About Us

About The Catalog

The Book of Mormon Art Catalog is an open access digital database of visual artwork inspired by the Book of Mormon, from the earliest 19th-century images to the present. It is intended to be comprehensive, bringing together for the first time Book of Mormon art from a range of public and private collections, museums, and the collections of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including some artwork that is not posted elsewhere. The Book of Mormon Art Catalog is directed by Jennifer Champoux and made possible by generous support from the Laura F. Willes Center for Book of Mormon Studies, part of the Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University.

It is our hope that this database will allow for further scholarship on Book of Mormon art, new opportunities for artists to reach a broader audience and to engage with each other and with the art that has come before, and increased ability for members of the Church and other interested individuals to access and utilize a greater variety of visual sources for devotional purposes. We believe that an on-going gathering of Book of Mormon imagery in a central location can inspire new and varied artistic production, including scenes currently underrepresented in the art. Visual art has a powerful impact on how individuals think about scripture stories, doctrine, and history. Expanding the catalog of artistic depictions of the Book of Mormon can allow for a broader range of interpretations and can illuminate new meaning in the minds of viewers.

What’s In The Catalog

Catalog entries for each artwork are annotated with information including artist, title, date, medium, dimensions, location, copyright, topic, scripture reference, figures, symbols, artist’s information, Church media use, exhibition history, awards, and relevant literature. Sources include the Church History Museum Collection, online exhibitions by the Church (including the International Art Competitions), Church magazines and manuals, Brigham Young University Museum of Art, Springville Museum of Art, Book of Mormon Central Art Contest online exhibitions, artist studios, commercial art galleries, and private collections. 

We have attempted to include all known images of Book of Mormon content, with no judgment or exclusion based on their style, interpretive approach, or skill. Images included in this database do not necessarily represent the official views of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints or of the Book of Mormon Art Catalog.

Meet Our Team

Director

Jennifer Champoux
Director

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Student Research Assistants

Noelle Baer
Research Assistant

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Candace Brown
Research Assistant

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Elizabeth Finlayson
Research Assistant

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Emma Belnap
Research Assistant

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Aliza Keller
Research Assistant

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Lucy Lacanienta
Research Assistant

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Grace Truett
Research Assistant

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Definition Of Art Terms

Visual arts are defined here as including painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, textile, ceramic, carving, pottery, photography, computer graphics, installation, video and film, and mixed media.

For purposes of this database, an artwork’s style is categorized according to the following definitions. Quoted definitions are from Mark Getlein, Living with Art 11 ed, (New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, 2016), 549-553.

Renewed and Enriched

“Scripture is generative. It demands to be retold, explored, applied to one's life, and facilitate new encounters with God. We can usefully think of what scripture generates as a part of its life in the world. Scripture also evokes artistic responses, which have profound interpretative and aesthetic power. The Book of Mormon Art Catalog is where readers, teachers, parents and scholars go to learn more about the visual afterlives of the Book of Mormon. It is a vital resource. Not only does it grow as new art is produced, but we grow through it as our perception of the Book of Mormon is renewed and enriched.”

Kristian Heal, Research Fellow & Interim Executive Director, Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University

Blending the Scholarly and the Inspiring

“This resource is game-changing for scholars of the Book of Mormon and Latter-day Saint art. It also has the potential to stir Latter-day Saint readers of scripture, too, whose vision can expand in tandem with the artists' perspectives featured here. This remarkable monument to the expansive and creative potential of scripture to challenge us to see the world differently can lift our gaze to others, to the past, and to the divine influence and possibilities that weave through it all. This archive is a welcomed and timely blending of the scholarly and the inspiring. It's a resource I'm glad both Saints and scholars now have at their fingertips.”

J. Spencer Fluhman, Executive Director, Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University

A Tremendous Resource

“The Book of Mormon Art Catalog is a tremendous resource in its own right. But it is more than simply that. It also helps both researchers and believers shatter stale, tedious stereotypes in order to imagine the Book of Mormon in fresh and striking ways. The database, in short, reveals anew the complexity and importance of the text as a signal artifact of American religious history.”

Matthew Bowman, Associate Professor of Religion and History and Howard W. Hunter Chair of Mormon Studies at Claremont Graduate University and author of The Mormon People: The Making of an American Faith

A Landmark Achievement

“It's hard to overstate the landmark achievement of the Book of Mormon Art Catalog. I'm a firm believer that religious art stretches our spiritual imagination, helping us see more capacious possibilities for how scripture speaks to us and how God is present in our lives. I've felt my own imagination expanded by the rich resources of the catalog, and I plan to return to it over and over again in my professional and personal work on the Book of Mormon. Whether you are a professional scholar, a CES or Sunday School teacher, a parent, or simply a reader of the Book of Mormon--you need this catalog.”

Kimberly Matheson, Research Fellow at the Neal A. Maxwell Institute and author of Helaman: A Brief Theological Introduction

A Revolutionary Project

“Thanks to libraries and booksellers, it's been relatively easy to learn what scholars have written about the Book of Mormon. Dramatically more difficult has been knowing how to learn how visual artists have imagined stories, scenes, and passages from the Book of Mormon. Book of Mormon art has grown exponentially recently, just as Book of Mormon scholarship has, and the need for something like the Book of Mormon Art Catalog has grown with every passing year. Thanks to the indefatigable efforts of Jenny Champoux and her assistants, artists, scholars, and other interested folks can now begin to study the ways that Book of Mormon lovers have brought this scripture into the visual media. I fully expect this project to revolutionize our understanding of how the Saints have been sitting with the keystone of their religion.”

– Joseph M. Spencer, Assistant Professor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University, editor of the Journal of Book of Mormon Studies, and author of The Anatomy of Book of Mormon Theology

An Enriching and Diverse Trove of Images

“The Book of Mormon Art Catalog will be a tremendous boon to all those who study the Book of Mormon for any reason. Personal readers will find their meditation enriched by the imaginative worlds opened in each image. Teachers of the Book of Mormon will find images appealing to any age group to supplement their lessons. Scholars will find fruitful fodder not only to trace the Book of Mormon's popular reception, but also to stimulate their own exegetical and interpretive processes. The diversity of artistic perspectives represented in the catalog does justice to the breadth of the book's readership. Like the beautiful stained glass panels from which believers once learned the stories of the Bible and mediated on their meaning, this trove of images will both aid personal learning and contribute to the development of the Book of Mormon as a cultural touchstone for global Latter-day Saints and readers of world scripture generally.”

Rosalynde Welch, Associate Director, Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University and author of Ether: A Brief Theological Introduction

See the Book of Mormon

“Don't just read the Book of Mormon, learn to see it through the borrowed eyes of artists who love these same texts. Visit, explore, and share the Book of Mormon Art Catalog.”

Adam S. Miller, author of Original Grace and Letters to a Young Mormon

Momentous and Exhaustive

“Mesmerizing, momentous, exhaustive, and long overdue! The Book of Mormon Art Catalog is packed with inspiring artists, and the range of mediums and styles is stunning. It would take a lifetime to properly study them all. I am so excited to incorporate this site into my Sabbath Day traditions.”

Annie Poon, artist and animator

A Benefit to Scholars, Teachers, and Enthusiasts

“The Book of Mormon Art Catalog is an incredible resource for those interested in the visual culture of latter-day scripture. It brings together Book of Mormon imagery from the earliest decades to the present day with such a variety of media and approaches, to benefit scholars, teachers, enthusiasts…everyone! This database is a gem.”

Ashlee Whitaker, Head Curator and the Roy & Carol Christensen Curator of Religious Art at the Brigham Young University Museum of Art

Bringing Diversity to Latter-day Saint Art

“The Book of Mormon Art Catalog is an incredible resource for anyone seeking to be inspired. One of its greatest strengths is the awareness it brings to the diversity of Latter-day Saint art. By honoring the religious imagination of artists from a variety of cultures and backgrounds, it amplifies and makes more accessible a wider range of voices testifying of God and scripture through art.”

Daniel Becerra, Assistant Professor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University and author of 3rd, 4th Nephi: A Brief Theological Introduction

Integrating Scholarship and Art

“This is a fabulous resource that will bring scores of deserving artists to the attention of the broader LDS audience and allow for a greater future integration of Book of Mormon scholarship and art.”

Terryl Givens, Senior Research Fellow, Neal A. Maxwell Institute for Religious Scholarship at Brigham Young University and author of People of Paradox: A History of Mormon Culture

Portending a New Era of Artistic Inspiration

“What does a visual art image or object inspired by the Book of Mormon look like? For many, the default is to Church-commissioned illustrations, but there is much, much more. The Book of Mormon Art Catalog seeks to be a grand aggregation of global responses to a sacred book through art. Illustration is only a starting point; there are many ways to draw art from the scriptures. This searchable, useful, aspirational catalog portends a new era of viewer enjoyment, devotional exploration, academic scholarship, and artistic inspiration.”

Glen Nelson, co-founder, Center for Latter-day Saint Arts

Preserving Our Artistic Traditions

“This database constitutes a major contribution to the field of LDS art and art history. The Book of Mormon Art Catalog not only serves as a critical repository for Book of Mormon art, but also facilitates further exploration of the richness and diversity of Latter-day Saint visual art. I cannot commend Champoux and her assistants enough for undertaking the important work of preserving our artistic traditions and promoting its place in our history, our culture, our study, and our worship.”

Heather Belnap, Associate Professor of Art History & Curatorial Studies, Brigham Young University

A Renaissance of Latter-day Saint Art

“I applaud the creators of the Book of Mormon Art Catalog for initiating a veritable renaissance or rebirth of Latter-day Saint art. This visual resource is a tremendous boon for faithful Latter-day Saint artists. The catalog is a highly visible platform for showcasing the work of both the educated and uneducated, the professional and the amateur. Thanks to Jenny Champoux and her research staff, LDS publishers, writers, designers, and devoted church members can look to the catalog for inspired art of Latter-day Saint scripture. The Book of Mormon Catalog is thus a formative milestone for advancing Book of Mormon-themed art.”

Noel A. Carmack, associate professor of art, Utah State University Eastern and author of "‘A Picturesque and Dramatic History’: George Reynolds' Story of the Book of Mormon,” BYU Studies Quarterly (2008).

Citing This Website

Citation for Bibliographies

The Book of Mormon Art Catalog http://bookofmormonartcatalog.org/.

Citing Individual Artworks

[Caption of Artwork], The Book of Mormon Art Catalog, accessed [date], [URL].