Despite months of controversy, the United States managed to get Alma Allen ‘s enormous sculptures to Venice for this year’s Biennale. Getting them home, however, is proving more difficult.

The American Arts Conservancy, the nonprofit behind the US Pavilion, is roughly $1 million short of the funds needed to cover the exhibition’s costs, including dismantling the show and shipping the artworks back to the US, according to a report in The New York Times .

Jenni Parido, the pavilion’s commissioner, has been appealing to potential donors for help. In a letter obtained by the Times , she acknowledged that the final stages of the project had become difficult.

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“While we have accomplished a tremendous amount in a relatively short period,” Parido wrote, “the final phase of this undertaking has presented financial challenges that I am working tirelessly to resolve.”

The American Arts Conservancy, which Parido runs, has brought in $1.4 million against a projected budget of just under $2.5 million.…