Museum Announces Eighth International Art Competition

The Museum of Church History and Art has announced the theme for its Eighth International Art Competition and invites Church members around the world to participate in the exhibit to be held March 20 to October 11, 2009.

The theme for the exhibit, “Remembering the Great Things of God,” encompasses the experiences of Latter-day Saints everywhere. The artwork will represent a theme, idea, story, people, or place related to (1) Latter-day Saint doctrines, beliefs, and teachings, including stories from the scriptures and teachings of the prophets; (2) events, sites, and individuals pertinent to the history of the Church and its people; or (3) the application of religious values in Latter-day Saint life, including Church, family, and individual activities.

The competition is open to members of the Church age 18 and older by December 31, 2008. Each artist may submit one work. The range of worldwide cultural and aesthetic traditions, styles of art, and various media are all welcome. Entries must have been completed after January 1, 2006.

Official entry forms will be mailed to artists on the museum’s mailing list in April 2008. The form will also be available online at the museum’s Web site. To be included in the mailing or to change contact information if you are already on the mailing list, write to the museum at Eighth International Art Competition, Museum of Church History and Art, 45 N. West Temple St. Rm. 200, Salt Lake City, UT, 84150-3470, or e-mail to [e-mail].

The first round of judging will be based on photographs of the artwork submitted with the entry form online or by mail before October 10, 2008. Artwork will be judged on the successful expression of the theme; artistic and technical accomplishment; and the creativity, originality, and quality of the art. Awards include a number of Purchase Awards, in which artwork is purchased for the Church collection; up to 25 cash Merit Awards, bestowed by the jury; and 3 cash Visitors’ Choice Awards.

For more information about the competition or to see artwork from former exhibitions, visit the museum’s Web site at www.lds.org/churchhistory/museum/competition.

This stained glass entry by Patricia Chiu, Joseph Smith Cuts the Ice for Joseph L. Heywood’s Baptism, was part of the Seventh International Art Competition. (© Patricia Chiu.)

J. Kirk Richards’s oil painting, Baptism, received both a Merit Award and a People’s Choice Award in the most recent art competition. (© J. Kirk Richards.)