This sculpture of George Washington and his Mother stands in the Fairview Museum of History and Art, in Fairview, Utah. The sign at the statue reads:
GEORGE WASHINGTON
AT PRAYER
1978
Sculptor: Avard T. Fairbanks
During the winter encampment of
the Continental Army at Valley Forge,
they suffered severe privations. This
sculpture portrays General George
Washington at prayer, seeking guidance
and help for his men.
The smaller than life-size plaster statue depicts George Washington kneeling in a state of prayer. He wears a large overcoat. He is kneeling with is right knee on the ground, partially covered his overcoat. HIs left knee raised, also partially covered by his overcoat, with his left foot planted below it on the ground. His right hand clutches at his overcoat at his chest. His left hand holds his colonial tricorn hat as it rests on his left knee. He looks up towards heaven and he pleads in prayer. The plinth is a short darker colored museum display stand.
"Born in Virginia, George Washington was dissuaded from a career at sea by his mother. Turning to land surveying, he was appointed to survey Lord Fairfax's lands in the Shenandoah Valley. With the beginning of the French and Indian War in 1753, Washington was dispatched by Virginia Gov. Dinwiddie to warn the French commander of Fort Le Boeuf against further encroachment against British territory.
On his way to establish a post at the "Forks of the Ohio," now Pittsburgh, Washington learned the French already had built a fort there and that the French were advancing on British holdings. He attempted to stave off the advance and was defeated, but allowed to remove his troops to Virginia as part of the surrender. Later he was part of Gen. Braddock's expedition that failed to move the French from Fort Duquesne, as well as Gen. John Forbes' successful campaign that resulted in Fort Duquesne becoming Fort Pitt. Washington left the military in 1758 and returned to Mount Vernon.
In 1759 he began a 15-year tenure in the Virginia legislature and married Martha Dandridge Custis. He was a delegate to both the First and Second Continental Congress, although he did not participate actively. In 1775 he was the group's unanimous choice as commander in chief of the Continental forces. His early military results in the Revolutionary War were mixed, with his joining French forces to overcome Gen. Cornwallis at Yorktown. One of his great strengths was his unquestioned integrity.
After the war he again returned to Mount Vernon. In 1787 he headed the Virginia delegation to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia and unanimously was elected presiding officer. Two years later he unanimously was elected president. His presidency was replete with crises, including the feud between the factions led by Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. Washington was reelected president in 1792, a year before the greatest crisis of his tenure.
Washington was dismayed by excesses in the French Revolution and unhappy with attempts by the French minister to the United States to interfere in American politics. Once again, in 1797 at the end of his second term as president (he refused a third term), George Washington returned to Mount Vernon. In his farewell address he warned the United States against permanent alliances abroad." (
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"Dr. Avard Tennyson Fairbanks
Born: March 2, 1897 - Died: January 1, 1987
Avard Tennyson Fairbanks was born in Provo Utah in 1897. The son of John B. Fairbanks a well known artist, Avard will continue the family legacy as a prolific sculptor. With the death of his mother Lilly when he was only about a year old, and his father busy providing for his family Avard’s brother J. Leo Fairbanks will manage the family.
At the age of 12, Avard showed interest in sculpting. With the guidance of J. Leo, Avard’s first work was a clay model of a rabbit. This model would win first prize in the State Fair. At the age of 13, Avard would follow his father to New York City. Modeling animals from the Bronx Zoological Gardens and showing a natural talent for sculpting, Avard would be awarded scholarships to study at the Arts Students League at New York. During this time Avard would become personally acquainted with several notable sculptors. These included Cyrus E. Dallin (sculptor of the Winfield Scott Hancock on the Pennsylvania Memorial) and Lorado Taft (sculptor of the 3rd, 4th Michigan Infantry Monuments and the Michigan “Custer” Memorial). In 1913 Avard would move to Paris to study at the Ecole Nationale des Beaux Arts. While in Paris he would also study at the Ecole de la Grande Chaumiere and other noted schools.
Today, Fairbanks is considered one of the most distinguished sculptors in America. His statues have been erected around the world. Throughout the United States, Fairbanks is particularly well known for his Lincoln monuments. Four of his works are on permanent display in the U.S. Capitol Building’s statuary hall as well as four marble busts of Lincoln located in Ford Theater, Washington DC." (
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"The Fairview Museum of History and Art has a fascinating selection of items, documents and artifacts from the greater Fairview area. Boasting magnificent sculptures by renowned artist Dr. Avard T. Fairbanks the museum is sure to impress any visitor. The crown jewel of the museum is perhaps the life-size cast replica of a Columbian Mammoth skeleton unearthed in 1988, only 18 miles east of Fairview at Huntington Reservoir." (
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"An outstanding regional cultural center which showcases regional history, art and a world-class collection of Arvard T. Fairbanks's works of art. The museum features sculptures, a replica of the Huntington Mammoth, carvings, and artwork. Two buildings of exhibits will keep visitors engaged for hours." (
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"The museum is full of historical data, artifacts pictures and artwork. Part of the museum is the Natural History Building which houses a full scale replica of a nearly fully intact Columbian mammoth. The mammoth was unearthed on the nearby Wasatch Plateau in 1988 while excavating the Huntington Reservoir.
The work of one of Utah’s most famous artists, Avard T. Fairbanks, is also on display at the Fairview Museum." (
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The museum houses historical artifacts, art ( a wide variety of sculptures and paintings); provides humanities lectures, school tours, local historic archive, oral history collection, and family history collection. In the central atrium is a New Columbian Mammoth skeleton, while upstairs is an extensive Avard Fairbank sculpture collection.