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NATIONAL CELEBRATION IN CAPITAL INAUGURATES MAMMOTH MONUMENT BY MODERN RENAISSANCE ARTIST
Master sculptor Sabin Howard persisted through a marathon to design, create, and sculpt A Soldier’s Journey, the sculptural heart of the National WWI Memorial
KENT, CT, UNITED STATES, August 14, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Master sculptor Sabin Howard has persisted through a marathon to design, create, and sculpt A Soldier’s Journey, the sculptural heart of the National WWI Memorial being installed right now in Washington, DC.
Widely known as America’s Michelangelo, Howard embarked on his voyage into the world of public art in 2015, when he and architect Joe Weishaar entered the international design competition for the National WWI Memorial to be set in Pershing Park, just outside the Willard Hotel.
Twenty-five-year old Weishaar, not yet a fully licensed architect, had an idea for a relief wall within Pershing Park. This was an urban park that had fallen into disrepair but was still loved by certain members of the community. The World War I Centennial Commission shortlisted Weishaar as one of the final five competitors of the 360 teams from around the globe. The Commission advised Weishaar to find a sculptor for his wall.
After searching the internet for “American sculptor” and discovering that Augustus Saint-Gaudens was making art in the hereafter, Weishaar landed at the website for the National Sculpture Society (NSS). There, after hours of patiently scrolling through various sculptor's sites, he discovered ‘Sabin Howard’ under the ’S’ category. The NSS mistakenly listed ‘Howard’ as his first name. Weishaar took one look at Howard’s website and threw out his notes. He knew he had found the right sculptor.
After winning the competition in 2016, Weishaar and Howard set forth to work, Weishaar to renovate the dilapidated park, and Howard to design, create, and finally sculpt A Soldier’s Journey, the poignant and kinetic centerpiece of the new memorial.
Howard started in his studio in the South Bronx by posing models on a platform. He came up with a composition that retold the hero’s journey via a doughboy’s cycle from home, through the muddy killing fields of Europe, and back home again. Howard intended to fully honor the 4.7 million Americans who mobilized for the Great War as well as their families, and by so doing, to pay homage to all veterans.
As Newsmax Magazine shared, “A total of 38 figures have been meticulously brought to life in five distinct scenes. They were expertly fashioned from some 12,000 photographs that Howard snapped in his iPhone’s “burst mode” of human models simulating a variety of poses.”
Once he had drawn the entire design by hand, Howard traveled to New Zealand and then to England to come up with the 3-dimensional maquettes, or models, for the full size relief. Once those passed the arduous commissions approval process in the capital city, he sculpted in Englewood, NJ, for four and a half years.
Now Howard and his assistant sculptor Charlie Mostow are on site in Washington, DC, overseeing the assembly of the 25 ton, 60’ long sculpture that sits 150 yards from the White House. Next week Howard will apply the final patination for this magnificent monument.
Howard will illuminate A Soldier’s Journey in a candlelit ceremony at sunset on September 13. Weishaar and Mostow will be at Howard’s side for the joyous and reflective event, which will be attended by dignitaries, notables, celebrities, and veterans of all branches of the armed services. This event will be live-streamed and covered by national television as well as media from around the globe.
Rebecca DeSimone, Esquire
Sabin Howard Sculpture LLC
rdrosebud@gmail.com
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The Artist's Grand Reveal
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