Latter-day Saint plastic surgeon Steven Neal is a sculptor based in Oregon who said he received a vision 30 years ago. He sculpts images depicting stories from the Book of Mormon with the plan to someday make them available to the world.
In the years since, Neal has put tens of thousands of hours into creating sculptures without knowing where they would find a home.
Nearly four years ago, a private donation from a developer of 10 acres near Utah Valley University’s Wasatch campus in Heber City put an end to that mystery. Now a team is designing a site that will pay tribute, according to the project’s website, to “Jesus Christ, America as the promised land and the Book of Mormon.”
Called the “Monument of the Americas,” Neal said he hopes it will be a place where the public can learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
City Manager Matt Brower said the sculpture garden is “tentatively planned” within a roughly 40-acre arts district, complete with a performing arts center, park and amphitheater.
Read more at sltrib.com.
This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.
