Is religion a narcotic or a medicine? Joey Franklin’s answer inspired an art piece that explores faith, art, and religion’s role in our lives.
When Professor Joey Franklin (Creative Writing) decided to write about Karl Marx’s metaphor of religion as a drug, he didn’t expect his essay to take on a life of its own—especially not in the form of a conceptual art piece. What started as a personal essay eventually turned into a thought-provoking piece of art that was accepted by the Springville Art Museum’s Spiritual and Religious Art Competition.
A Dose of Faith
Having long been intrigued by Marx’s ideas about religion, Franklin decided to explore Marx’s claim that “religion is the opium of the people.” As Franklin explains it, Marx thought of religion as something that “holds people back from seeing the truth, that keeps them numb and keeps them drugged, not capable of paying attention to the real problems that are going on in the world.” Franklin proposed a new metaphor instead, imagining religion as a kind of medicine—one that, when used correctly, can “provide great benefit to the saving of many lives, to the health and happiness of lots of people,” but, like any drug, can also be abused.
Eventually, Franklin’s new metaphor inspired him to experiment with an unconventional essay form—one made to look like a drug facts label. “I wanted to get the specifics,” Franklin says. “I googled what font you’re supposed to use, drew up a template, then started filling in the different [drug fact] categories.” The resulting essay, which Franklin shared at the 2023 Latter-day Arts Foundation retreat, caught the attention of a representative from the church history library, who suggested turning it into a conceptual art piece.
This idea intrigued Franklin, and he began envisioning an artistic manifestation of his essay: “I thought, ‘Well, what if I actually [made] a giant bottle [of medicine]?’” Franklin began the process of making the art piece, which involved tinting a large glass storage jar brown so it appeared aged. In addition to including his drug facts essay on the jar, Franklin decided to create a front-facing label featuring an image of Marx, along with the title “Dr. Karl Marx’s Opium of the People.” He modeled the entire label on the packaging for a 19th-century folk remedy called “Dr. Smedley’s Chili Paste.”
As a final touch, Franklin carefully hand-crafted hundreds of wooden tablets to fill the glass jar, each inscribed with religious virtues from various faiths. “I came up with the obvious ones: faith, love, hope, charity, but then expanded the list to include unity, fealty, respect for life, alms, action, temperance, brotherly love, right thinking, right action, prayer, and dozens of others.” The result is a striking visual of Franklin’s exploration of religion as medicine. “When you look at the jar, you can see the label, you can read the back, but then the jar is full of. . . the things that make our lives better,” he says.
Inspiring Creativity
The project has been well-received, with Franklin’s work earning an honorable mention at the Springville Art Museum’s competition. Franklin says, “I was shocked. I didn’t expect to get accepted; they got 1,000 submissions or something like that. It was very cool.” And while Franklin doesn’t necessarily consider himself a visual artist, the experience has expanded his understanding of what he can do creatively. “It’s so easy to create now, with everything from the Makerspace in the library to how easy it is to manipulate things online. Anybody can make a video or a podcast now. There are so many interesting ways to be creative, and I think for me, it’s been valuable to try on different things and to expand my notion of what’s possible as a creator.”
As Franklin’s conceptual art piece continues to be displayed, he hopes it will inspire others to explore the intersection of faith, art, and unconventional forms of expression. He says, “I think, for me, it’s been a lesson in expanding the way I think about my own creativity.” By pushing the boundaries of both writing and art, Franklin embraces the idea that creative expression can be a meaningful avenue for faith—offering each person a path to connect with something greater than themselves.
Read Franklin’s original essay “Drug Facts: Opium of the People” here.
Visit the Springville Art Museum before January 8th to see Franklin’s art piece in person!
