By Michael Laverty
A rare art collection, a moving panorama, entertained students and the public last night, March 6 with stories of early Mormon pioneers, during the opening of BYU Museum of Art''s C.C.A. Christensen exhibit.
'This is a lot fun,' said Christina Bishop, 25, a senior from Wauwatosa, Wis., majoring in linguistics. 'It is important to know about our heritage and where we came from.'
A moving panorama is an early 19th century form of entertainment in which stories from travelogues and battle scenes were told through paintings sewn together on 6.5-by-10 foot pieces of canvas, and rotated across stage.
The 22 piece panorama presented last night, 'The Mormon Panorama,' is unique because it contains the first painted images of the early pioneer treks, said Christine Howard, assistant director of development and communications.
'This panorama was created to entertain and teach the saints their history,' she said. 'Today we can enjoy the same historical education through this wonderful medium we are not used to.'
Students found the viewing of the exhibit to be a spiritual experience.
'I have ancestors who were in both handcart companies,' said Joseph Meservy, 24, a graduate student from Orem. 'This displays where I come from, my heritage.'
The Mormon Panorama was presented in a fashion reminiscent of original expositions where the role of picture-covered fabric was reeled horizontally in front of viewers. Commentary and music accompanied the panorama''s portrayal of such events as the pioneers crossing the plains of Nebraska, the first Latter-day Saint settlement in Missouri and the famous battle of Crooked River.
Dawn Pheysey, curator of religious art, said the paintings that make up the Mormon Panorama were created based on genuine 19th century Mormon perspective.
'Each scene was painted based on the testimonies of pioneers who experienced first-hand the journeys and hardships,' she said.
Although moving panoramas were a pre-cinema and television form of entertainment, Pheysey said we could learn from them still today.
'We hope other departments will integrate this exhibit into their curriculum,' she said. 'These works are only on display maybe once a decade, so we encourage students not to miss it.'
Painter C.C.A. Christensen is remembered saying: 'History will preserve much, but art alone can make the narrative of the suffering of the Saints comprehensible for posterity.'
'On The Road With C.C.A. Christensen: The Moving Panorama' will be on display until February 28, 2004. Performances will be given Monday evenings at 7:30 and Thursday evenings at 7 and 8. Admission is free, but reservations are required because of limited seating. For reservations call 422-8287.