The new Stewart Sculpture Garden at the Springville Museum of Art has been getting lots of use -- museum director Vern Swanson said that the garden has already hosted two weddings, an art class and the museum's annual Art Ball. Guess that means it's time to finally hold a formal opening.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will dedicate the garden during a one-hour program Monday at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but seating is limited and those wishing to attend must visit the museum beforehand to pick up a free ticket.

The dedication event is the culmination of a five-year project to transform a 20,000-square-foot space adjacent to the museum, which was built in the 1930s with funds from the Works Progress Administration. Linda Priest, who volunteers at the museum and designed the garden with Denise Boyer, said that the area now taken up by statuary, green lawns and impressive floral arrays has undergone a tremendous transformation.

"It existed as this barren, nasty overgrown area," Priest said. "It's never been used for anything before."

The biggest donors to the project are Salt Lake City residents Sam and Diane Stewart, for whom the new garden is named. Swanson said that the garden will feature 26 of the museum's more than 200 sculptures, including works by such local artists as Gary Price, Frank Riggs and Nathan Johanson, and that new pieces will be displayed from time to time.

The centerpiece attraction is a statue called The Spirit of Life, by famed sculptor Cyrus E. Dallin, who also crafted the Angel Moroni statue that rests atop the LDS Church's Salt Lake Temple and is one of the founders of the Springville Museum of Art. The Spirit of Life, which is more than 10 feet tall, depicts an angel receiving an infant child from heaven.

"It's very allegorical, it doesn't express any actual event," said Swanson, "but the idea that we all come from heaven on wings of angels."

Priest said she and Boyer designed the garden, with input from Utah gardening guru Larry Sager, to have a Mediterranean feel to match the museum's Spanish-Mediterranean architecture. The garden has several dozen different types of plants, including trees, shrubs and flowers, and was planted with help from local volunteers.

The plants themselves were mostly donated, including a generous gift from Olson's Garden Shoppe in Santaquin. "They probably donated about $9,000 worth of plants," Priest said.

Swanson said that he hopes visitors to the museum also will inspect the garden, and that it will be frequently used as a site for community events. "We don't want it to become a forgotten part of the museum," he said.

If you go

Dedication of Stewart Sculpture Garden

When: Monday at 7 p.m.; garden opens at 6 p.m. and visitors must be seated by 6:30 p.m.

Where: Springville Museum of Art, 126 E. 400 South, Springville

Cost: Free ticket required for admission; tickets available at Springville Museum of Art

Extra incentive: Light refreshments will be served

Info: www.smofa.org, (801) 489-2727

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