Interview: Greg Kearney, BYU BFA in Design
February 26th, 2008 by Menachem Wecker
This is my interview with Greg Kearney, BFA design, 1980, Brigham Young University. I reached him through FAIR, but he spoke only for himself, not the organization. The image is from FAIR’s site.
MW: I am working on an article about the blog, Images of the Restoration, particularly its claim that art on Church-sponsored websites often misrepresent Church history. (E.g. the claim on IOTR that Joseph Smith never looked at the Golden Plates, but translated them sitting on stairs looking into his hat.) Can you comment on the blog and whether it represents serious criticism of Church art?
GK: I’ll comment on this blog but please understand that I speak only for myself and not for FAIR or the Church.
I have seen any number of critical sites about the church but this one is one of the more unique in its approach if not in it’s content. It uses the technique of having us look at 19th century people with 21st century eyes which make Joseph Smith and his contemporaries look strange to us.
Of course Smith and others believed in dowsing. Dowsing is still in wide practice today in New England. He likely believed in a whole host of folk beliefs of his day as did most people.
The image “Oliver Cowdery” which seems to be the best of the lot does not even give an accurate image of dowsing or water witching as it is sometime known. The stick shown is far to thick for that kind of work. But as I said these were common practices of the day and to some
extent still are. This is a kind of historical “got ya”.
Art, and religious art in particular, is not intended to be a historical record. Do we really believe that the holy family wore renaissance clothing or the the Star of Bethlehem appeared as a brilliant beacon in the night sky?
MW: Who are some of the most prominent artists being commissioned by the Church?
GK: Perhaps the best known artist commissioned by the church was Arnold Friberg [b. 1913] an illustrator and art director best know in LDS circles for painting of Book of Mormon events. Again these are romanticized illustrations which should not be taken as actual representations of historical events.
MW: Is art stressed as an important component of Mormon education?
GK: All the arts as well as all manner of other secular studies are viewed as valuable in Mormon education. LDS Colleges and Universities teach the arts as part of their core studies and they are required for graduation from our schools even if you are not studying art as a major.
MW: Are there restrictions placed on art making?
GK: There are no restrictions on the arts from the Church as far as I am aware.
Adam Says
“It uses the technique of having us look at 19th century people with 21st century eyes which make Joseph Smith and his contemporaries look strange to us.”
That’s the crux of the issue. The same could be said of Christopher Columbus, Isaac Newton, the Founding Fathers, etc. Any historically accurate depiction of these men is likely to make them appear strange to 21st Century eyes.
The difference is that the accomplishments of these men are not diminished by our perception of them. Knowledge of Newton’s involvement in magic and alchemy, for example, does not cause us to doubt the laws of physics.
Unfortunately for Joseph Smith, his body of work does not stand on its own. None of it is independently verifiable–all of it stands and falls on his word and a spiritual witness. Thus, art depicting the events of the Restoration plays a crucial role.
If one does not feel warm, positive feelings while considering the life of Joseph Smith, there is nothing else to recommend him. So the art commissioned by the church is calculated to produce that response in a modern, middle class audience. Strangely, no matter how “true” something may be, the Spirit doesn’t seem to manifest itself when things appear strange or weird to us. (The converse also works, as Paul H. Dunn has shown.) That’s why the Church is so image conscious. When it comes to the Spirit, perception is reality.
Feb 26th, 2008 at 7:52 am