INTERVIEW: Ben Crowder, founder & editor, Mormon Artist magazine
February 11th, 2009 by Menachem Wecker
I first heard about Ben Crowder when I mentioned on Twitter that I was moderating a panel on Mormon art and was interested in learning more about the topic. The Twitter handle of “Official news and updates from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon)” (@LDSNewsroom), and several others, suggested I get in touch with Ben (@bencrowder), which was good enough for me. Whether or not you are Mormon, the bimonthly magazine Mormon Artist is worth reading. The design is gorgeous (you can download it in PDF), the articles are really accessible, and the content is fascinating. Most readers probably did not even know Mormon art was a phenomenon (I didn’t until I researched this piece), and I can assure you that there is a lot of kitschy illustration, as is to be expected, but there are also many very exciting artists that are worth following. Instead of a proper bio for Ben, read this note he wrote.
MW: How did you first get involved in Mormon art, and how did the magazine come about?
BC: I’ve been interested in the arts for almost as long as I can remember. I’ve also been a believing Mormon since childhood, caring deeply about my faith. Since both art and religion are in essence about who we are and what life is about, it was natural for my interest to center on the intersection between them. It’s who I am, basically.
In June last year, I heard about MagCloud.com, a new print-on-demand magazine publisher that had just gotten off the ground. I’d edited the school newspaper and literary magazine in high school, which had given me an appetite for publishing, and I’d always wanted to start a magazine. When MagCloud made that possible, I asked myself what kind of a magazine I wanted to read. The answer was immediate: a publication about Mormon arts. The rest fell into place fairly smoothly after that.
MW: Most of my readers know virtually nothing about Mormonism and have no idea Mormon art is even a phenomenon. How would you explain the importance of the field to them?
BC: Mormonism (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the official name) itself has only been around for just under two hundred years, so Mormon art is understandably still in its late infancy. I don’t know that I would call it a phenomenon just yet, but it’s certainly a phenomenon-in-embryo, and in the years to come you’ll see a flood of masterpieces coming out of this movement. The gates are only just now opening.
MW: Is creating art a religious act/commandment in Mormonism? Can it be a type of prayer?
BC: Yes on both counts. We believe that God is the Creator, and we also believe that we are His literal children sent to Earth with the goal to someday become like Him. Because of that, the act of creating is very much part of who we are as humans. One of our scriptures says that “the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me,” and I believe that holds true for the other arts as well.
MW: Unlike Judeo-Christian traditions, Mormonism recognizes a prophet who was alive (age 33) when the Daguerreotype was discovered. What has it meant for Mormon artists to have such a contemporary religious figure like Joseph Smith?
BC: It’s one of the pillars of our faith, of course, and for us it breathes a life and vitality into our religion that naturally extends itself into the arts. In addition, you don’t have to go too many years back before you find people whose parents or grandparents knew Joseph personally, and that kind of historical closeness has a huge impact on our culture.
MW: Mormonism just celebrated the 30th-year anniversary of accepting black members into the priesthood. But I still see that most of the LDS clip art sites online and many of the painters of biblical scenes still portray Jesus as a blond-hair, blue-eyed Caucasian. There is a movement of Christian artists representing Jesus in a more diverse way. Do you foresee anything of this sort among Mormon artists?
BC: Not as a general trend, no.
MW: To what extent is Mormon art accessible to non-Mormons who cannot enter temples?
BC: Do you mean accessible as in getting to the art or as in understanding it? With the former, the overwhelming majority of our art is outside our temples and accessible to anyone who’s interested. As the latter — understanding our art — you don’t need to have been inside a temple to get it, for the most part. It’s a reverse iceberg, with the bulk of it in plain view and only a tiny bit out of sight. (And, of course, the more you know about our beliefs and our history, the more accessible our art will become.)
MW: Much of Mormon art that I’ve seen is narrative-driven and naturalistic. Do you find the works most engaging as art or as religious narrative?
BC: For me it’s about an equal share of both, but I do have to say that if a piece has a strong religious narrative, I’m more inclined to forgive any lesser artistic defects. (Which isn’t to say that we shouldn’t try our best to make art worthy of the name.) That said, I don’t find anything wrong with abstract art, or art by Mormons that doesn’t have seem to have anything to do with religion. Art of any kind can be to the glory of God when created and received in the right spirit, I think.
MW: To what extent do you see Mormon art as heir to a longer Christian tradition of art, and to what extent is it a new phenomenon?
BC: Since we very much believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Savior of the world — Christ is without a doubt the center of our faith — our Mormon art is heavily influenced by the great Christian art of the past. But at the same time, mirroring our belief that Joseph Smith restored the old faith, renewing covenants and doctrines that had been forgotten or changed over the centuries (and were thus largely new to people of his time), our art is a new phenomenon. It’s its own thing. There’s a noticeably different feel to Mormon art.
MW: I wrote a piece a little while back on the artists of the blog Images of the Restoration. What is your take on their works, which critique official church-sponsored art?
BC: Their pieces seem to be largely aimed at tearing down Joseph Smith’s credibility as a prophet. While they’re certainly free to do so, I’m far more interested in art that builds something useful and points the way to greater truths. Too much art is focused on destroying faith. That’s not what we need. In our world that’s falling apart in so many places, we need edification and support in reaching for what’s good, regardless of religion or sect. I have just about zero interest in art that slams Judaism or Catholicism or Islam or any other religion, but I’m very interested in art of faith, art of belief. Destructive art feels empty and shallow; faithful art feels solid and real.
MW: It seems like many Mormon artists have left the church. Is that just the way it looks to an outsider, or is there a real problem of retaining artists within the institutional framework?
BC: There are many, many artists who stay in the church, but the ones who leave get more press. :) Besides, artists don’t really have any monopoly on leaving; other than in some high-profile cases, I’d say that most of those who leave the church do so for reasons unrelated to their art.
MW: I’ve noticed a very real Mormon presence on social media sites, from LinkedIn to Facebook to Twitter. What sorts of opportunities do these sites create for young Mormon artists?
BC: Mormonism is a worldwide religion that has grown from a predominantly American membership to one where there are more members outside of the United States than in it, and I think it’s safe to say that there are more people reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish than in English now. Because we’re spread out all over the globe, the Internet and the social media sites you listed are very useful in connecting Mormon artists who otherwise would feel more pocketed in their local communities. Faith is a great uniter, forging friendships that span cultures, languages, and generations; no matter where I go in the world, when I meet a Mormon I feel an instant connection. Facebook and Twitter and the rest make those meetings happen on a more frequent basis. Perhaps more importantly (and this holds true for artists of any faith), the real obstacle at hand is obscurity, and the Internet is great at getting one’s art out to people who otherwise would have never seen it. The Internet brings success much, much closer. (But of course you still have to work hard to get there. :))
MW: Do you see Mormon art as a potential tool for proselytizing–whether bringing people to Mormonism or dispelling stereotypes of Mormons? Or is that an unfair burden to put on the shoulders of Mormon artists?
BC: Art always carries something of the artist’s worldview with it. We believe that we have a perspective on life that makes people happier and helps them lead better lives, and that perspective is going to come through in our art to one level or another. Mormon art that tells the truth — art that isn’t burdened by affectation or insincerity, that is — will shine light on that perspective, and that’s what will shatter false stereotypes and bring the people to Mormonism who are looking for what we have to offer. So, yes, Mormon art can certainly be a tool for proselytizing, but I don’t think that’s its primary objective. The main goal is to tell the truth about our faith and our people — the good, the bad, and everything in between. Hopefully that helps people understand us better.
MW: Do you think having faith is an advantage for an artist and helps her or him find inspiration?
BC: Oh, certainly. After all, art is itself an act of faith, believing that out of raw materials we artists can make something that means something. And like I said earlier, art and faith are both about seeking meaning in life. While my faith doesn’t always have an immediate answer for every single question I have, it does give me a way to get by when I don’t have answers, and that’s worth a lot to me. I don’t know why God does everything He does, but I do know that there’s a God and that He’s good and that I can trust Him. And I know that God wants me to make art. I don’t know why, but just knowing that the creative act is itself a form of worship often gives me inspiration, or at least gives me enough momentum to keep pushing on until I find that inspiration. (For me, inspiration occasionally comes in a brilliant flash, but more often than not it comes out of the sweat of hard work. Faith helps me have the stamina to keep working till it comes.)
MW: Is there a concept of idolatry in Mormon art? Is there anything off limits to a Mormon artist (whether nudity, heresy, etc.)?
BC: If you mean creating an image of God, no, we don’t consider that to be idolatry. But we do believe that anything that takes priority above God in our lives is a kind of idol, whether it be our art, our car, our job, or anything else.
Nudity is mostly off-limits. We believe very strongly in modesty, and while nudity doesn’t necessarily equate with immodesty, the preponderance of nudity of the lascivious sort in today’s world makes many Mormons shy away from it altogether. Nudity is essentially nonexistent in mainstream Mormon art, and my guess is that it will stay that way. Heresy isn’t really off-limits, though of course the more it seems to be condoned in a piece of art, the more uncomfortable people will be with it.