From groundbreaking design programs to international recognition in fine arts, the past five years have marked an era of innovation, impact and inspiration at the College of Fine Arts and Communications. Whether it is a student film reaching Oscar heights, an immersive art installation honoring a beloved concert hall, or a new major shaping the future of product design, these stories show how BYU students and faculty continue to create work that resonates far beyond campus.
DESIGN
New Design Program Focuses on Meeting the Needs of an Ever-Changing Field | 2023
Beginning in the fall semester of 2023, the Department of Design introduced a new major to help students prepare to enter the ever growing and evolving product design field: Product & User Experience Design. This program teaches students to design both physical and digital products. It combines the strictly physical teachings of the previous industrial design program and combines it with digital skill sets learned through user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design. Students will be well-prepared for the design industry because of this new endeavor from the Department of Design!
BYU Professor and Alumni Create Award-winning, Oscar-nominated Short | 2024
“Ninety-Five Senses,” co-produced by BYU animation professor Kelly Loosli, was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Animated Short category. The film was directed by former BYU students Jared and Jerusha Hess (creators of “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Nacho Libre”) — this short film was their first to receive an Oscar nomination. The 13-minute film tells the poignant story of Coy, an incarcerated man, as he reflects on his mistakes. Each of Coy’s five senses is depicted visually by a different animator — two animators who worked on the film, KC Toby and Michael Grover, graduated from BYU’s animation program.
BYU Students Win Coca-Cola Refreshing Films Contest | 2024
BYU AdLab students Adam Sheets and Destinee Neville were announced as the 2024 Red Ribbon Grand Prize Winner of the Coca-Cola® Refreshing Films program. When BYU earned one of the coveted finalist spots, they were granted $20,000 to bring their ad to life. Armed with state-of-the-art equipment and guidance from industry experts at BYU, more than 50 students worked tirelessly overnight at the Megaplex in Lehi to produce an ad worthy of the silver screen. Their advertisement, “Signs of Friendship,” screened in select movie theaters across the US and Canada.
BYU AdLab Recognized Internationally for Exemplary Students and Faculty | 2024
As a result of yet another successful year for the AdLab, both the AdLab and advertising professor Jeff Sheets have been recognized as the top of their field. As an indication of their success, the BYU AdLab won the Young Ones School of the Year contest for the second time since 2021. This award is an international, point-based award that takes into consideration the achievements and awards earned by students and schools from over 31 countries. This was an exceptional achievement for the Department of Design.
Two BYU Students Recognized by Graphic Design USA | 2025
In “2025 Students To Watch” from Graphic Design USA (GDUSA), undergrad and graduate students are recognized for showing personal and professional growth in graphic design. This year, two BYU design students made the cut: Viktoriia Leonenko and Luke Miller. Miller graduated in April 2025 from BYU’s graphic design program and is now preparing to move to New York and work for Prophet, a brand and strategy firm. Leonenko has one more semester at BYU, and then she hopes to work in user experience (UX) design.
ART
Five BYU Illustration Students Accepted into Prestigious Nationwide Competition | 2022
Every year since 1981, the Society of Illustrators has held the Student Scholarship Competition. “In a competition which can kick-start a career, students bring their most sophisticated, well-crafted and original work to be tested,” their website states. Among more than 8,700 entries for the Society of Illustrators’ 2022 Student Scholarship Competition, about 300 were accepted. Of those accepted entries, five were illustrated by BYU students — Audrey Day, Jaymie Johnson, Simona Love, Audrey Morgan and Samantha Windley.
An Art Student’s Homage to the de Jong Concert Hall | 2022
When art student Gabriella Warnick first heard about the demolition of the Harris Fine Arts Center, she felt overwhelmingly sad — but that sadness became a catalyst for her artistic endeavors to honor and remember the sounds of the de Jong Concert Hall. In November of 2022, Warnick presented audio from de Jong’s past and present as an immersive art installation titled “Requiem for a Stage.” The event offered opportunities for attendees to connect with each other, reflect on the HFAC’s vast history and even pause to meditate.
BYU Professors Publish Book on Art and Motherhood | 2024
Many assume that an artist must sacrifice family life in pursuit of a successful career. In their book, “Give and Take: Motherhood and Creative Practice,” BYU faculty members Tara Carpenter Estrada, Katie Palfreyman and Hilary Wolfley aim to counter this myth with firsthand accounts of artist mothers across a variety of disciplines. This book acknowledges the challenges of motherhood and the time and energy it can take away from pursuing creative work through a conglomeration of 33 personal essays. In fact, the women agree that motherhood is greatly ingrained in their art.
Students and Faculty Share Their Art at the Springville Museum of Art’s 100th Salon | 2024
BYU’s Department of Art celebrated its long‑standing partnership with the Springville Museum of Art by contributing to its milestone 100th Spring Salon, which opened June 28, 2024. The exhibit — titled “History of the Making” — features a curated selection of works by Utah residents. Faculty, alumni and one current student contributed at least a dozen of the 276 entries on display. Emily Larsen, director of the museum is also an alum. Brian Christensen, who teaches sculpture at BYU, has two entries in the Salon exhibition this year. He said he has been teaching at BYU for about 30 years and has been a part of the Spring Salon almost every year since 1993. This showcase honored both emerging and established artists connected to BYU.
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