Publications and Shows
The Worth of Souls
A show at Writ & Vision fall of 2018 With J. Kirk Richards Marlena Wilding and Michelle Franzoni Thorley
33rd and 34th Annual Spiritual & Religious Arts of Utah Exhibition.
Miss Genealogy- Episode 14
A Podcast interview on the Podcast Miss Genealogy in April of 2018
Michelle Franzoni Thorley: Finding and Painting Lost Relatives
An article about Michelle in the magazine 15 Bytes December of 2018.
11th International Art Competition: Meditations on Belief
Michelle’s Painting, “Eve Mother of all Living” Participated in the competition and was on exhibit in the Gallery of the Church History Museum in Salt Lake Spring of 2019
Women in Art
Guest Lecture along with Margaret Olsen Hemming, Rose Gochnour Serago for Center for Latter Day Saints Arts Festival in New York City Jun 2019
Self: Explorations of Identity
Michelle participated in a exhibit that showed at the Springville Museum of Art from Sep. 2019 - May 2020
Owning The Good And The Bad From Your Family Tree
Guest on KUER ‘s Latter-Day for radio and podcast
A Girl’s Guide to Heavenly Mother
Pages 26 and 27 of “A girls guide to Heavenly Mother” by McArthur Krishna and Bethany Brady Spalding.
Diversity and Inclusion in LDS Art
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, published an announcement that they are going to regulate the artwork that is displayed in our meeting houses. This was an exciting announcement because all of the paintings that they chose depict our Savior, but it was also really disappointing because the artwork is not inclusive of the people in our church. In every painting Jesus is portrayed as a white man and there are very few People of Color.
Family History for People of Color
For many years members of my church would invite or sometimes guilt people into participating in family history. Because family history is rewarding and really you have nothing to lose, right? Well, family history for POC and mixed race people can be very difficult. There are layers of generational trauma and oppression to deal with.
Internalized Racism Hinders Family History Work
Many BIPOC people who struggle with internal racism may identify as white, even when their DNA and family history shows ancestors from a mixed race heritage. They may unconsciously think being black or brown is dirty, evil, ugly, or bad. ie. “I am not those things, so I am white.” BIPOC suffering from internalized racism may think that white people, or those of European descent, are superior to people of color. These thought processes about the supremacy of whiteness are very damaging.
Mormon Women Claiming Power: Dialogue Note from the Editor – Michelle is the first artist of color to be on the cover of Dialogue Magazine
In this issue, guest-edited by Exponent II, we asked women to write about claiming power. Learn More
SYMBOLS ON CANVAS by Lita Little Giddins
“I encountered Michelle’s passionate spirit first before meeting her faceto-face. Michelle presented a talk entitled “Diversity in LDS Art” at the festival for the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts in New York City this past June. Michelle is a beautiful Mexican American woman, and I was moved by her candor as she shared her unique experiences of oppression that resonated with my own.”