The documentary shorts series 'States of America,' created by BYU Theatre & Media Arts professor Brad Barber and his students, will have its nationwide public television broadcast premiere on WORLD Channel’s “Local, USA” program. 'States of America' features one person in each state exploring their sense of identity and belonging to the place where they live. Episode 1: “Relocation,” will be the first of two half-hour compilation episodes and will air on Monday July 6 at 9/8c. Episode 2: “Connection,” will air on Monday July 13 at 9/8c. Starting Monday July 6, LOCAL, USA: 'States of America' will also be available to stream on PBS.org, the PBS app, and WorldChannel.org, where new state films will be added between now and this fall, when the project will be featured in a national engagement campaign in advance of the 2020 election. Years ago Daniel, a former pre-med student and social worker, visited a friend in Moab, Utah. He decided to stay, committed to life without the use of money, and for a time took shelter in a cave. His thoughts on home: “Wherever we are, that’s who we are. That’s home.” Xong moved to Wisconsin as a child Hmong refugee after the Vietnam War. In the years that followed she experienced “a lot of racism, a lot of discrimination” there, but as an adult is determined to help her local Hmong community cope with trauma and rebuild and embrace their identity. Clay left his Tennessee home after his son’s suicide and found meaning in helping the people in his Nevada trailer park. “Nevada is my home now,” he said, “and it’s gonna be my home until Nevada kicks me out.” Daniel, Xong and Clay are three of the people featured in Brad Barber’s new short-documentary series, “States of America.” For the series, the Emmy-nominated theatre and media arts professor is featuring one person from every state in 50 four- to five-minute films. He launched the series online a year ago and has been releasing one documentary per month since. The short films “provide an opportunity to listen to and understand lots of different types of Americans in diverse corners of our country,” said Barber, who was named one of Variety’s 10 Documakers to Watch in 2015. “At a time where we are increasingly divided, this kind of empathic experience feels more urgent now than ever.” For the full article by Andrea Christensen, check out news.byu.edu. Also be sure to check out the trailer below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvL3n_BFJWw

Two animated projects from BYU professor Brent Barson were recently accepted into the Communication Arts 2020 Design Annual, a prestigious graphic design journal. Out of the 2,900 total entries, just 126 were accepted.

Downtown Provo is becoming an outdoor art museum, with murals dotting the blocks and adding color, shape and story to the buildings. The mural project has been ongoing for over two years and there are now over 30 giant pieces of art in the downtown area of the city. Provo resident and artist Ainsley Romero created her mural on the side of June Audio Recording Studios, 39 W. 200 North. Because it is on a recording studio building, Romero wanted the theme of the mural to be musical so she created caricatures of people playing different instruments and singing. Romero, who teaches graphic design at Brigham Young University, designed the mural digitally first, then projected it on the wall to complete it. The creation took two weeks and many hours each day, with friends helping. “I’ve always wanted to do a mural,” Romero said. “I like the idea of the client being the city I live in. A mural is almost like a love letter to the city.” Read the full article at heraldextra.com.

The project, titled “Your Decisions Write Our Stories,” won several awards this year, including a Gold Award at the International Andy Awards and Best in Show at Utah’s American Advertising Federation Awards

In addition to being one of the top programs in the country, BYU’s advertising department fosters an environment to talk about important issues.

The videos highlight traditional dances with personal meaning to the dancers

What if you were able to work on real-life projects for global brands such as Amazon, Gatorade, Nike and Spotify as a student? Students who work in BYU’s AdLab, a professionally mentored, student-led advertising agency, do just that. Oh, and they are also pretty good at winning awards. Like Emmy-award winning good. Earlier this month, one recent project from the team became the latest to win the Emmy for Commercial, PSA, or Promo from the College Television Awards. The commercial tells the story of a father and son who reconcile their relationship when the father accepts his son for who he is rather than what he wants his son to be. A big reason why the students and faculty in this lab are so successful is their ability to be in sync with the advertising industry and its trends. Most recently, they have embraced the new model of brand storytelling through social advocacy. To do that, professors and advisors encourage students to tap into their personal backgrounds, areas of interest and passion to help brainstorm the next project. See the full article by Aaron Sorenson at news.byu.edu.

Eight faculty and staff members from the College of Fine Arts and Communications retire this year

Mary Hoskins chosen as second place winner for Classical Emerging Professional category

Anelise Leishman reflects on her time at BYU

As the dean of the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications, I’m grateful for all the energy and efforts of our faculty, staff and students to contribute in a meaningful way to help alleviate the pain and hurt in our society and communities. Recent events have once again shown me that this college is filled with deep-feeling and compassionate souls. Last year, our college undertook an initiative to create a diversity and inclusion statement. It is a work in progress, headed up by associate deans Amy Jensen and Jeremy Grimshaw, and involves many from around the college. The College of Fine Arts and Communications Diversity and Inclusion Committee has been meeting weekly during Spring term and will continue working together during the 2020-2021 school year. Committee members are charged with working on diversity, inclusion, and accessibility goals established by college and department leaders. I hope as a community we are committed to change, not just making statements. In a recent email, some of our colleagues in the Department of Art expressed much of what I have been feeling. Collectively and individually, I hope we move forward in ways that demonstrate sustained efforts to show love, care and concern for all people. I invite you to read the statements made by President Nelson and President Worthen and consider how you can foster dialogue on these crucial issues. I hope we truly envelop a commitment to the BYU Aims, which state a desired outcome for all of us: “Leading him or her to the ultimate wellspring of charity — the love for others that Christ bestows on his followers.” -Ed Ed Adams Dean, College of Fine Arts and Communications

The center announced 50 winners in various creative disciplines, including visual arts, literature, music composition, film and dance In response to the ongoing circumstances that have impacted individuals across all disciplines, the Center for Latter-day Saint Arts recently announced 50 grant winners to support its artistic community. These grants were awarded in disciplines of visual arts, scholarship, literature, musical composition, film and dance. Thirteen of the grant recipients had ties to the BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications, with faculty, students and alumni being among those 50 recognized. The winners were chosen from hundreds of submissions to the center’s “Art for Uncertain Times” program, which was initiated to provide micro-grants for artists and scholars in the Latter-day Saint art community. The center’s call for submissions aimed to allow scholars and creative artists in any discipline to engage with the goals of the center — to advocate and explore the arts of our culture: visual art, music, literature, film, dance, design and drama. The organization encouraged submissions that related “to the needs of people at this specific moment in time.” The 50 winners each received grants of $250 for the submission of their works, which will be distributed digitally through the center’s website and social media platforms in the near future. In its announcement, the organization emphasized the talent of those who participated in the program. “The Center received hundreds of high-caliber proposals from artists and scholars all over the globe. We asked for a diversity of voices and are delighted by the diversity that we received — in viewpoints, disciplinary methods and geographical origins.” Check out the complete list of grant winners (by discipline) who have ties to the college. Dance Dance | Rachel Barker - “Untitled” Dance | Keely Song - “Covenant Keepers” Film TMA | Barrett Burgin - “Gathered” TMA | Jeff Parkin - “Silver Linings and Compensatory Blessings” Music Music | Jed Blodgett & Andrew Maxfield - “Untitled” Music | Esther Megargel - “Songs of Comfort and Joy for Soprano, Piano and Flute” Music | Joseph Sowa - “Untitled” Visual Art Art | Madeline Rands - 'Untitled' Art | Colby Sanford - “What Is Tiny, What Is Big?” Art | Maddison Colvin - “Threshold (After Sonatine)” Design | Silvia Borja - “Fish Out of Water” Design | Claire Forste - “Sufficient unto the Day” Design | Sarah Robinson - 'The Signs of the Times' Design | Brinnan Schill - “Untitled” Design | Emily Wall - 'Untitled'