At the Church History Museum, 150 stunning works of art from the 13th International Art Competition bring to life Doctrine and Covenants 81:5, “wherefore, be faithful; succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”
This divine direction originally called Frederick G. Williams, a new convert, to serve as a faithful counselor to Joseph Smith, the Prophet, in Kirtland, Ohio, less than two years after he had been baptized.
Although given in 1832, this message to lift others remains relevant and continues to extend to all Latter-day Saints today. It is brought to life through this exhibit, which features pieces from artists of all skill levels and backgrounds. Held every three to four years, 2025 marked the 13th year of the art competition.
Defining Fine Arts Across the Globe
Laura Paulsen Howe, curator of the Church History Museum, shared the origins of the competition, which began in 1987 as a way to preserve history through art.
Initially branded as an international “fine arts” competition to reflect the Church’s growing global identity, the Church started translating the call for artwork into other languages to include in the Church magazines.
During the Tongan translation, one translator reached out for clarification, asking what “fine art” meant, because this term does not have a direct translation into the Tongan language.
While folk art and nontraditional techniques like embroidery, textiles, and weaving were common in Tonga, few artists practiced “traditional Western fine art”, such as oil painting.
The competition organizers soon recognized that international art was broader than they had initially imagined. To reflect the global faith, the competition needed to encourage and accept a variety of artwork.
This realization laid the foundation for the contemporary International Art Competition, which has continued to evolve over the years, shaped by different curators throughout the years.
Accepting all forms of art, the main goal remained the same: to help people bear their testimony of the Savior through visual means.
A Global Church
According to the Church Newsroom, 584 artists from 26 countries and territories submitted artwork this year, which was judged by an independent jury of five artists, Christian Bolt, Kazuko Covington, and Ima Naranjo Hale; and scholars Amy Maxwell Howard and James Swensen.
This included artists from Angola, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Bolivia, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Germany, Ghana, Guatemala, Hong Kong, Republic of Korea, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tonga, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Vietnam.
This global participation in the art submission reflects the Church’s increasingly international membership. Currently, Deseret News reports that the Church has more than 17.5 million members worldwide, with 31,676 congregations gathering each week. Since 1998, the majority of Latter-day Saints have lived outside of North America.
“The exhibit is like a global sacrament meeting that enlarges our understanding. We hope that through this gallery, Latter-day Saints can see themselves as part of the Church’s stories,” said Paulsen Howe.
Although viewers may come to the exhibit with expectations, or they may not resonate with all of the work, Paulsen Howe encourages them to spend time sitting with these pieces and learning from them. “We are a Zion community, and the beautiful experience of discipleship is being blessed by the perspective of others. We are all here to lift and support one another.”
The exhibit offers a unique opportunity to explore the diverse stories, backgrounds, and cultures of the artists, while creating connections among Church members worldwide through service.
Maxine Tseng Wetzel
A group of eight ceramic sculptures sits in a glass case at the heart of the exhibit, their different colors and textures guiding each other along a pebbly path. Titled “You Are His Hands,” this piece was carefully crafted from clay. It is a work that reflects the artist’s belief in the power of love and service.
Taiwanese artist Maxine Tseng Wetzel would have never imagined herself in an exhibition like this. “I’m just a normal person,” Wetzel said. “But if you want to do something, you can do it. We are powerful children of God. We all can lift the hands that hang down with our unique talents.”
As a young girl, Wetzel grew up in Taipei, Taiwan, and later served in the Utah Salt Lake City Temple Square Mission and the Texas Houston Mission.
When she returned from her mission, Wetzel studied fine arts and art teaching at a university in Taiwan, with a focus on ink and brush painting, watercolor, and ceramics. She enjoyed telling stories and expressing herself through different media.
In 2021, while working on a final project for school, Wetzel reflected on a hard time during her missionary service.
While she was away, her parents were divorced, and Wetzel shared that she was unsure of what her life would look like after the mission. She was worried and scared, but she found hope and peace through others, who helped her feel the Savior’s love. This inspired her ceramic piece, “You Are His Hands”.
The caption reads, “Along a pebbled path, figures move in pairs. Two sit huddled, arms around each other. Two others hold hands while another figure carries his or her partner on shoulders. Wetzel comments, ‘I’ve often felt Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s love through the people around me.” She is “grateful for those who hugged me when I felt discouraged, who listened and stayed with me when I felt lonely, who picked me up when I was down, and who carried me when I couldn’t walk.’”
The leftmost pair of ceramic figures is dark and rough, embracing each other, representing when Wetzel felt at her lowest. The other pairs become lighter and smoother as they progress on the path forward, supported by one another.
One figure sits on the shoulders of another. Another pair of figures holds hands as they continue walking. Each pair helps the other in different ways.
The ceramic piece took Wetzel 8 to 12 months to complete, all while teaching her about love and service. “I am grateful for those who served me by giving me space, and who helped me see the bigger picture,” she said.
Through her experience in the competition, Wetzel said that she feels encouraged to be more creative in serving others. “People are lifted in different ways,” she explained. “This makes me want to pay attention to others and help them know that they aren’t alone. He [Heavenly Father] is there for them through His children.”
Sandi Roberts
At the very top of the museum staircase is an oil painting of stepwells, with two figures passing along a jar of water. Created by Sandi Roberts, a Guatemalan American artist, this piece symbolizes the journey of coming to know Christ, the Living Water.
Roberts recalls her own journey, being born in Guatemala as the youngest of four, and raised around the United States as a member of the Church. She remembers nearly failing an art class during her time in Utah, and recalls that she did not enjoy creating art until a few years ago.
As her children grew older, Roberts decided to pursue new opportunities and explore a new career path. She began by taking a music composition class, followed by several courses in computer science and software development.
In her search for more software classes, she stumbled upon a graphic arts course. She learned valuable graphic design and art skills, and even though she initially thought it was not the right fit, she began to fall in love with art, design, and painting.
Roberts came across the Church’s call for artwork in 2024 and knew she wanted to participate by creating her own work for submission. She kept the scripture from Doctrine and Covenants 81:5 in her mind for a few weeks, pondering how she could visualize Christ’s call to service.
While sketching some preliminary ideas of arrows and hands, Roberts saw a picture of an Indian stepwell. This architectural wonder features intricate, multi-level wells and walls of steps designed to access water, often with carvings, arches, and stunning geometric patterns.
The image left a lasting impression on her mind, reminding her of Christ, the Living Water we all seek, and the journey it takes to find Him. She knew that she wanted to paint a stepwell for the competition to reflect her appreciation for the architecture, and the spiritual lessons it teaches.
Finding all the images she could and working tirelessly, Roberts painted “Step”, her first large oil painting project, which took 8 months to complete. The shadows and geometry were challenging to paint, but Roberts continued to work on it until it was done.
The caption reads: “Stepwells are an Indian architectural feature where long stairways give access to deep wells of water. In the stepwell depicted, the up-and-down stairway mimics life’s journey to access the Living Water, or Christ. Roberts has painted two figures on the steps, passing a jar. It is clear one is assisting the other. It is unclear which is assisting and which is receiving help. ‘As we deal with our own unique burdens, remembering that we only need to take one step at a time, we are asked to help those in need no matter where we or they are on this journey.’”
As the painting suggests, the journey to find the Living Water can be complex and challenging, like piecing together an intricate puzzle, said Roberts. The mazes of stairs toward the water illustrate this.
The figures helping each other represent Heavenly Father calling on His children to support one another as they draw closer to the Savior. When viewed in its entirety, the entire stepwell is exquisitely beautiful.
“Sometimes we don’t know where we’re going, and we have to have faith and plow forward,” Roberts explained. “If you feel inspired to do something, do it! Just try it!”
Roberts’s journey to becoming an artist was not straightforward, but the Lord guided her as she sought out new opportunities to develop her skills. She felt the loving, supporting hands of many people in her community.
“I’m honored to be a part of this community of goodwill and excitement,” said Roberts, after attending the opening reception for the exhibit. “The world is full of different colors and experiences, and I loved seeing them in the gallery.”
Curtis Bay
Oregon artist Curtis Bay had his third work accepted into the Church’s competition this year, titled “They Shall Bear Thee up in Their Hands”. This oil painting depicts Bay’s younger sister, Elizabeth, in her wheelchair, as her family attends to her.
Bay said he was drawn to participate as a way to challenge himself and to bring together artwork and faith. “It’s not my full-time job, but it’s something that I love to do,” he shared. He found more time to focus on drawing and painting as his children grew older, and after completing his service as his ward’s bishop.
When he heard the theme of the Church’s competition, he immediately thought of his sisters and their service. This was his fourth time submitting to the competition, but this submission was especially close to Bay’s heart because he wanted his sisters to be seen for the incredible things that they do.
The caption reads “Bay has painted his younger sister Elizabeth, who sits nobly and knowingly in her wheelchair. She looks at the viewer as she is attended to by loving hands, identified by Bay as two other sisters and his father. When he reads the biblical psalm “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands” (Psalm 91:11–12), he thinks of his family members and those who lovingly devote their time and energy to caring for others. ‘I am overwhelmed with gratitude for the ongoing love of my sisters and elderly parents.’”
Elizabeth has lived with a chronic disease since she was young, leaving her limited mobility to care for herself. Her mother, father, and siblings care for her daily needs, demonstrating their strong Christlike love for her.
“My dad is turning 90, and the amount of work those hands have done is astonishing,” Bay reflected. “Our hands are capable of so much.” As their parents have aged, Bay’s sisters have taken on a significant role in caring for Elizabeth, who, despite her challenges, remains a shining example of optimism and “prays so beautifully for others.”
Painting this scene was a form of meditation, helping Bay consider the service we all, as children of God, can give to one another. Over the two-month process of painting, Bay reflected on service and Christlike love.
His piece’s unique perspective does not show the faces of his family members, but rather, focuses on their hands. One pair gently brushes Elizabeth’s hair, another offers a cup of water, while a third rests tenderly on her leg.
While Elizabeth is lovingly cared for by those around her, she, in turn, offers her positivity and love as a profound service to them.
Bay said, “It has been a lifelong commitment for them, and they have done so much lifting. I just hope there are people that feel seen because of this piece.”
Lifting Hands
As visitors move through the exhibit, in person or online, they are invited to enjoy the different pieces, their mediums, and visual appeal. The artwork features a wide variety of media, ranging from intricate paper cuts and textiles to sculptures, paintings, and collages.
But visitors are invited to also feel something deeper: the lived testimonies of disciples around the world.
The 13th International Art Competition is a sacred gathering of voices, testimonies, and a beautiful celebration of unity in Christ. “It is a truly global experience,” said Paulsen Howe.
A global gathering of testimonies in paint, clay, and light—each piece echoes the Savior’s call to “lift up the hands which hang down.”
Each piece is a personal testimony of how that person has given or received service, and their faith in Jesus Christ. Most of all, it echoes the Savior’s invitation from Doctrine and Covenants for disciples to lift, succor, and strengthen each other.
Discipleship itself is a creative work that calls all to consecrate their talents and efforts in the service of others. As followers of Christ serve others, their own burdens are lifted.
In a world that faces loneliness and uncertainty, this exhibition gently reminds all of the gospel truth that they are not alone. The same hands that paint, sculpt, and draw are also hands that lift, serve, and embrace. And always, the Savior extends His hand to lift and guide individuals forward, one faithful step at a time.
Exhibition
All 150 pieces of art are on display at the Church History Museum from April 24, 2025, through January 3, 2026.
Admission is free. The museum is open Monday, Friday, and Saturday, 10 AM to 6 PM; and Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10 AM to 8 PM.
The artwork is also available in an online gallery here, where viewers can vote on their favorite artwork until November 30, 2025.
