Threatening, intimidating.

People coming and going today,

But none staying.

Winding queues and yawns.

No one converses

Nor cares to.

A bother, a bane.

A site least-favored among most.

Necessary, but unwanted.

It stands tall.

Majestic, reverent.

Calmer on this day.

Everyone elsewhere.

Remarkable, noteworthy,

Yet none taking note.

A sacred site

Among those who came before.

But today

An unsung blessing.

Artist's Statement:

Before even coming to BYU, I had heard my older sister complain about the Grant building, also known as the Testing Center. She described it as an oppressive place with endless rows of desks. She warned me about the long lines and the workers prowling up and down the rows.

During my first week as a freshman, it came time for me to take a quiz at the Testing Center. Carrying my prejudices with me, I went in, took my test, and left. I went home and warned my roommates about how awful it was, just as my sister had warned me. I went through my first semesters at BYU thinking of going to the Testing Center as a chore.

This past summer, I learned things about BYU’s history that I had never heard before, and it opened my eyes. I learned that the first buildings on this campus were the Maeser building, the Brimhall building, and the Grant bulding. The founders of the University never thought that the BYU student body would expand to a size that those three buildings couldn’t handle, and planned to sell the rest of the land. Then Albert Kelly had a vision, and saw many buildings on this campus. He also saw multitudes of students entering these buildings with smiles on their faces. After the vision, they didn’t sell the land, and Jesse Knight pledged a large sum of money to keep the school going.

The Testing Center is one of the very oldest buildings on this campus with such a rich history. I had never before considered all of the people who came before who must have loved and cherished that building. It was considered at “temple of learning” by Karl G. Maeser, and many students have entered, learned, and been uplifted. After this awakening, I looked at the Testing Center differently.

In the reading, we viewed photographs of specific places and read a little bit about the photo. The photo of the bus stop struck me especially. When I first looked at the photo, I saw it as just a bus stop. When I read the caption describing the photo, my view completely changed. It was the same experience I had with the Testing Center. When I learned the history and the building’s context was when I saw the building differently.

When I observed the building the first time this week, it was in the middle of the school day. There were students going in and out. None of them were speaking to each other, except at the counter where they pick up their tests. I wished some of them would look around at the beautiful building they were in. I wished they knew what I had learned about the building, because it might change their view of building as well.

It was a Friday evening the second time I observed the building. No one was coming and going. The building was beautiful and looked so serene in the evening light. I thought about the thousands and thousands of students who have walked through those doors, past and present. It felt very reverent that evening, and I saw the building as a beautiful temple of learning.