An Artist’s Window on Culture: My Forrest Gumpy Life: Archbishop Tutu

It was 1987 when I got a call from a national United Methodist Church committee that wanted to award

South African anti-apartheid activist and spokesperson Archbishop Desmond Tutu one of my sculptures at an upcoming global event where he was to be the featured speaker. I was of course thrilled to also present the sculpture to him in person, his being one of my ultimate heros! It just so happens my political satire group the Montana Logging and Ballet Co. was also scheduled to perform at that conference, so when they heard about it they asked if we could sing him a song at the presentation. Indeed, yes!

So on the appointed day in Louisville, KY, the four of us were ushered into a dining room where the presentation was to be made. I’ll never forget the moment Tutu stepped into the room. He’s so short that no one at any distance could see him but we all felt the electricity when he entered! The MLBC was invited up to the podium to sing a song my brother Steve wrote for the occasion, Take the Barriers Down. Then I presented the sculpture to Tutu, who was about as gracious as a person could be in receiving it. He cradled the bronze and said he wanted to take it on the plane with him! (Being absolutely bristling with sharp points, that would never be allowed!) Instead his manager assured me it would be safely delivered to him.

“I Shot an Angel by Mistake”, bronze by Tim Holmes

It was the next day as Tutu was introduced for his major speech that, passing by our table, he said to us he wanted to invite us to South Africa! We were of course flattered, but as there was a cultural boycott of the South African racist apartheid government in effect, we instead inquired with his people whether we could instigate a fundraiser in the US for his work. He agreed, we embarked on creating a special Washington DC event for him, and thus began a long relationship with Tutu, which resulted in several projects over the next few years, including his coming to Montana for a special concert in 1990.

Tutu is perhaps one of the most pivotal personalities of the 20th century, being instrumental, along with Nelson Mandela, in bringing about the relatively peaceful transition of South Africa into the community of democratic nations, ond of the most remarkable events of our time! Meanwhile, I created several sculptures for various of Tutu’s projects, we became friends, along with his daughter Mpho, and to this day I am in touch with Tutu’s secretary, whom we stayed with in Cape Town for a trip, shortly after the first open and free South African election in 1994 after 500 years of brutal racial repression. I feel incredibly lucky to have been involved in that historical moment and will be forever grateful to Tutu and his team for including me!