Adam Thomas is a sculptor and professor of art. His new exhibition, “Creation, Expulsion, Redeption<“ is currently on view at the Jacob Spori Art Gallery at BYU Idaho. Exploring themes surrounding Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden, and the subsequent relationship between God and man, the 27 works that make up the exhibition are the culmination of some 20 years of work.
Welcome to the Zion Art Podcast, dedicated to exploring the art and culture of Latter-day Saints through interviews with artists, collectors, and scholars. The podcast is presented by the Zion Art Society and hosted by me, Micah Christensen. Today, we are broadcasting a lecture given by the scholar Rebekah Ryan Clark, Historical Research Associate for Better Days 2020, an organization celebrating and educating the public on landmark moments in women’s suffrage. The subject of Rebekah Ryan Clark’...
An interview with Annette Everette , a nationally-award winning sculptor whose historical and religious works have been shown at the American Women Artists’ exhibition, the Springville Museum of Art’s Spring Salon and Spiritual & Religious shows, BYU Museum of Art and the Church’s International Exhibition, just to name a few. Annette Everette’s monuments of allegorical and historical figures can be found at universities, government memorials, and Church sites. She is one of the 90 artists in...
A panel discussion — held as part of the Certain Women Art Show — with Dr. Rita Wright (Director of the Springville Museum of Art), Ashlee Whitaker (Roy and Carol Christensen Curator of Religious Art at BYU Museum of Art), Dr. Heather Belnap (Associate Professor and European Studies at Brigham Young University), and Hannah Miller (Temple Art Historian for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). Dr. Micah Christensen served as moderator for a discussion that explored Latter-day Saint wo...
Pioneering new approaches to the ancient technique of encaustic, Shari Lyon is an artist who has spent much of her life nurturing the careers of others as much as her own. Dr. Micah Christensen talks to Shari about her many projects, travels, and latest work for the Certain Women Art Show.
Anne Marie Oborn's still life, landscape, figurative and religious paintings have gained national attention as a Signature Member of the Oil Painters’ of America and the American Academy of Women Artists. Locally, Oborn is a founding member of the Inspirational At Association and the Plein Air Painters of Utah. She is also a prolific illustrator for dozens of books and publications including, the Ensign, Liahona, His Gift — a collaboration with Richard Paul Evans — and numerous instructional mat...
Cassandra Barney and Emily McPhie are sisters and painters who each have thriving careers. They are also the daughters of the late James C. Christensen, an influential and pioneering artist who taught at Brigham Young University. In the interview, they discuss what it meant to grow up with an artist, how each developed her own separate aesthetics and working practices, and their works for the Church International Competition and Certain Women Art Show ....
Tonya Vistaunet is an artist, entrepreneur, community organizer and overall doyenne of joyful color. Often partnership with her husband Steve, she creates pieces in wide range of media from fine art to coloring books, and murals. Tonya’s work has been accepted into countless shows, including multiple times to the Springville Museum’s Annual Spring Salon, the Spirituality & Religious Show, and the Church’s International Exhibition. Tonya is an advocate and organizer, playing a major role in t...
Annie Poon works in a huge array of media, from painting to sculpture, etching, and film. Her work has been shown on Nickelodeon, PBS, and at the National Gallery, Brooklyn Museum, New Museum, and Museum of Arts and Design.
In 2018, the Certain Women Art Show was the first exhibition held and dedicated exclusively to Latter-Day Saint Women artists. This year’s artist-organizers — Mary Brickey Cole, Laura Erekson Atkinson, and Nicole Woodbury — have more than doubled the size of the show by inviting 90 artists to create original works. In this interview, they discuss the process and intent behind the show. For more information about dates and locations, please visit certainwomenartshow.com , where you can also RSVP....
Ashlee Whitaker is the Head Curator and Roy & Carol Christensen Curator of Religious Art at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art and has just opened a new exhibition on renowned sculptor and artist Mahonri Young. We talk about the exhibition, Young’s life and remarkable circle of influence.
Opening May 3, Geilman’s show Works of Translation is a multi piece show featuring photos of her incredible works of art.
The Spring Salon was first held in 1922, begun by students and teachers of Springville High School who wanted to exhibit and promote original artwork. The Salon has been held annually since that time, except during World War II when fuel and other goods were rationed nationwide. This episode is a preview of the show. We were fortunate enough to walk through the Salon, see the award-winners and share some thoughts about each of them for you. You can view the 95th Spring Salon from Thursday April,...
Every three years, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints holds an art competition spanning the globe and featuring works from members of the Church on a central theme. This year, we were please to be invited to an early viewing of the show and provide our reaction to the show and a number of works that stood out. In this special podcast episode, we dive into the show and the works, and as always would love to hear your thoughts on what stood out to you.
We are back from winter break for a sit down with Ben Hammond, who among other achievements was just awarded the commission to sculpt Martha Hughes Cannon for the US Capitol. The national competition pays homage to the trailblazing Cannon, the first woman to serve in the Utah State Legislature.
In this episode we sit down for a special conversation with Dr. Lisa DeLong, Outreach Programme Manager for the Prince's School in London, and a talented artist in her own right.
For months now, we have been tossing around the idea of taking this podcast in a new direction. As a result, Mormon Visual Culture is no more. Well, the name is changed. We are still going to bring regular interviews with artists, scholars and collectors, hopefuls much more regularly in the coming months. We are back. Tell your friends. Share the news.
A wonderful discussion with artist and sculptor extraordinaire Tyson Snow about his background and the very unique set of circumstances - including recently returning from The Celebration of Fine Art in Scottsdale - that had led him to be one of the most talented and educated sculptors of our day. From enormous monuments to beautiful desktop works, Tyson’s work in bronze is on view throughout the country, specifically in the West.
Brad Kramer is the owner of Provo's Writ & Vision, an art gallery and book store that has specialized in promoting both new and upcoming contemporary art and well-known artists outside of the typical canon of LDS art. His unique background and perspective lend to an interesting role in the arts community in Utah. The discussion looks at this background, his goals as a gallery owner, and some interesting experiences he has had as a gallery owner in the arts hub of the State
Artist and educator Justin Wheatley sits down with us to talk about art through criticism, process, creation, and marketing. His paintings have covered the spectrum from explicitly religious to decorative, but all of these works have shared a deep, personal meaning that transcends the architectural designs and scenes he depicts.
itlin Connolly is on the cutting edge of LDS art both in style and subject matter. Her work is seen across the country and has become increasingly recognizable among Church membership. Her unique style comes from years of honing a technique began in high school. The interview delves into her background, her current work and her thoughts on the future of LDS art.
On the closing evening of the Certain Women exhibition at Anthony's Fine Art in Salt Lake, we were fortunate to host Dr. Rita Wright, Neylan McBaine, and Dr. Heather Belnap for a discussion on women in art in the LDS Church. It was recorded in front of a live audience and streamed live on Facebook.
The podcast hits the road where we were able to tour the studio of Linda Curley Christensen, perhaps the most prolific of any Church-commissioned artist. She has painted the murals for nearly every temple since 2000 and her landscape works can be found in the Conference Center and in Church publications across the world. Her enormous mural studio in Wallsburg, UT was the site for our interview where we got to witness her team prepping, painting, and restoring murals for at least three LDS temple...
This week we interview the artist Howard Lyon. For years, Howard has worked as a fine artist in mediums from digital, to fantasy, to competitive figural painting. Howard is currently working on a set of 12 figural works, diverging from his path as a well-known religious painter featured in Church publications and as a fantasy artist designing Magic cards.
On Friday March 2, 2018, we are proud to open an exhibition title Certain Women. The show features art created by and curated by LDS women and will show for two months, first in Salt Lake City, and then in Provo. In this interview, we sit down with the four women who conceptualized the show, Angela Reichman, Emily Carruth Fuller, Katherine Ricks, and Nicole Woodbury. We discuss their inspiration for the show and what it would have meant to them to see a similar one when they were studying their ...
In this first interview of our newest series, we speak with Laura Hurtado, Global Acquisitions Curator of the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City. We discuss the recent call for entries to the 11th International LDS Art Competition, to be exhibited next year. We also touch on some of the details behind the jurying process, the acquisitions process, and what goes into a curated exhibit in the Museum.
A conversation with sculptor and painter Dennis Smith, Co-Founder of the Mormon Art & Belief Movement, whose monumental works depicting children, families, and historical figures can be found throughout Europe, the US and at significant Church site.
This episode marks a new chapter in Mormon Visual Culture. As we close 2017 and our celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Gospel Vision of the Arts, we turn our focus to other critical aspects of the LDS art community and culture. In this extended episode we sit down with Richard Oman, longtime curator at the Church Museum of History and Art. This discussion is wide ranging and dives into the question of the role of art in the Church and the role of the Church in art.
I this special episode, Micah Christensen sits down with the renowned artist Gary Ernest Smith to discuss the Art & Belief movement that Smith was instrumental in organizing in the 1960s. Held as a live interview and Q&A during the final night of the 2017 Zion Art Invitational, the interview dives into Smith's work and where LDS art has come in the last half-century.
A long-anticipated masterclass from Dr. Vern Swanson, author, museum director, educator, etc. sits down with us to discuss the trajectory of LDS art from his personal experience dating from 1965 until now. He discusses several important paintings in the history or LDS art up until work that is being done today and he shares several insightful stories of where we have come from as an arts community.
