‘It can help you feel less alone in a world that’s very lonely’ — Utah art museum celebrates spirituality

Springville • While there is no shortage of religious art in Utah, that’s certainly the case right now in Springville.

The Utah County city’s celebrated Museum of Art is showcasing more than 200 pieces from across the Beehive State in its 39th Annual Spiritual and Religious Art of Utah exhibit.

Allison Pinegar, the museum’s head of exhibitions and programs, said this show highlights diverse spiritual experiences, while embracing various faiths, identities and types of worship.

After combing through more than 900 submissions, Pinegar said, she noticed a trend emerge from the selected pieces: individual displays of personal devotion.

Interactive piece

One such work that expressed this idea is “A Thousand Knots” by Pamela Beverly Quigley. The sculpture employs wool and textile to create a ringlike structure with hundreds of loops, encapsulating the idea of Quigley’s own devotion.

Pinegar said the piece stands out because it is interactive. Museumgoers can reach out to the sculpture to tie or untie any knot, adding to the growing structure.

“It’s this idea of sharing a burden,” Pinegar said. “You are untying a knot, and then getting a string and tying a new one on as like, ‘I’m going to release a burden.’”

Sculpture is hardly the only medium featured in the exhibit. Whether hanging on walls or draped from the ceiling, the art ranges from paints and mosaics to sea shells and braille signage.

“The museum,” Pinegar said, “has something for everyone.”

Religious realist

Not all art strives to convey a hidden message.

One of the first pieces attendees come across in the exhibit is “Entrance” by Madeline Rupard. The oil painting depicts the foyer inside a typical Latter-day Saint chapel complete with nostalgic furnishings and colors.

Pinegar said she intentionally placed this painting near the entrance to invoke playful nostalgia in the minds of guests.

“That kind of immediate nostalgia that comes with it,” Pinegar said, “is really fun … but also it might take you to a place that also feels spiritual.”

The Provo-born Rupard describes in her artist’s statement her intent to show a sense of wonder and nostalgia in the ordinary. To her, art is a reconciliation between the romantic and the realist.

Dueling identities

A piece that embodies sought-after connection and community is Julian Acosta’s “RULDS2,” which won the gallery’s award of excellence and was purchased by the museum.

The photograph shows three vintage vehicles parked outside a chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints overshadowing distant mountains.

In his artist’s statement, Acosta describes feeling caught between two worlds. Growing up in a Mexican family and not speaking Spanish, Acosta secretly yearned to be a cholo — a street-savvy Mexican American youth — as he was “drawn to their tough brotherhood and style.”

Yet, all the while, he was attending a Latter-day Saint church.

This photo captures Acosta’s struggle and him allowing his identity to not be formed from only a single tie to any community. Thus, the composition allowed Acosta to express his personal devotion.

Like many pieces from the show, said museum Director Emily Larsen, “RULDS2”’ also helps the audience connect to Acosta’s story.

“It’s such a brilliant photograph compositionally,” Larsen said. “The way that the shape of the church contrasts with the shape of the car. It has such a visual impact.”

Such enthralling art, Larsen said, is the whole point of the gallery.

“We’re really working to foster more connection in our community and the communities we work with,” Larsen said. “I think that’s one of the great things that art can do. It can help you feel less alone in a world that’s very lonely.”

The new exhibit runs through Jan. 7, 2026. Admission is free.