John Waddell Story to Air on Channel 8

In November 2011, Arizona sculptor John Waddell was inducted into the Herberger Performing and Broadcast Arts Hall of Fame. The artist, whose sculptures grace the Herberger Theater Plaza, is the subject of a documentary to air on Channel 8.

Directed by award-winning filmmaker Marlo Bendau and told by 15 models, including Bendau, in rarely filmed modeling sessions, Rising: The Art and Life of John Waddell documents the life of a determined, prolific American figurative sculptor.

Working on the periphery of the contemporary art world for 50 years, Waddell shunned commercial success, endured enormous personal setbacks and thrived without the help of critics. The film chronicles his unique process first evident in That Which Might Have Been, his seminal work honoring four girls killed in the Birmingham, Alabama, church bombing of 1963, through his 2008 completion of the 28-figure relief Rising, inspired by 9/11.

Waddell served as head of the art education department at Arizona State University from 1957 to 1964 and now resides with his wife, Ruth, in Cornville, Ariz.

The show airs Friday, July 13, on KAET/Channel 8.