Brigham Young University Museum of Art

09/06/2026

- Let Every Thing that Hath Breath Praise the Lord

“How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a strange land?” asks the captive Psalmist. His persecutors led him to “the rivers of Babylon” where he “sat down” and “wept” when he “remembered Zion.” His people “hanged [their] harps upon the willows” as their enemies demanded a happy song.

Minerva Teichert painted this depiction of Psalm 137 in 1939 after hearing from her son, a missionary sent to N**i Germany, about the violence and hatred he witnessed against the Jewish community there. In her painting, she captures not only the river, the crying faces, and the harps in the trees, but the dignity of the quiet resistance of the captives against their oppressors.

The Lord does not ask us to pretend we do not suffer, nor does he expect that our hope and faith in Him erases our struggles. Sometimes, it’s okay to hang our harps upon the willows and mourn, commiserate, or ask for help. And while we are hurting, we can remember that God’s “love never changes... It is simply there. It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful... It is simply always there” (Thomas S. Monson).

Minerva Teichert (1888-1976), 'They Who Had Taken Us Captive Required of Us A Song, Psa. 137', 1939, oil on canvas, 83 1/4 x 60 5/8 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, 1946.

08/30/2026

- I Will Declare What He Hath Done for My Soul

'If I Forget Thee, O Jerusalem,' a gouache and watercolor painting by American muralist, Thomas Hart Benton was created as a reminder of the brutal reality of concentration camps during World War II. The elderly man he depicts, dressed in a suit and backed against a wall of barbed wire, hangs his frail head low, with knobby hands wrung together in a gesture of prayer. Though his situation is dire, the man’s face is illuminated in warm light, perhaps suggesting God’s awareness of the cold circumstances he finds himself in.

It is difficult to imagine the presence of Divinity in such dark moments in human history. Though the Lord promises not to forget, we may still experience feelings of being forgotten. Yet, in retrospect, those moments can lead to profound testimony, and we too can declare, like the psalmist, all that “he hath done for [our souls]” (Psalm 66:16).

Similarly, the title, “If I forget thee, O Jerusalem” (Psalm 137:5), is a declaration of devotion and love to a home that once was, and a God they know. Solemnly promising a remembrance of what has been lost, and where to find light in times of despair.

How can you have hope in God during time of trial?

Thomas Hart Benton (1889-1975), 'If I Forget Thee, O Jerusalem', gouache and watercolor, 10 1/4 x 6 9/16 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by The Child Family Foundation, 2018.

08/26/2026

Congratulations to John Adams, MOA Fabrication Manager, for being recognized by for his decade-long work restoring the Gates of Paradise at the MOA! John makes every exhibition at the MOA possible with his behind-the-scenes leadership, and his limelight is well deserved!

08/25/2026

This Friday is Minerva Teichert's 138th birthday, and we're giving away FREE posters of her work all week long!

EVERYONE who visits the MOA now through Friday will receive a poster of either 'Flight', 'King Benjamin's Farewell Address', or 'Return of Captive Israel'. All you have to do is ask for your poster at the Front Desk. Come pick up your poster today!

08/23/2026

- The Lord Is My Shepherd

Francois Pieter Meulen’s pastoral scene of 'Shepherd and Sheep in the Snow' depicts a shepherd opening the door for a flock of sheep. In the early morning light, he waits for each one to move forward on a path they seem to have walked before. The settling calm of the snow and the new day rising, suggests the shepherd has guided the flock to safety during a nightly storm, and he will continue to watch over them on their journey ahead.

In Psalm 23 the writer relates the Lord to a shepherd, and all believers to sheep in his flock, who leads, comforts, anoints, restores, and prepares a place for all who willingly follow. “I will fear no evil: for thou art with me (23:4),” the psalmist records, demonstrating their own complete trust in the Lord. Psalms were commonly composed as a way to praise God, often sharing through music and words deep concerns and gratitude for blessings, sung by the faithful. Today, we can relate to these heartfelt thoughts, as the ancient believers likely did.

How has The Lord become your shepherd? How can you show you trust in him?

Francois Pieter Meulen (1843-1927), 'Shepherd and Sheep in Snow,' c. 1880, watercolor, 15 11/16 x 12 5/8 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, gift of Mahonri M. Young Estate, 1959.

08/20/2026

Tonight at 5 PM, the Sound of Ages Choir will perform a concert to send off the exhibition 'The Way of the Cross.'

08/18/2026

08/16/2026

- Yet Will I Trust in Him

With heads bowed, solemn mourners gather around Job’s suffering body. The Old Testament patriarch embodies a life fully lived with his sinuous tendons, prostrate pose, and pleading expression. Amidst tremendous difficulty, Job found comfort in his Redeemer and looked forward to a resurrected state: “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:26).

Jewish artist Jehudo Epstein paints Job on the precipice of this critical moment: lying humbly on the ground, he expends his remaining strength to reach heavenward, moments away from a divine reunion.

Jehudo Epstein (1870-1945), 'Dying Job,' 1901, oil on canvas, 55 1/2 x 97 1/2 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art, purchased with funds provided by the Bertin Family Foundation.

08/13/2026

Only life and love are everlasting. closes on August 22.

In the final days of 's extraordinary exhibition, we hope you'll take one last chance to walk the Stations of the Cross with the Savior through the profound work of an inspiring artist.

All are invited to a special performance on August 20 at 5 PM by , where they will perform Andrew Maxfield's original composition responding to the exhibition. Admission is free, and all who attend will be moved by the power of both performing and visual artistic testimony.

08/09/2026

- Thou Art Come... For Such a Time as This

Minerva Teichert’s beloved painting of Esther depicts the future queen set apart in the foreground from a group of finely dressed women. Draped in a white dress and veil with modest detail, the artist captures the moment when Esther is chosen queen (as the title on the bottom of the hand-painted border states). This is one of two versions of the same painting. The first was painted as a wedding gift for the artist’s friend, Betty Curtis Stokes who modeled for this and many of Teichert’s other paintings.

As a marriage portrait, Teichert depicts Esther at the beginning of her new life as queen. Although she may not yet know what she will be asked to do on behalf of the Jewish people, Esther stands resolute, calm, and humble—attributes that may have given her cousin Mordecai reason to later say, “Who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14).”

How can you find courage in the Lord as Esther did?

Minerva Teichert (1888-1976), 'Queen Esther,' 1939, oil on canvas, 65 x 48 inches. Brigham Young University Museum of Art.