with clay and tools in the same way the Greeks, Romans, and Renaissance artists did, a practice he’s dabbled in since 1982. Creating 38 figures of Renaissance-


era quality takes discipline. Howard’s days are regimented, and they begin with an hour or so bike ride to his Englewood, New Jersey, studio. “I have to be an athlete to do this


type of work,” he said. Once Howard arrives at his studio,


he sculpts from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. He takes weekends off, but has


barely missed a workday. Howard works alongside his assistant, Charlie Mostow, and his wife, Traci Slatton, who handles all the logistics. She also posed as one of the nurses depicted in the memorial. Howard’s work swiftly became


a family affair. His daughter, Madeleine, was the model for the little girl handing her soldier father his helmet depicted in the first scene. Using a variety of models was an


and a local monument was in place on the National Mall dedicated to the D.C. residents who were slain on the battlefields of Europe, there was no national memorial to honor the sacrifices of all those who fought in the clash. Howard’s initial submission wasn’t


originally selected. Despite being edged out by one


of the other 300 entries, he felt deep down that the rejection wasn’t the end of the road. The committee went with an idea


pitched by architect Joe Weishaar, who was then just 25 years old and knew he needed help to make the memorial a reality. So, Weishaar contacted Howard to


work on the project. Though they had a winning design, the real work was just beginning. Howard spent nearly a year


painstakingly designing 18 iterations of the monument before the duo


finally landed on the “right one.” Even then, the proposal still had


to battle bureaucracy and advance past tedious rounds of government approvals. Through it all, Howard said he had


to hold on to his vision and “fight to make it go through.” By the time the required boards


and groups signed off on the plans, however, the commission funding the project essentially had run out of money. It was only through private


donations and fundraising efforts that the $44 million park update and memorial finally began moving forward. Howard didn’t even begin sculpting


until 2019. Though it was a medium he was


expertly skilled in, Howard had shifted primarily from sculpting to drawing in 2015. Still, before long he was working


important piece of the project for Howard, who wanted to ensure that every single head he brought to life represented a different, specific person. He also reached out to combat


veterans to pose as models, something he said helped create a “deep, significant sculpture that carried the same energy as their antecedents.” When a scene is finished, Howard


ships it in a custom container across the Atlantic Ocean to Pangolin Editions, a foundry in the United Kingdom specializing in bronze sculptures. The individual figures are then


shipped back and eventually will be assembled on-site, a process that’s scheduled to begin during the summer, ahead of the planned September unveiling. Howard said the most significant


lesson he learned during the endeavor is that his art “stands in the service of others.” “I am in service of something way


greater than myself,” he said. “The piece is for the military.”


FEBRUARY 2024 | NEWSMAX MAXLIFE 77


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