Lanegan connects his artwork with family history work
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=lkk11Vel6Gw When people think of genealogy work, they often imagine putting together a family tree or searching for old documents on the internet, but Jason Lanegan, an art alumnus and the director of the HFAC galleries, has taken family history to the next level. Lanegan captures his family’s history in his artwork, something he was recently recognized for at RootsTech, one of the world’s largest family history conferences in the world. After seeing RootsTech’s call for video submissions, Lanegan knew it was the perfect opportunity to showcase his artwork. “I thought ‘I can do that; my work talks about family history,’ and it was an opportunity to talk about my work in a way I normally don’t,” said Lanegan. “That video shows a very vulnerable side of my work and what I do, but it was good to do that and look at the result.” Lanegan’s video was one of 12 finalists to be featured by RootsTech, an honor that allowed Lanegan to attend the conference. While at the conference, he was able to make connections between his work and other forms of family history. “It’s interesting, they do what I do; they just do it in a different way,” said Lanegan. “It’s not just about finding names to take to the temple; it’s about connecting with the stories of individuals and learning from them.” Lanegan has been making reliquary-based artwork for a decade and a half, but he said he never connected the type of work he was doing with family history until he was invited to be a part of an art show titled “Movement Meaning: The Power of Pilgrimage” at BYU. His artwork takes the idea of religious reliquaries — which are containers housing relics, such as the remains or belongings of a saint — and makes them more accessible to general audiences. Lanegan takes items like nails from his ancestral home, dirt from family land and family trinkets to create his reliquaries. “Artwork has the same power as sitting with your grandmother and an old photograph from her childhood — what it brings out is enlightening,” said Lanegan. “And it’s amazing how much it facilitates opportunities for people to share stories and talk about things. It opens a passageway into people wanting to learn and investigate the life of someone else.” Lanegan likes to compare family history to the stories found in the scriptures. “If their lives can teach us, why can’t our own family teach us something?” said Lanegan
“For me it’s about finding the stories. It’s about seeing the reality of what it’s like to be a human being — all the mistakes and flaws — and accepting that,” Lanegan continued. “One of the mistakes we fall into is we look at great people and we sometimes gloss over the flaws and then we look at ourselves and only focus on the flaws.” The hardest part about his work is “getting the bigger picture,” said Lanegan. He has spent years searching for records, doing interviews and building relationships of trust so he can piece together the lives of his ancestors, particularly on his father’s side. “The more I learn, the more I can put things in context,” said Lanegan. Despite not having the best relationship with his father, who passed away 19 years ago, Lanegan’s work has enabled him to know his father like a friend. “I’m understanding the bigger picture of who he was, and I’m okay with it,” said Lanegan. “It’s built empathy within me. I see him as a complete individual: the flaws and all the good components side by side.” Lanegan encourages everyone to start participating in genealogy. “You’re missing out on an opportunity to enrich your own life,” said Lanegan. “The more you can connect with people, especially family members, the more you can be inspired at times that are hard in your own life.” His work has been a turning point in his own life. “That’s the one reason I keep doing it; it’s the spiritual power that comes from being involved in family history. It’s a release and a kind of therapy,” said Lanegan. “Knowing these stories of what my relatives have been through and the hardships they had empowers me,” said Lanegan “There is a power in it. Until you get involved, you just won’t understand or know the power that’s in it.” Learn more about Lanegan's art by viewing the gallery below.