Communications student Hannah Larsen reflects on her time at BYU

Music composition major Kalysha Chandler and commercial music major Zach Griffin headed up technical aspects of the project, which culminated in the 2019 live screening

After years of helping students achieve their goals, Heelis looks forward to continuing her own education Department Secretary Sharon Heelis will retire this year after working for the Art Department for nearly 40 years — longer, if you count her time as a student employee. She remembers such momentous milestones as the first computer in the office (“My typewriter was the printer, so when I printed it sounded like a machine gun”), the first fax machine (“We stood and watched as the message printed out from a roll of paper”) and the first copy machine (“It gave us oily paper, it was expensive and the copies weren’t very good”). Fortunately, Heelis said, technology has come a long way since then. Heelis began her decades-long career in the department in December of 1979, after the Barbizon Manufacturing Company — where she had worked for several years before and after serving a mission in Chile for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — announced they were closing. She had been an on-again, off-again student for seven years as she worked and saved money to put herself through school, though she had not yet settled on a major. At first, Heelis worked part-time as a student secretary — typing, preparing syllabi and making copies for faculty with a mimeograph machine. Just six months later, Heelis applied for and was accepted to the full-time gallery secretary position, where she helped care for the university’s art collection prior to the opening of the Museum of Art (MOA) in 1993. The timing was fortunate for Heelis, whose father died suddenly one year into her new job. The oldest of six children, Heelis was able to support herself and ease the pressure on her mother, who was still caring for three children at their home in Payson. Read the full article by Abby Weidmer at art.byu.edu.

Joe Ostraff, Diane Reich and Brent Barson will begin their new leadership roles in the college in July, with Curt Holman continuing on as Department of Dance chair

School of Music

Two oil paintings and an edition of lithographic prints by Everett were included in the exhibition, which opened at the Crystal Bridges Museum in February 2020 Last April, Department of Art professor Peter Everett was contacted by the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art for a studio visit. Curatorial team Lauren Haynes, Allison Glenn and Alejo Bendetti were narrowing down their list of potential artists to feature in State of the Art 2020, the second iteration of an expansive exhibition that seeks to showcase a diverse cross-section of contemporary art in the United States. Haynes — curator of contemporary art at Crystal Bridges and of visual arts at the Momentary, Crystal Bridges’ new contemporary space — visited Everett’s studio, as well as several other artists around Utah. “It was a good visit, and Lauren was really thoughtful,” said Everett, “but I didn’t know if anything would come as a result of the visit.” That August, however, Everett was invited to take part in the exhibition as one of 61 artists from across the country — and the only artist chosen from Utah. “It was an honor for me to be curated into this exhibition,” said Everett. “This is a powerhouse team of curators with a great understanding of contemporary art in our country, and I was flattered to be the representative of Utah. It has been great to show my work alongside so many amazing and accomplished artists.” In addition to the two large oil paintings of Everett’s included in the exhibition, an edition of hand-pulled lithographic prints was also commissioned for the exhibition’s opening, a project Everett produced with master printer and retired BYU professor Wayne Kimball. Everett describes his own work as an exploration of the non-linear narratives that reside, interact and evolve between moments. “These narratives often exist between the apocalyptic and magical and frequently locate themselves in the quiet immediately before or after something has happened,” said Everett. “I am interested in forms and entities that have an immediate visual power, physicality and a sense of urgency growing from a place just out of sight. Visual phenomena that I experience in transitional periods — between sleep and consciousness or in a meditative state — are often used as source material. These liminal spaces and the forms they generate have an energy that feels familiar and strange, like echoes from a parallel reality.” In February, Everett traveled to Bentonville, Arkansas to visit Crystal Bridges and attend the opening of the Momentary and State of the Art 2020. The exhibition will be on display through May 24, 2020. “Crystal Bridges is an amazing institution with a breathtaking facility and collection of art,” he said. “The new contemporary space, The Momentary, is equally impressive and promises to energize art and culture in our country.” Though measures taken to prevent COVID-19 have temporarily closed the museum, Crystal Bridges continues to promote art from the exhibition online, and there are plans to take State of the Art 2020 on the road to museums across the country. Everett’s inclusion in the exhibition is a significant accomplishment, but he sees the achievement as “equal parts luck and hard work.” “I think it is important to recognize there are so many great artists around the country and in Utah that could have been included in this show,” he said. “I am a committed artist and have been making art for a long time, but that does not always bring exhibitions and recognition. I had many studio visits in 2019, and some led to good things and others didn't. Happily, the visit with Lauren Haynes led to this opportunity.” For Everett, this experience has reminded him of the importance of finding internal rewards and an honest voice as an artist. “I feel it is important to not pay too much attention to extrinsic rewards and praise and to not get discouraged when there is a dry spell,” said Everett. “These things can be fickle and come and go. What is critical is to be honest and focus on where your center is, what you have to offer and what is intrinsically rewarding that you can hold onto even if no one else seems interested.”

Department of Theatre and Media Arts

Department of Design graduate Andy Erekson released short film “Marooned” last summer

Jiménez recently received a Student Heritage Award from the American Society of Cinematographers and saw his work screened at Sundance

Photography graduate Sara Anderson shares how an experiential learning opportunity has enhanced her time at BYU

Dance education major Daylin Williams shares how her experience with serious injury has made her stronger

Cash prizes will be awarded to students who submit creative works that showcase successful experiential or remote learning