Last week, a group of MHA attendees gathered at the Museum of Church History and Art, across from the Salt Lake Temple, for a special tour. I have been to the Museum before, but some recent changes are notable. Simply stated, the Museum is a treasure. And God bless Marjorie Conder.
Marjorie is responsible for three exhibits on which we concentrated: the Children’s exhibit, the Relief Society exhibit and the Presidents of the Church exhibit. These, of course, do not obviate the rest of the museum; the batik Salt Lake City Temple and Deseret currency are favorites. Still, it is perhaps surprising that my two young boys spent an hour and a half in the museum and did not want to leave (though, I could have done without the souvenir made-in-China Liahona).
The Children’s exhibit is quite large. There are many activities that relate to our being children of God. Puzzles, mazes and wall games. You can build your own temple with custom wood blocks. You can color your own pentagram (I still don’t know how they nixed weather-vane Moroni and yet kept the pentagram windows on the Nauvoo Temple). And on Tuesday morning it was pretty much vacant.
The Relief Society exhibit is special. The original minutes of the organization, in which Eliza recorded so many important events lay at the entrance. I read Joseph’s words on the open page. There are all sorts of artifacts, both antique and contemporary and they are all worthy of our attention. More than a decade ago, a Young Women’s president in Utah canceled their budget and instead used the money to create meaningful ways to help the afflicted. Her local inspiration resulted in the adoption of their activities on a Stake and Church-wide basis. Hygiene kits. Literacy kits. Birthing kits. I can think of no greater inspiration for local leaders to affect the Church. There is also the 1905 Relief Society Banner.
The Presidents of the Church exhibit is simply fun. Brigham Young’s sunglasses are completely hip. McKay’s white double breasted suit. Political cartoons about Ezra Taft Benson. My favorite was a replica of the Conference Center’s walnut podium. You can stand behind it and pretend. It has a 10 inch LCD monitor and a white leather hand rest. There is no red light (I miss those podiums — my one growing up had count down lights and a turn around signal), but I guess you could get a flash on the Screen in red 100 pt. type: “Who do you think you are? LeGrand Richards? Sit Down! Now!”
There are many Church sites that everyone should see sometime in their life. The Museum of Church History and Art is one that you should see regularly.
And don’t forget the every-three-years international art competition exhibits. True gems.
I want the special tour! The museum is great. My favorite item was Joseph’s gun from Carthage jail. The Church really has done a good job with this.
Sounds so fun, I’m so jealous you all were there.
1) re: Liahona. Seriously, those cheap souvenirs should at least be made on the narrow strip of land down South.
2)BY’s sunglasses. I remember those. Aren’t they green? And they’re totally John Lennon? Imagine there’s no heaven… Except BY would be like Imagine there’s a heaven, wives as you please. Imagine there’s a heaven living in ecstasy.
3) How much time did you spend behind the podium, J.? Did you look into the camera and say, “repent. go to your bishop today. please, repent.” It could happen to you, you know.
I haven’t been since I was a Laural, but I do remember loving it. I think we’ll have to stop by as a family this summer on our way through. Thanks so much for reminiding me.
I also went down there last weekend. I really like the replica of the Tabernacle, with the podium raised above the seats. I had a ball pretending to be BY: “Zachary Taylor is in hell!” or rattling off something about blood atonement or ranting about Emma being “the wickedest woman on earth.” I’m usually quite sedated in public, but I couldn’t resist.
The special tour rocks. Amri, BY’s sunglasses are indeed green and that song is now officially ruined…but how did you know about my pretend discourse?
J. It turns out I know all things. Who knew?
I mean, I did but I’ve tried to keep it under wraps.
Now, whenever I think about BY wearing those shades, I imagine him wearing a hawaiian shirt around the Lion house and singing along to a recording of Bob Marley’s I shot the Sheriff.
J, I haven’t been there in a very long time. The “build your own temple out of blocks” sounds very interesting. I’d hate to be the parent of the kid who knocks it down!
When you mentioned the President of the Church exhibit I pictured the old audio-animatronics Hall of Presidents exhibit at Disneyland. Creepy. (that seriously gave me nightmares as a kid). But it raises an interesting question and the possibility for some great creative genious (by someone else, I’m all out — that’s right Mark, I’m looking at you) — What would our church presidents be doing/saying if they were audio-animatronic and somebody flipped the switch?
Around Christmas time last year there was a very good exhibit of pieces of artwork portraying the pioneers right next to the children’s exhibit.
John’s right. That’s when I was there last, and the art exhibit was very cool.
Nice to hear about the new exhibits. Back in ’91, I took a date there. In the basement there was a wall of children’s Book of Mormon art. One I really liked: a child had drawn a multi-panel sequence of Alma teaching and baptizing at the waters of Mormon. He had little labels all over for the trees of Mormon, the grass of Mormon, the dirt of Mormon, the ants of Mormon. Someone had very definitely internalized Mosiah 18:30. To top it off, when I pointed this drawing out to my date, a woman from San Jose, it turned out she knew the boy: he was in her home ward, and she said the drawing was the kind of thing he would do.
That tour was way cool. I was especially excited that they included the story about the Young Women’s President starting humanitarian projects. When we toured the Humanitarian Center last year, they didn’t mention that at all. It’s just neat to think that this huge undertaking that benefits people all over the world had grassroot beginnings. That’s a comforting and exciting thought in this church.
Now, I will always associate “I shot the sheriff” with Brigham Young. :)
I also really loved the grassroots nature of the hygiene kits. In fact, I shared the story with the YW in my ward as they were assembling such kits last night. I enjoyed the use of material culture in this exhibit, particularly the representation of President Hinckley as well as the use of quilts.
The icing on the cake was seeing J. Stapley hold baby Zina, while Mark IV pushed her empty stroller, allowing me to enjoy the tour. Thanks, guys!
You’re welcome, kris. I greatly admired your willingness to travel across the continent with a new baby in order to participate in MHA. It was a pleasure to help, even in such a small way. And I echo J.’s thanks to sister Conder.
I liked seeing Gladys Knight’s Grammy, and also hearing about the origins of the hygiene kits. Here is the paragraph from the news release about the opening of this exhibit:
Glenn, re: audio-animatronics. I’m with you, brothah, when Abraham Lincoln winked at me at Disneyland, it really gave me the creeps. But here’s the thing – I’m pretty sure I’ve seen, somewhere in the last five years, an exhibit like that featuring Moroni in a cave, working on the plates. He’s busy engraving away, then looks up and notices he has company. His mouth, eyes, hands, and torso move as he explains what he is doing and bears his testimony of the Nephite record. I’m pretty sure it was in a visitor’s center somewhere. Can somebody help me out? Otherwise I’ll have to conclude that I have very vivid, and very weird, dreams.
MHA tours are the best; the guides are always more knowledgeable than what you will get on the standard tour.
Mark IV-
Isn’t that in the AZ visitor’s center? I’ve heard of it too. We hope it’s still there : ) Has anyone seen the New Lincoln museum and library? Animatronics are so yester-year . . . the new things now are 3-D holographic video images. The show at the Lincoln Museum is entitled something like ‘The Ghost in Lincoln’s Library’— TOTALLY AWESOME. It’s worth a trip from SLC to Springfield.
Mark IV, I’ve been twice. The Lincoln Museum is dang cool, especiall Ghosts of the Library.
I love the Museum of History and Art. Since moving away from the Wasatch Front some 14 years ago, I love going back there. I’ve noticed BY’s sunglasses before as well, and thought “cool”.
About 8 years ago, while struggling with a new calling, had to be in SLC on business for a few days, and after visiting family, had an afternoon where I spend some time at Sam Weller’s, then the Museum. I remember that I had a lot of issues relating to that calling, and while wandering through the Presidents exhibits, I just felt very strongly the sensation that is best described as “being enfolded in the arms of love”. As I then started through some of the art galleries, the sensation just became stronger, and I found myself with tears running down my face, almost unable to breathe. The nice senior missionaries kept coming up and asking if they could answer any questions, obviously perceiving that I was having a spiritual experience, and I politely had to assure them I was already a member. After that, they left me alone with the feelings. Didn’t solve all of my problems that I was struggling with, but came out with a renewed sense of commitment and stronger testimony.
Going back now still brings out many of those feelings. I especially react to a couple of the paintings from the impressionist era of the artist sent to Europe in preparation for painting the murals in the SLC temple.
A few comments.
First thank you for all the kind words, not only for “my” exhibits, but for the museum generally.
I do need to clarify, however. I was only the curator of the Presidents of the Church expansion–Benson, Hunter and Hinckley. Steve Olsen, who is now the Associate Managing Director of the Historical Department (some of you may remember him from his MHA presentation) was the curator of the part from Joseph Smith to Pres. Kimball–including BY’s sunglasses. Incidently, no audio-animatrons here, although someone in the Missionary Dept. does seem to be quite taken with such technology.
I didn’t know we had a tacky Liahona from China. I had to go look. Finally found it in the store. At least it wasn’t on display in an exhibit!
The handcart exhibits, which dominated the museum last year are now gone except for some remnants in the lobby and downstairs. I understand parts of those exhibits, are/have/will traveled to the Washington D.C. visitors’ center and then on to Nauvoo for much of the summer.
I had to laugh at John Mansfield’s memories of the 1991 children’s art exhibit. The piece he remembered was one of my favorites too.
And finally, I’m still offering “free tours” from now until I retire, two months from today. Call me 801-240-4649 if you are going to be around and we can probably work something out. I would love to meet any or all of you. It was great fun meeting J. Stapley and other bloggers in the group Kris Wright arranged. It is always nice to have a face to put with the names on the blogs.
Hi, This is for Marge.Thanks for the invite.I went to the web site in hopes of seeing some of the exhibit, no luck. Congratuations on your retirement and all the work you have done at the musuem. Marlehna