SALT LAKE CITY— The Church History Museum unveiled a 150-piece art exhibition on Thursday as part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ 13th International Art Competition.
The competition received submissions from 584 artists in 26 countries across Africa, North and South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania. Of this group, 150 artists’ artwork was selected for the exhibit by five regionally diverse jurors who chose based on how well the piece represented the theme, demonstrated innovation and showed artistic merit or technical accomplishment.
The exhibition includes artwork inspired by this year’s competition theme, “Lift Up the Hands Which Hang Down,” a phrase taken from the Church of Jesus Christ’s scripture, Doctrine and Covenants 81:5.
“(Artists) thought about examples from scripture and personal history of stories that have buoyed them up in times of difficulty and sorrow,” said Lauren Paulsen Howe, Church History Museum art curator for the exhibit. “They thought of how one might love and serve following the example of Jesus Christ. And they express all of these ideas in styles and art languages as individual and unique as the artists that created them.”
Linda Vance Etherington, local artist and mother of five, was inspired to demonstrate lifting the hands of others by referencing a New Testament story of Jesus Christ feeding 5,000 people using five loaves of bread and two fish. Her painting “How Many Loaves Have Ye? Bring Them Hither to Me” depicts the lad with the loaves and fish mentioned in John 6:9 handing Christ a wildflower. Etherington explained the flower symbolizes the boy’s heart, symbolizing the story’s deeper meaning of giving Christ all you have.
“It’s one story, but it’s really dozens of stories,” she said. “They ate, and they were filled. That’s what we’re all hoping physically and spiritually will happen is that when we share, and it’s broken by Christ, we’re filled. There’s a bunch of butterflies because (the food) is giving our worldly goods, but this is the transformation, so the butterflies are symbolic of the transformation that happens when we do give our hearts, when we do consecrate by covenant.”
“Fishers of Men” is an oil painting by Silvana Alvarez Rhodes, an artist from Argentina now located in Utah. It depicts a sailor in a boat surrounded by angels. The sailor is accompanied by individuals he gathered by casting out his net, which has no outline because it represents Jesus Christ’s infinite mercy, leaving room in the boat for all people, according to Rhodes.
“When pondering about the theme of the contest, I believe that service is the best way to help others. So I represent that with a boat in the depths of the ocean,” said Rhodes. “But in the sailor, in the fisherman of men, I represent all people. Anyone who wants to help, with a desire to serve. So first, he serves his family … then he casts his nets just as the Savior teaches us — which I symbolize with the anchor — the fisher of man will always search in the depths of the earth where there is fear and uncertainty. He will go looking for all the people who are looking for peace, and individually, when we help, we lift them up, we link them to Jesus Christ in an individual way.”
Rhodes began painting in 2010 when she was looking for a source of solace during a difficult period of her life. She began by painting abstracts, but when she participated in President Russell M. Nelson’s challenge to read the Book of Mormon in just three months in 2018, she felt called to preach the gospel through her art.
“I really feel the assurance that I need to preach (by painting) and that it is going to reach places and people who generally would not listen to religion or Jesus Christ, but who love the painting,” said Rhodes. “I think we all have to testify with what we have, with our talent, and not judge because I do not know who will receive my testimony, but my desire is to serve the Lord and be his tool.”
The exhibition includes a combination of media, including paintings, sculptures, textiles, ceramic tile mosaics and more. For several artists, quilt patterns were used in their artwork to represent their pioneer heritage or loved ones who made quilts.
Paige Crosland Anderson’s “Sacred Mending” uses several quilt patterns painted into panels of a wooden altarpiece to represent the work contributing to mending the world, with moving doors that demonstrate how God reveals his mysteries over time.
“I love this idea that as we participate in (God’s) work, and as we try to contribute to healing the world, the mystery of how that all happens will gradually be unfolded to us,” said Anderson. “Contributing to mending those around us, even if in little other ways, is a holy act. There’s this definition of holiness by a Jewish named Jacob Milgrom … that basically says emulating God is holiness. I’m like, there’s no better way to be like God than to try to heal his people, and I can do it in small ways.”
Anderson explained that the concept of her painting was inspired by the Jewish concept tikkun olam, which refers to the idea of using small acts to heal the world.
Patrons can vote for two favorite artworks in the exhibit while visiting the gallery or viewing the art online. The top five artists with the most votes will win a Visitor’s Choice Award — which includes a $500 prize — and will be announced in December.
Prior to the exhibition, 10 artists were awarded with the Merit Award of $500 for demonstration artistic excellence in their artwork. Other artists — including Etherington, Rhodes and Anderson — received Purchase Awards, meaning the piece was bought by the Church History Museum to be added to their art collection.
The gallery can be viewed online or found at the Church History Museum until Jan. 3, 2026, at 45 N. West Temple in Salt Lake City. Admission is free and the museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Monday, Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.
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