Biography (Click on photos)

Margo Styan (nee Brisebois) grew up in a small Francophone community in southern Saskatchewan, Canada, on a farm where she learned lots of practical skills from her mother and father for living a complete and wholesome life.

For years after dropping out of university, Margo traveled around Canada and lived in various places, such as Fredericton, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Yellowknife, Whitehorse, Dawson City and Teslin. In Teslin, she lived with her life long friend, Nancy Colberg, who is also a Baha'i and a school teacher.

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From 1978 to 1980, Margo travel taught and pioneered as a Baha'i to the hot African country of Zaire (now Congo Republic) which had been colonized by the French for many years. There she taught school children of all ages French and English. In her spare time she travel from village to village sharing the new Message of Baha'u'llah. Her own living quarters was a very simple hut with a cement floor amongst the villagers near Gemena in the north west. After contracting malaria over and over again, she became too sick to continue living there, even though she thoroughly loved the African people.

She returned home in the summer of 1981, just in time to attend a summer school near Carcross, Yukon where she met her future husband Jim Styan, who was obviously impressed by this young lady's charm. She went back to her home in Saskatchewan, fully intending to return shortly thereafter to her pioneer post in Zaire, but the sudden death of her two grandmothers and her father all in the space of three weeks caused her to, instead, stay with her mother for several months while working for the local school there.

Correspondence between her and Jim became quite prolific, and in February of 1982, Jim proposed to her and she accepted, not because she knew him well, but because her heart said yes. This happened shortly after she turned down two other genuine suitors proposing marriage. Jim had sent her a tape of some of his newly written songs and Margo enjoyed their artistry. Margo Brisebois married Jim Styan on April 21, 1982 in a simple small wedding ceremony at a friend's home in Teslin, Yukon. *

After pioneering to a remote Native village in the Yukon for the first six months of their marriage, Margo and Jim finally settled in what was to be their most joyous Yukon home in Haines Junction where they could serve both the Yukon Native people and the settlers, some who had been there for a few generations. At first, Margo got a job for two years at the only daycare facility in this small town of about 500 people. Then, she got a job as full time Librarian where her fresh ideas and her warm spontaneous spirit attracted many new members. She even got several children involved in the art of puppetry. *

Her special relationship with the Native people endeared them so much to her that they often trusted her with baby sitting their children whom she loved dearly. Margo had gotten pregnant a few times in the early years of her marriage, but miscarried them all early on. At first, it seemed as if her dream of having many children had been lost. Prior to adopting six children, Margo and her husband Jim fostered 4 children whom they loved as much as their very own. Through her genuine love for the two struggling mothers involved, she was able to assist them in becoming sober and able mothers once again. One of them even eventually became a foster mother herself.

After adopting her first three children in Haines Junction, she decided that she could begin sewing quilted wall hangings that would be both calming and uplifting for the children. This is where she began to initiate her own style. At first, she depict in fabric colorful paintings that she liked from other artists, particularly Ted Harrison whose colorful whimsical and beautiful paintings inspired her own artistic genesis. Margo had asked Ted if it was okay to copy his art pieces in fabric, and he told her that it was okay as long as she didn't put his name on it or mass produce it. *

In 1992, Margo was lucky enought to pay a visit to chiropractor who pointed out that she had a crooked hip and that this was likely the cause of all her miscarriages. He straightened it out fairly easily and amazingly, Margo conceived once again and went full term, giving birth to her only biological child, a sweet tempered, naturally wise girl.

In 1998, Margo felt it necessary to move her family out of the Yukon to the Central Okanagan in southern British Columbia. By then, Margo and Jim had only their youngest adopted boy who was fourteen and their very young daughter who was four. By then, she needed to take medicine for chronic high blood pressure. It was here that her art work really developed and took flight. She soon became an acclaimed artist in western and northern Canada, selling well over a hundred of her fabric art creations, many of which you can view on her fabricart web site.

In 2002, she was struck with a stroke, whcih paralysed her left limbs and slowed her down. Through good physiotherapy, she was able to get back to sewing again, and even doing new art pieces.

In 2003, Margo and Jim and their daughter moved to the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island so that they could eventually send their daughter to the Maxwell International Baha'i School.

In early 2005, she was hit with another stroke, which when treated at hospital seemed to set off another stroke which has permanently blocked her left field of vision. This slowed her momentum further, but she fought back and is up and sewing again.

In the 2007-2008 school year she was teaching fabric art and sewing, two hours a week to students age 13-15 at the widely acclaimed "Maxwell International School" at Shawnigan Lake, north of Victoria. This year of 2009, Margo, though on heavy medication to thin her blood and hopefully prevent any further strokes from occuring, continues to brighten everyone's future with her steadfast and joyful will to serve humanity through her art of sewing.

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Artist's Statement There is a great need for peace and tranquility in the world today. Every living being can testify to this. We must stop, look, listen, and meditate upon all the wondrous things that the Creator has provided for our well being and growth. My art is intended to help those who stop for a while to look and then listen to their own inner beatings of their heart which urges them to meditate and discover truth for themselves and help them "grow and develop and appear in the utmost beauty". I believe we all have a gift that needs to be discovered and offered to this existence, and thus peace and tranquility can be found. . Artist Engagements Margo has appeared on Canadian television to speak about her unique fabricart works. She is an experienced speaker and educator, and has been a Baha'i for thirty years. Margo has worked with and raised many FASD children for the last twenty years, and has much good news to share about adopting and rearing such special children. She is available at a reasonable price for speaking and/or teaching engagements about her fabricart or about lovingly parenting FASD children.

Margo Styan's Artfulness Margo started doing these unique applique fabric art wall hangings about seven years ago. Working as her assistant and partner made me realize all the magnificent and intricate steps that go into the process of creating any one of these beautiful scenic and abstract, masterfully created, classic applique quilting fabric art treasures. All of the Native themes and Canadian northwest landscapes and her other fine art metaphoric contributions to the emerging Baha'i culture have created a completely new vision and new direction to the visual art world. The spirit of beauty that Margo captures in her stunning fabricart works are becoming more and more appreciated by art lovers and gallery owners alike. She captures something spiritual; what she does is more than a collage, more than a tapestry, more than a quilt; she goes way beyond the bounds of any decorative sewing craft or textile artwork. Her carefully chosen homemade hand-dyed cotton fabrics that she uses along with some well-picked store bought ones, and the many variety of variegated and metallic threads she uses for zigzagging and stippling, help her to achieve the quality art piece and Baha'i inspired creation she has in mind. I am very grateful to have witnessed the creation of these patterns of love and inspirations of beauty that truly appear to be a gift from the angels. - Jim Styan

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Artist's prayer for humanity

"O Thou kind Lord! Thou hast created all humanity from the same stock. Thou hast decreed that all shall belong to the same household. In Thy Holy Presence they are all Thy servants, and all mankind are sheltered beneath Thy Tabernacle; all have gathered together at Thy Table of Bounty; all are illumined through the light of Thy Providence.

O God! Thou art kind to all, Thou hast provided for all, dost shelter all, conferrest life upon all. Thou hast endowed each and all with talents and faculties, and all are submerged in the Ocean of Thy Mercy.

O Thou kind Lord! Unite all. Let the religions agree and make the nations one, so that they may see each other as one family and the whole earth as one home. May they all live together in perfect harmony.

O God! Raise aloft the banner of the oneness of mankind.

O God! Establish the Most Great Peace.

Cement Thou, O God, the hearts together.

O Thou kind Father, God! Gladden our hearts through the fragrance of Thy love. Brighten our eyes through the Light of Thy Guidance. Delight our ears with the melody of Thy Word, and shelter us all in the Stronghold of Thy Providence.

Thou art the Mighty and Powerful, Thou art the Forgiving and Thou art the One Who overlooketh the shortcomings of all mankind."  

(Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 100)

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