Journal
10 Works You Should Know: Photography
Sometime during my mission, I remember being taught that bearing witness was a spiritual gift.
10 Works You Should Know: Laura Erekson
As the co-curator of the Latter-day Saint women’s art initiative Certain Women, very few curators know the LDS landscape of contemporary female artists like Laura.
10 Works You Should Know: Nicole Woodbury
As a celebrated sculpture artist and co-curator of the Latter-day Saint Women’s Art Show Certain Women, Nicole Woodbury’s perspective on Latter-day Saint Art has a unique vantage point.
To curate her list of 10 works, she drew selections from Certain Women’s recent exhibition “Brave Like Eve.” Nicole writes:
"The belief that Eve was wise—and that her decision to partake of the fruit…
10 Works You Should Know: Savannah Liddicoat
Artist Savannah Liddicoat hails from Queensland Australia and is now based in the Central Coast. She recently presented her final art showcase at the Red Tree Theatre to culminate her BFA at Brigham Young University.
10 Works You Should Know: Maddie Blonquist
As the the Spiritual and Religious Curator at the BYU Museum of Art, Maddie Blonquist approaches her work with both familiarity and discovery.
She recently oversaw the creation of BYU MOA’s Earthbound and Heavenward, an exhibition organized around what Christian tradition often calls a “sacred distance”: the felt space between who we are and who we hope to become. Across more than five hundred years of art, Earthbound and Heavenward traces how artists have wrestled with that distance—and, just as often, how they have discovered heaven pressing close through ordinary gestures, domestic scenes, and quiet acts of attention.
10 Works You Should Know: Emily Larsen
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.
10 Works You Should Know: Brontë Hebdon
As an art and fashion historian, Brontë Hebdon has built her career at the intersection of materiality, belief, and women’s creative labor. To make her list, the scholar gathered artworks that spoke to her interests and expertise: historically significant works, textile pieces, and female contemporary artists. Her chosen ten works offer a tactile, thoughtful lens on legacy—what we inherit, what we preserve, and what continues to unfold in the hands of artists today.
10 Works You Should Know: Zinta Jaunitis
Growing up outside of the U.S., Zinta hasn’t always connected with the American heritage that has largely shaped LDS culture in prior years. As such, her list of “10 works you should know” takes more expansive view by including works from LDS culture and outside works that might resonate within the culture as well. With a good mix of Latter-day Saint and non-LDS artists in her list, you’ll find new perspectives on familiar imagery and ideas in her selections.
10 Works You Should Know: Daniel Martinez
Based in Uruguay, Daniel Martinez’s atmospheric cityscapes breathe life into cities all over the world- from Buenos Aires, to Paris, and Datong, China.
Originally a professional photographer, Daniel picked up watercoloring in 2020 when the events and parties he usually captured were foregone. Inspired by the medium, he has eagerly continued since. “I found in watercolor a form of expression and connection with others that I hadn't been able to achieve before,” he says.
10 Works You Should Know: Jackie Leishman
Jackie Leishman is a modern marvel. Her large-scale, mixed media works can be found in exhibitions, publications, and major commissions.
About her list, Jackie says she came at it from a perspective of what images are shaping Latter-day Saint culture. “Things we have seen so many times that the image is almost truth, ideas we hold in which we set ourselves apart, and a history that we continually hold as present.”
The artist acknowledged that while some are beloved, others are even considered problematic by some. Nevertheless, it’s full of icons that are important to LDS canon.
10 Works You Should Know: A Perfect Atonement
Every artist gives something up to achieve their work. They sacrifice their time, their comfort levels, their sense of self; offering up parts of themselves into their own personal creative pursuits. Eventually, after much of this process (and usually after a wrestle or struggle in its own right), every artist steps back and declares, almost messianically, “it is finished.” The point at which a work-in-progress becomes a finished piece is decided by the artist– they’ve done the work, after all.
10 Works You Should Know: Signs of the Times
March 2025 marks five years since the Covid-19 coronavirus impacted the world with lockdowns, shutdowns, and unprecedented times. People all over the world were faced with challenges of public health, economic setback, and tragic events that shed light on institutional inequality.
Wanting to support the global community of artists and supporters in those unstable moments, The Center’s Art for Uncertain Times grant program awarded fifty artists with honorariums to support their creative processes. With lockdowns and stay-home measures, many artists found themselves with isolated time to create. And like lots of things during the pandemic season, some of them may not have gotten their day in the sun. This list looks back on five years since Art for Uncertain Times with 10 works you should know.