Sabin Howard unveils Grand Liberty Arch after podcast passes 100,000 views

Classical sculptor Sabin Howard used a 51-minute interview with Victor Davis Hanson to outline The Grand Liberty Arch, a planned 56-figure bronze monument headed to Texas. The conversation has topped 100,000 views and is fueling a broader debate about public art, beauty and classical design.

Why it matters: - The Grand Liberty Arch is pitched as a direct challenge to modern art's dominance in public spaces. - The project aims to restore classical, narrative sculpture to the center of American civic life. - Howard is targeting Texas as the base for a monument he describes as an "American Parthenon."

What happened: - Sabin Howard discussed the new project in a 51-minute episode of Victor Davis Hanson: In His Own Words. - The interview has surpassed 100,000 views. - Howard said he is relocating his studio from Utah to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. - Howard linked the move to Texas with what he called the "rebirth of our nation."

The details: - The Grand Liberty Arch will include 56 heroic-scale bronze figures sculpted from live models. - Relief figures are planned at 8 to 9 feet tall. - Figures crowning the arch are planned to reach 12 feet. - Howard is seeking a 1- to 2-acre site for the monument. - The site would include a dedicated plaza and a constitutional center. - The project is budgeted at $50 million. - Howard said the project is expected to take 8 to 9 years. - The arch will feature the phrases "In God We Trust" and "E Pluribus Unum." - Howard said the work is meant to celebrate the American "Everyman." - Howard said the scale is intended to match the ambition of major Renaissance works. - Howard cited Michelangelo, the Sistine Chapel, the Medici tombs, Raphael and St. Peter's as artistic reference points.

Between the lines: - The project is more than a monument proposal. It is a statement against abstraction, postmodernism and what Howard described as the nihilism of modern art. - Hanson, whose book Counterrevolution: The Fall and Rise of Donald Trump and the MAGA Movement examines backlash against progressive orthodoxies, praised Howard's focus on anatomy and spiritual resonance. - The conversation places classical art within a larger cultural fight over national identity and public symbolism.

What's next: - Howard is looking for land in North Texas to anchor the project. - A 1/10th-scale model is available for viewers who want to see the design. - A feature-length documentary, Heroic: The Making of the World War I Memorial, is set for release in the first quarter of 2027. - The film uses daily studio footage shot over nine years by Howard's wife, author Traci L. Slatton. - More information is available at GrandLibertyArch.com and SabinHoward.com.

The bottom line: - Howard is turning the momentum from the World War I Memorial into a far larger cultural project aimed at redefining what American public art can look like.