On the dusty hillside above Utah Valley University’s Wasatch campus, sculptor Steven Neal whisked aside two tarps to reveal George Washington and Jesus, each cast in bronze and bound for a one-of-a-kind garden Neal says came to him in a vision.
The Monument of the Americas has been 30 years in the making, and on Thursday, May 29, about 100 people joined Neal in the next step toward making his vision a reality.
Neal is many things – a sculptor, a painter, a retired plastic surgeon, a singer – but on Thursday, he was most of all a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He told the crowd through tears it took a long time to find a home for his sculptures.
“How did I end up doing what I did?” he said. “It's simple, if you think of it in terms of a covenant. I made a promise to God: if he would bless my talents, I’d just keep at it, never knowing if this would happen.”
Neal used a billboard truck to show a video of what the garden will look like one day.
It will feature a waterfall cascading over a wall designed to look like the golden plates, from which LDS faithful believe Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon. And Neal said the garden’s crown jewel will be an 18-foot statue of Jesus.
“This will be lit up at night,” he said. “You'll be able to see it from all parts of the valley.”
Local and state leaders joined Neal in sharing testimonies of faith at Thursday’s ceremony.
Former Utah Gov. Gary Herbert said the story of the United States’ founding can’t be separated from the story of the LDS church.
“I believe these founding fathers were raised up by God for the LDS,” he said. “We know that's part of LDS scripture: to have this country ordained by Heavenly Father.”
And Heber City Councilmember Aaron Cheatwood said he hopes visitors to the sculpture garden will be inspired to live according to the virtues the church teaches.
“The stories of the Book of Mormon teach us of love and peace, of patience and kindness and of understanding, and because of that, I think they're specifically meant for us in our day and our time,” he said.
Neal said Thursday the project already has $3 million in cash donations, plus the 12-acre site donated by the developer of the nearby Jordanelle Ridge project.
The sculptor said he will commemorate top donors in various ways in the garden, like working their likenesses into statues.
The park will open in phases. Neal previously told KPCW he expects all 71 sculptures will be finished by 2028.
