Education in Zion

Education in Zion is a museum located on Brigham Young University campus in the Joseph Fielding Smith Building. The exhibits are a bit off the beaten path, but definitely a hidden gem worth looking for. Because of its secluded location, this museum is rarely crowded, making it the perfect place for quiet relaxation.

The theme of the museum, as the name implies, is all about education and the church, including history of Brigham Young University, history of education in the church, and the views on education from many church leaders, both living and deceased. The museum is populated with many historic photographs and artistic depictions of church history, making this as much about visual art as it is about education. The best part of the museum is that it’s totally and completely free, as long as you’re willing to make the walk to campus.

The layout and location of the museum are perhaps the parts of my visit there that I enjoyed the most. You can enter from either the third or fourth floor within in the Joseph Field Smith Building on the East side.

Before you enter the museum, you pass through a small alcove with large windows facing the courtyard of the JFSB, with its beautiful fountain clearly visible. The entire East side of the museum is glass, with spectacular views of the campus and the mountains further to the East. Because most buildings on BYU campus aren’t taller than four stories, you can get a great view of much of campus from inside the museum. Plus, the windows let in large amounts of sunshine if you attend the museum during the morning. In the center of the museum is a large, wooden spiral staircase that goes down to the lower floors, that is often featured in pictures of BYU for it’s beautiful, yet simple design and natural lighting. Near the staircase is a large area with comfortable chairs and tables, set up for people to study or relax. Anybody familiar with BYU during Fall or Winter semester can attest to the difficulty of finding a quiet place to study, especially during certain hours of the day, which makes this museum even more special, because the study area is rarely occupied, making the museum always worth a visit.

The exhibits are split North and South, with the staircase in the middle, and open to the fourth floor, creating a large, open, yet somehow cozy space. In addition to the normal exhibits, there are rotational exhibits that come in and out of the museum, making it possible to have a different experience with each visit. The exhibits on display currently are “Constructing a Soul”, which draws parallels between our bodies and the constructions of buildings, and runs through the summer of 2022, and “Jesus Wept”, which discusses emotions in the scriptures, and runs through spring of 2020.