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Urban
Artists Respond to an Absolutely Urban Sacred Space
By
Rose Datoc Dall
Six
Manhattan LDS photographers commemorate Manhattan Temple
with the Manhattan Temple Portfolio ― images of “the
most sacred building in the most defiantly urban of world
capitals.”
click to
enlarge
The Manhattan
New York
Temple portfolio
The
portfolio is the latest publication in a progressively steady
stream of collaborative works done by The Mormon Artists Group
(MAG). Entitled The Manhattan New York Temple Portfolio,
it was published on the one-year anniversary of the Manhattan
Temple dedication.
The
work is a collection of hand-printed photographs (no mass-produced
lithographs here) of the Manhattan Temple from the perspective of six LDS
professional photographers who live in the Manhattan area.
They include Natasha Layne Brien, Matthew Day, Jon Moe, Kah
Leong Poon, James Ransom, and Seth
Smoot. Their works were produced under the direction of
MAG Director Glen Nelson.
All
the photographers were “heavily involved with the temple
dedication. And so it seemed like a good idea to have some
kind of project to commemorate it,” said Nelson.
click
to enlarge
The whimsical photograph by Matthew Day shows Moroni framed in a most unusual way.
The Manhattan New York Temple Portfolio project presents somewhat a statement of visual irony: the Manhattan, New York Temple is a refurbished
building, which was formerly part multi-level LDS chapel
and part store-front, in the heart of the tourist district
adjacent to Lincoln Square. Today, this holy edifice stands
as a “the most sacred building in the most defiantly urban
of world capitals,” Nelson said.
Because
the temple does not visually sit in a pristine isolated
location, but in the heart of frenetic activity ―
a busy neighborhood of offices, shops, restaurants, street
signs, heavy with pedestrian traffic and the constant urban
din of vehicular noise ― the photographers were presented
with a very interesting visual juxtaposition, one to be
seen as both a challenge and a useful vehicle.
The
“Temple I did not simplify, but attempted to capture the
opposite extremes,” said one of the photographers, Kah
Leong Poon,
whose images tend to the “pure and simple,” the “bold and basic” yet
“layered and complex” and “full of contradictions.” He added
that his “patriarchal blessing tells me that I will find peace
amidst chaos. The temple, a symbol of peace hope and refuge, coexists
with the noisy bustle of New York City.”
click
to enlarge
Manhattan Temple, by Kah Leong
Poon is "bold and basic."
According
to photographer James Ransom, “I wanted to portray the temple
as a safe haven from the storm, a place of calm in the midst
of chaos. For me, it's a place to go to meditate and
escape the cares of the world. I tried to emphasize
the contrast between the cold darkness of the city and the
light and warmth of the temple.”
Nelson
concurred. “It surprised me the degree to which these photographs
have altered my perception of the building itself,"
he said. "When I walk by the temple now, I immediately
feel the symbol of it as a haven amid a swirling world.
That’s a gift the photographers gave me. I can’t think of
any other temple pictures that accomplish that so impressively.”
click
to enlarge
Seth Smoot's upward study shoes Moroni thrusting his trumpet high.
A 21st Century Picture
One
could surmise that these images are the fitting picture
of the LDS Church in the 21st Century. Long past
the days of isolation and obscurity, the Church is moving
forward globally, with its presence even to be felt and
seen in the most progressive urban capitals of the world.
“I
love the fact that our temple resides in the heart of it
all," said photographer Natasha Layne Brien.
"Although it was not the original design of New
York City’s planning to have a temple at the center as in
Salt
Lake City, it all starts here.”
click
to enlarge
Natasha Layne Brian's study is a nighttime view of the temple
as the heart of Manhattan.
Could
not these images also have significance for the individual
Latter-day Saint? A very relevant 21st century
picture is painted, of the increasing challenge for the
individual Latter-day Saint to stand firm and tall in the
midst of a “swirling world” ― a stimulating, media-driven
world teeming with the hustle and bustle of business, noise
and every kind of distraction.
The
idea hits very poignantly when one considers the professional
world of these LDS photographers who have come together
on this Manhattan New York Temple Portfolio project.
The world of commercial and fashion photography is often
driven by image and prestige, characterized by glitz and
glam, edginess, with its high-powered corporate, fashion,
and recording clientele.
To
the credit of these photographers, each has enjoyed a measure
of success in their profession, some most prestigiously,
and each has a substantial portfolio and résumé. Some have
earned awards for their art and all have established careers
well underway though some are fairly young.
The
photography of three artists can be found gracing the pages
of various publications ― Jon Moe in Glamour, Zink,
GQ, The Fashion Book, Fashion Today, and Fathers;
Seth Smoot in Rolling Stone and Q-Magazine;
Natasha Layne Brien in Oprah
and Homestyle; Kah Leong Poon
in The New York Times, Psychology Today, Zoom and
Zink; Matthew Day in The Chicago Tribune,
and James Ransom in NYLON Magazine.
Despite
the perception that the trials of the urban Latter-day Saint
artist must surely be more extreme, the reality is that
the trials that belong to all Latter-day Saints is
universal across the board.
“I
don't know that there are any harder trials for photographers
than for other people, but I think that maintaining your
standards while those around you live different lifestyles
is a challenge,” said Ransom.
click
to enlarge
James Ransom portrayed the temple as a "safe haven from the
storrm."
Visit
www.mormonartistsgroup.com
for more information.
Mormon Artists Group Standard
So
what sets the Manhattan, New York Temple Portfolio
project apart? What would make this project so special,
you might wonder?
One
of the factors in favor of Mormon Artists Group and the
work produced by its ranks is its very decided attitude
to set a very high standard for itself.
“I
want art from Mormons that is good. That’s job one. And
by good, I don’t mean nice-good, I mean Matisse-good, Stravinsky-good,”
Nelson said.
That
standard was followed for this portfolio. As mentioned
before, the photographs are hand printed by the artist.
High value is placed on the process by the artists’ hand.
“Part of the trick is teaching people that there is a significant
difference between an artist’s handmade work and a commercially
produced work,” Nelson explained.
click
to enlarge
Photographer Jon Moe contributed an ethereal winter scene.
MAG
is a loose collective of Manhattan visual artists, writers,
composers, playwrights, filmmakers, choreographers, publishers,
performers, historians, chefs and architects in that exciting
hubbub of Manhattan (where even the bishops and relief society
presidents are artists) and where all the elements seem
to combine to encourage the very best opportunities for
LDS talent to produce something, together and repeatedly,
which is actually the remarkable thing.
Nelson
compared it to a bunch of friends saying “let’s get together
and make art. We come up with ideas for books, original
artworks, exhibitions, readings, charity events and so forth,
and then we simply ask everybody if they have time and interest
to participate. It couldn’t work otherwise. These are very
busy people. They don’t want to have monthly meetings and
chat about ‘What is art?’ They’d rather just make some.”
The
bonus is that there seems to be a loyal group of patrons
and collectors who understand the vision of MAG. According
to Nelson they have a “number of private collectors, public
institutions and patrons who have said to us, ‘We’ll purchase
anything you make.’ Obviously, that’s quite liberating.
We don’t need a mass audience, nor would we change our point
of view if we had a large audience. We are simply looking
to find an informed, interested audience. And so far, knock
wood, we’ve succeeded.”
Since
their formation in 1999, MAG's
series of publications have become collectors' items. Some
of them have been acquired by the Corcoran Museum of Art
in Washington, D.C., The Museum of Church History and Art,
the LDS Church History Library, and library special collections
at BYU, Grinnell College, University of Utah and American
Corporate Art Collections.
Previous
publications include: Silent Notes Taken, personal
essays by LDS New Yorkers with an introductory essay by
Richard Bushman and original etchings by artist Stephen
Moore; Musical Compositions by LDS Composers in New York
City Library Collections, a catalog listing of fine
art music; Mona Lisas and Mad
Hatters, a set of three original works by Lane Twitchell
editions as laser-cut paper and iris print; and Mormoniana,
a collaboration of original piano solos by sixteen LDS composers
responding to the selected visual artworks by visual artists
who are LDS, in addition to a frontispiece by visual artist
Valerie Atkisson and a CD recording of the piano solos by pianist
Grant Johannesen.
Is Mag Making
History?
MAG
might appear to be making history, at least for a couple
of reasons. First, MAG’s unique
situation and its consummate practice to document its continual
activities by leaving behind publications and lasting tangible
works of art is one way to ensure its own potential legacy
in addition to maintaining and increasing an audience (and
more importantly, an intellectual audience and serious collectors
who think it is worth their time and notice).
Secondly,
there seems to be no end to the collaborative possibilities
with this crowd. There has been “a tentative list of projects
through 2008. They are books, multimedia works, original
artworks, and large-scale collaborative projects. Our upcoming
items will be film, music, and literature. There is no shortage
of ideas. The next project is a short animated film by Annie
Poon that is simply astounding.
It is due in November,” says Nelson.
Whether
MAG will be around in the long run to truly make history
is anyone’s conjecture, but so far, its batting average
is in its favor. There is something to be said to an organization
of artists who stay active for more than a couple of years.
Historically
speaking, the sad reality is that similar start-up non-profit
LDS arts organizations fizzle out after a couple of years.
Typically, there are so many forces at work against the
longevity of these groups. Lack of money, lack of patronage
and lack of venue are dominant factors, in addition to administrative
structure that too often burns out one individual upon whose
extreme energies the success of the organization depends.
However,
among the factors working in MAG’s
favor is its very loose structure with none of the administrative
overhead that can cause most organizations to crumble in
itself. Instead of wasting money on a professional space,
endless mailings, newsletters, and the dependence on a structure
that demands endless fundraising drives to sustain itself,
MAG artists in contrast spend their time actually making
the art and publishing or exhibiting where they can.
“I
am aware that Mormon Artists Group has had some influence
because I receive very kind and generous letters from people
who are reacting strongly to our books and artworks."
Nelson said. "But at the heart of things, we simply
want to make art that is about how we are engaged in the
world right now. Whether someone will eventually think that’s
historically significant or not, I can’t predict.
“Over
time, we are reaching a group of patrons who have been exposed
to a broad range of the world’s fine art,” he added. “They
love art; it speaks to them profoundly. They tell me that
having some serious LDS artists make work that aspires to
rest easily in that larger dialogue is exciting and maybe
a little revolutionary.”
Lessons from MAG
To
quantify how a group of artists who are LDS and to differentiate
this group from all other community art group or affiliation
is a tough task. While these artists may be as different
one from another in discipline as they are different in
approach, and where the only element that they have in common
may be religion, there is one characterization upon which
one can put one’s finger: it is the personality and attitude
of the group that tends to be one of encouragement. MAG
artists have a tendency to lift the others along with themselves,
even though they may have different artistic sensibilities.
Moreover,
the collaborative opportunities afforded to MAG seem to
have benefited all those involved as well as provided an
opportunity for the artists to glean from each other. “It
is a pleasure to have been asked to participate in the New
York Temple project. It was a thrill seeing everyone’s work.
Every piece emulated the photographer’s style and personality
to a T. I am a big fan of everyone in the group.
They all have so much to offer artistically. I learn
so much from them,” Natasha Brien
said.
Conclusion
My
only regret, which is only meant as a compliment, is that
there are not more images by each of the artists in the
Manhattan Temple Portfolio. I was so intrigued after
learning of the project that I wanted to see more of their
work after being teased with just one from each photographer,
to see that in-depth exploration in a series of images by
each that would reveal the personality of each artist.
I would be interested if this group were to ever release
a second edition along the lines of an expanded collection,
with an extensive series by each photographer.
I
am very much looking forward to what exciting new works
which are produced by MAG. There is a credible world of
art by Latter-day Saints, and it deserves its day of reckoning.
Artists and scholars alike would do well to keep their finger
on the artistic pulse of MAG.
Visit
www.mormonartistsgroup.com
for more information.
© 2005 Meridian
Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
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