Reclamation of Ritual (Series)

2021

Assemblage altars photographed.

Submitted to Exponent II magazine for their Fall 2021 issue.

My art this year could be classified as unusually spiritual, if not outright religious. Over the last few months, I had many unique opportunities where I was asked to reflect on and respond to the topic of Heavenly Mother. I had already begun exploring my relationship and the history of the Divine Feminine at the turn of the year but these pieces gave me the opportunity to dig deeper into the subject, allowing me to better understand the complexities, taboos, and limitations of current beliefs encompassing Heavenly Mother present in Mormonism. 

With the creation of my God the Mother tryptic, I felt a strong urge to create my own altar. Inspiration from women to reclaim and reimagine ritual, notably Sue Monk Kidd and Claudia Bushman, had been tickling my brain for months. The scripture D&C 1:25-29 was the final catalyst that gave me the push needed to create this series. I gave myself permission to approach Deity and to interact with Her in ways that were both ancient and that felt authentic. I took my cues from the beginning of the Church’s restoration and used what I had available, allowing myself to reimagine and rework ancient rites to fit my current time and situation. I boldly explored ritual, my place in it, Heavenly Mother, and her history, while letting go of fear and perceived impropriety that often surrounds discussing or portraying Her. This work was a part of me reclaiming a piece of the Feminine Divine — reclaiming relationship, my own spiritual identity, sorting out symbolism — and allowing intuition to guide the process. Tying in Mormon, Biblical, and ritual history to create altars unique to my background and person to create a true offering of myself.