The Center for Latter-day Saint Arts Festival is in a few weeks (June 28-29) in NYC. We’ve been working on it for a year, and we’ve got surprises galore.

If you’re a parent with wee ones: On Saturday morning, before noon, there are fun activities for children—bookmaking, storytelling, and dance—with Kevin Hawkes, New York Times bestselling author (Library Lion, Weslandia), and others.

If you love tv and the movies: A first screening of “Heart of Africa,” a new film by Congolese filmmaker Tshoper Kabamabi about two missionaries—black and white, in the Congo; and the 10th anniversary screening of the complete, groundbreaking, award-winning thriller, “The Book of Jer3miah,” with the filmmakers, Jared Cardon and Jeff Parkin.

If you’d rather stay home and read a book: a keynote address by Harvard Divinity School professor David F. Holland on “Art and Religion in the American Novel”; a concert reading and performance of literary works (poetry, fiction, live music); and a discussion with poets Lance Larsen, Susan Howe, and Michael Lavers called “How Poetry Works.”

If you’re sort of smart: a panel discussion, “Women in Art” with three scholars with diverse backgrounds and approaches to the visual arts; a presentation on the great matron of Utah arts, Alice Merrill Horne; a panel on how to look at art; another on collecting art in today’s market; and a performance/presentation on the power of dance.

If you grove to music: a concert retrospective of the music of David Fletcher, with special guests Sarah Asplund, Jonathan Austin, and more; a reading of a new play with music about James W. McConkie, written by his grandsons, Davey and Jamie Erekson; a tango duo from Argentina; and the marquee event of the festival, a concert at the Kaye Playhouse featuring Latter-day Saint performers from Nashville, Broadway, Finland, and more.

If you want to log in some gallery time: five (count ‘em, five) exhibitions that include two photography shows based on Utah landscape; a sound installation accessed through your phone; conceptual art about women’s voices; and a video installation titled “Belief in Zion.”

Pretty amazing, pretty diverse, pretty fun, pretty cheap.

About that: children are free; a two-day pass is just $25 ($12.50 for students); and the concert (Center Stage at the Kaye Playhouse) are $15 and $20.

The former global acquisitions curator for the Church History Museum reflects on her tenure and influence on art in the Church with the aid of tributes written by artists and colleagues: Neylan McBaine, Walter Rane, Rose Datoc Dall, Alan Johnson, Valerie Atkisson de Moura, Annie Poon, Diane P. Stewart, Caitlin Connolly, and Jason Metcalf. Hurtado is the newly-named executive director of the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art.

We are happy to announce that our book, Mormon Cinema: Origins to 1952, by Randy Astle was the winner of the Association for Mormon Letters award in the category of Criticism.

We’re thrilled to announce the Center’s latest project. To assist people of all ages in their study of the scriptures, the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts has prepared a weekly tool to go with each lesson from the Come, Follow Me manual using fine art and objects created by members of the Church, commentary, and questions to spark discussion. We call it Come, Follow Me (Art Companion).

NEW YORK, New York – January 17, 2019 – The Center for Latter-day Saint Arts, formerly known as the Mormon Arts Center, announced it will give 20 grants, awards and commissions to 40 different artists in 2019. 

The Center for Latter-day Saint Arts is pleased to announce 20 grants, awards, and commissions to 40 artists for 2019