When a small group of artists assembled themselves in Taos, N.M., in the early 1900s, they had a few goals. Beyond just capturing stunning Southwest landscapes and imagery, they wanted the world to see it – getting their works traveling was an M.O.

The lens of a camera does an incredible job of capturing the most nuanced detail within the scope of its frame. However, even the most sophisticated lens has limitations when compared to the human eye. BYU Professor Paul Adams found the same is true when taking on a seemingly straight forward photography assignment: there is often more than what you had expected to see through the lens. - See more at: http://news.byu.edu/news/capturing-coronation-photography-professors-unexpected-trip-tonga

Study abroad programs aren't hard to come by at BYU, but some are found in the least likely places. Last summer, seven students from the College of Fine Arts and Communications studied in one of the most unusual places on earth: the Dharamshala province in northern India. India’s Dharamshala province is home to thousands of Tibetan refugees. Many Tibetans cross the Himalayas each year to escape mounting persecution by the Chinese government in their homeland of Tibet. The most famous refugee in Dharamshala is the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader for Tibetans around the world. While in Dharamshala, the students were invited to discuss art, religion and theology with Tibetan monks within the Dalai Llama temple at the Institute of Buddhist Dialects. By Carrie Duford: Continue reading at https://news.byu.edu/news/learning-dalai-lama-temple-byu-study-abroad

The BYU School of Music presents the Philharmonic Orchestra in concert in the de Jong Concert Hall of the Harris Fine Arts Center on Friday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m. The performance will include “Songs of a Wayfarer” by Gustav Mahler, with baritone soloist, Darrell Babidge, and Symphony no. 4 'Romantic' by Anton Bruckner. Comprising 95 of the university’s finest musicians, the Philharmonic Orchestra performs regularly on campus and collaborates with BYU’s choral, opera and ballet programs. The Philharmonic is conducted by Kory Katseanes. Its repertoire focuses on the Romantic period but also includes 20th and 21st century music. This performance will be streamed live from the BYU School of Music’s website at liveconcerts.byu.edu. Performance Date: Friday, February 12 Time: 7:30 p.m. Location: de Jong Concert Hall, Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU Price: $10 (discounts for senior citizens, BYU students, groups and alumni) 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

Study abroad programs aren't hard to come by at BYU, but some are found in the least likely places.

The lens of a camera does an incredible job of capturing the most nuanced detail within the scope of its frame. However, even the most sophisticated lens has limitations when compared to the human eye. BYU Professor Paul Adams found the same is true when taking on a seemingly straight forward photography assignment: there is often more than what you had expected to see through the lens.

Brigham Young University’s Living Legends will perform a celebration of Latin American, Native American and Polynesian song and dance in a concert at BYU’s de Jong Concert Hall on Feb. 5-6 and Mar. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12, with discounts available for alumni, students, employees, senior citizens and groups. Tickets can be purchased 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. Living Legends combines a dynamic repertoire of Native American choreography with the color and vitality of Polynesian and Latin American dance styles. Traditions come to life as talented descendants of these cultures weave together authentic choreography, intricate costumes and heart-pounding music into one captivating show. The “Seasons” program will include a kaleidoscope of culture, with dances and songs from Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Fiji, Hawaii, Guatemala, Mexico, New Zealand, Paraguay, Samoa, Tahiti, Tonga and the United States. Living Legends is run by the department of dance. The group has 44 members, made up of 36 performers and a technical crew of 8. All performers are of Polynesian, Latin or Native American heritage and are selected after a rigorous audition process. PHOTO: BYU LIVING LEGENDS, FROM THE “PEARL OF THE SEA,” THE RHYTHMS OF LIFE ARE PRESENTED THROUGH THE TAMURE AND STACCATO BEATS OF THE TOERE DRUMS. KAMERON HO CHING AND KIANA WILSON PERFORM THE TRADITIONAL TAHITIAN OTE’A TAVEVO, OTE’A HOPU. PHOTOGRAPHY BY MARK A. PHILBRICK/BYU. COPYRIGHT BYU PHOTO 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The BYU Young Company will present William Shakespeare’s comic masterpiece Twelfth Night with a western twist in the Nelke Theatre of the Harris Fine Arts Center at 7 p.m. on Feb. 3-5, 10-12, with matinees on Feb. 6 and 13, at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Tickets are $7, with discounts available for alumni, students, employees, senior citizens and groups. Tickets can be purchased 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. Shakespeare’s poetry meets rip-roaring action and high-faultin song and dance in this cowboy version of Twelfth Night. Directed by Megan Sanborn Jones and adapted by Rick Curtiss, this production encourages audience members of all ages to look beneath outward appearances and value people for the qualities they have on the inside. “In our production, we decided to foreground this imagined world by presenting our 2016 Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night via a 1950’s vision of the nineteenth century west,” said Jones. “We take you back to this time that never existed–a fitting tribute, we believe– with Shakespeare’s topsy-turvy homage to a world where anything can happen.” Other production members include Amanda Welch as choreographer, Julia Ashworth as Young Company producer, Becky Wallin as Young Company managing director, Dayne Joyner as production stage manager, Rory Scanlon as scenic designer, Alyssa Bybee as costume designer, Sarah Stewart as makeup designer, Scott Jackson as props designer, Christian Riboldi as dramaturge, and Franny Gleave and Karlee Savage as assistant stage managers. Cast members include Sherry Kopischke as Viola/Cesario, Andrew Smith as Sebastian, Cameron Bridston as Feste, Savanah Smith as Olivia, Scott Jackson as Duke Orsino, Costner Henson as Malvolio, Olivia Ockey as Maria and Jacob Baird as Sir Toby Belch. PHOTO: Oliva (Savanah Smith, left) and Duke Orsino (Scott Jackson, right) fight over Cesario (Sherry Kopischke, center). BYU Young Company production of Twelfth Night. Photo by Jaren Wilkey/BYU. © BYU PHOTO 2016. All Rights Reserved. Performance Dates and Times: Feb. 3-5, 10-12, at 7 p.m. Matinees at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Feb. 6 and 13. Location: Nelke Theatre, Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU Price: $7 (discounts for senior citizens, BYU students, groups and alumni) 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

Brigham Young University’s Theatre Ballet premieres Alice in Wonderland, an original, full-length ballet that brings Lewis Carroll’s beloved fantasy novel to life with Tchaikovsky’s enduring music in the de Jong Concert Hall on Jan. 28-30, at 7:30 p.m., with a matinee on Saturday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15, with discounts available for alumni, students, employees, senior citizens and groups. Tickets can be purchased in person at the BYU Ticket Office in the Harris Fine Arts Center, by phone at 801-422-2981 or online at byuarts.com. This premiere of the ballet takes audience members on an exciting journey through Wonderland. A visual feast, the production features beautiful new sets, stunning costumes, expressive makeup and playful choreography designed and created by students as mentored by faculty and staff Priscilla Hao, Michael Handley, Shani Robison, Benjamin Sanders and Rory Scanlon. When Robison, Theatre Ballet’s artistic director, began preparation three years ago, she felt it necessary that the ballet be a collaborative experience for students as to involve them on a deeper, creative level. “We felt that a shift in the production paradigm, wherein the students were actually the designers, choreographers and creators could offer a real-life experience to catapult them from their BYU experience into the real world,” Robison said. “I felt that Alice in Wonderland would be a unique and perfect opportunity for this experiment as it offers so many interesting characters, places and an endless palate of creative possibilities.” To this end, Theatre Ballet received substantial grants from the Laycock Center for Student Collaboration and the Mary Lou Fulton Endowment, and partnered with guest performers from the Ballet Showcase Company, BYU Children Creative Dance Program and dancers from around campus who auditioned specifically for this production. In addition, student choreographers, make-up designers, set designers, prop designers, costume designers, lighting designers, graphic and illustrative designers, a sound designer and a stage manager went to work with mentors to engage in a creative process unlike what they have ever done before. “This is the first time anything like this has been done at BYU on this scale,” said Robison said. “It’s not just Theatre Ballet, it’s a campus-wide production.” Prior to the performances, the annual tradition of the annual Prince and Princess Party continues as princes and princesses of all ages can dress in their royal best and meet Alice, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the March Hare and the Queen of Hearts. Tickets and Show Details Performance Dates and Times: Jan. 28-30 at 7:30 p.m. Matinee on Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. Location: de Jong Concert Hall, Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU Price: $15 (discounts for senior citizens, BYU students, groups and alumni) 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 PHOTO: Riley Duck as Alice. Photo by Jaren Wilkey, BYU Photo, All Rights Reserved.

Media Arts student Willem Kampenhout won Best Emerging Director at the Other Worlds Austin Film Festival for his film The Surface. The film also won Best Emerging Production Design, attributed to Ashley Cook. Kampenhout started making films when he was only six years old and used his personal experience growing up as the inspiration for The Surface. In December of 2013 he spent winter break watching several crime drama series, which sparked the question, “How much would one risk on behalf of their family?” “I began writing the story of a mother wandering the apocalyptic wasteland in search for spare parts for her cybernetic husband and daughter whilst avoiding a mechanically mutated monster,” Kampenhout said. From this, he developed the story of a mother who risks everything to save the life of her son. The film follows the mother as she searches for a new power source to help her dying son. After being tricked into buying a bad power cell, her only hope is to venture to the blighted surface and steal the infinity cell from one of the monstrous “tainted” creatures. The whole film came together in about two years from start to finish. Kampenhout mentioned the greatest difficulty behind creating a film was being a student and working with other students. “We have obligations other than our projects,” Kampenhout said. “Because it is not an income source, we have jobs as well.” Other than a lack of time, they faced a lack of experience that required more time to produce quality work. Despite these challenges, Kampenhout enjoyed working with other talented and eager students who worked on the music, sound design, art, cinematography and acting. He believes that real joy comes when someone other than oneself gets behind the story and makes it better. They entered the film in Other Worlds Austin, a film festival featuring only Sci Fi films, where he won the award. The Surface also won Best Student Film at the Miami International Science Fiction Film Festival and has currently been accepted into Dam Short Film Festival (Nevada), Original Narrative FIlm Festival (Dubai) and Film Quest (Salt Lake City). “We are building an audience for the film, and seeking out distribution and investors to fund a feature film version of it,” he said. Visit the film’s Facebook page for the trailer and updates about the film. https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfaceFilm

Faculty members and students of the College of Fine Arts and Communications participate in regional, national and international competitions every year. It is not uncommon for members of the college to receive prestigious awards on an annual basis. 2015 was a particularly successful year for the college as awards ranged from the Contemporary Dance Company winning the Grand Prix at the New Prague Dance Festival to numerous awards the Department of Theatre and Media Arts received from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for their production of “Our Town.” The college continues to thrive as an acclaimed institution of the arts and communications. Highlights of the student awards include more than 20 Graphis awards for Design students, a Student Emmy Animation students received for Ram’s Horn, Communications students receiving Mark of Excellence, Gracie, Addy and Effie awards and a music student receiving an Honorable Mention for Outstanding Music at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. The faculty of the college are also active in remaining competitive amongst their peers on a local, national and international level. Art professors Daniel Everett, Peter Everett and Bryon Draper received awards for their artwork. TMA professor, Stephanie Breinholt received Outstanding Director of a Play and the Innovative Teaching Award from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival. Design professors, David Dibble, Robert Machoian Graham, Justin Kunz, Eric Gillett and Adrian Pulfer received local and national honors. Two music professors, Rosalind Hall and Ronald Staheli were awarded Creative Works Awards. PRWeek named the School of Communications’ public relations program as one of the top five in the nation. PHOTO BY BYU PHOTO: BYU received 13 national awards from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for the production of Our Town. Student Achievements of 2015 Faculty Achievements of 2015

Brigham Young University will present its third season of the OFF THE MAP: BYU International Arts Festival on Jan. 21-23. The festival consists of two unconventional theatre performances,Y2D Productions:LEO and Out of Balanz: Next Door. The shows will be presented back to back starting at 7 p.m. in the Nelke (Next Door) and Pardoe (Leo) Theatres, with Saturday matinees starting at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10, with discounts available for alumni, students, employees, senior citizens and groups. Tickets can be purchased 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. Leo is a solo theatre piece that shows the journey of a man played by Julian Schulz whose world becomes physically unhinged. The production challenges reality and gravity through the clever interplay of vibrant acrobatic performance and high-tech video projection. Next Door follows Ivan as he contemplates what connects humans after his neighbor, whom he doesn’t know well, dies suddenly. The drama blends personal memories, shared stories and movement to create a low-fi, physical storytelling that celebrates connection, imagination and the significance of human relationships. BYU Arts Production Manager Jeffrey Martin is the brainchild behind the Off The Map series. Three years ago he recognized that BYU students were mostly exposed to conventional theatre. He felt that audiences could benefit from unique and sometimes bizarre productions from other countries. “There’s a strong interest in this kind of work,” Martin said. “At BYU we are curious about other cultures, which goes right along with our university’s mission. These performances are interdisciplinary and international.” Martin doesn’t just want attendees to be entertained; he hopes the experience will broaden their view of what theatre is and what kind of effect it can have on people. “When people are exposed to new ideas, or even old ideas told in new and exciting ways, they become more well-rounded,” Martin said. “These performances will be appreciated by everyone who attends.” These performances are sponsored the Utah Division of Arts and Museums; the Western States Arts Federation; the National Endowment for the Arts; the Mary Lou Fulton Endowment in Theatre and Media Arts; and by BRAVO! Professional Performing Arts at BYU, the university’s concert series that hosts world-renowned guest artists from across the globe. Performance Dates and Times: Leo – Jan. 21-23, 8:40 p.m., with a Saturday matinee at 2:40 p.m. Next Door – Jan. 21-23, 7 p.m., with a Saturday matinee at 1 p.m. Location: Nelke (Next Door) and Pardoe (Leo) Theatres, Harris Fine Arts Center, BYU Price: $10 (discounts for senior citizens, BYU students, groups and alumni) 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