BA Art student Elisabeth Baird feels most inspired when making art —not in the solitude of her studio, but with other people. As a future teacher (she is earning an art education licensure), Baird draws on the power of art to inspire understanding and connection. So when she learned about socially engaged art in a class from Professor Dan Barney, it seemed a natural fit. Read more on the Department of Art's website.

Kamba will speak at the Department of Art and Department of Design Convocation at 12 p.m. on April 26

Forsyth will speak at the Department of Art and Department of Design Convocation at 12 p.m. on April 26

Weir will speak at the Department of Dance, School of Music and Department of Theatre and Media Arts Convocation at 3 p.m. on April 26

Welch will speak at the Department of Art and Department of Design Convocation at 12 p.m. on April 26 Initially, Chloe Welch was an art major. Having grown up doing arts and crafts, she felt comfortable in the art world. “It's always kind of been my thing,” said Welch. However, as time went by, Welch realized she wanted to work with others more, so she changed her major to art education. “I realized instead of just making art alone, I wanted to make it in this big group setting and have a place to be inspired and a place to inspire,” she said. “As an art educator, you get to talk about what you're passionate about all day and have this community of artists that work with you.” This interconnectivity impacted a lot of Welch’s college experience as well. Some of her defining college experiences are moments when she made something alongside her classmates or was introduced to someone else’s art process. “One of my first experiences here at BYU was in my first Art-Ed intro class,” Welch said. “We walk in and the professor was there, and she said, ‘Hey, everybody, I'm going to go, but you guys need to build a fort in here. Go. See you later.’ She left and we built this giant fort in the middle of the classroom and worked together and got to know each other through building and making things.” Another defining experience happened when one of her professors, Dan Barney, who works in textile arts, introduced the class to yarn-making. Barney brought in a bag of wool just sheared off the sheep. The students each took a clump of it and learned to make yarn from the wool. “It was really cool,” said Welch. “He was teaching us about artists and teaching us about practice by showing us his own practice and letting us participate in that. Interconnection is also what inspires Welch to teach and to make art. In a world of conflicts and tough issues, Welch has found art helps her organize her thoughts and work through her feelings. “Making art is a way for me to process things,” she said. “Whenever something happens or I’m thinking about something I need to have an output. Then I can look at that thing, see what that is, and actually deconstruct it. When it's just in my head swirling around it's hard. So, I think a lot of it is just the world and my life and how that intersects.” While art helps Welch deal with the bigger, sometimes weightier things, teaching is her way of trying to contribute to the world. “I think it’s important to be a part of what’s going on in the world,” she said. “And what better place than a school where there’s so many students and they’re all growing up in this world and going off to make choices? I’d really love to be a part of that and influence them for good and tell them to consider art as something they can have in their life.” Welch plans to make a career of teaching art and will be looking for teaching positions in Utah, preferably in secondary education. She says she’s open to any opportunities that cross her path. Q&A with Chloe Welch, BA '19 Art | Art Education (K-12) What’s your favorite snack? “I love all chips. They’re my favorite food, actually. All chips are created equal.” What do you wish more people knew about your major? “I guess that they just knew about the major. It's just really small and it feels like a tight family. I wish more people knew this existed and considered it. I think that teaching in general — whether it's your plan A or plan B — is a great plan to have in life. No matter who you are, whatever you do in your life, you're going to be a teacher at some point, whether you're training a new employee or teaching your kids. Combining that with art, you still get all of the studio classes and all the art experience, but then you also get these awesome teaching skills that are so important for life.” What did was your dream occupation as a child? 'I wanted to be a construction worker. I could definitely still go that route. Growing up in Arizona, it was just farmland and some of it was being developed. So I always saw construction workers when we were driving around. It looked so fun, to get to build stuff. I think that aspect of construction was what was most attractive to me, that you get to make this whole new creation. I think as an artist that's still something that I achieve every day, but don't have to be inside in the heat.'

Baker will speak at the School of Communications Convocation at 9 a.m. on April 26 Camille Baker returned from her mission unsure of what she wanted to study. Formerly an English major, Baker found herself searching for something new. “I didn't really feel at home in my classes,” she said. “I felt like I couldn't connect with some of the students and the professors. I still really loved writing and editing, and my original intent was to be a book editor, but I didn't really want to go through BYU without having any friends in my classes. I figured I'd look around for a degree that would give me enough credibility to be a book editor.” The solution, she concluded, was the news media major. Her experience in the introduction to communications class validated that decision. “I took the prerequisites, and I was having a hard time feeling like I found purpose in my major,” Baker said. “I had friends who are studying medicine, special education and teaching. They all had these passions, and I just wanted to move commas around. “One of my classes was the Comms 101 intro-level class with professor Jessica Zurcher,” Baker continued. “She shared Elder Bednar’s talk on sharing goodness — ‘Sweep the Earth as With a Flood’ — and she said that she found her passion in communications because she realized that, in order to share the goodness of the gospel with the world, she had to learn how the world communicates.” This resonated with Baker and encouraged her to move forward with studying news media. Even with this broader vision of potential paths within communications, Baker had made up her mind to pursue book editing. “My mentors and professors knew that at the beginning, and I was kind of stubborn about it,” she said. “But, I had a really, really positive experience in my reporting classes. It completely changed the way that I saw journalism and how I saw my future. So, I decided to become a journalist.” The Daily Universe, BYU’s campus newspaper, has been central to Baker’s college experience. “I wish that news media students took advantage of the Daily Universe newsroom,” she said. “I've had a lot of classmates and friends in the program who will choose a different part-time job on campus that pays a little bit more and not work at the Universe. I think that they've really missed a good opportunity.” According to Baker, The Daily Universe benefits students in two ways: first, it gives students the opportunity to attain important work experience that will be valuable no matter their career path. Second, it puts students in contact with the faculty involved with the Universe. “They miss out on the opportunity to work with Steve Fidel and Carrie Moore, who are exceptional resources for the students there,” Baker said. “I wish that every student that went through the news media program was on the staff at the Universe, because it's amazing.” Baker now works as the Deseret News’ newsletter coordinator, a job she received while interning for the news organization. “It was a couple weeks ago that my boss' boss pulled me into his office and said, ‘Hey, I've had a lot of people come up and tell me that if there's anybody we can't lose after their internship, it's you,’” Baker said. “Which was really good to hear and a very nice compliment. They didn't have any openings at the time, but he mentioned that he had been throwing this idea around about creating a position for a newsletter coordinator. They essentially created a whole new position so that I could stay on.” Baker hopes to continue working with the Deseret News in this capacity for the next few years before moving on to be a reporter. “Eventually I would like to transition into in-depth reporting, whether that’s at the Deseret News or another news organization,” she said. “My passion lies in writing and editing.” Q&A with Camille Baker, BA '19 Communications | Communications: News Media What’s your favorite snack to eat between classes or while on break at work? 'If I didn’t have a lunch while I was working in the Universe newsroom (which was for like a year and a half), I'd grab an Uncrustables in the Brimhall vending machines. They just got me. We have Smucker’s Uncrustables at work now. Maybe it’s a good omen.' As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 'Initially, when I was in first grade, I wanted to be a first grade teacher and, when I was in second grade, I wanted to be a second grade teacher, and so forth and so on. When I was in high school, I wanted to be a chef. I had carefully planned all my credits so I could take a culinary arts class. That went out the window when I took my literature class and fell in love with writing and editing. So, teacher, chef, writer, editor and journalist.'

Hastings will perform at the Department of Dance, School of Music and Department of Theatre and Media Arts Convocation at 3 p.m. on April 26 At the start of her academic career at BYU, Morgan Hastings thought she’d major in psychology, despite her lifelong experience with dance. “I was really frustrated because I felt that there was a stigma with other students thinking all dancers are stupid,” Hastings said. “I thought I’d major in something else.” That plan didn’t last long. “I came to this realization, ‘why am I doing something else when I love ballet?’ I've always wanted to dance professionally,” Hastings said. Now that she’s on the brink of graduating, Hastings is closer to that dream than she’s ever been. “I've been auditioning and sending audition videos out to companies,” she said. Hastings has also expressed interest in going to graduate school, either to study dance or dance movement therapy. “It kind of depends on where my life goes and what happens on the way,” she said. Wherever her life takes her, though, dance will be a part of it. Not only has Hastings taken dance classes from a young age, she has also participated in intensives and has studied abroad with established dance institutions. “After my senior year of high school, I was just really focusing on ballet,” Hastings explained. “I did some summer intensives after that senior year. One of them was with the Bolshoi Academy.” The Bolshoi Academy, based out of Moscow, Russia, is a moving force in the ballet world and has produced some of this generation’s greatest stars in the industry. Hastings was excited to be asked to continue studying with them after the intensive in New York ended. “I was shocked at the invitation and didn’t really think it was a possibility,” Hastings said. “I kind of thought it was this dream. But, with lots of support, I ended up going and I lived there for a year studying ballet.” After returning to the United States and spending some time studying at Utah Valley University, Hastings began studying at BYU. Among her most memorable experiences at BYU was on last year’s Theater Dance tour in New Mexico. “Our tour bus broke down several times,” Hastings said. “For a couple of the performances, we were ten minutes late and had three minutes to get our costumes on, get our pointe shoes on, get everything ready and go on stage and perform. Even though we felt like a mess, the people that were at the performances were so appreciative of us being able to share our talents.” In the hopes of combating the stereotype that dance students aren’t as academically challenged or capable, Hastings has diligently sought to maintain her GPA. She’s proud to have maintained a 3.9 or higher during her academic career at BYU. Hastings is currently auditioning for dance companies — including the London Ballet Company — and is looking forward to the future, including moving to the United Kingdom after marrying her fiancé. Q&A with Morgan Hastings, BA '19 Dance | Dance What did you want to be when you grew up? “When I was younger, I was actually super interested in the medical field. I’m the youngest of six kids and I have three sisters, including one who is a nurse and one who is a dancer. I love the human body and it fascinates me, but as time passed I just knew that dance was the route. Right now, I’m in kinesiology, which explores the muscles of the joints and so I still get to study and understand the body better, which is cool. So, I still have been able to achieve part of that childhood dream. I still get to study and understand the body better.” What is the hardest thing you had to overcome? “I have depression. I hated high school because we were trying to find medication that would work. The first couple that we tried kind of backfired and went in the opposite direction. It just made things worse. We tried more, and I just got to a point where I felt numb and felt no emotion. That was really, really challenging. It’s interesting, we finally found a medication that works, and I was in a good place and stable. When I went to Russia, it was hard. I was surrounded by so many girls with various mental disorders and eating disorders but I’ve seen how the gospel and a knowledge of the plan of salvation has really affected my ability to stay afloat and pull out of that. As I’ve — through dance — come to understand myself better and understand how I react to things and I’ve been able to cope better. Dance has helped me with that, which is really cool. In a lot of circumstances, it can take people down the opposite path because of the body image. There are just so many things that make people think so negatively about themselves and that can encourage depression rather than discourage it. It’s been interesting to see how it’s kind of had the opposite effect on me. It’s helped me and given me confidence.” Favorite snack for between classes? “I love nuts. Cashews, almonds, peanuts. Anyone in the dance department or anyone in my apartment complex, if they know me, they know I always have a bag of trail mix or a bag of mixed nuts in my hand to snack on.”

Duque will speak at the Department of Art and Department of Design Convocation at 12 p.m. on April 26 Annelise Duque knew she wanted to be an artist from a fairly young age. Having been raised by two professors — one of whom was a ceramic artist — Annelise decided on her career path early on. However, she originally planned on studying illustration, since she thought it would help her on that journey. “I had a professor in a non-major watercolor class I took for fun, and she had gotten her BFA in the studio art program here at BYU,” Duque said. “She said, ‘Annelise, do you know what illustration really entails?’ Because I thought that it was all kids books, but it turns out it’s a lot more commission-based.” Wanting to make more of her own artistic decisions, Duque decided studio art was closer to what she was looking for in a major and career path. “The art program, compared to the design and illustration programs, is more about individual artists and what they want to do and their own path,” Duque said. “They’re still great, just different. So, I started making art more about myself.” Her experience in the Department of Art has been overwhelmingly positive, she says. She found her professors to be very caring and personally invested. The biggest standout moment to her was when her professor, Joe Ostraff, offered to give her the shirt off his back. “He was wearing this really cool long-sleeve white t-shirt with these graphic letters hand-printed onto it,” Duque said. She told him she liked the shirt and he asked if she’d like to have it. “I said, ‘Joe, I’m not going to take the literal shirt off of your back. I don’t need your shirt,’” Duque said. “Then the next day in class he just gave me the shirt all laundered and everything. I’m going to keep it forever.” Duque is hopeful looking to the future. While some see art degrees as less-than-useful, she insists that they are versatile. “When people ask you what you’re going to do once you graduate, a lot of people say, ‘I’m going to be an artist,’” Duque said. “A lot of people think that you just want to be an artist or you are going to try to be a high school art teacher or something, but our professors tell us all the time about students who have graduated in our program and now work as content creators or design consultants. An artistic background can help you get into new jobs.” Duque plans on working toward becoming an art professor. Having been raised by two professors, she says it runs in her blood. “I’ve always wanted to be a professor,” Duque said. “I think because of that, my professors have made an effort to find me teaching opportunities or jobs that could help me get to that point. They’ve provided me with so much resume material that has really made me confident.” The word of wisdom Duque would leave other students, particularly women, is to stop selling themselves short. Though the art program is mostly composed of women, there aren’t many women that go on to study in graduate school and there are even fewer female professors in the program. “You have to just keep going,” Duque said. “Follow your path, follow your dreams, even if it feels stupid.” Q&A with Annelise Duque, BFA '19 Art | Art When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up? 'I was all over the place. I wanted to be an opera singer for probably the first eight years of my life, but then I wanted to be like my mom. She was a ceramic artist, and growing up she let me play around with clay and with paint and with all these different tools.' What’s your favorite snack to eat between classes? 'I get the cheese sticks and the flaxseed tortilla chips that are shaped like hexagons. Our art classes are three hours long during lunch and nap time, so a little bit of protein and salt helps wake you up in your classes.' Who or what is your inspiration? “I am inspired by my advisor. Her name is Jen Watson and she is the coolest person in the world. She got her BFA here, her undergrad here, and then she quit art for ten years or something. She became a snowboard instructor and really got to know herself and what she wanted to do. After that long break she realized, ‘I can be an artist on my own terms.’ And so she went to grad school and then she got hired here.”

Norawong will speak at the School of Communications Convocation at 9 a.m. on April 26

Madsen will perform at the Department of Art and Department of Design Convocation at 12 p.m. on April 26

Boyack will perform at the Department of Dance, School of Music and Department of Theatre and Media Arts Convocation at 3 p.m. on April 26

Hales will perform at the School of Communications Convocation at 9 a.m. on April 26