Artists Shine in Art Competition

By Lisa Ann Jackson

Church Magazines

With works ranging from traditional oil paintings to a collage of beads and straw, the Sixth International Art Competition, sponsored by the Museum of Church History and Art, honored the talents of Latter-day Saint artists throughout the Church.

“This is one of the finest gatherings ever of artwork with Latter-day Saint meaning,” says Robert O. Davis, a curator at the Church’s museum who served as a judge for the competition. “The artists delivered works that are ambitious and thoughtful and express their visual content in compelling ways.”

With the theme “Latter-day Saints Yesterday and Today: Beliefs, History, Life,” the competition drew more than 700 entries from Latter-day Saint artists representing 30 countries. Of the entries, 171 were selected for display in the Sixth International Art Competition exhibit at the museum. Twenty works of art were given Awards of Merit with cash prizes of U.S. $500 each, and six of the works were given Purchase Awards and added to the museum’s permanent collection.

The exhibit is on display at the Museum of Church History and Art through 1 September. It can also be viewed online at www.lds.org/museum.

This year’s competition drew a wide variety of entries. Among those recognized were a hand-knotted rug depicting Lehi’s vision of the tree of life, an acrylic painting on papier-mâché with scenes from Church history and modern times, a photograph of an apartment with the walls papered with images of the Savior and photos of Church leaders, a bronze statue of children eagerly waiting by the mailbox for a letter from their missionary brother, and a mixed-media composition depicting the universe.

“The works of art showcase many styles and many different media and cultural viewpoints,” says Brother Davis. And that’s really the point of the competition. Museum curators hope to encourage Latter-day Saint artists—both professional and amateur—to create works reflecting the gospel through an artist’s personal and cultural lens. The museum hopes to uplift visitors with gospel-oriented art and discover artists the Church may be able to use in the future—to create works of art for use in temples, visitors’ centers, or Church magazines, for example.

“We really do discover artists through the competition, and that is one of our goals,” Brother Davis says.

The museum is already planning for the Seventh International Art Competition, to be held in 2006. The theme is “Our Heritage of Faith.” Information about the next competition is available on the museum’s Web site.

This scratchboard drawing, Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy by Joseph Lasura, is one of 171 works of art selected for exhibition in the Sixth International Art Competition. (Photograph courtesy of Museum of Church History and Art.)