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Bruce Bennett 1950-2025
Nature lover, Stone carver, Deep thinker, Dreamer Bruce could look at a hunk of stone and see what was inside of it–often a fish, sometimes a snake, a caterpillar, a torso, a saint. While much of Bruce’s work was architectural, he was responsible for some of Knoxville’s notable public art. For many years Bruce’s office
Bruce Bennett’s Artist Statement
Bruce Bennett passed away on Friday, September 26, 2025, leaving his loving friends and family and a legacy of sculpture that embodies his curiosity and sensibility. His collections carry his memory, created to withstand the test of time.
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My work with stone and creating objects in marble and granite has been self-taught. As I learned the history of marble in East Tennessee and its use throughout the United States, I also learned a few skills necessary to cut, shape, and polish it. I incorporated it into my woodworking and used only marble for furniture and sculpture. Eventually, I used it with other materials, such as glass, metal, and neon.
Tennessee marble is one of the best materials in the world for displaying outside, and it is ideal for gardens and parks and for creating outdoor environments. My work is primarily outdoor pieces to show the value of nature and enhance the enjoyment Tennessee Marble brings.
I am, in my modest way, learning from the stone working tradition, the uses of Tennessee marble past and present, and practices I can personally employ to enhance the beauty of the natural landscape with this native stone. The tangible results of my efforts are furniture and sculpture from East Tennessee marble, engraving the history of the people who worked this marble and used it in art and architecture. As my art grew, I desired other stones and colors and learned to work with marbles and granites from around the world. I love working with stone because it has character and invokes a peaceful, warm, sensual feeling.
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Bruce Bennett 1950-2025
Nature lover, Stone carver, Deep thinker, Dreamer Bruce could look at a hunk of stone and see what was inside of it–often a fish, sometimes a snake, a caterpillar, a torso, a saint. While much of Bruce’s work was architectural, he was responsible for some of Knoxville’s notable public art. For many years Bruce’s office
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2023 – Bruce Bennett: Alien Monoliths
Bruce Bennett talks about his alien monolith series in this video taken March 6th, 2023, in Knoxville, TN, at the Spring Creek Sanctuary. The series is based on archeological imagery from ancient Mexican civilizations, composing a storyline of an encounter between native people and interstellar visitors. Bruce made five finished panels for this project; there
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A Mosaic Driveway by Bruce Bennett and Allison Roberts
The summer of 2020 was difficult for everyone. COVID was the new epidemic, and we were all confined to our quarters. Bruce Bennett had an idea to break the boredom of quarantine.
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2010-Three Eggs in Space Fabrication
Bruce Bennett and his talented craftsman at Custom Marble and Design fabricated Three Eggs in Space for Artist Karen Bailey in 2010. The sculpture stands today in Alexandria, VA. Photo from the Public Art Archive https://publicartarchive.org/art/Three-Eggs-in-Space/b1aa9139
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1997 – First & Future
Bruce Bennet in 1997 with the plaque he made for the Greater Knoxville First & Future 50 Awards.
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1997-Bruce Bennett Creates at Candoro
1997 Knoxville News Sentinel Home and Garden Featuring Bruce Bennett Ronda Robinson featured Bruce Bennett in the Knoxville News Sentinel Home and Garden section in 1997. “Bennett says he likes stone because it has character and invokes a peaceful, warm sensual feeling.”
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1990 Art in the Park
Bruce Bennett featured in the art section of the Knoxville News Sentinel on May 6th, 1990.
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1984 – Furniture in Stone
Bruce Bennett featured in the art section of the Knoxville New Sentinel in July 1984.
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Knobbles by Bruce Bennett
Late one winter night, as I looked around at the pieces of turned wood from my furniture business, I imagined knots becoming faces, knobs turning into heads, and oak spindles forming into legs. Needing Christmas Gifts for friends, I made a few stringless puppets of oak, liickory, and mahogany, joined together with steel eye bolts. Some
