The BYU School of Communications will host Scott Church, assistant professor in the School of Communications, in conjunction with the Raymond E. and Ida Lee Beckham Lecture in Communications Series March 16 at 11:00 a.m. in 321 of the Maeser building. Church will present his lecture, “The Art of Mass Communication: The Sublime, Ineffable, and Spiritual Elements of Memes.” Popular viral content, like memes, are taking over the Internet. The presentation will address how memes strategically use art, symbolism and spirituality to attract attention and to help the audience feel emotion. Church has taught courses in popular culture, business communication, public speaking, public discourse, music and media studies. His research primarily uses critical theory, aesthetics and media ecology as analytic lenses for social media and mediated popular texts. The lectures were established in 1995 in honor of Ray Beckham’s late wife, Ida Lee. Raymond E. Beckham was a leader in education at BYU for 42 years. He was the driving force behind the BYU Evening school program, the BYU Travel Studies program, Aspen Grove, and founded the New York Internship program for Communications majors. INFORMATION Dates: Thursday March 16 Times: 11:00 a.m. Location: 321 Karl G. Maeser Building Admission: Free, no registration required

Former BYU Performing Arts artist manager, Troy Streeter, has accepted the position of Audio-Visual Operations Manager for BYU Arts Production. Karson Denney, an adjunct faculty member in the BYU Department of Dance, has been selected as his replacement. “Troy comes with excellent experience and expertise in all the areas he now supervises,” said Russell Richins, director and production manager of BYU Arts Production. “He will be a great asset to Arts Production, but especially to each of the departments we typically serve. We welcome Troy aboard.” Streeter graduated from BYU in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts studies and a minor in electronics engineering, after which he completed an MBA. While working as an artist manager, he managed the BYU Synthesis tour to Brazil in 2013. “I’m excited to continue learning and growing alongside the students and faculty in the college,” Streeter said. Denney expressed equal excitement for his new position. “When the position was offered to me there was no hesitation and I was elated to accept the job,” said Denney. “I hope to help BYU performing groups find opportunities to uplift audiences and make a difference in other people’s lives through service.” Denney graduated from BYU in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in geography. In 2011 he completed his master’s degree in mass communications. He brings with him 24 years of performing experience including recognition as 2-time United States Dance and Rhythm Champion and as well as the United States American Smooth Champion. As a student, Denny toured with BYU’s Ballroom team to Blackpool, England and won the British Latin Formation Championship.

As part of the 2016-2017 BRAVO! season, BYU Arts will be hosting the Limón Dance Company. The group will perform Feb. 10 at 7:30 p.m. in the Pardoe Theatre of the Harris Fine Arts Center. The program will feature a special guest performance by BYU Contemporary Dance Theatre. Producer and Presenter of Performing Arts at BYU, Jeffrey Martin, said BYU is thrilled to bring fine dancers and “time-honored choreography” to campus for students and the community to experience in a live performance. Limón Dance Company is known as one of the legendary companies associated with modern dance in the United States. Founded in 1946 by José Limón and Doris Humphrey, the Limón Dance Company has lead American modern dance since its inception and is considered one of the world’s greatest ensembles. The company’s performances include classic works as well as new commissions from contemporary choreographers. “We seek to expose our students to the foundational movements of all dance styles during their time studying dance at BYU,” Martin said. “When we have the opportunity to showcase world-class dancers practicing the principles and techniques our students learn in the classroom and dance studio, we are able to give our students a tremendous advantage in their own training and development.” Under the direction of assistant professor Nathan Balser, CDT will collaborate with Limón Dance Company on this program. BYU’s dancers will perform an excerpt of Jose Limon’s piece, “A Choreographic Offering,” during the performance. “The Limón dancers are some of the finest in the country, bringing with them myriad expertise and excellence in training and performance,” Balser said. “For our students to rub shoulders with these dancers is not only uncommon, but of great worth and value to their own emergence as dance artists.” Balser said the CDT dancers have spent more than 50 hours learning and perfecting the Limón piece in preparation for the performance. One of these dancers is Adam Schraedel. He said the group is excited to dance with one of the most famous modern companies in the world. “We practiced for four weeks with an alumnus member of the company to learn and perfect our piece, ‘A Choreographic Offering,’” Schraedel said. “It’s a challenging style that many of us have little experience with, but it’s a very beautiful piece and I think we have learned a lot.” Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone at 801-422-2981 or online at byuarts.com. Tickets and Show Details Performance Dates and Times: Feb. 10, 7:30 p.m. Location: Pardoe Theatre, Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU Price: $35, BYU Alumni/Senior Citizen $32, BYU ID/Student ID $25 Tickets: Available in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center or Marriott Center, by phone at 801-422- 2981 or online at byuarts.com

The first BYU Museum of Art Art After Dark of the winter semester is the exhibition opening for the new exhibition 'Embracing Diverse Voices: A Century of African American Art.' The night features performances by Debra Bonner Unity Gospel Choir at 7:30 pm and 8:30 pm. The public is invited to wander the galleries, bring friends, and enjoy the evening at the BYU Museum of Art! See the Facebook event.

“Heart-wrenching, hilarious…possibly one of the funniest plays you’ll ever see.” The Guardian You’re six years old. Mum’s in hospital. Dad says she’s “done something stupid.” She finds it hard to be happy. So you start to make a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world. Everything that’s worth living for. You leave it on her pillow. You know she’s read it because she’s corrected your spelling. Soon, the list will take on a life of its own. This sold-out hit of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe is a new play about depression and the lengths we will go to for those we love. Based on true and untrue stories. Every Brilliant Thing is supported by Anne McMeehan and Jim Roberts and was developed with the support of nabokov and the Jersey Arts Trust. OFF THE MAP is generously supported by the BYU Mary Lou Fulton Endowment in Theatre and Media Arts. Approximately 60 minutes

Wise fools and fish on leashes. Dragons and dwarves. Boats and beetles. Flying pigs and goblin princesses. The imaginative images of myths, fables and fantasies depicted by James C. Christensen will live on in myriad mediums, despite the death of the artist recognized for his works of fantasy and faith. Christensen, a world-renowned LDS fantasy artist and former BYU art faculty member, died Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, in Orem after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 74. READ MORE FROM THE DESERET NEWS >>> Former CFAC faculty member passes away James C. Christensen passed away Jan. 8, 2017 at the age of 74 after an ongoing battle with cancer. Born in Culver City, California in 1942, Christensen was a well-known American artist of religious and fantasy art. He studied at Santa Monica College and UCLA, and graduated from Brigham Young University with a Master’s Degree in Art. Christensen is an Honored Alumnus and was a Visual Arts Emeritus Faculty at BYU. He received many awards such as Utah’s Top 100 Artists by the Springville Museum of Art, the Governor’s Award for Art from the Utah Arts Council, and was inducted into the U.S. Art magazine’s Hall of Fame. Christensen and his wife, Carole, were co-chairs of the Mormon Arts Foundation. BYU illustration professor, Robert Barrett worked closely with Christensen. “Jim Christensen will certainly be missed as a creative contributor to the art world and to our community,” Barrett said. “Prior to his retirement, Jim taught and advised a number of students in the Illustration Program and was an effective teacher and mentor. While on the faculty at BYU, he would frequently visit the Illustration classes and following his retirement would open his studio for visits by the Illustration faculty and students.” Christensen wrote several books including: A Journey of the Imagination: The Art of James Christensen (1994), Voyage of the Basset (1996), and Rhymes and Reasons (1997). His work has been featured in many other books, including A Shakespeare Sketchbook (2001), which he illustrated. “In addition to his fantasy work, Jim contributed his creative energies to temple murals for the Nauvoo and Provo City temples as well as several scripturally based paintings and illustrations, Barrett said. “His impact on BYU and its creative culture as well as on the LDS Church as a whole will continue to be felt for years to come.” Christensen is survived by his wife and five children, two of whom, Cassandra Christensen Barney and Emily Christensen McPhie, are also alumnae of the College of Fine Arts and Communications at BYU and are notable artists.

The College of Fine Arts and Communications and the College of Engineering teamed up to develop an alternate reality game. Tessera: Light in the Dark will be released in January after over a year of development by professors and students at BYU. Tessera: Light in the Dark is an interactive game about a mysterious collective of historically significant innovators, known as “The Tessera,” hunted by an even more unknown character who goes by “S.” Players navigate real-world and online computational thinking puzzles with the help of the ghosts of these famous men and women who are trying to save everything their think-tank stands for from S’s destructive tendencies. “The normal claim from educators is that the devices that we use, like a cellphone or a computer, is distracting from students’ learning,” said Jeff Sheets, Associate Professor of Communications. “An alternate reality game is a great vehicle to use for teachers because it actually reverses those relationships. Students can play this game while learning and having fun by trying to solve the mystery.” A replayable version of the game that can be condensed into a concise teaching unit will become available for classroom and home use after the live release. Teachers and students will have access to the game, both in and out of the classroom, for no cost. The Tessera players will learn principles of computational thinking (CT), which prepares them to better understand problems in computer science and technology fields. This is not a “learn-to-code” game but students who practice CT can become more confident and interested in studying computer programming. “This makes teachers the heroes because they have helped make learning interesting for students,” said Sheets. “The same tools and techniques that are used to distract students are being used to engage them, and this is the winning formula for teaching kids STEM (Science Technology Engineering & Math) subjects in the future. Students will be able to solve a puzzle while learning how to computer program. And we are bringing a little bit of the Arts to teaching STEM, they even call it STEAM now.” The game targets students ages 13-16, but aims to get more girls and minorities interested in STEM subjects. This game could potentially encourage more minorities and girls to become involved in STEM classes and careers in the future by showing them the basics of computational thinking. This game will show students that they already have the skills for computational thinking, including coding, and can encourage them to pursue STEM subjects in the future. The game developers designed a trading card game to go along with the online game because they wanted students to have an all-immersive experience. Players can use famous scientists, engineers, artists and mathematicians to claim innovations and gain higher points to win with the trading cards. Each card has a code that can be used in the online game to play against online opponents around the world. This game is designed to be both educational and fun. BYU faculty members have been working with students over the last year to develop this game. Over 30 students from various programs such as illustration, design, advertising, public relations, animation and film have worked together to create the content and to design the game. “The design of the game is two fold,” said Connor King, BFA Graphic Design student. “There is the puzzle and level design, as well as the art design and player experience, both of which are linked together.” Jeff Parkin, a BYU Theatre and Media Arts professor, and Jared Cardon, owner of partner group Tinder Transmedia developed the overall story arc of the game. Students involved created the levels, puzzles, gameplay and a majority of the art included. “After the levels were built, it was tested to see if things broke, and of course, if it was fun! If our game isn't fun, there is no purpose to making it,” said King. “It might look beautiful, and run without any errors, but if it isn't fun, we missed the mark.” Utah locals have the opportunity to attend a launch party for the game on Tuesday, January 17 from 5-7 pm in the Amber Room at the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point. There will also be a concurrent launch with program partner Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley. The Computer History Museum will host a real-life version of the game in conjunction with the virtual game. To learn more and to receive updates on the game, register on http://thetessera.org.

Nat Reed’s puppetry class, TMA 252, performed a puppet variety show Dec. 8. during the afternoon Mask Club times. Eight students self-produced four skits, either on an ethical dilemma or on team work.