Arts Firesides in the 1990s by Jan King
Submitted November 2023
It was my bounty to be a part of the Arts Fireside presentations in Iowa during the mid-late nineties. Our inspiration at the beginning was when Universal House of Justice, in its Ridvan message of l996, called on the friends to “give greater attention to the arts, not only for proclamation, but also for the work in expansion and consolidation… At the level of folk art, this possibility can be pursued in every part of the world, whether it be in villages, towns or cities. Shoghi Effendi held high hopes for the arts as a means of attracting attention to the Teachings…
With these thoughts in mind, Becky Jensen asked if I would consider helping her and Mark McDowell develop what we called Arts Firesides. We selected a principle teaching of the Faith and looked for ways to present that principle through music, dance, visuals other art forms. We attempted to include the use of all the senses and a variety of means of presenting the topic. We shared Writings from the Faith and tried to add special touches–fresh flowers and candles, prayers or songs in other languages than our native English, use of sign language, stories of ‘Abdu’l Baha, skits, slides, and more. When possible we invited others with specific talents to help us. For example, Darajun Abel, a youth at the time, did a dance presentation for us to the music of “See Me Beautiful.”
The themes we developed were:
Peace and Unity
The Equality of Men and Women
The Power of Prayer
Mankind is One
We gave these Arts Firesides as devotional gatherings, firesides and summer school presentations in various locations in Iowa and got lots of positive feedback. We had the bounty of doing a 2001 workshop in Kansas City as well. I’m hoping we touched the hearts of many. I know my heart was touched by being a participant and working with Becky and Mark. I have some wonderful memories of these times! And how can we go wrong when we delve into the Writings of the Faith?