The Jim and Jeanne Pieper Collection consists of almost 900 artifacts gifted to Loyola Marymount University. Most of the items are devotional objects collected from the Piepers' many travels, often purchased directly from practitioners. Other items were purchased from collectors, such as those at the Rose Bowl Flea Market or online vendors. Christianity and Buddhism are heavily represented in the collection, with other items belonging to Hinduism, Santeria, Judaism, and Islam, as well as religions practiced by Indigenous communities. Items include crucifixes, shrines, reliquaries, statues, and ceremonial objects, among others.

Items for this digital collection were selected to be representative of the many faith traditions encompassed by the physical collection, as well as a sampling of geographical areas. Much of the data regarding artifact provenance were provided by the donor, often sourced from a vendor. When possible, description has been adjusted to prioritize language used by practitioners of the various faith traditions.

Jim Pieper (February 14, 1938 - November 2, 2019) and Jeanne Pieper (February 21, 1938 - September 16, 2019) were world travelers and scholars from Marina del Rey, California. As a young couple, Jim and Jeanne went on many trips to Mexico and Guatemala, and began to acquire items objects related to their personal seeking of spiritual truths, focusing on items used in every day practices. Together, they would interview practitioners to learn of cultural rituals and ceremonies. Jim would go on to publish several books on their collections and studies. Additional donations to this collection were made on behalf of Jim and Jeanne Pieper by their four children: Cathy McCutcheon, Chris Pieper, Jeff Pieper, and Joanna Vose.

Photography by Robert Macaisa. The William H. Hannon Library is grateful for the support from the Bill Hannon Foundation that made possible the digitization of this collection.