“As a devotee of all the different worlds of LDS art, past and present, it was hard to choose just 10 works. I limited myself to works in the Permanent Collection of the Springville Museum of Art, and it was still very difficult to narrow it down.

“The 10 works I chose represent artists from the 1870s to today, spanning a variety of mediums. It is a Utah-centric list, as is the collection at the Springville Museum of Art, but like many areas of LDS art and history, many of these artists have ties to other parts of the world in addition to their connections to Utah. Not all of these artworks deal directly with Mormon subject matter and some of the artists on the list have complicated relationships to Mormonism and belief (as do I).

“I chose works that, to me, speak to the complexity of Mormon identity and experience and hopefully convey what I think are some of the best parts of Mormon doctrine, theology, and culture: unconditional Christlike love, hope, and the ability to change, do better, and continually progress.

“I also hope this list conveys the expansiveness of artistic production, past and present, in LDS visual culture, and reflects the value of beauty, metaphor, symbolism, and nuance within our artistic heritage.”

Emily Larsen is a Utah based curator, museum professional, researcher, and collage artist. She currently serves as the Executive Director at the Springville Museum of Art, where she’s worked in a variety of positions since 2014. She is passionate about Utah's art history and loves working with local Utah artists.

1.

CCA Christensen (Danish/American, 1831-1912)
Weighing the Baby (1872)
Oil on canvas, 8 x 10 inches
Springville Museum of Art, Gift from Diane and Sam Stewart

2.

Avard Tennyson Fairbanks (American, 1897-1987)
Mother and Child (1928)
Marble, 36.5 x 23 x 18 inches
Springville Museum of Art, Gift from the Artist

3.

Mabel Pearl Frazer (American, 1887-1981)
Sunrise, North Rim Grand Canyon (1928)
Oil on canvas, 33 x 55.75 inches
Springville Museum of Art, Gift from Madeleine, Dick, and Nettie Waldis

4.

Trevor Jack Thomas Southey (Born Rhodesian, now Zimbabwe/American, 1940-2015)
Brother’s Keeper (1969)
Acrylic on board, 30 x 30 inches
Springville Museum of Art, Gift from Brent Ashworth

5.

Jeanne Leighton Lundberg Clarke (American, 1925-2014)
The Earth is Full of Goodness of the Lord: Portrait of Rebecca (1985)
Oil on canvas, 44 x 60 inches
Springville Museum of Art, Gift from Mark and Nancy Peterson

6.

Nnamdi Dinobi Okonkwo (Nigerianm b. 1968)
Repentant Magdalene, 1995, bronze, 16.25 x 10.25 x 7.38 in.
Springville Museum of Art, Museum Purchase

7.

Wulf Eric Barsch (German, 1943-2025)
Within the Shadows of the Everlasting Hills: In the Valley of the Sun & Moon (2000)
Oil on canvas, 52 x 40 inches
Springville Museum of Art, Gift from Vern G. and Judy N. Swanson

8.

Mary Sauer (American, b. 1986)
Sara, 2014, oil on canvas, 40 x 30 inches
Springville Museum of Art, Gift of Carl and Heather Clyde

9.

Peter H. Everett (American, b. 1969)
Aura Curtain (2024)
Ink, acrylic, and oil on prepared paper, 77 x 55 inches
Springville Museum of Art, Museum Purchase