Churchill's "Iron Curtain" Speech, Fulton, Missouri
N 38° 50.987 W 091° 57.264
15S E 590732 N 4300626
A new bas relief sculpture remembering Winston Churchill's"Iron Curtain" speech here was dedicated on Friday May 13, 2011. The sculptor is Don Wiegand. Its location is just outside the entrance to the National Churchill Museum.
Waymark Code: WMBF99
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 05/14/2011
Views: 11
Sculptor Don Wiegand was present for the unveiling of his new bas relief of Winston Churchill's famous "Iron Curtain" speech given over 65 years ago on the Westminster College campus in Fulton, Missouri.
President Harry Truman accompanied Churchill for the historic occasion. The date of the speech was March 5,1946.
Keynote speaker at the dedication May 13, 2011 commemorating Churchill's delivery in Fulton was Edwina Sandys, granddaughter of Sir Winston Churchill, and a celebrated artist. Her BREAKTHROUGH sculpture is on the campus grounds nearby. It makes use of sections of the actual Berlin Wall.
The new bas relief greets visitors to the National Winston Churchill Museum as they enter. The new outdoor sculpture enhances the landscape of the museum and draws their attention immediately to one of the most prophetic speeches Sir Winston would deliver in America.
At the base of the 800 pounds of bronze bas relief sculpture measuring 13 feet in height are these words chiseled in stone: With a dramatic gesture WINSTON CHURCHILL warned the world: “An IRON CURTAIN HAS DESCENDED ACROSS THE CONTINENT.”
From the program at the unveiling ceremony one learns that "Overall, the style of the piece is one that incorporates "component parts--negative space" with a combination of figurative realism and abstraction. To interpret Churchill's personality and capture the moment, Wiegand incorporated and used a composite of actual film footage and many photos by different photographers."
St. Louis based sculptor and artist Don Wiegand has created works from across the United States and Europe. He has been a Member of the National Sculpture Society since 1981 and Member of the National Arts Club since 1986. His bas relief pieces have memorialized Bob Hope and Charles A. Lindbergh, amongst others, and stand in such locations as The Vatican in Rome, Italy and at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. The commission of the Iron Curtain sculpture is due to the vision of Richard J. Mahoney, the retired CEO of Monsanto Company in St. Louis and a longstanding member of the Board of Governors of the National Churchill Museum.
On a personal note, I was in attendance at the unveiling ceremony. Check out this piece of art from several different viewing angles, distances and locations in the plaza. I believe the optimum viewing effect is seen by visitors as they are about to enter the museum's doors and are looking back into the eyes of Winston Churchill at that Westminster College podium of 1946. The sculptor Don Wiegand thus got it absolutely right. Bravo!
Your impression of the sculpture?: 
Date Sculpture was opened for vewing?: 05/13/2011
Website for sculpture?: [Web Link]
Where is this sculpture?:
National Churchill Museum
501 Westminster Avenue
Fulton, MO United States of America
65251-1299
Sculptors Name: Don Wiegand of Chesterfield, Missouri
|
Visit Instructions:
1. Provide a tasteful picture of the sculpture, with another point of view from the original(no pictures of GPSr or yourself).
2. Provide your thoughts on the sculpture and your impression of it.