Art Student Stephania Muro Learns What to “Become BYU” Means During the Art Department’s Summer Intensive Art Program
Painting. Learning. Today? I will paint.
I had a classmate in my photography class who mentioned something about a summer program following the model of an intensive artist residency.
What was that? I had never heard of it.
Later, I learned an art residency is a program that provides artists the space, resources, and time to breathe, eat, and sleep art. My painting professor, Peter Everett, did this for two weeks. He finished more than twenty paintings.
The BYU Art Department holds a summer intensive art program every year that lasts seven weeks. In it I finished five pieces. This wasn’t a residency dedicated entirely to studio art. I worked full time and participated in the second portion of the Summer Intensive Program activities, which included weekly hikes. During those weeks, I learned two things: I truly love to breathe, eat, and sleep art, and I don’t like hiking as much as I thought. Not in the summer at ninety-five degrees, at least. The first half of the summer had been playing board games with friends until 4 a.m., visiting National parks, and trying out new places to eat in Provo.
I was one of nine art students enrolled in the second half of the Summer Intensive Program. In six words: I painted even in my sleep. So, the answer remained the same: What will you do this weekend? What will you do next week? I’ll paint. And then, I’ll paint. And probably later, I’ll paint. And you know what, I loved it! The Summer Intensive took place on BYU campus. Brian Christensen and Peter Everett directed it. The latter was my very first college professor. I was so excited to learn from both. They are geniuses in their craft, and they are not selfish about sharing all the knowledge they have acquired over years of professional artistry. Professor Everett invited all of us to his art studio to see his large work of paintings. Both took us to the Uinta Mountains to experience a different sort of aesthetic.
At first, I thought they were taking us out to nature to get inspiration. But it was so much more than that. Hiking up to the rocky saddle bathed in sweat allowed our group to grow as a community. We learned to appreciate one another more and see the hearts behind the artists. During art critiques, we were no longer talking to strangers but to our family who had helped us during those critical hours of steep hiking. The inclines were actually worth it. Up there, I thought about how badly I wanted to return to my studio and replicate the patterns I discovered in nature. It was a visual treat to go to the mountains and take the time to observe the soft ridges in the scales of pinecones I had never noticed before, to recognize that wildflowers are my favorite, and to notice how nature hugs itself in tree branches, twigs, and even mushrooms. So, my answer changed a little. “Today I’ll go on a hike,” I would say, “and later, I will paint.”
Reflecting on my experience today, I see I can understand better what “Becoming BYU” means. The greatest way to enjoy college through experiential learning is trying to be a disciple of Christ by caring for others and being there for others. This community has taught me it also brings the greatest joy. It means to go out there and work in your chosen field and enjoy it. Enjoy it by making friends and by being a disciple of Christ. Some friends and even my mom accompanied me in those late hours of painting; we ate Graham Canyon ice cream from the vending machine, and when I was by myself, I called anyone who would come to mind on the phone. I was reminded of one of the BYU aims—lifelong service. Before, when I heard this, I thought of all the good I would do for the world someday but forgot that service goes both ways. In those seven weeks, I received help from so many BYU and non-BYU students, lifelong disciples of Christ.
“Becoming BYU” means learning from each other. I love every single professor I have had for the last two years, but my greatest teachers have been my classmates. During my freshman year, one of my art professors said, “the greatest things you will learn in school will come from one another.” And he was right. All of these students embodying “Becoming BYU” are translated into education for eternity. Just as Brigham Young University provides these windows of learning for us, we can find them, we can create them, and we can share them.
My graduating high school quote was the gladiator opening line, “What we do in life echoes in eternity,” and every opportunity we make the most of at this university will truly have that lasting influence. Now, weeks after this experience, I am planning on creating an artist residency for children, so they too can develop a love for painting—and learning. And you know what? It wasn’t solely the painting I loved. It was the progress, it truly was the learning. Today? I will paint. And I will learn. I will always learn.
