LDS arts and artists see The Compass gallery replace Provo’s Writ & Vision

For about a decade, the cramped, lively quarters of Provo’s Writ & Vision operated as a kind of unofficial headquarters for the Mormon intelligentsia — a place where, within the shadow of church-owned Brigham Young University, the curious could gather to safely explore ideas one didn’t often find in Latter-day Saint Sunday school manuals.

That all came to an abrupt end earlier this year.

Or, that would have been the end — if not for the store’s second-in-command and shop inheritor, Esther Candari. Under her leadership and in collaboration with the nonprofit Faith Matters, a new community hub, The Compass, has emerged like, as Latter-day Saint sculptor and painter J. Kirk Richards put it, “a phoenix rising from the ashes.”

‘In the heart of LDS culture’

Like Writ & Vision, The Compass is located in Provo’s historic downtown. But if the former “always had a hole-in-the-wall, best-kept-secret sort of vibe,” Candari explained, the new place is poised to “do justice” to the Utah County art scene, which she described as consistently “hitting above its weight.”

Even more than a gallery, she and business partner Zachary Davis, executive director of Faith Matters, envision it as a “school for spiritual education,” as Davis put it — a place for lectures, workshops, book launches and community events, “all taking place right in the heart of LDS culture.”

It’s a subtle but meaningful shift from the aims and audience of Writ & Vision, which sought to serve those engaged in the Latter-day Saint faith and community, along with those in the process of leaving it all behind.

Candari agrees that the conversation around disaffiliation is a “super important” one. It just doesn’t happen to be the one she is interested in having.

“Personally, and this is something that has definitely carried forward into The Compass, [I’m focused on] the idea that religious community and experiences matter and that they’re important parts of human connection and development,” she said. “But they aren’t monolithic, and it’s not some yellow brick road either.”

Davis emphasized his hope that the space can serve as a generative hub not just for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but also as “a place where faith is celebrated and strengthened” across religious communities.

Questions of oversight

Richards, an artist who has succeeded in crisscrossing between mainstream and insurgent Latter-day Saint venues, said it’s too early to tell where, exactly, The Compass will fit within the faith’s art ecosystem.

For one, he believes it’s “small and nimble” enough to support more solo acts than an organization like The Center for Latter-day Saint Arts. On the other hand, artist Lisa DeLong noted, its size still lends itself to the possibility of more ambitious exhibitions than Writ & Vision could showcase.

The bigger question on Richards’ mind is how much distance the gallery is willing to create between it and church headquarters. The artist said he had been involved with The Center for Latter-day Saint Arts “from the beginning” and had held “high hopes for it.”

“I still have high hopes for it, but we definitely felt the hand of oversight come down quickly over that organization,” he lamented. “And that’s why, in some ways, it’s a bit early to tell with The Compass. I do hope that when push comes to shove, the gallery will be a place where inclusivity and an expansive view of the gospel are prioritized.”

Asked about this outside influence, Center for Latter-day Saint Arts Executive Director Mykal Urbina said “there are many Latter-day Saint artists deserving of space on gallery walls, some who are familiar to our community and far more yet to be discovered.”

She added: “We’re excited about the growth of the broader LDS art community and hope that our collective efforts can shine a spotlight on as many artists and perspectives as possible. The Compass Gallery’s space for gathering and sharing is essential to that work.”

For his part, Davis said The Compass “[supports] the church’s mission” and that organizers “definitely see ourselves, while maintaining independence, seeking to strengthen people’s relationship with the church.”

For Candari, the priority is to have patrons leave “thinking, ‘Oh, having spiritual belief and having spiritual practice in my life is important and healthy.’”

Even more, she said, she hopes visitors walk away feeling as though “connecting with other people who are striving to practice spirituality in their lives in a balanced way is an important thing.”

Upcoming events

The gallery is gearing up for its “AlterNativity” show. Set to launch on Black Friday, the event bills itself as a “reimagination” of “Christmas season kitsch.”

It’s a show Alondra Uhi, a BYU senior and Compass artist in residence, is particularly excited about for its promise to “challenge the commodification of Christmas.”

Candari, meanwhile, is working on assembling a show on fantasy art for next year titled “Fantastically Human.”

“One of my goals with the show is to question and play with some of those lines that we’ve drawn between spiritual and fantasy art,” she said, “and the way that it allows us to explore human identity and foible.”

Guiding this and future efforts is the belief that, Davis said, beauty is about more than “mere ornament,” but also a “vehicle of revelation” for patrons of all religious backgrounds.