BYU Student showcases Book of Mormon art from an unlikely source.
When recent graduate Candace Brown (Art History ’23) visited art collector and former BYU professor Walter Whipple's home for a work assignment, she saw “not one, not two, but six Polish carvings” on every surface. Fascinated, she looked closely at each carving and found that many of them depicted Book of Mormon scenes, including the Brother of Jared seeing the hand of the Lord and the conversion of King Lamoni. Brown’s interest only grew when Whipple informed her that the artist, Roman Śledź, was not a member of the Church, but a devout Catholic. This serendipitous encounter inspired Brown to curate an art exhibit in the BYU Library showcasing the carvings. The exhibit, which remained on display for the winter 2023 semester, invited viewers to ponder the power of Book of Mormon stories to inspire and uplift people of all faiths.
To prepare for her project, Brown began researching Polish folk-art traditions and Śledź’s story in particular. Whipple told her that Śledź created these works of art after reading a copy of the Book of Mormon that Whipple gifted to him. Śledź started his series in 2006 and spent seven years carving the pieces. His works are some of the few depictions of Book of Mormon scenes created by a member of a different faith and are unique in the Polish folk-art tradition, which focuses primarily on biblical scenes.
In preparation for the first-ever exhibit of these sculptures, Brown hired a photographer to carefully document each sculpture. She and the photographer staged and photographed the delicate carvings at Whipple’s house to minimize the number of times the art would need to be moved. Brown then incorporated the photos into the exhibition guide and the exhibit itself because there wasn’t room for all the sculptures she wanted to include. Additionally, Brown featured photographs of several double-sided sculptures that would have only one side displayed due to the constraints of the space. In collaboration with Whipple and a designer, Brown decorated the exhibition guide and each of the pedestals and labels with red and green Polish designs.
On February 16, 2023, after a long process of coordinating, writing, photographing, and organizing, the exhibit finally went up. Brown says that she loved to sit near the exhibition and watch as people stopped to look. She says, “It was amazing knowing that people were noticing them, and they were being inspired or affected in some way by these beautiful, beautiful carvings that they wouldn’t have known existed otherwise.” Brown’s dedication paid off; even Whipple said upon seeing it, “I had no idea how stunningly beautiful these pieces are.”
Brown plans to continue collaborating with Whipple to bring awareness to these carvings, whether through another exhibition or a book. Listen to the podcast episode “The Art of Interfaith Work and the Work of Interfaith Art” from In Good Faith on the exhibit or read Brown’s thesis to learn more about her curatorial approach and the carvings themselves.