When Materials Speak: A Conversation with Paola Bidinelli

In this episode of Dialogue Out Loud, Dialogue art editor Amanda Beardsley sits down with Paola Bidinelli, the cover artist for the Fall 2025 issue of Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought, to explore the material, spiritual, and geographic roots of her work.

Born in Italy in the ancient town of Teate degli Abruzzi—often called the “Land of Shepherds”—Bidinelli draws deeply on place, memory, and the expressive power of raw materials. Trained across a wide range of techniques, she transforms imperfect, organic, and found materials into artworks that hold tension between fragility and endurance. As Bidinelli puts it, “Materials speak aloud to me,” revealing forces beyond human control and inviting reflection on ephemerality, resilience, and identity.

Together, Beardsley and Bidinelli discuss the creative process behind the Fall 2025 cover, the ways materials carry meaning, and how art can open space for contemplation, faith, and embodied experience. This conversation offers listeners a behind-the-scenes look at how visual art speaks alongside theology, culture, and lived belief in the pages of Dialogue.