December 4, 1997 -May 16, 1998
Minerva Teichert (1888-1976), “Alma Baptizes in the Waters of Mormon,” 1949-1951, oil on masonite, 35 7/8 x 48 inches. Brigham Young University of Art.
More than 40 of Minerva Teichert’s murals and preliminary oil sketches showcase what she considered to be her most important mission in art, the themes of the Book of Mormon. Edwin H. Blashfield (1848-1936), the dean of American mural painters, stated, “The decoration in a building which belongs to the public must speak to the people-to the man in the street. It must embody thought and significance, and that so plainly the he who runs may read.” Minerva Teichert embraced this concept and adopted the phrase “that he who runs may read,” often employing it when expressing her urgency for painting her Book of Mormon murals. She frequently told her children and grandchildren that the Book of Mormon must be written so that he who runs may read. Teichert envisioned public murals as the perfect form to educate the hurried and those unable to read about the Book of Mormon.
