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LEHI — At the Tree of Life sculpture garden in Thanksgiving Point, visitors become part of the story being told by the sculptures.
Angela Johnson, the garden's sculptor, hopes visitors feel the music and motion in the sculptures, that they become a mirror for visitors who can see they are part of the multitudes in the story told through the garden based on the Book of Mormon.
"We are part of this exhibit. We're not observers. ... This is a vision given by God, our Father, for all of mankind," she said.
Johnson said it teaches that there are two choices, light and darkness, and there are consequences and blessings based on those choices.
This week, invited guests have begun touring the new 2.5-acre garden, which opens to the public on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
'A beacon of light'
Gina Ashby, a sculpting assistant, said Johnson started the project eight years ago, and she started helping about three years ago. At that point, eight statues were already being bronzed.
She said seeing the garden takes her breath away after watching statues line up in Johnson's backyard over the years.
"It really feels like this is their home, and they are standing there as a beacon of light, and with a message," she said.
Ashby said Johnson felt the message from the garden is needed now more than ever and pushed to have it finished sooner.
Sculptures might take significant time to be created, but Ashby said Johnson created deadlines for the foundry. Artists would sometimes be putting final details on a statue as it went out the door to be created in its full-bronze state.
"The intensity that Angela has maintained is purely driven out of the love that she has for God and the love she has for other people to help them know that they are so, so important and valued and belong to God's family," she said.
Ashby believes the project has the potential to change hearts. She said people are starved of love and light, and she thinks they will feel the message of hope and peace in the garden.
Details in the sculptures
The 2.5 acre garden has over 130 bronze sculptures telling the story of the Tree of Life from the Book or Mormon. There are seven different areas depicting people and scenes from the Book of Mormon, Christ's life and people from around the world. The final area at the top of the garden is the Tree of Life, with Christ inviting others to join him there.
The depiction comes from dreams a Book of Mormon prophet and his son had about a beautiful tree that produced delicious fruit and was located at the end of a path marked by an iron rod. A large building was nearby where the people inside mocked those heading toward the tree. The Latter-day Saint scripture says the tree symbolizes the love of God, while the iron rod represents the word of God.
In the great and spacious building portion of the garden, Johnson said she inserted a character named Adar based on her journey of rebirth. The fictional woman goes through a six-sculpture journey from pointing and laughing at others from the building to inviting others to join her on her path toward the tree.
"Rebirth, it's a daily experience. ... When you see the emotion in the eyes of the people — I hope you see their hope, their joys, their concern, their despair, and feel a common connection with the art that I've created," she said.
Perhaps the most impressive statue is the 20-by-30 foot tree, which is up on a hill and can be seen from the entry point to Ashton Gardens. The tree features 12,400 individually welded leaves and glass fruit, and it is lit up at night.
The tree has a large concrete footing underneath to support the 25,000 pound statue. Johnson said the tree should cause viewers to marvel at God's creations.
"All these beautiful creations are so random; they are not stamped out. They're organic, and they have their own unique beauty. And I had to replicate that," she said.
Don't ask Johnson to pick a favorite statue; she says she loves them all.
"I walk around thumb washing the faces of every statue like a mother does on a picture day," Johnson said.
A second sculpture garden
McKay Christensen, CEO of Thanksgiving Point, said building the garden required moving 1,300 truckloads of dirt, and that was just one of the engineering challenges.
He said the garden teaches lessons about joy, redemption and beauty found in faith in God and Christ.
"We're just thrilled about ... so many things that will be taught and learned as people walk through this garden," he said.
Christensen said in survey responses from people who visit Ashton Gardens, almost without exception they mention the Light of the World Garden — another sculpture garden created by Johnson, which opened in 2015. He said when she approached Ashton Gardens about doing another garden, its managers were thrilled.
"We are just so blessed and excited to have this garden and her talent and her artistry made manifest here," he said.
He said although the garden depicts scenes from the Book of Mormon, it is really focused on Christ. He said the tree is not just a symbol in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but in multiple religions around the world.
The Light of the World Garden has 35 statues and took Johnson 17 years. The new garden took half that time and has almost four times as many statues.
"There's no way I could do this without ... God touching the hearts of people so that they would come forward and sponsor statues," Johnson said.
Gathering donations
Brett Folkman and his wife, chairman of the Tree of Life Foundation, worked on gathering donations for the last four years, helping raise the $25 million needed for the garden. He retired earlier than planned to help with the project.
He said donors wanted to help because of their faith in Christ and the ability to leave a legacy of that faith for their posterity.
His wife, Sandy Folkman, said Johnson had the idea for donor families to sign statues and engrave an acronym symbolizing their faith. Throughout the garden those inscriptions can be seen on statues.
"I'm in awe at the magnificence of this project, and the spirit of it," she said.
Admission to the garden is included in admission to Thanksgiving Point's Ashton Gardens, which ranges from $12 to $27.
