One of the first comprehensive exhibitions of artist Minerva Teichert’s life, faith, and art is now open at the Church History Museum in downtown Salt Lake City.
The name of the exhibition, “With This Covenant in My Heart,” was taken from Teichert’s own words. When she became sick during the 1918 influenza pandemic, Teichert thought about the art training she had recently finished and prayed, “I promised the Lord if I’d finished my work and He’d give me some more, I’d gladly do it. With this covenant in my heart, I began to live.”
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The new exhibition showcases 45 of Minerva Teichert’s original paintings and the only surviving portion of a Teichert painting depicting the priesthood restoration that was destroyed in the 2010 Provo Tabernacle fire. Displays throughout the exhibit also include artifacts from her life, interactive audio kiosks featuring oral histories from Teichert’s children, and souvenir information cards for the museum’s youngest visitors to learn from and take home.
“I was delighted to have the opportunity to see her beautiful work,” Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson said in a video from Church Newsroom. “I have always admired her tenacity and her testimony.”
The Church was a major patron of Teichert’s work throughout the 1930s and 1940s. Over the years, her art has been hung in various Church buildings, the most prominent example being the murals found on the interior walls of the Manti Temple.
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“The art of Minerva Teichert plays a significant role in the history of Latter-day Saint visual culture,” art curator Laura Paulsen Howe said, “and we’re grateful to have the opportunity to ensure her work will endure for future generations.”
“With This Covenant in My Heart: The Art and Faith of Minerva Teichert” runs from July 6, 2023, to August 3, 2024. The Church History Museum can be found on the west side of Salt Lake City’s Historic Temple Square and is open to the public Monday, Friday, and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Admission is free.
