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Home > LDS Perspectives Podcast > Episode 107: Why Does Latter-day Saint Art Matter? with Jennifer Champoux
Podcast: LDS Perspectives Podcast
Episode:

Episode 107: Why Does Latter-day Saint Art Matter? with Jennifer Champoux
Category: Religion & Spirituality
Duration: 00:34:44
Publish Date: 2019-05-08 01:44:46
Description: About the Interview: In this episode, I discuss with Jennifer Champoux, an art history scholar, how biblical women are depicted in the art of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Portrayals of biblical women are scarce among images that are endorsed by the LDS Church. Those women who are depicted are frequently shown as simplified, didactic figures, and they are typically divided into two groups: wise or foolish. This dichotomy is apparent in the symbolism and formal elements of many LDS paintings of both the parable of the ten virgins and of Mary and Martha, which are the only images in which we see groups of women. Champoux takes us through an examination of LDS depictions of Mary and Martha, revealing that they generally rely on earlier Christian visual and textual interpretations that privilege Mary and show her as quiet and passive.  Most LDS images do not offer alternative interpretations of the story, although Church leaders have offered various readings. Champoux also explains how Minerva Teichert’s painting, "Jesus at the Home of Mary and Martha," offers an intriguing counterpoint to other LDS images of this scene. Teichert’s style and symbolism leave the meaning open for interpretation by the viewer, and she incorporates distinctive LDS ideas about agency, personal study, the balance between faith and works, and the primacy of scripture. This study of Mary and Martha images reveals larger patterns and tensions found in LDS visual culture, such as the scarcity of images of biblical women, the presumed accuracy of images endorsed by the Church, and the way Church members incorporate visual imagery into their religious experience. About Our Guest: Jennifer Champoux is a lecturer in art history at Northeastern University, and also previously taught art history courses as adjunct faculty at Emerson College, Emmanuel College, and Colorado Community Colleges Online.  She earned a BA in international politics from Brigham Young University and an MA in art history from Boston University. She currently serves as vice president of Mormon Scholars in the Humanities. She lives in northern Virginia with her husband and three children. The Transcript: Download PDF. Latter-day Saint Perspectives Podcast Episode 107: Why Does Latter-day Saint Art Matter? with Jennifer Champoux   Released May 8, 2019   This is not a verbatim transcript. Some wording has been modified for clarity. Laura Harris Hales:  Hello, this is Laura Harris Hales. I’m here today with Jenny Champoux, who has an interesting background. You have a master’s in art history, but that’s not what you started out studying. Do you want to tell us a little bit about your background? Jennifer Champoux:  Sure. Thank you. When I was at Brigham Young University, I got my undergraduate degree in international politics and political science, and I did a minor in art history. I went on an art history study abroad to Europe and then ended up writing an honors thesis paper on a Flemish artist and just fell in love with the research and writing process in art history. I realized that that was really what I love to do. I decided to pursue a master’s degree in art history, and I took some extra art history classes, learned French, and did my graduate work at Boston University studying Dutch art of the Golden Age, Baroque art. Laura Harris Hales:  You lecture part-time on art history right now, don’t you? Jennifer Champoux: I do. I’m adjunct faculty at Northeastern University. Laura Harris Hales: Our discussion today is based on your article “Wise or Foolish: Women in Mormon Biblical Narrative Art,” published in the summer 2018 issue of BYU Studies Quarterly, which is a tough venue. So congratulations. Jennifer Champoux: I was very excited. Laura Harris Hales: What motivated you to write about religious visual imagery? Jennifer Champoux:  Well, I’m coming from a background studying Flemish and Dutch art from the 15th to 17th centuries.
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