Mormon
Arts,
Volume
I.
Edited by LORIN F. W H E E L W R I G H T a n d L A E L J. W O O D -
BURY. (Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1972. vii + 88 p p . $13.95.) Mormon Arts: Volume I deals with the important matter of the cultural impact of Mormonism. T h e book combines an introduction a n d six essays on the aesthetics of M o r m o n art by Lorin F. Wheelwright, general editor, together with samplings of painting, sculpture, music, poetry, prose, drama, a n d photography selected from the past five M o r m o n Festivals of Art held at Brigham Young University. Included are forty-five full color plates, eighty-two black and white illustrations, and a stereo recording of musical and dramatic selections. Interspersed throughout the book are statements by the artists whose work is represented. By way of introduction, M r . Wheelwright raises the question "Is there a Mormon a r t ? " T h e answer, he feels, is that at present there is no unique or focused style expressive of M o r m o n ism because, the elements that could compose such a style are now diffused. In keeping with the sanguine tone that permeates much of the book, M r . Wheelwright feels optimistically that Mormon artists are about to bring the disparate elements together. M o r m o n culture, he feels, is on the "threshold of development" as a result of the growing awareness of the "spiritual power" of the M o r m o n religion to "inspire artistic endeavor." T h e six essays that follow the introduction attempt to deal in a detailed and technical m a n n e r with the aesthetics of M o r m o n art. T h e quality of the essays, while coming from the
same writer, varies widely as does the subject matter touched upon. T h e essays range from an outline of the steps to be followed in seeking the aesthetic experience to appreciating the earth as natural art. Mormon Arts: Volume I is essentially a call to action—an appeal to M o r m o n artists to use the M o r m o n view of life as a base for serious artistic creation. While using M o r m o n artists as a focal point, the book also issues a clear challenge to all Mormons to give artistic expression to their beliefs. Such a cultural call to arms bears a clear resemblance in tone to a similar effort made in 1837 by R a l p h Waldo Emerson who called for Americans to express America in art a n d to stop provincial copying of European taste. It is ironic that in the years immediately after Emerson made his appeal in a speech at H a r v a r d University, Mormons on the frontier became a major force in native American cultural innovation. T a k e n together, pioneer artists like C. C. A. Christensen (whose work is represented in Mormon Arts), early M o r m o n achievements in domestic, public, a n d religious vernacular architecture, a n d perhaps most importantly the great social experiments practiced by Mormons in the West m a d e Mormonism, however unconsciously, a strong force in nineteenth century American cultural innovation. This mid-nineteenth century cultural vitality was severely dampened late in the nineteenth century by the attempt
