2022 Visualizing Learning Exhibit Pieces

It has often been difficult for me to believe that I could truly be noticed and cared about by God and the Savior in the vast sea of people on this earth. As I studied the New Testament in a religion course I took last winter, I was impressed anew by how Christ lived. He spent time with the sinners and the shunned. He noticed the unnoticeable and ministered to individuals with perfect love.

This illustration is a depiction of myself and the Savior. It enriched my learning experience in my religion course and beyond by allowing me to think more deeply about what I had observed and learned about the character of Christ and his Atonement in the context of my own life. There was something powerful to me about finally drawing myself with the Savior. I felt it somehow made that relationship seem more real and attainable. I still have much work to do to develop this relationship, but I can testify that he lived, suffered, and died for me and for you. He understands each of us, personally. And when we fall, he is there to help us up.

This stained-glass portrait of Joseph Smith represents four different firsthand accounts of The First Vision. Distinctive details of each account visually differentiate the glass’s four quadrants. The 1832 account (top left) focuses on Joseph’s struggle for personal forgiveness. I depicted his internal battle through chaotic, sharp lines, with bold, harsh colors. The 1835 account (top right) tells of angels or personages appearing. I present Joseph more recognizably but with light, soft colors suggesting the light of angels. For the 1838 account (bottom right) I chose to focus on its theme of the rise and progression of the Church. Square and rectangular shapes in this section represent the idea of building blocks. The color green suggests growth, and the combination of colors for Joseph’s face encompasses the other accounts—for this is the Church’s most well- known account. Lastly, the 1842 account (bottom left) was written for those not of our faith. I represented Joseph’s jawline naturalistically, with a blue background representing his loyal, spiritual, and empathetic character. Creating this piece inspired my learning of the First Vision by allowing me to focus on each account more closely, noticing small, important details. This project also showed me Joseph Smith’s importance in the Restoration.

This set of ceramic vessels is inspired by powerful women in the Bible who were vessels for God. Drawing from their stories, I crafted a vessel to represent each woman’s experience holding her identity as a woman and her divine calling. Hagar and St. Junia testified of Christ and identified him as God. They were prophetic and apostolic witnesses to Christ’s divinity. Miriam and Deborah were prophetesses that led their people, spoke for God, and held Israel together politically and religiously. Michal and Pricilla felt divine callings from God and stayed true even when faced with political and religious conflict. I hope these vessels inspire others to learn these women’s stories and look for priestesses and prophetesses in their own lives.

Of Nazareth was inspired by Joan E. Taylor’s book What Did Jesus Look Like? The New Testament does not describe Jesus’s appearance. Artists who created the earliest images of Jesus beginning in the third century AD did not know what he had looked like, but they were more interested in representing ideas about him and depicting stories from the Gospels. Much traditional artwork, as a result, does not depict the Savior as He would have appeared during His mortal life. Current archeological evidence gathered from first-century Roman Palestine can give us an idea of what a Jewish man from that time and place would have looked like and how he would have dressed. Jesus most likely had short, curly, dark hair with a medium brown skin tone. He would not have worn long, flowing robes, but a knee-length tunic and mantle. Besides accuracy, I also wanted to convey His kindness and love for us through soft shapes in his face. Learning these things and putting them into a drawing has deepened my understanding that Jesus really did walk the Earth in a mortal body, as tangible as any person alive today.

Inspired by the interconnected relationship between art, light, and faith, I created a stained glass panel as my final project for my Women in the Scriptures class. In my design of the piece, I was inspired by Byzantine and early Renaissance depictions of Mary (the mother of Christ), which can especially be seen in the posture of figures, the colors used (particularly the Byzantine purple background), and the halo. Upon first glance, many may think that I am depicting Mary; however, I wanted this mother to depict more than just one woman. For me, she is an archetype of all the faithful women and mothers in the scriptures that so often go forgotten—Hagar, Rebekah, Leah, Shiphrah, Puah, Jochebed, Zipporah, Deborah, Huldah, Jael, Tamar, Michal, Abigail, Ruth, Judith, Anna, Elizabeth, Tabitha, Phoebe, Hannah, Lydia, Joanna, Prisca, Abish, and many more. The halo around the woman’s head represents the light of Christ I imagine these women exuded and helps me remember the sacred faith of my female forebears. This piece inspires me to be the kind of woman and disciple through whom people can see God, and whose light and countenance inspire others to come closer to the Savior Jesus Christ.

This piece is a self-portrait. The shifting colors that make up the face represent how each person is constantly changing both inside and out. “Phantasmagoria” refers to the experience of changing images as in a dream. The changes we experience can make us feel as though we are not presenting ourselves in the right way at the right time, creating distance between us and our peers. However, learning about Christ and how he understands us fully lets us know that changes can actually be for the better and that all will be okay. The extreme close-up of the face is used to represent how intimate the relationship can be with God, contrasting the earthly distance we can otherwise struggle with. The face also has three flowers seeming to grow from her skin. This represents how truth can often “bloom” within us, making our lives more colorful and joyful. Through my religion class, I was able to discover this truth and express it with this artwork.

The inspiration for this piece is my perception of various symbols from Christ’s life and my own that speak to His living power and influence. The painting of Christ and the woman highlights how the Savior ministers to the one. While creating this image, there was a moment when I was peeling back the masking on the woman’s face, slowly revealing her forehead, nose, down to her chin. Suddenly it felt very personal. As the artist, I also became the subject. It’s hard to describe, but I understood that our Heavenly Parents love us more than we can comprehend, that Jesus Christ knows us personally, and

meets us individually. I didn’t place Christ at the center of the composition because I felt strongly that the woman should be in the center; Christ would have her there. He lives, loves us, serves us, and gives us hope. He is a living and essential part of all of our stories.

The inspiration for this piece is my perception of various symbols from Christ’s life and my own that speak to His living power and influence. The empty tomb represents hope in His Resurrection, the greatest miracle of all. That hope gives each day meaning, even the hard ones.

The inspiration for this piece is my perception of various symbols from Christ’s life and my own that speak to His living power and influence. I painted my favorite flower, an Anemone, because whenever I see it, I’m reminded of Christ’s thoughtful, tender mercies. He didn’t need to create it so beautifully, but he did in order to give us joy (D&C 59:18-19). Christ’s miracles are all around us.

When I consider Jesus Christ and his creations, I see his hands. Visualizing his hands enabled me to realize how much our Savior reaches out to us and leads us. Christ will take our hand and walk with us every step of our lives if we let him. He offers his hand to all of us, promising learning and guidance. In his mortal ministry, Jesus taught, loved, and guided people to God. He performed healing miracles and continues to reach out to us today to offer us healing. Through his atonement he heals our hearts from sorrow and sin. He knows our life and can guide us through it when we trust him and take his hand. “For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken” (Proverbs 3:26).

I painted Christ’s hand outstretched and open. Our Savior is always reaching out to us and invites us to respond to make the connection. I depict that moment of action and Christ’s gentle, firm commitment to walk with us hand in hand. The blue, green, and subtle red of the background represent the earth and our mortal experience. Warm light spills from the left side, spreading from Christ’s hand. Light overcomes the dark, and the divine light of Christ combats darkness in our lives as we invite him in.

In Isaiah 41:27-29, the Lord says that Babylon is “all vanity; their works are nothing,” and “their molten images are wind and confusion.” Idolatry brings confusion, and compared to the Lord’s might, which is capable of opening rivers in “high places” and “fountains in the midst of valleys,” idols are nothing (Isaiah 41:18). This part of Isaiah describes people worshiping idols as if the idols are greater than them, forgetting that they themselves created the idols (Isaiah 40:19-20).

Creating this artwork helped me understand this more deeply. The golden ram reminds me of the golden calf of Exodus 32, an episode that turned out horribly for the newly freed Israelites. I depicted the ram melting to show that despite its otherworldly appearance, it is made up of nothing more than metal and can offer nothing to its worshipers. The futility of idols is relevant to us as modern believers as we get caught up in things we create, such as technology, popularity, and wealth. We need to remember that idols have nothing substantial to offer us.

This piece depicts a picture of Joseph Smith’s sacred “First Vision” composed of broken pieces, pieces that are cut and organized to compose not just a picture but a message. Every individual piece represents spiritual truth and also a living testimony. A testimony of someone who has taken the concept of perfect knowledge and become broken hearted to receive the truth of testimony. These individuals, like Joseph Smith and his sacred vision, looked to the light for answers- despite the surrounding darkness of doubt and fear. I felt inspired to show that each piece has a story and is in a different spot for a specific reason, just as we find our faith and testimonies over time. As we take a step back we can get a glimpse of God’s grand perspective.

As you view this piece may you be reminded that testimony comes when we take our doubts and turn them towards the light.