On September 10, Education in Zion hosted its first FHE of the new school year. The gallery decided to focus on missionary experiences of those who opened Latin America to the preaching of the gospel and to the stories of those seeking truth who became the devoted Saints amongst all the Hispanic peoples.

We had very few people join us in the gallery that night, but, nevertheless, there was a mighty outpouring of the Spirit. After relating some of the missionary experiences of the Brethren who opened these fields of labor, we felt impressed to open the discussion to those few in attendance. We asked if anyone would like to share a missionary experience with the group. What followed felt more like a sacrament meeting than the simple FHE we had prepared.

One sweet Bolivian sister related her conversion story. She is the only member of her family who is still active, and she believes she needs to stay in the United States to accomplish what the Lord wants her to do.  She attends the temple and seeks inspiration to know what to do.

Three of the men attending FHE had served missions in Argentina and had wonderful stories to tell of the devotion of those who accept the gospel there.

While listening to these wonderful Saints, I received a very strong impression of the great need we as members of Christ’s church have to remember we are all His children. Whatever political battles rage, we must never allow ourselves to forget that we do not look at one another the way the world does. Laws must be upheld, but we who profess the name of Christ can never allow ourselves to be swayed by the fear and rancor that currently sweep the earth.

Let us remember to show the Savior’s light in the surrounding darkness of the world by our example of love, concern and respect for all of Father’s children.

Reggie Voyce, Gallery Educator

I wanted to show the structural underclothing and the dress at the same time so people could see the structure and layers of clothing, but only partial accuracy was possible for me. I looked for pattern companies dedicated to historical reproductions. I also got ideas from actual pieces of nineteenth-century clothing from BYU’s historical clothing storage. Every piece came from a different source. One item I drafted myself (the drawers— I even hand-stitched them, but that took more than fourteen hours). I used unbleached muslin so these under layers of clothing will last a long time.

I wanted the dress to be more authentic than the under clothes. Silk taffeta was the most commonly used fabric for these types of dresses. However, 100 percent silk taffeta is stiff and crunchy, and it would have deteriorated quickly. (Modern taffeta is made of mixed fibers.) Marilla was part of the pioneers’ silk-making endeavor, in which the Saints raised their own silk worms and wove their own fabrics from them. Marilla most likely made her dress from scratch, growing the worms, weaving the fabric, and constructing the dress, so I found a business in Thailand that makes hand-woven, 100 percent silk fabric and used that to make this dress.

Marilla put a lot of effort into looking her best. This is evident in the design details included in her outfit, like the diamond smocking on the bodice and the pleating down the front of the skirt. Her great-great niece Marilyn Daniels says that Marilla loved fashion and would make most of her own clothes, which was very common, and even expected in the nineteenth century. In our era, industry and ready-made clothes save us a lot of time that we can use to further our education and serve others. Do you know where your clothes come from before they get to the department store? Do you notice the detailed designs in your clothes? Have you ever made any items of clothing yourself? How did they turn out and how much time did you spend on the project?

Drop by the basement rotunda area of the Education in Zion Gallery in the JFSB before December 15^th to see the exhibit. Remember to take a close look at the details on the dress and in her picture.

Melissa DeGuire, Theater Arts Major

A sketch of the dress

My ORCA grant exhibit on the dress of Marilla Lucretia Johnson Miller Daniels is still on display for a few more days. It comes down on December 15, 2011. The dress and undergarments will be donated in March to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneer (DUP) Museum in Springville. There it will be displayed again before it is donated permanently to the DUP collection in Springville. Although the dress and under clothing will probably not always be on display, it would be possible for it to stay out for several years without the threat of deterioration because of the type and quality of fabric I chose to use.

The exhibit honors the life of Marilla Daniels, who was one of the early Mormon pioneers. She helped to found the city of Springville with her husband, William Miller, who is sometimes referred to as a “Bogus Brigham.”[1]. Marilla used her education to speak out for woman suffrage and had a strong testimony of Joseph Smith. Having been a teacher in Nauvoo and in the LDS Church (Primary for ten years and Sunday School for twenty), she supported the work of her first husband to establish schools in each of Provo’s five districts. By 1857 there was a school in every district.[2]

You can find the exhibit in the JFSB at the bottom of the spiral stair case in the basement rotunda. It is a part of the Education in Zion Gallery, but it will not be there much longer, so make sure you see it before it is taken down on the 15th.

Melissa DeGuire, Theater Arts Major

A sketch of the dress

In fall semester 2010 I saw some ads for ORCA grants. It was exciting to think I could get money for a project that would give me experience while boosting my resume and portfolio.

I teamed up with a good friend who also was applying for a grant. She had a contact at the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers museum in Springville who found a woman—Marilla Lucretia Johnson Miller Daniels—whose story connected to Utah pioneers, Relief Society, and Woman Suffrage. Although an important woman in local Utah history, Marilla is not well known to modern generations. We decided to recreate her dress and the structural underclothing of it, doing extensive research on dyes, fibers, and sewing techniques used in the late nineteenth-century.

To my surprise, my proposal won the grant; unfortunately, my grant partner’s proposal was not chosen and she became too busy to continue with the project. I struggled to condense our large project into something one person could complete, but I still wanted to achieve two goals: (1) to demonstrate the clothing construction of the era, and (2) to bring Marilla’s history to light. Although I was excited, I was also unnerved because I had never made a historical reproduction before and I wasn’t sure if anyone would be interested in my project.

To complete the grant I needed:

1. A project that had value and educational worth.
2. A faculty member to be an advisor.
3. A place to display or present the project.
4. A timeline of what would be accomplished and when.

The best advice I can offer prospective ORCA grant writers is to be specific from the beginning about the details of your project and be sure to allocate your time and energy wisely.

My project will be on display in the basement rotunda area of the Education in Zion Gallery in the JFSB from November 8 to December 15, 2011.

Melissa DeGuire, Theater Arts Major

These students learned about the educational heritage within the Church through the medium of storytelling. The event consisted of groups of students coming into the gallery and then rotating to eight separate storytelling stations.

I had the opportunity to play the part of John Swenson, a student who came to Brigham Young Academy (BYA) in 1886. My story shared John’s experience of meeting Karl G. Maeser, the founding principal of BYA, and being influenced by his powerful example. I told my 90-second story 108 times throughout the three days the gallery participated in NSO.

Sharing John’s experience that many times made it clear to me that one righteous individual can have a powerful influence for good in our lives. It encouraged me to pay attention to the good around me as well as look for opportunities to serve the people in my life.

Collectively, the gallery educators told eight separate stories about using our talents, abilities, and education to serve others. These stories showed how sacrifice and dedication from many individuals have made the Church Education System what it is today.

The gallery message illustrates the gospel principle that learning is for the whole soul, the spirit as well as the intellect, and shows the results that can come from diligent study and service. Not only does Brigham Young University seek to teach this principle, it also offers the invitation “Enter to Learn, Go Forth To Serve” to anyone entering its grounds.

Nearly 3,000 students were able to get a sampling of the gallery during NSO. This experience showed me the power and meaning of the message presented in this gallery. Physically, it is one of the most beautiful locations on BYU campus, and I encourage you to come enjoy the atmosphere and be reminded of the aims and purpose of this great university.

– Jared Gay, Public Relations Major and Education in Zion Gallery Educator

Becca Snyder, After Eve Gallery Talks

I had the great opportunity to be part of the After Eve art exhibition, both as a designer and as an artist. This experience has given me a great deal of time to ponder womanhood, education, and the light of the gospel.

When I first got started on my project, the idea of education was something very formal and structured. You go to school, you come home, you study, you go back to school, etc. But as we explored education in terms of art and womanhood, my definition expanded to include visiting teaching experiences, conflicting opinions with roommates, local restaurant reviews, growing a garden, community service, meetings with my bishop, and hikes up to the Y.

Elaine Shaw Sorenson wrote an article for the Ensign in 1983 entitled “The Educated Woman Within Us.” In this article she writes:

The meaning of education is often assumed to be somehow related to “going to school” or learning as an external experience, related only to acquiring knowledge or skills helpful toward work productivity in society.

Education is . . . an unveiling of the natural thirst of the mind and soul, and subsequently their replenishment, refreshment, and expansion. Considered in its broadest sense, education may occur at school, at home, with family, at church, or even with an enlightening thought in a moment of solitude.

Education is more than learning. It is a complex interactive teaching and learning process.

I am grateful for the After Eve art exhibition because each artist has explored how education has influenced them individually. For some it has been learning to take risks, for others it has been passing knowledge to the next generation and learning from one another, and for me it was understanding how to find balance in all the varieties of my life.

If you have not seen the exhibition yet, I encourage you to come and enjoy the work as you ponder educated women and their far-reaching influence. For deeper views into the art, we also invite you to join our upcoming gallery talk on the 23rd of March where three artists will be discussing their work.

– Rebecca Snyder, Graphic Design Major

It’s quite easy – even expected – for us to question the need for something when we don’t fully understand the reason why it was created in the first place.  In a small, unobtrusive space in Education in Zion, the history of Family Home Evening is told.

First Presidency, 1915

In the dawn of the 20th century, Joseph F. Smith and other leaders saw a problem.  Children and teenagers had so many auxiliary church programs dedicated to their spiritual education and welfare that they were receiving more instruction there than they were in their own homes.

Additionally, many parents saw teaching in the home as supplementary to the instruction their families received at Church, instead of the other way around.  Sadly, this apathetic mindset is still common today as many LDS parents send their kids off to Young Men/Young Women or Sunday School, considering that to be sufficient for their family’s spiritual instruction.

President Frank Taylor, Granite Stake

In an effort to free up more time for parents to spend with their children, President Smith put together a committee charged with reducing the overlap of the Church’s teaching organizations.  In 1907 this committee recommended that certain programs be merged (out of which came the Primary program as it functions today) and that all auxiliary organizations of the Church place more emphasis on teaching in the home.

In 1909 a stake president named Frank Taylor (son of President John Taylor) set aside Monday evenings for Home Evening in an effort to follow the Church’s emphasis on strengthening the family.

By the spring of 1915, “Family Home Evening” as it came to be known, had become so successful in that stake that President Smith and the First Presidency officially adopted it church-wide, proclaiming the following:

“If the Saints obey this counsel, we promise that great blessings will result.  Love at home and obedience to parents will increase.  Faith will be developed in the hearts of the youth of Israel, and they will gain power to combat the evil influence and temptations which beset them.”

John S. Boyer Family

So what is the big deal?

For nearly 100 years now, families and prophets have testified again and again of the protection and blessings experienced from participating in Family Home Evening.  It represents one of the biggest “deals” of our faith, the deal we made to God to take care of His children as our own – or perhaps in the case of us young adults on campus, the deal we made to bear one another’s burdens and comfort those in need of comfort.

What better opportunity to keep our covenants in extending a loving hand of social and spiritual enlightenment than to attend and participate in Family Home Evening?

- Adam Watson, Communications Major and Education in Zion Gallery Educator

While in high school I repented for having neglected my musical talents and learned some bass guitar and piano skills playing in bands with my friends. Since that time I have learned more about music theory, picked up guitar and enhanced my piano skills. Songwriting is a way that I use to express myself and try and make something that evokes emotion.

Music is one of the gifts I am most grateful that God has given us on this earth.

I recently started working at Education in Zion and I work Fridays during a program called Music Fridays. The past two weeks have been phenomenal. There is a plethora of talented musicians at BYU. It’s amazing to think about the amount of time in their lives they have dedicated to honing their talents.

Whether it is the classically trained guitarist or the cellist, music has such a power to move and affect us. Most people would not enjoy the prospect of working on a Friday, but I’m coming to really enjoy and be excited for the opportunity to listen to these talented musicians . . . for free!

If you haven’t been in the gallery on a Friday at noon, I highly recommend that you shake off the dust of the Friday sleep-in and classes and make your way over to the JFSB. Many students come to enjoy the talents and skills of these musicians.

God has given us music to feel the Spirit, bring us joy, help us express our pains and sorrow and ultimately praise Him.

Music Fridays at Education in Zion are fantastic. Come and see.

- Dan Shirley, Industrial Design Major and Education in Zion Gallery Educator

Because Eve partook of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, we are given life and the opportunity to learn and to grow. Through seeking and obtaining knowledge we can continue to develop and one day become like our Heavenly Father. Eve’s choice and the choices of our forbears place us in a position to gain an education.

The After Eve exhibition is full of an array of understandings of how women have affected one’s learning. Not all of the artists are female. The insight of these ideas from a male perspective is both unique and inspiring. The mixed media throughout the exhibition gives an intriguing and thought-provoking view on the traditional concepts of education. We invite all to wander upstairs and enjoy After Eve.

- Brittany Dahlin, Education in Zion Gallery Educator, Art History Major

As a former kid, and a current gallery educator at Education in Zion (EIZ), I can tell you from personal experience that the best place to be for FHE is EIZ.

Education in Zion is now open from 10am to 9pm on Mondays. This gives you, your families, and your FHE groups the opportunity to experience much of what the gallery has to offer. Each Monday evening, there are two great gallery educators who are more than ready and willing to give tours, answer questions, and provide helpful insights so that your FHE groups get to enjoy the full EIZ experience. We also offer special programs with costumed storytellers on the 2nd and 4th Monday evenings of each month. We hope that you will leave EIZ with a greater appreciation for the Church, its educational system, and your own personal worth as a son or daughter of God, which is worth much more than money. Come make Education in Zion the place to be for your Family Home Evening.

- Ben Simmons, Psychology Major and Education in Zion Student Gallery Educator