This BYU Grad is Making Religious Art More Inclusive for People of Color

DESERET NEWS 

By By Aubrey Eyr

“Auset and Heru” by Melissa Tshikamba. Melissa Tshikamba

SALT LAKE CITY — The old adage “a picture is worth a thousand words” holds great meaning for Melissa Tshikamba. As an artist, Tshikamba speaks through her paintings — and there’s a lot she hopes to say. Growing up a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Alberta, Canada, Tshikamba remembers feeling a disconnect between what she was taught, both at home and at church, and what she saw depicted in the images accompanying those teachings. As a Black woman, Tshikamba said she has rarely felt a connection to the religious art used to represent her faith throughout her life and, because of that, her own work is now largely focused on creating images that better represent the global population of the church. [More]