Many people have strong beliefs in God and religion, especially in the land of Zion. This kind of faith is generally based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof and for some, it manifests in creating art, music, song and/or literature. There are millions of examples of faith-based creativity around the world, from structures of all kinds to ancient paintings on sandstone or giant oils in museums. Utah has its share of rock art, churches, synagogues and cathedrals, and is the home of one of the largest and most famous religious choirs.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized in 1830 by Joseph Smith. The Tabernacle Choir was formed 29 days after Mormons entered the Salt Lake Valley, on August 22, 1847. Others moved to express their LDS faith in art include Arnold Friberg ("The Prayer at Valley Forge"), Gutzon Borglum (Mount Rushmore) and singers like David Archuleta and the Osmond family.

Sculptor Ralphael Plescia passed away in 2022. Known as an "outsider artist," he created a bevy of sculptures based on his Christian faith in a building behind a gas station at 1300 South State St. It's been fun to take clients by to look inside the windows and see what he was working on. His creations were placed all over the interior and attached to the foundation, walls and roof—from paintings of Jesus Christ to a massive concrete dragon. The building was sold and some art will be saved, but much cannot be due to how it was constructed. I would hurry to peer in the windows before demolition takes over.

In college, we used to smoke weed in a grown-over sculpture garden just above Trolley Square. The forgotten space of stone art was fascinating and it was unclear then who had carved the pieces, as there was no internet and we didn't even know it had a name—Gilgal Sculpture Garden. Now it's a public park on three acres, and you can go during the day (for free) to see the works of Thomas Child, Jr. There are 12 hand-carved sculptures and 70 engraved stone slabs depicting religious concepts of an outpouring of his faith in the Mormon Church, and they were saved in 1997 when a group of locals stopped condos from going in and raised almost $700,000 to purchase the property and protect the works for generations to come.

I'm always surprised how many folks have never seen the garden and I highly suggest visiting there (749 E. 500 South). Who knows, you may walk away needing to express your own faith in some form of creativity!