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Summarized by Kent Larsen
New Internet Home Announced for LDS Artists!
The Latter-day Foundation for the Arts, which has been in existence since
1990, has just launched its website for LDS arts enthusiasts:
www.ldsartists.org. According to Larry Barkdull, foundation president, the
website is intended to have a community feeling while allowing like-minded
artists to come together and discuss topics of specific interest. Therefore,
the site has Discussion areas for both general and community-related
subjects. Likewise, members of the foundation can post news on events,
product releases, etc. Members can correspond with each other, network, and
share ideas.
As you browse through the site, make special note of the PROJECTS section.
Few people will be aware at just how active the foundation has been over the
years in helping to beautify major LDS sites. In ABOUT LDFA, you can read the
mission and philosophy statements. Under MANAGEMENT, you can read about the
seasoned staff that have put this all together. In COMMUNITIES, a member can
become a part of an art area that he loves. In MEMBERS, you can discuss,
announce, correspond. Best of all, there are major benefits coming for
members!
Several major announcements coincide with this website's birth. Members will
notice that ALMA (Associated Latter-day Media Artists) is now part of the
foundation. ALMA was started in 1977 in Southern California as an association
of LDS filmmakers, actors, and media people. Now that ALMA is folded into
Latter-day Foundation for the Arts, we should be able to stay much more
abreast at what is happening among fellow Latter-day Saints in the media arts.
Another major announcement is the foundation's huge initiative in Nauvoo: The
Nauvoo Legacy Gardens. Having just completed Phase I on this project, the
foundation has begun to solicit donations for the beginning part of Phase II
-- Dee Jay Bawden's exquisite sculpture of the First Vision called, "Face to
Face -- 1820." Once completed, the Nauvoo Legacy Gardens, located across the
street from the Nauvoo Temple, will be a two-acre testimony in art of the
Savior and the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Barkdull says, "This is real grassroots. Word-of-mouth is how the foundation
membership is growing. We need you help. Membership is free. Join. Send out
an email to you list. This site is for anyone with an art interest, not just
the professionals. Join in the discussions. Post arts news. Tell us what is
happening in your area. The Internet makes the world a little smaller."
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