The Church History Museum is the premier museum operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It is located in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is opposite the west gates of the church's Temple Square. Until November 2008, it was called the Museum of Church History and Art. The museum closed in October 2014 for a year-long refurbishment and remodeling of the first-floor exhibits; it reopened on September 30, 2015.
Programs and features
Church History Museum Documentary - A documentary about the Church History Museum, its renovation, and the unveiling of the new main exhibit "The Heavens are Opened."
The museum has collections of art, artifacts, documents, photographs, tools, clothing and furniture from the almost two-century history of the LDS Church.
International Art Competition
The Church History Museum also initiated and hosts an "International Art Competition", usually once every three years, where LDS and affiliated artists worldwide submit works of art in assorted mediums around specific church and gospel themes.
Volunteer workforce
Outside of the curators, administrative and other staff, tours of the museum's exhibits and many of the museum programs are conducted by a large volunteer workforce of Latter-day Saints from the surrounding communities who begin serving in the museum on a rotational basis following a 16 consecutive week training.
Museum store
The Museum Store was founded along with the museum to support the many exhibits and programs. Over 200 works of reproduced art have been made available to the general public from the Museum's and Church's extensive collections by prominent historical LDS artists such as C. C. A. Christensen, John Hafen, and Minerva Teichert, in addition to contemporary LDS artists such as Clark Kelly Price, Walter Rane, Robert Barrett, Harry Anderson, and Arnold Friberg. The Store also sells historical toys, literature, statuary, and pioneer-era clothing, such as bonnets.
Museum history
A major instigator of the creation of the church museum was Florence S. Jacobsen, a church curator and a former general president of the Young Women organization of the church. It was dedicated and opened on April 4, 1984.
The Church History Museum is open six days a week. Admission is free. The Museum Store is closed Sundays.
See also
- Mormon art
Notes
References
- Jacobsen, Florence Smith (1992), "Museums, LDS", in Ludlow, Daniel H, Encyclopedia of Mormonism, New York: Macmillan Publishing, pp. 971â€"973, ISBN 0-02-879602-0, OCLC 24502140Â
External links
- Church History Museum â€" official site
- Museum of Church History and Art â€" government of Utah tourism site
