A collection of dramatic skies where color, light, and darkness all come together. A reflection on hope and optimism in the midst of uncertainty and turmoil. ​ May 5th - 27th, 2023

An exploration of modern pan-Pacific art, culture, and diaspora. Group Exhibit May 5th - 27th, 2023

Illustrations for a new retelling of the ancient parable, "Hymn of the Pearl" April 7th - 29th The majority of the images in this exhibit were created to illustrate Lori Drigg’s retelling of the ancient “Hymn of the Pearl.” In this retelling The Hymn is a spiritually significant tale that spans centuries and answers some of life’s most pressing questions: “Where did I come from?” “Why am I here?” and “What is my pearl (purpose) here?” ​ Written for an early Christian congregation in the first century AD, the hymn echoes the same theme and motifs found in most classic, cultural tales; namely, the hero’s journey. This journey typically involves a hero embarking on an adventure, learning from experience, overcoming a foe or challenge, winning a victory and returning home transformed.

March 31st - April 29th, 2023 Esther Hiilani Candari Julie Ann Lake Diaz Laura Erekson Tyler Huntzinger Emilie Buck Lewis Maureen Merrell Andrew Payne J. Kirk Richards Jessica Day Smith Leroy Transfield We have recognized this in our own biases and felt compelled to initiate a dialogue that centers the crucifixion. By contemplating the essentiality of the crucifixion in our doctrine of the atonement, we have come to see light, beauty, and peace in His offering. The Greatest Act of Love “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Although His death is a central part of His atonement, there is a surprising reservation among LDS members to embrace the doctrine of Christ’s crucifixion and cross imagery. Recently Dr. John Hilton III explored this topic in his book “Considering the Cross.” In his research he found that a lack of crucifixion and cross imagery in LDS art can unintentionally misrepresent the doctrine of the Savior’s Atonement. As three LDS artists, we have recognized this in our own biases and felt compelled to initiate a dialogue that centers the crucifixion. By contemplating the essentiality of the crucifixion in our doctrine of the atonement, we have come to see light, beauty, and peace in His offering. Where once we saw violence in His death, now we see a perfect example of non-violence towards His aggressors. Through the shedding of his own blood, Christ informs each child of God of their inherent worth. He is the sacrificial lamb, whose gift on the altar was foreshadowed by prophets for centuries. With this show we join all fellow believers in Christ in expressing our love and appreciation for Christ’s ultimate gift. We strive to dismantle old stigmas and create new conversations about the place of the cross in our homes, around our necks, and in our churches. We hope by doing so, we come closer to becoming one in the body of Christ.

March 3rd - March 25th, 2023 Greener on the Other Side "Greener on the Other Side explores the converging space of opposing realities: abstract vs actual, reality vs fantasy, ignorance vs knowledge, life vs death." Kirsten Anderson’s recent series Greener on the Other Side explores the converging space of opposing realities: abstract vs actual, reality vs fantasy, ignorance vs knowledge, life vs death. Her mystical and dreamlike images position themselves on the threshold of unknown territory and moments of enlightenment. The swirling ranges of blues and yellows merge to create greenish hues, illustrating a meeting place of these dualities. The vivid green appears in draped veils and arched rainbows, it looms around faces and figures offering a space for realization. By presenting these contrasting realities, Anderson focuses on the struggle and joy of finding balance, connection, and purpose in one’s own existence.

March 3rd - March 25th, 2023 Over the last few years I have been fascinated by long photographic exposures of the night sky and the interplay of the stars with desert landscapes. This series, Star and Stone, is meant to be a meditation on the long duration of celestial and earthly cycles of change and constancy. ​ Among the different genres of astrophotography, star trail photography is perhaps the most accessible and diverse. This style involves taking a single, long exposure or stacking multiple exposures of the stars to show the star’s motion in the sky over time. Because of the curvature of the earth and its rotation, the pathway of the stars appears to bow north and south, forming concentric circles at the poles (Star and Stone 3: Tower of Babel being one example at the north pole), straight lines at the celestial equator, and curved lines between. These star paths are comparable to the shape of the lines of latitude on a globe. Star and Stone 4: Turret Arch, for example, depicts the range of these lines. These celestial patterns provide a rich opportunity for artistic composition when coupled with terrestrial formations.On earth, in the foreground of these images, we see the culmination of millions of years of natural processes in any given moment. Because of the extended nature of the timeline, these rock formations appear fixed and constant when in reality largely imperceptible changes are constantly under way as erosion continues its work. Similarly, when we glance at the night sky, we see a field of stars that appears static at any given moment, but which is constantly in motion throughout the night and shifting position from one night to the next, again, almost imperceptibly. These star trail photographs bring these earthly and celestial time frames together and compress them at a glance in Star and Stone.

This show explores creativity within relationships and features stunning work by nine couples Curated by Esther Hi'ilani Candari February 10-25, 2023 Creation and creativity within a relationship can be both one of the most fulfiling and the most challenging parts of a relationship. This show explores how nine couples navigate creativity in their personal lives and relationships: how they collaborate, divide, delegate, and support each other through their various processes. While this show illustrates these dynamics through the very literal medium of visual arts, we hope it serves as invitation to viewers to consider the role of creation and creativity in their relationships and how to fulfill their full potential as individuals whose lives have intertwined and conjoined. ​ Featuring work by Shari & Howard Lyon, Camilla Stark & Rusden Scott, Matthew & Carrie Wilson, J. Kirk & Amy Richards, Emily Larsen & Eric Boothe, Camille & Justin Wheatley, Carly & Grant White, Jethro Gillespie & Jean Richardson, and Esther H. Candari & Steven Christiansen.

February 3rd - February 25th, 2023 CIRCLE wholeness, unity, eternity, completeness, the mother of shape, boundedness, perfection, the Divine HEAVEN ​ SQUARE grounded, fixed, orientation, stability, enclosure, structured, materiality and physicality, constancy amid change EARTH Fundamentally, these two symbols are echoed and implied in every curved arc and straightline. Embedded in the process of drawing is an exploration of their interdependentsymbolism. They are drawn with compasses and square. Celestial Navigation explores the interrelationship of Earth and Heaven and how wenavigate their tensions as individuals and communities. Amidst the geometry, the number12 is a recurring theme. This number is connected with cosmological governance andinextricably linked to our regulation of time and space. These works seek a balance of care and chaos. Lines precisely drawn with technical pens arepaired with handmade paints full of natural variation. These paintings also feature twometals: gold – eternal and unchanging; and copper – like us, responsive to the environment.Several patterns in this body of work reflect the influence of Islamic geometric design andWestern cathedral architecture. Lisa is deeply indebted to the wisdom, generosity, andinsight of those who precede and accompany her in geometric exploration.

"These twelve images are the illustrations for each chapter of the book In the Image of Our Heavenly Parents: A Couple’s Guide to Creating a More Divine Marriage, edited by McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding. Over the past twelve years I’ve been exploring ways to convey religious principles and stories through minimalist art. It’s my hope that, through the Spirit, these symbols provide some inspiration and encouragement to you in following the pattern of our Heavenly Mother and Heavenly Father."

It’s funny. In some ways I’ve made a complete circle regarding my attitude towards creating art. Back in 1998 when I first started painting, my interest in psychoanalysis led me to paint quite quickly and then analyze and find unconscious imagery that came out of the deep recesses of my mind. Now over 20 years later, my newest work which I believe to be my best yet falls along similar lines. They consist mostly of color pencil drawings. While doing this work, I don’t think. That’s right...I don’t think. Well for the most part, I don’t. Sometimes I pause and think about compositional matters or specific color choice or most overall when there is a specific object to be drawn. But other than these fleeting matters, I’m drawing from as near I can from the unconscious. No decisions, no thought, just where the pencil takes me. This I find to be extremely liberating and produces work which many times turns out to be quite complex, but in reality I’m producing them in auto-drive like the cars of the future.

"The Behold You Belong movement is designed to validate very modern experiences with a very old book... This show is curated to acknowledge the humanity, value, and yearning of anyone who has interacted with the Book of Mormon." ​ Kathryn Ivy Reese, Lily Camille Howell January 6th - January 28th, 2023 The Behold You Belong movement is designed to validate very modern experiences with a very old book. Religious literature has unique weight in Utah. For faithful church members it can be tricky to find personal revelation within vast doctrines. For nuanced believers validation around complexity can feel rare. Meanwhile for many ex-mormons, scripture might only come with memories of feeling invisible. This show is curated to acknowledge the humanity, value, and yearning of anyone who has interacted with the Book of Mormon. As we build compassion for wider perspectives we also cultivate trust in our own expansion. More than being tasteful we hope that this art can be a catalyst for conversation and curiosity; two things that are vital if we all want to feel like we belong.

“Thou art a soul in bliss, but I am bound Upon a wheel of fire, that mine own tears Do scald like molten lead.” —King Lear, Act 4, Scene 7 ​ Guest curated by Camilla Stark December 2nd - December 22, 2022 All of us—the participants of this art show—have had our lives deeply affected by obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This is not a quirky preference for alignment or symmetry. This is a debilitating disease of fear, doubt, and spiraling terror. OCD is an overactive survival instinct that demands certainty that our worst fears won’t come true. We are bombarded by intensely convincing thoughts about our fears, followed by strong desires to perform compulsive actions that will prevent the things we fear. But this is a lie. Performing a compulsion does not prevent the fear from coming true. It only makes the intrusive thoughts come back stronger. And then the compulsions come back stronger. And thus, we are bound upon a wheel of fire. Scrupulosity, or religious OCD, is a flavor of obsessive-compulsive disorder specifically focused on religious and spiritual fears. Fears of breaking commandments, of not being worthy, of displeasing God, of being cast down to Hell. The compulsions can be rigid adherence to commandments, excessive praying, repeated confession to spiritual leaders, repeating scriptures or hymns to “cleanse” impure thoughts, and more. We never feel clean “enough”, worthy “enough”, or righteous “enough” when we perform these compulsions. We may suffer in silence for years, certain we are damned. We may reach a breaking point and leave religion entirely. The only way to break free from the wheel of fire is to stop performing compulsions. In the moment, it feels like allowing our fears to come true. To invite death and hell to take us. But then our brains learn that the worst didn’t happen. We learn to accept uncertainty. We begin to heal. In this art show, more than 25 artists and poets depict their experience with OCD and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or Mormon religion. Some suffer from scrupulosity. Others explore how other OCD themes interact with their religious beliefs. A few have a family member with OCD. All of us want to share with you what it’s like. Welcome to our wheel of fire. If you suspect you or a loved one suffers from OCD, please seek out an OCD specialist. You can find a list of qualified therapists on the International OCD Foundation website (iocdf.org) or on the NOCD app. You are not alone. We love you.