Press Room · The Return of the Hero
The sculptor of the National World War I Memorial is coming to Nashville to ask why America stopped building heroes.
Sabin Howard spent nearly a decade on “A Soldier’s Journey,” the 58-foot bronze at the heart of the memorial in Washington. On Saturday, Dec. 12, he speaks at Belmont Mansion. Everything you need to cover it is on this page.
Talk 6:30 p.m.
1700 Acklen Ave., Nashville
The story in 30 seconds
Four ways into the story
VETERANS DAY
The man who sculpted 38 soldiers
“A Soldier’s Journey” follows one American soldier from home, to war, and back. Howard worked from living models in period uniform. He is available for Veterans Day interviews by video.
THE QUESTION
Why did we stop building heroes?
For most of the last century, public art moved away from the human figure. Howard went the other way, and the memorial’s reception suggests the public did too. He will make that case in Nashville.
ATHENS OF THE SOUTH
A classical sculptor in a classical city
Nashville built a full-scale Parthenon. Belmont Mansion, an 1850s Italianate villa, once held one of the South’s notable collections of marble statuary. It is a natural stage for this conversation.
THE FILM
HEROIC, in Nashville
On Friday, Dec. 11, guests see a private screening of HEROIC, the documentary on the memorial’s making, with Howard and director Traci L. Slatton in conversation.
Press release · For immediate release
Sculptor of the National World War I Memorial Comes to Nashville to Ask Why America Stopped Building Heroes
Sabin Howard, whose 58-foot bronze “A Soldier’s Journey” anchors the memorial in Washington, D.C., will speak at Belmont Mansion on Saturday, Dec. 12
NASHVILLE, Tenn. Sabin Howard, the American sculptor behind the National World War I Memorial, will give a public talk titled “The Return of the Hero” at Nashville’s Belmont Mansion on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026. The evening is hosted by Meriwether Academy, a Nashville educational nonprofit.
Howard spent nearly a decade on “A Soldier’s Journey,” a 58-foot, 25-ton bronze relief of 38 figures that follows one American soldier from home, to war, and back again. Unveiled in Pershing Park in September 2024, it honors the more than 4 million Americans who served in the Great War and the 116,000 who died.
In Nashville, Howard will take up the question his career has been built around: why did American public art turn away from the heroic human figure, and what would it take to bring it back?
At the memorial’s unveiling, Howard described the soldiers he sculpted this way: “There are no victims here. They are all heroes.”
The weekend opens Friday, Dec. 11, with a private screening of HEROIC, the documentary on the making of the memorial directed by Traci L. Slatton, followed by a conversation with Howard and Slatton.
Event details. Saturday, Dec. 12, 2026. Reception 5:30 p.m.; talk and Q&A 6:30 p.m. Belmont Mansion, 1700 Acklen Ave., Nashville. General admission $99; a 14-seat VIP Weekend ($349) adds the Friday screening, a private luncheon with Howard and priority seating. Tickets: meriwetheracademy.com/events/heroic.
Media contact. Warren Steury, President, Meriwether Academy, warren@meriwetheracademy.com.
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Fast facts
| The work | “A Soldier’s Journey,” bronze high relief |
| Size | 58 feet long, about 10 feet high, 25 tons |
| Figures | 38 |
| Where | National World War I Memorial, Pershing Park, Washington, D.C. |
| Design chosen | January 2016, with architect Joseph Weishaar, from more than 350 entries |
| Sculpting began | August 2019 |
| Unveiled | Sept. 13, 2024 |
| Honors | More than 4 million Americans who served; 116,000 who died |
| The talk | Sat., Dec. 12, 2026. Reception 5:30 p.m., talk and Q&A 6:30 p.m., after-party 8:30 p.m. |
| Venue | Belmont Mansion, 1700 Acklen Ave., Nashville |
| Host | Meriwether Academy, Nashville 501(c)(3) |
| Format | A gentlemen’s evening; cocktail attire |
Photos
Images for publication
For editorial use in coverage of Sabin Howard’s Nashville appearance, with the credit shown. Click a link for the full-resolution file. Need something else, such as a vertical crop or a specific figure? Ask us.
Biographies
Sabin Howard
Sabin Howard is an American figurative sculptor and one of the leading voices for classical sculpture in contemporary art. Raised in New York City and Turin, Italy, he studied at the Philadelphia College of Art and earned an MFA from the New York Academy of Art, then taught for twenty years. In 2016 his design with architect Joseph Weishaar was chosen for the National World War I Memorial. His heroic-scale works include Hermes, Aphrodite and Apollo, and he is now at work on the Grand Liberty Arch. He is the co-author, with Traci L. Slatton, of The Art of Life. sabinhoward.com
Traci L. Slatton
Author and filmmaker Traci L. Slatton directed HEROIC: Sabin Howard Sculpts the National WWI Memorial, produced by Superhuman Film Productions. She is Howard’s wife and collaborator.
Meriwether Academy
Meriwether Academy is a Nashville-based 501(c)(3) devoted to classical education. It hosts dinner symposia, study clubs and wilderness expeditions for men and boys, and is working toward founding a classical boys’ boarding school in Tennessee. In 2026 it partnered with The Pamphleteer on the Peter Thiel Nashville Antichrist Lectures. meriwetheracademy.com
On the record
“There are no victims here. They are all heroes.”
Sabin Howard at the memorial’s unveiling, September 2024 (The American Legion)
“I sculpted this with every ounce of energy that I have, using all of my creative skills. Nothing was spared.”
Sabin Howard, September 2024 (The American Legion)
Interviews
Talk with Sabin Howard
Howard is available by phone or video in November, including around Veterans Day, and in person in Nashville on Dec. 11 and 12. To book a time, email warren@meriwetheracademy.com.
Questions he is ready for
- You spent nearly a decade on this memorial. What did you learn about the men you were sculpting?
- Why did American public art stop building statues of heroes?
- How do you make 38 bronze figures feel alive? Walk us from clay to bronze.
- Why make this argument in Nashville, the Athens of the South?
- What should people feel when they stand in front of “A Soldier’s Journey”?
- What comes next: the Grand Liberty Arch.
Covering the event
Press at Belmont Mansion
A limited number of complimentary press seats are available for Saturday, Dec. 12. Please request one by Wednesday, Dec. 9, with your name and outlet.
Press check-in opens at the door at 5:00 p.m. Interview time with Howard before the talk can be arranged in advance. Photo and video arrangements are confirmed individually with each outlet.
Request a press seatBackground
Selected coverage of the memorial
- The Washington Post · July 27, 202425-ton sculpture honoring WWI soldiers comes to Washington
- The Guardian · Sept. 24, 2024“A memorial to humanity”: Washington DC’s monumental first world war sculpture
- Smithsonian Magazine · May 23, 2022An exclusive preview of the new World War I Memorial
- City Journal · Sept. 27, 2024A Stirring Monument to America’s Warriors
- American Legion Magazine · Aug. 2, 2024A Movie in Bronze
- USA Today · Feb. 13, 2021It’s 58 feet long and 10 feet high: sculptor’s work will become US’ official WWI monument
Media contact
Warren Steury, President, Meriwether Academy
We respond to press inquiries promptly. Event and ticket information: meriwetheracademy.com/events/heroic