Visitors to the U.S. embassies in London and Moscow are greeted by a miniature statue created by one member of the Church and made possible by another Church member.
Dennis Smith, a member of the Highland (Utah) 4th Ward, created the 30-inch-high "Signing of the Constitution" piece in about three months after he developed the concept. Originally, Smith had worked on the sculpture, which depicts six of the nation's founding fathers signing the U.S. constitution, for a project in Washington D.C. "But when that fell through, I continued with the concept and finished the project."The piece was selected by the U.S. State Department's Art in the Embassies program to be placed in embassies throughout the world. However, although the program selects pieces for the embassies, it does not fund them and private companies or sponsors are asked for help.
"I've enjoyed the State Department's enthusiasm in the reception of this piece of art," said Dion Barron, also a member of the Highland (Utah) 4th Ward who worked with Smith and the program in finding sponsors. "As soon as they saw the piece, people in the program contacted embassies for permanent placement of the sculpture."
The Alexander Hamilton Life Insurance Company, headed by Richard H. Headlee, a member of the Farmington Hills (Mich.) Ward, had worked with Smith before. Since Alexander Hamilton was one of the men depicted in the piece, "It seemed natural to contact the company," Smith explained.
The company was eager to sponsor the placement of the small bronze memorial and, working through the program, arranged for the piece to be presented to the London Embassy in November 1988 and the Moscow Embassy in May of this year.
"It was a great experience," noted Headlee, who traveled to England and the USSR for the presentation. "The Magna Carta, among other Engllish documents, was a model for the American Constitution so it was appropriate that a casting of this sculpture was first placed in the American Embassy in Great Britain. . . . The depiction of the signing of the Constitution in a small way is also a beacon of hope for all the Russian people that come to see and enjoy the artwork."
The U.S. ambassador in Russia, Jack Matlock, was pleased to accept the sculpture "because of its representation of freedom and because of its place in the supporting of the U.S. Department of State's Art in Embassy program."
Other embassies in Tel Aviv, Tokyo, Stockholm, and Copenhagen have requested the piece and the State Department would eventually like to see it placed in embassies on all continents, said Sister Barron.
Smith is pleased with the reception his piece has received. "I'm proud of it and am grateful that those who see it seem to like it so well." Smith is perhaps best known among Church members as the artist who created the 11 sculptures that make up the Monument to Women in Nauvoo, Ill.
