Raymond Granville Barger, Photograph by Kathie Buchanan, Nancy Hillebrand Project, 1978, courtesy of James A. Michener Art Museum library

Once these strong prison walls
Contained breakers of the laws,
Victims of poor education!
From the poem Transition

Raymond Granville Barger was a sculptor working in metal, plastelina, and bronze among other materials. His sculptures are large, monumental pieces placed outdoors as part of the landscape. Barger believed that artists and sculptors must work with architects and industrial leaders . The sculpture "Transition" was designed to complement the J.C. Penny Building in New York. The sculpture was at this location for 23 years, before it was moved to the James A. Michener Art Museum. The 25 foot abstract bronze sculpture is made of 6,000 feet of welded bronze strips. Barger was a poet as well. He wrote the poem "Transition" for the dedication of the sculpture at the James A. Michener Art Center in 1989. Barger was educated at Carnegie Institute of Technology and Yale University School of Fine Art. He received a Winchester Fellowship from Yale, and a special fellowship from the American Academy in Rome. His piece, Seated Lady, was awarded the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce Bucks County Arts Award in 1977. Disllusioned with the Bucks County arts scene of the early 1980's, Barger moved to California, where he died in 2001.