - Renowned Toms River sculptor Brian Hanlon will host a public reception for his new exhibit “Historic Pillars in Bronze” at Brookdale Community College on Jan. 26.

You may have seen Hanlon's work throughout New Jersey and across the country – including the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Holmdel and the “Welcome to Ocean County” sculpture in Toms River. The exhibit, on display at Brookdale's Center for Visual Arts gallery, features more than two dozen sculptures of local and national figures, including famed baseball player Yogi Berra, civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer, a New Jersey firefighter and women’s lacrosse player Yeardley Love, who died tragically in 2010. Hanlon also created a sculpture of Jersey City police officer Melvin Santiago, who was killed in the line of duty when he was a rookie, on the force for less than six months. That sculpture can be seen in Atlantic City.

Above is a sculpture Hanlon did of Early Lloyd, the first African American basketball player to play in the NBA.

The sculptures, some of which stand more than seven feet tall, are a sampling of the more than 300 public art pieces Hanlon has created for schools, universities, churches, memorial foundations and other organizations throughout his career.

An alumnus of Brookdale and Monmouth University, Hanlon currently serves as the official sculptor for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He owns Hanlon Sculpture Studio in Toms River.

“Historic Pillars in Bronze” will be on display through March 17. Hanlon will be at the Jan. 26 reception and will take questions from the public. It starts at 5:30 p.m.