Center for Latter-day Saint Arts

05/20/2026

"As an LDS composer, I know of no other organization that takes care of LDS artists like the Center for Latter-Day Saint Arts. It’s work is unparalleled and essential. Though the Church does support artists in some limited ways, the Center ensures that artists working in all media and messages have support to bring their work into the world and encouragement to keep going with what’s often a deeply challenging career.

"For me personally, my associations with the other Residency fellows from my year, as well as other artists and patrons I’ve met through the Center’s conferences and events — all these relationships have been among the most satisfying and treasured in my musical life." — Joseph Sowa, Composer and member of the inaugural 2023 Artists Residency at the Center.

05/18/2026

Have you ever read a screenplay?

We'd highly recommend it. Written with minimal paragraphing and stripped of traditional dialogue tags, they read like a cinematic novel that puts you in the middle of the story. Mentally jumping from scene to scene just like the camera's visual flow is a tour de force.

If you're curious to give it a try, check out Daniel Yen Tu's "'93 Castrol," which follows three siblings in Taiwan. After a generations of bad luck, two brothers set off to sell their vintage rally race car to pay for their little sister's education. But breaking the "family curse" isn't so easy, and soon the road trip becomes a cross-country car chase as they dodge more trouble.

We won't spoil it for you, but it's a wild ride. 🏁

Get a reader's copy on Amazon: https://ow.ly/JQYW50Z1gi8

PS: This screenplay was commissioned by the Center for our 2025 project UP(scale). The third image is the slick special collector's edition created as part of the project.

05/07/2026

“Find yourself like a treasure / buried at the back of the spare battery drawer."

One more look-back at "A Brief Collection of Moments" where you can see all the layers of collaboration-- musical score by Dylan Findley with lyrics by Darlene Young, visual art by Michelle Nixon and Justin Wheatley, all with choreography by Vanessa Cook performed by the Utah Metropolitan Ballet. This show certainly was a treasure.

05/07/2026

During the Israelites' journey through the wilderness, God provided grilled cheese sandwiches (er, make that quail, water, and guidance) as the people repeatedly complained of hunger, thirst, and hardship. He also disciplined them for their lack of gratitude and rebellion. Parents who have brought their own children on a road trip can perhaps relate.

Like the Israelites going from Sinai to Canaan, we are all wanderers, aren't we? Families often face "new terrain" every day. To encapsulate part of his family's experience fitting into American culture, Ecuadorian artist Francisco Fierro Merchan photo-transferred family photos onto Kraft singles. And while it may sound cheese-y, we think it's a pretty great symbol of how families can nourish and strengthen each other. And that kind of makes our heart melt. 🧀💛

Has your family ever helped you make it through a big move in your life?

Find this week's 5-minute the Come, Follow Me (Art Companion) on our website: https://www.centerforlatterdaysaintarts.org/2026-come-follow-me-art-companion-old-testament/2026/4/15/may-4-10-numbers-11-14-20-24-27

Plus, get the weekly lesson every Sunday when you subscribe to our newsletter.

05/06/2026

There's still a little time to schedule an Office Hours appointment for May. Here is this month's lineup of mentors:

Every Month: Glen Nelson — Author, scholar, co-founder of the Center, and recipient of the 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association for Mormon Letters. Next appointments are May 15: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ030kOt53-pyXnIQlqY0OHzSpuLhNeBSnok8N4Lft1WagXknDHJNQJ_cT_PffzEwTmzOOVOtZ3y?gv=true

May’s Guest Mentor: Mason Kamana Allred — Associate Professor of Communication, Media, and Culture at Brigham Young University–Hawaii, co-editor of Latter-day Saint Art: A Critical Reader, and scholar of film and media. Appointments available Thursday, May 14th: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/0/appointments/schedules/AcZssZ1k2uGnVgdf0dlS3Re81RJ7uF0XhRSZxvjZeUo77ubgM0zReN9GkmVmR43MWo5ns8qjR_rZ-m0W?gv=true

What are Office Hours?
They're a personalized opportunity to meet with an expert in one-on-one setting to talk about any part of your creative of work or artistic career. Learn more: https://www.centerforlatterdaysaintarts.org/office-hours

“I left our conversation with renewed enthusiasm and the feeling that I have an experienced mentor and friend in my corner—someone genuinely rooting for my success and excited to see me create.” - Rebecca Reed, photographer

Office HoursA personalized opportunity to discuss specific issues you are facing in the creation of work in any artistic discipline. Here, artists can get personalized, one-on-one time with an expert to talk about their artistic work.Book a 45-minute session to discuss anything about your work and c...

04/24/2026

A new work being performed by Utah Metropolitan Ballet is a collaboration with a singer-songwriter and three visual artists — and explores where creativity connects with the artists' Latter-day Saint faith.

04/22/2026

With opening night tomorrow, we're eagerly waiting in the wings at this point. 🪽 After months of collaboration and rehearsal (with practically as many hours logged over zoom as in-person), "A Brief Collection of Moments" is ready to take the stage.

Enjoy some snapshots from one of Vanessa's final rehearsals with the dancers of Utah Metropolitan Ballet. 🩰📸✨

Then, get your tickets with the code TRIBUTE: https://covey.provo.gov/EventAvailability?EventId=18001&ref=bookNow&scroll=timeAndDates
(PS- students, rush tickets go on sale the day of performance!)

04/10/2026

Hey LDS writers, here's a quick roundup of opportunities for you:

1. Set up a mentoring appointment with writer, poet, and professor of translation Gabriel González Núñez through the Center's April Office Hours: https://www.centerforlatterdaysaintarts.org/office-hours

2. Still Small Stories, a weekly Latter-day Saint publication of short fiction, is accepting more submissions until April 20 2026. https://stillsmallstories.substack.com/p/we-want-your-story-4e0

3. Submissions for Mormon Lit Lab's 15th Annual Lit Blitz are due by May 31, 2026. Any genre, under 1,000 words, and resonates with a Latter-day Saint Audience. https://www.mormonlitlab.org/post/call-for-submissions-fifteenth-annual-lit-blitz

Office HoursA personalized opportunity to discuss specific issues you are facing in the creation of work in any artistic discipline. Here, artists can get personalized, one-on-one time with an expert to talk about their artistic work.Book a 45-minute session to discuss anything about your work and c...

04/08/2026

"I think we live in a time when art is assuming an ever larger place in our lives.

"The Metropolitan Museum of Art receives 5.5 million visits a year. The Museum is a testament to the enduring importance of art in human culture.

"The Met’s collections demonstrate that for thousands of years all over the world, craftsmen have been beautifying tableware, tables, chairs, walls, curtains, armor, costumes, gardens, buildings. It is a witness to the deep human urge to beautify."

-- Richard Lyman Bushman, "Divine Creativity: To See The World Anew."

Continue reading: www.centerforlatterdaysaintarts.org/to-see-the-world-anew

03/17/2026

“Scorched” began as a reflection on landscape—fire-scarred desert, memory, endurance. But as the work unfolded, it became something more personal and urgent for choreographer Thayer Jonutz.

Created in the wake of personal loss, and shaped by an unimaginable tragedy, this is a work about grief, about meaning, and about what art can hold when words fall short.

Made in part at the 2025 Artists Residency at the Center, we’re honored to share its Utah premiere this week.

UTAH PREMIERE: Out of the Ashes
Presented with Repertory Dance Theater’s Link Series
March 20–21, 2026
Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center, Salt Lake City

Learn how to get tickets and watch the full story on our website.