r The Springville Senior Center (65 E. 200 S.; 801-489-8738) is happy to host Alex Fuentes on Wednesday, October 3, at 6:00 p.m. He has titled his presentation “Alex Fuentes, Sculptor: Balancing Work and Art.” The event is free and open to the public.
Mr. Fuentes was born in Provo, Utah. After moving to Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, he began his apprenticeship with his father, Erasmo, at age 9. By age 14, he had sold over 100 of his own bronze sculptures. Between 1991 and 1996, in addition to sculpting his own pieces, he assisted on a number of his father’s works, including monumental pieces commissioned by the Mexican government.
In 1996, at age 17, Alex returned to Provo to attend BYU. After 7 years of schooling, interrupted only by two years of missionary service in Portugal and Africa, he received his bachelor’s degree and graduated from the BYU School of Law.
In 2003 Alex and Erasmo were honored at the inauguration of their new monument, “Anxiously Engaged,” at the Provo Missionary Training Center. The monument was commissioned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to both honor and inspire missionaries.
In 2007 father and son were commissioned by the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers to create a monument to honor and remember those who settled Spanish Fork City, part of a project to restore a long-forgotten pioneer cemetery.
Since the beginning, Alex has demonstrated an ability to create that is surpassed only by his passion for sculpture. His energy and talent make him one of the most sought-after sculptors today. He continues to learn from his father as well as from his contemporaries and from masters from the past.
Alex, his wife, Ellen, and their three daughters reside in Mapleton.
