By Mary Morley
During his time as leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Spencer W. Kimball urged members of the church to display photographs or paintings of favorite temples in their homes.
Since then, more and more artists have created depictions of temples, and vendors that cater to members of the Church of Jesus Christ have begun selling these works.
If the number of temple depictions available is any clue to how well these works sell, then temple art is big business.
Holly Cosper, assistant manager of Seagull Book & Tape, said temple artwork is popular everywhere. But the specific temple that people want to buy a picture of does vary.
'It goes by area. In Arizona, the Mesa Temple sells really well,' she said.
The BYU Bookstore sells temple images ranging from inexpensive postcard-sized pictures to collectible temple re-creations that cost hundreds of dollars.
Malina Nielson, a sales representative for the Bookstore, said students often buy pictures of temples to decorate their apartments and bring a feeling of spirituality into their homes.
Students also buy a picture of the temple in which a friend was married and then have the picture matted and framed to give as a wedding gift, said Neilson, 20, a senior from Provo majoring in English teaching.
However, students do not buy most of the more expensive works of art, Neilson said. Instead, faculty, parents of students and people who live in the Provo area tend to be able to afford the more expensive temple depictions, she said.
While temple image sales seem to be a profitable business, opinions vary about whether temple depictions can be true art.
Heather Erickson, gifts and sidelines buyer for Deseret Book, said the company is more interested making temple pictures available than whether or not the pictures are fine art.
Paul Anderson, head of design at the Museum of Art, said that while temples are powerful symbols for members of the church, all depictions of temples are not created equal.
'There is always a line between depicting something in a beautiful and respectful way or a crass and commercial way,' he said.
Anderson said whether or not a particular picture of a temple is art depends on the quality of imagery and whether or not the picture actually says anything about the subject.
Anderson referred to an early 20th century photograph he owns as an example of beautiful temple artwork.
The picture shows the Manti temple in the background and a rancher driving sheep in the foreground.
He said the picture is good art because it is not only visually pleasing, but also metaphorically shows Christ as the good shepherd leading saints to the temple.
'It is beautifully executed,' Anderson said.
Jeannine O''Dell, 21, a junior from Broken Arrow, Okla., majoring in illustration, said she thinks temple depictions are more than just business.
The temple artwork sold at the BYU Bookstore has a valuable objective, said O''Dell, who is a sales clerk in the gifts area of the Bookstore.
'It''s important because it''s a constant reminder of covenants,' she said.