By Shelby Stewart-Soldan
ssoldan@mihomepaper.com
Brandon — Recently, the Brandon Township Public Library received a donation of a life-sized bronze colt statue from the family of Brandon Township resident and library patron Catherine Wagner, who died on Sept. 10.
“I live in Alaska, and every time I came down there, we’d always end up at the library at least once,” said her brother Richard Kacsur. “I thought the horse would be something that would be nice for the library to have, and I think she would have approved.”
Wagner was a resident of Brandon for over 40 years, and Kacsur said she went to the library a least once a week. She also worked for General Motors for over 35 years as an interior designer for Cadillacs, and had a hobby of sculpting.
“We come from a family of artists, craftsmen, musicians,” said Kascur. “You sort of fall into it. She had a design degree from Pratt Institute. It was kind of a natural progression to get into bronze horses.”
He said she had a love of horses, and that she even made some of the awards one year for a horse show. He estimates she made about half a dozen life-size bronze horse sculptures.
The sculpture donated to the library is of an Arabian colt.
“The library is honored to accept this generous donation from the family of Catherine Wagner, talented artist, and beloved patron,” said library director Laura Fromwiller. “It is a remarkable piece that enriches the artistic experience in our community and will be proudly displayed and appreciated.”