Janalee Emmer to Speak on Waxing and Waning in Faith and Creativity

Janalee Emmer is an expert in studying and appreciating art. After earning her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from BYU, Emmer earned a doctorate from Pennsylvania State University with an emphasis on women artists in Paris during the nineteenth century. Emmer’s artistic endeavors continued at BYU in 2014 when she started working at the Museum of Art as a curator and the head of education and. She was appointed associate director of exhibitions and programming in August 2020. On March 9, Emmer will be sharing some of her professional and spiritual insights during the university devotional. “Both art and the gospel give us spaces to grow,” said Emmer. “The arts have so much to offer in terms of inspiring and uplifting us. I hope my devotional will help people give themselves space to let their faith wax and wane — without giving up.” Emmer sees art and creativity as important outlets for people from any academic discipline, because the arts provide new perspectives on life. For example, during her studies of nineteenth-century female artists, Emmer learned more about resilience. “We may not have personal experience with war or poverty or genocide, but when we look through another’s eyes, we can get those kinds of experiences,” said Emmer. “It’s critical to have art that can open our eyes to other perspectives. Art through centuries has told stories about how cultures lived, what they valued and how they survived difficult times.” Emmer will share her experiences combined with the experiences of renowned artists during her devotional on March 9 at 11 a.m. To watch her speak, visit byu.tv.org.