New Art Exhibit Invites Visitors to Seek the Savior

  • 27 April 2011

Article Highlights

  • A new art exhibit at the Church History Museum showcases 29 professional painters and sculptors’ works that are based on gospel themes.

“Art, in a very powerful way, can help people … be more thoughtful about themselves and their relationship with the Savior.” —Rita Wright, curator of art and artifacts at the Church History Museum

The Church History Museum has opened a new exhibit featuring recent works that are based on gospel themes and the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. 

“Seek My Face: Recent Artwork on Scriptural Themes,” features the work of 29 artists, including James Christensen, Brian Kershisnik, Jonathan Linton, Emily McPhie, and Walter Rane. It is a touring exhibition by the Artist Guild International, L.L.C, which showcases artwork representing stories from the Bible and the Book of Mormon and expresses the artists’ convictions of gospel principles. 

“The exhibit gives an opportunity to encounter original works of art and the power of spirit and feeling that visitors get as they think a little more deeply, become more self-reflective, and take the time to consider both the scriptural message and the personal meaning that comes from the way the artists have depicted these scenes from the Savior’s life,” said Rita Wright, curator of art and artifacts at the Church History Museum. 

While many of the works depict events in the Savior’s life, other pieces are more conceptual, Sister Wright said. 

For instance, The Descent from the Cross, by Brian Kershisnik, is “a wonderful painting” that invites museum patrons to consider those who loved the Savior and were closest to Him—and how difficult that Friday afternoon before Easter morning was for them, Sister Wright said. “I think it’s a very heart-wrenching, very touching depiction of those gathered around Him so carefully taking care of His mortal body,” she said. 

Many of the conceptual pieces contain symbols that are both deep and broad, Sister Wright said. 

“Art, in a very powerful way, can help people be more thoughtful about themselves and their relationship with the Savior,” she said.

The exhibit will remain in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, until June 20, 2011. 

The Church History Museum is located at 45 North West Temple Street in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA and is open Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Admission is free. 

For more information, visit the museum's website.

  Listen