The Arch-Hive, stylized as ARCH-HIVE, is an

artist collective An artist collective is an initiative that is the result of a group of artists working together, usually under their own management, towards shared aims. The aims of an artist collective can include almost anything that is relevant to the need ...

in Utah. They are known for art exhibitions and zines that explore experiences with

Mormon culture #REDIRECT Culture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints #REDIRECT Culture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints #REDIRECT Culture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints {{R from other capitalisation ... {{R fro ...

and

beliefs A belief is an attitude that something is the case, or that some proposition is true. In epistemology, philosophers use the term "belief" to refer to attitudes about the world which can be either true or false. To believe something is to take i ...

Founding

The anonymous artist Laz and fellow artist Camilla Stark founded the art collective in 2019. Influenced by the 1960s Art and Belief movement, their goals for the collective include challenging

binary thinking A binary opposition (also binary system) is a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning. Binary opposition is the system of language and/or thought by which two theoretical opposites are strictly defined and set off against one ...

, fostering inclusion of unconventional perspectives, and helping other amateur artists. The group has gone on to create

eclectic Eclectic may refer to: Music * ''Eclectic'' (Eric Johnson and Mike Stern album), 2014 * ''Eclectic'' (Big Country album), 1996 * Eclectic Method, name of an audio-visual remix act * Eclecticism in music, the conscious use of styles alien to th ...

and

esoteric Western esotericism, also known as esotericism, esoterism, and sometimes the Western mystery tradition, is a term scholars use to categorise a wide range of loosely related ideas and movements that developed within Western society. These ideas a ...

art, prose, and poetry about topics ranging from

Utah Lake Utah Lake is a shallow freshwater lake in the center of Utah County, Utah, United States. It lies in Utah Valley, surrounded by the Provo-Orem metropolitan area. The lake's only river outlet, the Jordan River, is a tributary of the Great Salt La ...

scrupulosity Scrupulosity is characterized by pathological guilt/anxiety about moral or religious issues. Although it can affect nonreligious people, it is usually related to religious beliefs. It is personally distressing, dysfunctional, and often accompani ...

Zines

The ARCH-HIVE's

zine A zine ( ; short for '' magazine'' or '' fanzine'') is a small-circulation self-published Self-publishing is the publication of media by its author at their own cost, without the involvement of a publisher. The term usually refers to writ ...

series, The HIVE ZINE, publishes poetry, prose, and art across various styles. Volume one of the series was published in July 2018 and the series remains ongoing. The zines aim to "depict many perspectives & experiences with Mormonism through engaging, accessible art." The zines include the use of the

Deseret alphabet The Deseret alphabet (; Deseret: or ) is a phonemic English-language spelling reform developed between 1847 and 1854 by the board of regents of the University of Deseret under the leadership of Brigham Young, the second president of the Ch ...

and digital

collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...

and explore themes including Mormon ecology, horror, and

folk magic In religious studies and folkloristics, folk religion, popular religion, traditional religion or vernacular religion comprises various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized rel ...

. Their eighth zine featured versions of the

First Vision The First Vision (also called the grove experience by members of the Community of Christ) refers to a theophany which Latter Day Saints believe Joseph Smith experienced in the early 1820s, in a wooded area in Manchester, New York, called the ...

by untrained artists.

Shows

The ARCH-HIVE shows have featured art by

J. Kirk Richards Joel Kirk Richards (born 1976) is an American artist who specializes in Judeo-Christian themes. Richards was raised in Provo, Utah. He studied at Brigham Young University under Bruce Smith, Hagen Haltern, Gary Barton, James Christensen, Wulf Bar ...

, Lisa Delong,

Annie Poon Annie Poon is an American animator based in New York City. Her short "Runaway Bathtub" is in the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art. Poon's works have appeared in other various venues, including the National Gallery, the B ...

, and

Matt Page Matt Page is a fictional character from the Australian soap opera ''Home and Away'', played by Alec Snow. The character made his first screen appearance on 21 October 2013. Snow won the role after auditioning in early 2013. Originally contracte ...

, among others. The collective's first show was in March 2019; entitled "Holy Hell," the show explored the intersection of the sacred and the profane. Their second show, "Via Crucis," took place in March 2020 and was themed around the traditional

stations of the cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

. "Midwinter at the Gates of Dawn" appeared in December 2021. In a review of the show at ''15 Bytes'', Jesslyn Low wrote that the strong and beautiful works "express themes and concepts that feel pertinent not only to the current climate of our communities but to the human journey as well." In December 2022, their monthlong exhibit "I Am Bound Upon a Wheel of Fire: Obsessive Compulsion of the Soul" featured more than 25 artists showcasing works about living with OCD, particularly scrupulosity. Mediums represented at the show included sculpture, paintings, interactive exhibits, digital art, and poetry. The artists and poets featured in the show also contributed to an audio exhibit wherein some of their real

intrusive thoughts An intrusive thought is an unwelcome, involuntary thought, image, or unpleasant idea that may become an obsession, is upsetting or distressing, and can feel difficult to manage or eliminate. When such thoughts are associated with obsessive-compu ...

were vocalized and engineered to echo, loop, and layer in an effort to evoke the experience of OCD. The show appeared to resonate with the community, as its opening saw a "constant stream of guests" with a line extending out the venue and into the street.

Awards

The ARCH-HIVE won a special award in Literature and Art from the

Association for Mormon Letters The Association for Mormon Letters (AML) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1976 to "foster scholarly and creative work in Mormon letters and to promote fellowship among scholars and writers of Mormon literature." Other stated purposes have inc ...

for their work in 2019. The award citation praised their zine series as "one more confident utterance of self-acceptance and determination in a larger revival of Mormon arts and letters" and called their art in its many forms a "reflection of the zeitgeist."

References

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:ARCH-HIVE, The Artist cooperatives in the United States Arts organizations based in Utah