Department of Art

Koo’s Art Breaks Down Fabric Mediums To Facilitate Interaction

Gabriella Warnick, Art Major at BYU, Presented Audio From the de Jong’s Past and Present as an Immersive Art Installation on Nov 11.

BYU’s Department of Art Gallery Space at West Campus Benefits Students and Artists While Keeping the Spirit of the Former Provo High School Alive

Students Malachi Wilson and Janessa Lewis Joined Forces With Faculty Member Christopher Lynn to Display Art by Nancy Rivera and BYU Alum Jacob Haupt

The department recognized students’ outstanding efforts with awards and scholarships

Master of Fine Arts student uses sculptures to teach and testify of Jesus Christ

Myleka Bevans’ choice to break artistic rules led to a variety of successes

Imagine a man jamming out to trap music in his studio as he rhythmically goes to town on a canvas. This is how Stephen Clawson, a senior art major at Brigham Young University, does his paintings in the basement of his grandmother’s home, also known as his studio. That same trap music could be Frank Sinatra or Bing Crosby any other day of the week, a song with a slower and more melodic essence to it, but this is how Clawson likes to work. His work over the past seven years culminated into what he called an abstract art experience. The gallery at BYU was packed from wall-to-wall with his work. “Some of these things are horrible paintings, but I still wanted to put them up,” Clawson said. “My teachers didn’t like it, they just wanted me to do eight pieces.” For Clawson, art is somewhat of an escape. He added there is something crazy about painting, a feeling that he — at times — had trouble describing. Sometimes his work just seems to click for him, other times paintings seem flat and dull. The beauty of abstract art is that you can paint over things, or as Clawson likes to do, glue things on to the canvas in a collage style. One instance where a painting fell into place for him was when he had surgery and was still dealing with the pain. He was on some pain medicine to help recovery, and Clawson said he mixed colors to create an orange hue that seemed to fit perfectly on his canvas. He still gets that feeling sometimes, just without the pain medicine. Clawson also uses art as a way of expression. During his time at BYU, he had one instance where he was dealing with depression and he could not seem to get out of “the funk.” Read the full articlewritten by Ryne Williams at heraldextra.com.

BYU’s Art Education Club to host seminar focused on museum education opportunities for students

In a BYU art class Brandon J. Gunn (BFA ’03) quickly discovered that drawing and painting weren’t his forte. But his wife, Nicole Flores Gunn (BFA ’01), had enjoyed a lithography class from Wayne Kimball and thought Brandon might like it too. He did—so much that he eventually went on to study at the University of New Mexico’s prestigious Tamarind Institute, where he today serves as education director. “I’m half teacher, one quarter artist, and one quarter technician,” he says. Lithography’s laborious printmaking process—involving stone, grease, and chemicals—suits Gunn. “Printmaking gives me time to think,” he says. “The technical part lets me step away to look at things in a new way. . . and add things that I can’t just do by drawing.” Read the article and see Gunn’s work at magazine.byu.edu.

Every fall and winter art education students in their final semester of the program complete student teaching in local schools. Paired with innovative mentors who offer authentic full-time teaching experiences, students have the opportunity to practice the theory they have learned in their coursework over the years. Chloe Welch, one of six student teachers this semester, gradually assumed responsibility for Bart Francis’ high school art classes until she became the primary teacher. Outside the classroom, however, they continue to meet regularly for coaching, assessing and brainstorming lesson plans. Early in the semester, Welch shared an idea about visualizing data as art, inspired by the project Dear Data, and Francis made the connection to a lesson he had previously taught on routines. Together they researched other artists who incorporate data collection and routines into their work and designed a lesson plan. For the assignment, students collected data for seven days on one aspect of their life, then documented that data in an artwork that included a legend to help viewers decipher their image. In February, Welch and Francis presented their experience at the Utah Art Education Association conference. One outcome that resulted from the data collection project was that students were able to make meaningful connections between their art and their life. Read the full story at art.byu.edu.

In a new digital sculpture class taught by Associate Professor Collin Bradford, students explore the material, formal and conceptual potential of sculpture using new technologies. Digital 3D: Sculpture with Digital Tools is one of two new courses offered as part of the Art and Technology track within the BA degree. Students enrolled in digital sculpture learn the basics of 3D modeling, 3D rendering and creating physical objects from digital models using a 3D printer, laser cutter and a CNC machine (also called a CNC router). Continue reading on the Department of Art’s website.

BA Art student Elisabeth Baird feels most inspired when making art —not in the solitude of her studio, but with other people. As a future teacher (she is earning an art education licensure), Baird draws on the power of art to inspire understanding and connection. So when she learned about socially engaged art in a class from Professor Dan Barney, it seemed a natural fit. Read more on the Department of Art's website.

BYU design and art students worked with Volunteers of America to serve homeless youth in Salt Lake City

Priscilla Stewart will present her research on place and ecology based education at the National Art Education Association’s National Convention, the premier conference for K12 art educators and university researchers

Students experienced art and nature while developing as artists in an accelerated and intensive summer program

Students worked across disciplines and made contemporary connections

Pearl Corry’s view on art matches Franz Kafka's quote about music — “Music is the sound of the soul, the direct voice of the subjective world.” During her time at BYU, Corry enjoyed the art program’s focus on critical thinking and theory. One of the most important things she learned as an artist is to never get too comfortable with what she is doing. Through several of her educational experiences, Corry has enjoyed meaningful and impactful experiences that helped shape her both as an individual and as an artist. During a study abroad in Berlin she took a New Genre course that motivated her to research contemporary artists on her own. She also took an Advanced Photo class where they discussed before each class about what was happening in the world. 'Those conversations in my art classes were very meaningful to me,” Corry said. “I felt lucky then, and I feel lucky now, to have been around such brilliant and compassionate people.” Corry cites her relationships with her art professors as a critical part of her BYU experience. “They instilled in me the importance of being a good person as well as a good artist,” Corry said. Corry plans to pursue both an interdisciplinary Master of Fine Arts and a Master of Library Science in Art Librarianship. For her time at BYU, Corry said, “I hope I’ve been a good friend and a hard thinker.” One thing you enjoy about your major: “I enjoy when everyone is working in the BFA studios at the same time.” Influential class that you took at BYU: “In addition to the above mentioned, courses like Interdisciplinary Projects and Peter Everett’s painting classes have been very influential.” If you could have a toy designed after you: “I’d like to have one of those roller coaster bead mazes, the ones where you can push painted wooden beads back and forth along twisted wires. I think they are kind of awesome as sculptures in their own right.” Movie title for your life: “I’m always dropping things. Something about that, probably.”