Heber City breaks ground on new sculpture park; The Monument of Americas will feature 70 bronze sculptures

Reported on The Park Record

The Monument of Americas sculpture garden construction is underway in Heber City. The park will feature more than 70 bronze sculptures, all made by three Utah-based artists including Steven Neal, the project’s creator. 

Neal came up with the idea 40 years ago while he was a plastic surgeon.

When one of his college professors suggested he take sculpting classes to learn more about finer details and artistic judgment, Neal fell in love with the hobby.

“You have to learn yourself how much is too much, how much is too little. What looks good, what doesn’t look good, what are the possibilities,” Neal said. 

Having always been a painter, Neal said sculpting was something he could easily enjoy and appreciate. He kept working at it and eventually joined forces with Provo-based artist Michael Hall. Then the pair began coming up with ideas for a sculpture garden that pays homage to their religious roots and the history of the United States.Neal, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said the Book of Mormon has always been a pillar of his devotion. Working with doctrines from the Book of Mormon and stories from U.S. history, Neal and Hall worked on ideas for their sculptures. 

Before diving into making a larger sculpture, Neal said artists must start with a maquette, a miniature-sized version of their end result. 

“You waste a ton of time if you don’t have some maquette that you can refer to,” Neal said. “So all of the maquettes, all the small versions have been created. Many of them years ago. Now we’re enlarging those.”

Those full-size sculptures will eventually be on display at the Monument of Americas sculpture garden. The 12-acre park and garden will feature sculptures from Neal, Hall and artist Jerime Hooley. Park sculptures will tell the story of the Book of Mormon and notable people from history, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. 

Neal said the space will also play host to performing artists with an outdoor theater. One of Heber City’s theater organizations, High Valley Arts, will frequent that stage. 

Despite a successful groundbreaking, Neal said he is not sure when the sculpture park will officially open. He said there is more fundraising to be done. Right now, the project has received about $3 million. Neal said they need at least $10 million more. 

Some unveilings will happen before the park officially opens, but Neal said it could be some time until doors are formally open to the public. No matter when it opens, Neal said he knows it will be something special.