Erasmo Fuentes de Hoyos (born 1943) is a Mexican-born member of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ...

and sculptor who resides in

Mapleton, Utah Mapleton is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo– Orem Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,365 at the 2020 census. History The area was first settled in 1850, and for a time was known a ...

. Among his more well known works is "Anxiously Engaged" (made with his son Alex Fuentes) which is a sculpture of

Mormon missionaries Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)—widely known as Mormon missionaries—are volunteer representatives of the church who engage variously in proselytizing, church service, humanitarian aid, and commu ...

on bikes; the sculpture is displayed at the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah. Fuentes was born in

Monterrey Monterrey ( , ) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern state of Nuevo León, Mexico, and the third largest city in Mexico behind Guadalajara and Mexico City. Located at the foothills of the Sierra Madre Oriental, the city is ancho ...

, Nuevo León, Mexico, but was raised in

Saltillo Saltillo () is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Coahuila and is also the municipal seat of the municipality of the same name. Mexico City, Monterrey, and Saltillo are all connected by a major railroad and highwa ...

, Mexico as a

Latter-day Saint Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into sever ...

. He first came to the United States to work in 1964 and studied sculpture at

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

, graduating in 1968. He also was on the

BYU Ballroom Dance Company The BYU Ballroom Dance Company originates in the Department of Dance of the College of Fine Arts and Communications at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. It has been a part of BYU for nearly 50 years and competes and performs through ...

,Listing of former BYU ballroom dance team members
/ref> which was founded by his uncle, Benjamin F. de Hoyos. Fuentes studied particularly under Dallas Anderson. Fuentes had first trained in modeling in the taxidermy shop of his father, Arturo Fuentes. For several years prior to 1984, Fuentes ran a wood pallet construction factory in Saltillo with his wife Cynthia. The factory went under in 1984 and Fuentes decided to become a full-time sculptor. He was commission by the government to make a sculpture for the 400th anniversary of Saltillo. This was commission by the governor of the state of

Coahuila Coahuila (), formally Coahuila de Zaragoza (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Coahuila de Zaragoza ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Coahuila de Zaragoza), is one of the 32 states of Mexico. Coahuila borders the Mexican states of N ...

. This four-figure sculpture which is tall is the most famous sculpture in the state of

. Fuentes' sculpture "Rose" is part of the permanent collection of the

Springville Art Museum The Springville Museum of Art in Springville, Utah, United States is the oldest museum for the visual fine arts in Utah. In 1986, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As of 2012, the museum's director is Rita Wrigh ...

. Fuentes is also a guitar player. He has formed a duo with singer Rebecca Lopez and also was part of El Trio Illusion with Carlos Saine and Dante Moreno. Fuentes and his wife are the parents of five children.

Notes

References

*'' Mormon Times'', July 18, 2008 p. 6
short article on Fuentesarticle from Fuentes's website about himBYU ''Daily Universe'', Feb. 19, 2009article that includes a picture of Fuentes making his sculpture for Coahuila
*''

Church News The ''Church News'' (or ''LDS Church News'') is a weekly tabloid-sized supplement to the ''Deseret News'' and the '' MormonTimes'', a Salt Lake City, Utah newspaper owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is ...

'', January 31, 2004
Springville Art Museums entry on Fuentes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fuentes, Erasmo 1943 births People from Saltillo Latter Day Saint artists Mexican Latter Day Saints People from Monterrey People from Mapleton, Utah Brigham Young University alumni Mexican sculptors Male sculptors Mexican emigrants to the United States Living people