BYU ARTS Art Director Nick Mendoza and Designer Sam Reed earned a Grand Gold from the CASE VII 2016 Award of Excellence for their entry in the Design & Poster category. The entry was a poster designed in support of the university’s Contemporary Dance Theatre (CDT). It features one image cut into three pieces on three posters — as a metaphor for the various dance choreography combined in one show. We asked Nick if he would share more about the award-winning project. READ MORE >>>>>>

Brigham Young University’s performing group Living Legends recently returned from a three-week tour in the Pacific Islands where they dazzled appreciative audiences with their show “Seasons” and built lasting friendships through service rendered at schools, hospitals, care centers and other venues. “What they brought to the South Pacific will long be remembered,” said the Rev. Maauga Motu of the National Council of Churches in Samoa. “What they performed will live forever.” The message from the performers was one of love, peace and unity among all peoples and cultures. More than 16,500 children, teenagers, parents, university students, dignitaries, diplomats, religious leaders and members of the media were entertained and served during the nine performances and 19 private outreach events during the tour. READ MORE>>>>

The Brigham Young University Museum of Art has hired Dr. Kenneth Hartvigsen as Curator of American Art. The retention of Dr. Hartvigsen was precipitated by the retirement of long-time Curator of American Art, Dr. Marian Wardle, who acted in this role for over 14 years. Dr. Hartvigsen will continue the scholarly legacy of Dr. Wardle, researching and publishing the BYU Museum of Art’s collection, engaging diverse American Studies faculty across campus, and curating exhibitions that support a wide variety of disciplinary curricula. Read more>>>>

“Where does the power come from to see the race to its end?” pondered Eric Liddell moments before his 1924 Olympic victory in Paris. “From within.” In March 2017, the true-to-the-faith stories of British runners Liddell and Harold Abrahams will be rekindled in a live stage production of Chariots of Fire as part of the BYU theatre season. The desire for a BYU production of the play ignited from its origination in London’s Roundhouse Theatre and subsequent West End production in 2012 during the London Olympic Games. BYU Arts producer Jeffrey Martin attended a performance and immediately hoped to be able to produce the play in Provo. READ MORE AT BYU ARTS>>>>>>

The BYU Center for Animation has a history of earning accolades for its student-created animated short films each year. 2016 has been no different.

Every three years, the BYU Ballroom Dance Company competes at the British Open Ballroom Dance Championships in Blackpool, England. The team has a long history of dominating this prestigious event, having won the competition a record 22 times. However, 2016 would be the first year the team would perform under new directors Curt and Sharon Holman, who took over the Ballroom Dance Company in the summer of 2015. At the end of Spring semester, the team began to prepare both the Latin and Ballroom medleys for Blackpool — meeting from 7:00am to 2:00pm six days/week. The group’s hard work was rewarded when they were crowned champions in both Ballroom and Latin categories.

The world truly is 'a campus' for many performers, athletes at the Church-owned school. A sign at the entrance of Brigham Young University carries a familiar slogan: “The World Is Our Campus.” It’s not a metaphor. The influence and reach of the Church-owned college stretches across the globe. BYU’s performing arts groups and athletic teams are responsible for much of that broad footprint. Every year students take their artistic and athletic talents on the road – representing the university (and, by extension, the Church) in front of myriad nations and cultures.

The BYU Museum of Art has launched a new exhibit commemorating the centennial anniversary of the U.S. National Park Service. The exhibition, titled “Capturing the Canyons: Artists in the National Parks,” contains around 90 pieces of artwork highlighting western National Parks and the artists who have captured their beauty. Curator Ashlee Whitaker spent three years preparing the exhibition through research and careful selection of compelling pieces of art. She felt it was important to convey the dynamic relationship between the parks and the artists who helped to popularize them.

Assistant Professor of Design David Dibble recently received an award at the Oil Painters of America 25th National Juried Exhibition. Dibble’s work “Hinckley Farm” won a Landscape Honorable Mention from the exhibition in Texas. He primarily paints landscapes working on site, and this painting was no exception. “I did the painting on location at the Hinckley farm in West Provo and loved the morning light striking the old farm buildings,” Dibble said. “I then took the painting back to the studio and further explored the scene to clarify the emotion of strong warm light and remoteness of location that I wanted to portray.”

For the Christian artist, the psalmist’s charge to “magnify the Lord” is naturally achieved through paint, brush, chisel or sculpting tool. The life, teachings and gospel of Jesus Christ have been taught through paintings and sculptures for centuries. READ MORE >>>>>

Staying in Provo this spring and summer? We have a variety of fun things you can do at the Harris Fine Arts Center or the Museum of Art. Plus, most of them are free! So grab a date, a group of friends or just yourself and enjoy these thirteen things you can do at BYU.

The College of Fine Arts and Communications held three convocation ceremonies on April 22 in recognition of the 512 CFAC undergraduate and 28 graduate students receiving degrees during BYU's commencement on April 21, 2016. Download printed program. After a welcome from Dean Ed Adams, the ceremonies were keynoted by student speeches and performances that showcased student work in the de Jong Concert Hall of the Harris Fine Arts Center. Students reflected on what they learned during their time at BYU and expressed their excitement to take the tools they had gathered into their futures. 8 a.m. The School of Communications started their program at 8 a.m. with the largest number of graduates in the College of Fine Arts and Communications. Public relations student Michelle Wood Keddington spoke first about “What to See in Your Selfie.” She challenged new graduates to see the results of earning of degree in communications from BYU including learning how to learn, learning how to do hard things and gaining values that change the world. “When you step back and think about your overall experiences here at BYU, what really matters is who you have become,” said Keddington. “BYU has given you a plethora of values that will make you a better worker and person. Beyond that shameless self-portrait is a person who is unique and has developed many good qualities that will be beneficial for people worldwide.“ Journalism student Brooke Porter spoke next and recounted her experiences telling the stories of those living with a terminal diagnosis. “I was taught the significance of a life and the far-reaching impact that the story of a life can have. I was reminded of why I wanted to study journalism in the first place–to tell peoples stories,” Porter said. “There is so much of life to be enjoyed. So, my question is what will you do with yours and how will you enjoy it?” Following the student speeches, musical performance student Michelle Yumi Papenfuss preformed Ludwig van Beethoven’s Sonata in A major op. 101 on the piano. 11 a.m. The Department of Art and Department of Design combined exercises at 11 a.m. The ceremony opened with music performance students Michael Drew Powell on flute and Joon-Ho Howell on piano preforming “Nocturne” by Lili Boulange. Following the duet, animation student Joshua Koji Tsukamoto presented his speech entitled, “Discovering Our Potential,” focused on the experiences as student that taught him that his study at BYU would allow him and his peers to have a positive impact on the world. “Everyone is growing and learning. Everyone is aiming to one day be an influence on someone and our dream of illuminating and confirming truth of the infinite potential of the human soul,” said Tsukamoto, quoting from the BYU Media Arts program mission statement. To conclude, studio arts student Kanasa Kinjo Johnson spoke on “Creating Something Big.” She explained the concept behind her final BFA show entitled, Kiseki, a Japanese word with several distinct meanings, which explored how multiple ideas can exist at one time. “We’ve all experienced it. Peace during a difficult trial, fear in a place of safety, assurance about the unknown ahead,” Johnson said. “Whatever is far from you, the future or the past that you have already experienced is more clear. But the closer you get to the present, the more blurry things get.” Johnson challenged the audience saying that embracing the unknown while still being present in the moment is how we can create something big with our lives. 2 PM The graduates from the Department of Dance, the School of Music, the Music Dance Theatre Program and the Department of Theatre and Media Arts combined for the last convocation ceremony. Following a welcome from Dean Ed Adams, music performance students, Lyman Keil McBride on trombone and Alissa Marie Freeman on piano, performed “Á€ la Manière de Schumann” by Jean-Michel Defaye. Following this duet, theatre arts and education student Elizabeth Lloyd Lowe’s speech entitled, “The Power of Communication” explained how the arts dare us to connect with one another. “The arts are more than just mere entertainment they are communication of the deepest aspects of humanity–the things we all share yet rarely speak of, “ Lowe said. “The arts create a real human connection in the moment and encourage us to work together to create something bigger than anyone of us are and allows us to express the inexpressible.” Following the speech, Music Dance Theatre students musical performed “The New World” from Jason Robert Brown’s Songs for a New World, reflecting on “the moment of decision” that can forever change the outcome of life. Concluding the ceremony dance students performed “Seed” with choreography by Aubry Dalley and music by Max Richter. __ After the speakers and performances, with themes of reflection for past and hope for the future, the graduates and families celebrated their final moments on the BYU campus.