I am truly pleased to present to you one of the best kept secrets of the Mormon Instagram world. Jon Bryner and Tallia Feltis are the mastermind couple behind the account @texturesofmormonism. While very funny, they are equally thoughtful and deliberate. They speak of both the humor and strange tenderness in this idea of shared nostalgia that Mormons literally all over the world can relate to. My husband and I have spent more than one evening chuckling before bed as we scroll through the account. Ah Mormons. Something so strange and so funny about our collective aesthetic that somehow hasn’t changed in decades.
This is just a sampling of some of my favorites from the account.
It’s Wednesday night! Hit like if you need a ride home from mutual. #foyerphone #texturesofmormonism
Hiding in the halls during 3rd hour? Go unload the drawer of hot pads and see some treasure. All the handmade crochet hot pads in their chapel kitchen! #texturesofmormonism
Rocks in Payson. #texturesofmormonism
Happy Mother’s Day. #texturesofmormonism
Snacks on the stacking chair in the back of the chapel. #texturesofmormonism
Things last a long time when you are not allowed to cook or prepare food- only warm! #texturesofmormonism
A well used nursery kitchen (for warming food only). #texturesofmormonism
Correlation-resistant chapel art. #texturesofmormonism
An exclusive look at the high level. #texturesofmormonism
How many of these can you carry after a linger-longer? It depends on how nourishing and strengthening your root beer float was. #texturesofmormonism
LIKE if you want a primary kid to put their mouth on this and breathe in and out. #texturesofmormonism
…and my personal favorite. Rug wall.
Can you feel the rug burn? On your elbow? #texturesofmormonism
*all photos are reproduced here with permission of @texturesofmormonism
**They also accept submissions and occasionally hold contests at the account.
This is amazing. Wow. You know the line about how correlation makes everything familiar to Mormons all over the world, somehow this is hitting that sweet spot for me of it being all too familiar, and yet peculiar at the same time. They should do a book.
What is with the burlap stuff on the walls? I’ve never seen it anywhere else, but it’s all over Mormon churches, and it’s sooooo ugly!
Now I’m having flashbacks of top much time being a nursery leader. Lol. My parents recently were called an co-nursery leaders after some intense leadership callings, so I can see why someone who does not have 3 kids under 3 might think it is a great way to spend Sunday afternoon.
Is that picture from a church in East Millcreek or are there other churches brave enough to have the Superhero Jesus picture greet visitors as they enter the church?
@ Joni – The stuff on the walls (I think burlap is softer) is DURABLE and more sound absorbent than cement. Practicality over aesthetics.
For some reason this post reminds me of something I found humorous. I few years ago in a chapel I used to attend (very remote location with a ward over several hundred square miles) they started placing a small key box on the outside door with a combination on it and then one like that next to the library. So if someone drove for 45 minutes to get to church and realized they didn’t have keys, they could call someone and get the building or library opened up. I asked the guy installing them if he felt comfortable with secret combinations within the church. He just looked puzzled and I didn’t feel he would get the irony even if I opened up the BOM and explained it.
That burlap on the walls is called sisal. Its a natural fiber weave coming from a plant of the same name indigineous to Mexico. The LDS Church is the only place I’ve ever seen it used as well, Last time I was an architect for a church building project roughly 10 years ago, there were only 2 companies that even made it. Pretty sure the church is their only customer. I’m glad they have a few more colors now. If I remember right the church allows architects to choose from 1 of 6 colors to present to the Stake President for approval.
this is brilliant! thanks for sharing the word.
The BOM peoples used sisal to make rope; I hear Alma and Amulek were bound with it. Today, LDS people are bound in endless meetings in buildings lined with sisal. It’s part of the restoration of all things. Now if only we could get other agave products incorporated into our meetings :)
That sisal ruined my silk blouse once. Blerg.
I love these photos! I got flashbacks on that foyer phone one.
Ha! The Jesus in space picture is one of my favorites – but I’ve never seen it at a Deseret Book outside of Utah. Anyone know how I can get my hands on one? I want to hang it next to the “three white dresses” painting.
Totally correlated. https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/jehovah-creates-earth-rane-1344168?lang=eng
Get a good printer and you can print it yourself from lds.org.
You can order prints of the Jehovah Creates the Earth from the distribution center online. https://store.lds.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product3_715839595_10557_3074457345616706179_-1__196706 for less than the retail rate Walter Rane charges on his web site http://www.walterraneprints.com/prints/jehovah-creates-the-earth. I’m guessing they get a bulk discount.
Yes! This is my new favourite thing. It also reminds me of my guest post here ages ago https://bycommonconsent.com/2013/06/04/a-peculiar-people-2/