For those of you who have never heard of it, The Museum of Biblical Arts is a museum in Dallas, Founded by Mattie Caruth in 1966. It is 3 museums in one. It is dedicated to teaching and exhibiting artwork with themes related to the Bible, with a focus on building bridges between those with Christian and Jewish backgrounds. It also houses the National Center for Jewish Art and the Museum of Holocaust Art. After a devastating fire and rebuild, Jan Wier was a member of the garden consultation team that responded when the Museum of Biblical Arts asked for assistance. Jan became this project’s champion. Today we are honoring MG, Class of 2018 Jan Wier with the Making a Difference Award, recognizing Jan’s contribution to the restoration of the garden in this iconic, public space. This garden had been neglected for several years and according to one member looked frankly “terrible”. In her role as champion, Jan recruited help from fellow MGs and asked each to design a garden area, using information she provided about plants that had sacred text references and those plants that were typical to the terrain in the historical Holy Land. After spearheading the repair of the irrigation system, Jan recruited Dallas Jesuit High School seniors to help with the physical labor. Prior to each work session, Jan gave a 10 minute informal presentation to the High Schoolers and non-MG volunteers concerning plants and best landscape practices. It was described as an amazing opportunity and very efficient process that Jan organized.

Scott Peck, the director of the Museum of Biblical Arts gives Jan all the credit with “bringing the garden back to life” in addition to introducing a lot of students to gardening.

I took the opportunity to visit the garden and found it to be incredibly thoughtful with a clear theme. The plantings were lovely, but also had direct references to the sculpture, the sacred texts of both the Christian and Jewish faiths, or were typical to the Holy Land.

Jan’s credentials include Advanced Vegetable Training, she is NPSOT Native Plant Certified, has served on the DCMGA nominating committee, and as a MG Project coordinator for the Dallas County Juvenile Detention Centers for both boys and girls. Additionally, she is a Master Gardener in Santa Fe County New Mexico.

Jan, we are delighted to honor you today for making a difference in our community.