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.”
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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.
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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.”
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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.”
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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.”
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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 rsum. 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.
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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.
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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.
