Mormon Artists Group

Mormon Artists Group announces the publication of

Manhattan New York Temple Portfolio

To commemorate the dedication of the Manhattan New York Temple, a group of six LDS artists who reside in New York City photographed what is for them the most sacred building in the most defiantly urban of the world’s capitals.

The Manhattan New York Temple is one of a new generation of LDS buildings that challenge the visual perception of what architecture on holy ground should be. The 119th operational temple built by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the building shares with a few other recent temples the history of being rehabilitated, without the pedigree of being designed, as it were, from the ground up. Like temples in Copenhagen, Denmark and Vernal, Utah, it began its life with other purposes in mind and was converted only in its maturity to sacred use.

Part of the experience of visiting a sacred building is the physical act of approaching it. Worshippers typically see a religious edifice from a distance, and they enter formal gronds that prepare them for a differentiated experience. LDS temples are normally isolated from their surroundings for this purpose. Traditionally, visitors walk through elaborate gates, past fountains, gardens and reflecting pools, up grand exterior staircases, or at the very least, they enter the temple framed by a backdrop of manicured landscape.

Uniformly, pictures of LDS temples have likewise emphasized a quality of being otherworldly. Photographers and painters have presented their subjects as if the grand, solitary edifices feel from heaven onto pristine acerage.

The Manhattan New York Temple is singular in many ways, and none is more unique than the way it sits in its neighborhood. It is simply impossible to see the temple in isolation. There is no vista of the building that does not also include views of the nation’s biggest city. That is to say, there is no solemn approach to the temple possible. All must come to it through the dynamic metropolis that surrounds it. Air traffic flies overhead. Throngs of people walk within inches of its main doors day and night. Standing in front of the temple, one hears an endless din of passing taxi cabs, buses, ambulances, delivery trucks, and the sidewalk conversations of a million strangers.

One may question whether a sacred building is possible in New York City. the expectation of solitude regarding sacred buildings generally, and of other LDS temples specifically, is certainly difficult to achieve in New York.

It is not merely a question of neighboring buildings–the vibrant street landscape of Manhattan appears to be at odds with the notion of tranquility. Take, for example, the municipal signs that are in front of the Manhattan New York Temple entrance. What message greets the patrons going to the temple? A bold red sign that warns: Do Not Enter.

A few feet in front of the temple, sevel thoroughfares converge. There are street signs pointing simultaneously to Broadway, Lincoln Square, West 65th Street, Leonard Bernstein Place, and Columbus Avenue. There are One Way signs, parking regulations, No Left Turn signs, and various warnings for pedestrians and vehicles, to say nothing of the advertisements hanging from lampposts, in bus stops, store windows, and on marquees.

Another way of saying it is this: for a photographer, the assignment to take a picture of the Manhattan New York Temple is not an easy shoot. But in its own way, the hurly burly of the site is perfect for the building’s deeper message. Has there ever been an LDS temple that more boldly and straightforwardly states that in the midst of a frenetic life, there exists a safe haven?

The six pictures comprising the Manhattan New York Temple Portfolio include a cross-section of aesthetic viewpoints from the dynamic world of contemporary photography. The sheet size of the photographs is 11″ x 14″, and the image dimensions vary.

The Portfolio

The complete suite of six photographs is housed in a custom-made clamshell case and is limited to 10 copies for sale, plus artists’ proofs. The portfolio box is 11.5″ x 14.5″ x 1.5″. It is covered in natural silk the color of the temple’s travertine marble and is signed and numbered by the artists. The title is foil-stampled in gold.

The price for the complete portfolio is $500
The price for any individual photograph is $100

Natasha Layne Brien

Matthew Day

Jon Moe

Kah Leong Poon

James Ransom

Seth Smoot