Group hopes online performance of “Sevilla” will be one of many

From fine craft to fine art, installation artist Pam Bowman has always been a maker of things

Meet alumni enriching their communities through service.

For artist Linn, drawing is more than a preparatory skill; it is a meditative state of mind and a process of trying to slow down time

Home builders. Survivors. Trend-setters. Fighters. Standing in the gallery of BYU’s Museum of Art, students can almost hear them whispering from the walls. They are 58 remarkable female artists, and their messages of inspiration and hope are featured in the MOA’s “A Studio of Her Own” exhibit, which closes this week. “We had no idea that 2020 would be such an unexpected and unprecedented year with the pandemic, and with earthquakes and fires and racial unrest,” exhibition curator Janalee Emmer said. But in the paintings, she said, “there’s a lot of relevance for today’s moment.” “A Studio of Her Own” celebrates 110 works by female artists of diverse backgrounds and faiths. Some of their pieces celebrate racial diversity, like the vibrant quilt “Subway Graffiti #3” by prominent Black artist Faith Ringgold, who grew up in Harlem. The piece features superstars like Diana Ross and Michael Jackson as well as the faces of Ringgold’s own friends and family members. Emmer said the unique piece “Blanket Stories,” which features a tower of colorful handwoven blankets, speaks to the universal struggle for identity through the experiences of its creator, Marie Watt, the daughter of a native Seneca mother and a rancher father.

Video Compilation of “Nearer, My God, to Thee” Breaks New Ground in Virtual Performance

Growing up on a small farm in Highland, Utah, Michael R. Workman (BFA ’86, MFA ’92) knew just what he wanted to do with his life: “Move to a rural area and paint the land. And I’ve been able to do exactly that.” Workman credits his BYU professors not only for teaching him the elements of art but for helping him believe he could make a living with his brush, which he does from his home in Spring City, Utah. “I approach landscapes with a poetic sensibility,” says Workman, who paints in the early-morning or late-evening light. “I’m trying to subtly communicate the spiritual qualities of the land.” Citing artists as eclectic as Rothko and Van Gogh as influences, Workman feels a special kinship with the tonalist painter George Inness, who felt the world was a profoundly spiritual place. “I never set out to be a tonalist, but that is what I seem to be,” he says. His treatment of landscapes shows a reverence for the places and subjects he depicts: “I hope my faith and belief in something beyond this life come through.” See the full article written by Andrew T. Bay at magazine.byu.edu.

A collaborative album between the BYU Chamber Orchestra and Broadway superstar Lea Salonga, “The Story of My Life: Lea Salonga Live from Manila,” recently received the 2020 BroadwayWorld Album Award for Best New EP/Solo Release. For a university orchestra to win an award like this is “unheard of,” said BYU professor Kory Katseanes, who conducted the performance. It was recorded with a live audience for the album at the end of the orchestra’s three-week tour of the Philippines in 2017. BroadwayWorld is the predominant social media organization of Broadway. Salonga and the BYU Chamber Orchestra beat out illustrious competition for the Best Solo Release award, with runners-up including Ben Platt of “Dear Evan Hansen,” Leslie Odom Jr. of “Hamilton” and star Kristin Chenoweth. “This isn’t a college award,” Katseanes noted. “It’s an award for professionally produced albums on Broadway. It’s unbelievable — but not undeserved — that BYU won.” Read the full article on the University Communications website.

A collaborative album between the BYU Chamber Orchestra and Broadway superstar Lea Salonga, “The Story of My Life: Lea Salonga Live from Manila,” recently received the 2020 BroadwayWorld Album Award for Best New EP/Solo Release.

Seven faculty members won prestigious awards at the Annual University Conference; three faculty members were recognized during the college meeting

A prestigious design magazine chose senior Hunter Young’s design as a finalist in their annual competition. BYU student Hunter Young is a finalist in the Communication Arts annual Design Competition. Young is in the Graphic Design Program of the Design Department. His piece, “OMSI,” will be featured in the magazine’s annual design edition. “OMSI”, named after the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, is a rebranding project for the museum involving an interchangeable logo system. Young, who is from Portland, Oregon, said the OMSI had a big influence on him when he was growing up, and he wanted to rebrand it because it was due for a change. “I knew that I wanted to create a contemporary branding system that could remain flexible, since the museum has many departments and events,” Young said. “I think because I was working on something that was personal to me, it made the process a lot more fun because I cared about it and was focused on making it the best I could.” The project took about a semester to complete, with a lot of editing and adjusting. Even now, after it’s been submitted for and won a couple of different awards, Young said he is continually working to make the piece better. The Communication Arts Design Annual competition showcases winners from one of the most prestigious design competitions in the United States and throughout the world. Out of the 2,900 total entries, just 126 pieces were accepted as finalists. While Young had submitted his project for a different award, he didn’t know that his professors had submitted it for the Communication Arts competition, but he said he’s glad they did. “We really have such amazing design professors who are always looking out for you and wanting you to succeed, which I am so grateful for,” he said. “Without their help and encouragement, I probably would not have entered, thinking it was too far of a reach for me.” Young grew up reading Communication Arts magazine, which he said is a staple in the design world. When he learned that he was a finalist and that his design would be featured in the annual design magazine, he was beyond excited. “Being a finalist really means a lot. Above all it has motivated me to keep creating and pushing myself. To be a finalist alongside other designers and studios that I have looked up to for so long is an honor.” Young hopes to make a career out of design. He said he’s looked into other career paths, but in the end he always knew this is what he wanted to do. “I grew up in an environment that showed me not only the importance that art and design has, but that you can actually have a successful and fulfilling creative career, despite what many people might say,”

In place of an in-person orientation, new students explored the College of Fine Arts and Communications from their couches and kitchen tables