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Church History Museum art exhibit showcases ‘200 Years of Latter-day Saint Art’
Sep 30, 2024, 2:00 PM
The Church History Museum of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints new art exhibit will be open through February. (Adam Small, KSL NewsRadio)
(Adam Small, KSL NewsRadio)
SALT LAKE CITY— The Church History Museum of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has opened a new art gallery that will remain on display for the next several months.
Curators have dubbed it “Work and Wonder: 200 Years of Latter-day Saint Art.”
The curators worked for five years to put together a variety of art created by members of The Church all over the world. Some date back to The Church’s foundation in 1830.
It features sculptures, paintings, statues, and other works of art, some of which are more than 150 years old.
“It’s really impressive, this is good artwork,” said Ashlee Whitaker Evans, a curator for the exhibit. “I think all of us professionally felt like we had some sense of Latter-day Saint art before we started, but we all realized it’s so much bigger. It’s so much more dynamic and exciting than we could’ve even imagined.”
Evans told KSL NewsRadio she felt like the artists, through their work, taught her about certain gospel principles. She said she hopes visitors not only learn themselves but also develop a sense of appreciation for the art.
“I also hope people leave with…a great appreciation, and a gratitude and even an awe…a sense of wonder about what Latter-day Saint artists and those affiliated with The Church in some way, have done, ” Evans said. “I think it’s something that we can be proud of, to celebrate our own cultural traditions [and] our own contribution to the visual arts.”
The exhibit will be on display through the end of February. Come March, the pieces of art will be returned to their owners.
