Faculty and Staff

Professor Asplund will address audiences on “Sacred Music and the Punk Rock Ethic”

Collin Bradford shares how Mormons can learn to appreciate contemporary art

Jeffrey Martin hands the BRAVO! reins over to Bridget Benton

The College of Fine Arts and Communication’s 2017-18 Faith and Works Lecture series will start on Nov. 2 with a presentation by Department of Art professor Collin Bradford.

Recognition included four university awards and three college awards.

Eric Gillett, chair of the BYU Department of Design, explained how basic principles of design combined with gospel thinking help solve some of life's 'wicked' problems at this week's BYU Devotional. 'Contrary to what you might expect, a ‘wicked’ problem does not refer to something evil or sinister,' Gillett said, 'but instead describes something so 'tricky' and complicated that it seems to defy solution. With wicked problems the situation is dynamic and often involves multiple variables.' Read More...

The BYU School of Communications will host Scott Church, assistant professor in the School of Communications, in conjunction with the Raymond E. and Ida Lee Beckham Lecture in Communications Series March 16 at 11:00 a.m. in 321 of the Maeser building. Church will present his lecture, “The Art of Mass Communication: The Sublime, Ineffable, and Spiritual Elements of Memes.” Popular viral content, like memes, are taking over the Internet. The presentation will address how memes strategically use art, symbolism and spirituality to attract attention and to help the audience feel emotion. Church has taught courses in popular culture, business communication, public speaking, public discourse, music and media studies. His research primarily uses critical theory, aesthetics and media ecology as analytic lenses for social media and mediated popular texts. The lectures were established in 1995 in honor of Ray Beckham’s late wife, Ida Lee. Raymond E. Beckham was a leader in education at BYU for 42 years. He was the driving force behind the BYU Evening school program, the BYU Travel Studies program, Aspen Grove, and founded the New York Internship program for Communications majors. INFORMATION Dates: Thursday March 16 Times: 11:00 a.m. Location: 321 Karl G. Maeser Building Admission: Free, no registration required

Former BYU Performing Arts artist manager, Troy Streeter, has accepted the position of Audio-Visual Operations Manager for BYU Arts Production. Karson Denney, an adjunct faculty member in the BYU Department of Dance, has been selected as his replacement. “Troy comes with excellent experience and expertise in all the areas he now supervises,” said Russell Richins, director and production manager of BYU Arts Production. “He will be a great asset to Arts Production, but especially to each of the departments we typically serve. We welcome Troy aboard.” Streeter graduated from BYU in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in theatre arts studies and a minor in electronics engineering, after which he completed an MBA. While working as an artist manager, he managed the BYU Synthesis tour to Brazil in 2013. “I’m excited to continue learning and growing alongside the students and faculty in the college,” Streeter said. Denney expressed equal excitement for his new position. “When the position was offered to me there was no hesitation and I was elated to accept the job,” said Denney. “I hope to help BYU performing groups find opportunities to uplift audiences and make a difference in other people’s lives through service.” Denney graduated from BYU in 2006 with a bachelor’s degree in geography. In 2011 he completed his master’s degree in mass communications. He brings with him 24 years of performing experience including recognition as 2-time United States Dance and Rhythm Champion and as well as the United States American Smooth Champion. As a student, Denny toured with BYU’s Ballroom team to Blackpool, England and won the British Latin Formation Championship.

Wise fools and fish on leashes. Dragons and dwarves. Boats and beetles. Flying pigs and goblin princesses. The imaginative images of myths, fables and fantasies depicted by James C. Christensen will live on in myriad mediums, despite the death of the artist recognized for his works of fantasy and faith. Christensen, a world-renowned LDS fantasy artist and former BYU art faculty member, died Sunday, Jan. 8, 2017, in Orem after a prolonged battle with cancer. He was 74. READ MORE FROM THE DESERET NEWS >>> Former CFAC faculty member passes away James C. Christensen passed away Jan. 8, 2017 at the age of 74 after an ongoing battle with cancer. Born in Culver City, California in 1942, Christensen was a well-known American artist of religious and fantasy art. He studied at Santa Monica College and UCLA, and graduated from Brigham Young University with a Master’s Degree in Art. Christensen is an Honored Alumnus and was a Visual Arts Emeritus Faculty at BYU. He received many awards such as Utah’s Top 100 Artists by the Springville Museum of Art, the Governor’s Award for Art from the Utah Arts Council, and was inducted into the U.S. Art magazine’s Hall of Fame. Christensen and his wife, Carole, were co-chairs of the Mormon Arts Foundation. BYU illustration professor, Robert Barrett worked closely with Christensen. “Jim Christensen will certainly be missed as a creative contributor to the art world and to our community,” Barrett said. “Prior to his retirement, Jim taught and advised a number of students in the Illustration Program and was an effective teacher and mentor. While on the faculty at BYU, he would frequently visit the Illustration classes and following his retirement would open his studio for visits by the Illustration faculty and students.” Christensen wrote several books including: A Journey of the Imagination: The Art of James Christensen (1994), Voyage of the Basset (1996), and Rhymes and Reasons (1997). His work has been featured in many other books, including A Shakespeare Sketchbook (2001), which he illustrated. “In addition to his fantasy work, Jim contributed his creative energies to temple murals for the Nauvoo and Provo City temples as well as several scripturally based paintings and illustrations, Barrett said. “His impact on BYU and its creative culture as well as on the LDS Church as a whole will continue to be felt for years to come.” Christensen is survived by his wife and five children, two of whom, Cassandra Christensen Barney and Emily Christensen McPhie, are also alumnae of the College of Fine Arts and Communications at BYU and are notable artists.

Newspapers have shifted from strongly favoring Republican candidates in the 1950s to dividing their editorial endorsements almost equally In the 1948 U.S. presidential election, republican presidential candidate and Governor of New York Thomas E. Dewey was heavily favored and endorsed by more than 80 percent of America’s newspapers. Journalists at the Chicago Tribune were so sure of Dewey’s win that the newspaper printed its morning edition early with the now infamous headline “Dewey Defeats Truman.” What was predicted to be an easy win for Dewey is now considered to be the greatest election upset in American history as presidential incumbent Harry S. Truman swept the polls. It’s scenarios like the 1948 presidential election that have Journalism Professor Joel Campbell taking a closer look at the effectiveness of editorial endorsements of presidential candidates. “It’s difficult to say if there is any strong correlation between endorsements and how people vote,” Campbell said. “But more often than not, presidential candidates with the largest percentage of newspaper endorsements have won since 1940, the notable exceptions being Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.” According to Campbell’s research published in The 21st Century Voter: Who Votes, How they Vote, and Why They Vote, there was a substantial shift in how the news media endorsed candidates throughout the last 50 years: Newspapers have shifted from strongly favoring Republican candidates in the 1940s and 1950s to dividing their editorial endorsements almost equally between the two major parties. Democratic candidates are about 10 percent more likely to receive an endorsement than Republican candidates six decades earlier. Incumbents today receive an editorial endorsement about 90 percent of the time, up from 60 percent of the time in the 1940s. In the 2012 presidential election, 77 of the top 100 U.S. newspapers endorsed candidates: 41 papers endorsed President Barack Obama, 35 endorsed GOP candidate Mitt Romney and a single paper registered a split decision. Another 23 papers did not endorse any candidates, including the two largest newspapers, USA Today and the Wall Street Journal. Even though the candidate with the most endorsements has traditionally won the election, Campbell predicts that editorial endorsements won’t make any difference this fall. “In this year's election there is so much information available on so many platforms, any media endorsement is likely to be drowned out by the din of voices,” Campbell said. “In the era of social media, the endorsement of those within one's circle of friends is likely to carry much more weight than that of a news organization.” It’s not just the endorsement and election result relationship that interests Campbell, but also the ethical practice of news media favoring a candidate. As a professor, Campbell teaches his students that journalists are supposed to be objective observers, but the long-standing tradition of editorial endorsements often gets in the way. The Society of Professional Journalists Ethics Committee encourages editorial pages to promote thoughtful debate and let readers know through endorsements which candidates share the newspaper’s vision, while also taking every opportunity to explain the firewall between news and opinion. But in an era of social media and frequently blurred lines between news and opinion, Campbell urges his fellow journalists to be more careful. “Most people say ‘journalism ethics’ is an oxymoron,” Campbell said. “The distrust of the media and the feeling of bias in the media is greater than ever. Newspapers and news media endorsing candidates probably feeds into that.” The College of Family, Home, and Social Sciences and the Office of Civic Engagement Leadership are partnering with Turbovote to facilitate online voter registration. If you are not registered tovote, but are eligible, or if you wish to obtain an absentee ballot, please visit the booths in and around the Wilkinson Student Center during the week of September 26 to register to vote or to get an absentee ballot. September 26, 2016 | Natalie Tripp

Robert L. Marshall passed away at age 71 on Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. He was a retired faculty member of the BYU Department of Art (retired July 2008). He is survived by his wife, Janice Marshall. Marshall graduated from Brigham Young University in 1966 with a bachelor's degree in art and in 1968 with a master's degree in painting and sculpture. He served as chair of the BYU Department of Visual Arts for 12 years (1985-1997) before returning to the studio and the classroom full-time. As a professor, he was invited to speak at a campus devotional in 2003, and was also asked to deliver a Distinguished Faculty Lecture in 2002. He is the recipient of many awards, including the College of Fine Arts and Communications annual award for Excellence in Creativity and the Karl G. Maeser Research and Creative Arts Award (1994). Marshall has exhibited throughout the US and Europe. In 2012, the Springville Museum of Art hosted his artwork, along with fellow BYU professors Bruce Smith and Wayne Kimball. Marshall and other members of the artistic group Frank's Boys were commissioned to paint murals for the Nauvoo Temple (2002) and the Provo City Center Temple (2014). Funeral services for Marshall will be held on Saturday, Aug. 27 at 10 a.m. in the LDS Chapel on 860 East 200 North in Springville. There will be a viewing held on Friday from 6—8 p.m. at Wheeler Mortuary, 211 East 200 North in Springville, and on Saturday one hour prior to the services at the church. The burial will take place in the Springville City Cemetery.

Kelly T. Loosli On Aug. 22, animation Professor Kelly T. Loosli received the Karl G. Maeser Professional Faculty Excellence Award, which recognizes outstanding achievement in fulfilling professional faculty responsibilities. Loosli was one of five individuals at the conference to receive the award. Kelly T. Loosli has worked in animation and live-action media production for 23 years, 15 of which he has managed and taught in BYU’s nationally recognized animation program, of which he is the co-creator. Loosli began his animation career at age 15 as a clay animator for television commercials. In 1996, he graduated from BYU with a bachelor’s degree in film. Throughout his career, Loosli has also played a significant role in many widely acclaimed productions such as DreamWorks’ “Shrek,” Disney’s “Spirit” and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Meet the Mormons.” He also has experience with Buena Vista Motion Pictures, and has worked with the popular rock band “The Killers.' Loosli is currently working with students to complete several large computer-animated group projects, two live-action and animated mixed films and one traditionally animated film. Even with 17 Student Emmys and five Student Academy Awards, Kelly is known to care more about the student learning than the quality of the creative work being produced. An award-winning work being produced is just further evidence to the quality of the teaching and mentoring that Kelly and his colleagues provide, and has been integral in building one of the most effective learning centers on the BYU campus. Much of its success is attributed to the dedication that Kelly has to student learning, quality mentoring, honest feedback and hard work. Kelly is a model citizen and a wonderful professional faculty member. Daniel T. Barney On Aug. 22, art professor Daniel T. Barney received the Joseph E. White Teaching & Learning Faculty Fellowship. This fellowship recognizes the sacrifice and efforts by the university’s support services in providing a transfer of positions and budget to enhance teaching and learning. Daniel Barney graduated from Brigham Young University in 1995 with a bachelor's degree in printmaking and a certification in Art Education K-12, and in 2004 with a master's degree in art education. Barney is currently faculty in the Art Department at BYU. Although his degree was in printmaking and drawing, Barney has shown jewelry, glass work, photography, paintings, videos, drawing, and sewn work in galleries and museums across the US and Canada, including Ayden Gallery in Vancouver, BC, Coda Gallery in Park City and Exit9 Gift Emporium in New York City. His artwork has also been exhibited on campuses that include the University of Utah, The University of Illinois, Maryland Institute College of Art and The University of British Columbia. As an arts education research professor, Dan Barney’s research and writing contributes to the education of students not only at BYU but across the United States. He is a dynamic, committed, and inventive teacher and excels in his ability to make students feel comfortable and engages while challenging them in meaningful ways and helping them to stretch intellectually and creatively. He is continually seeking ways to improve student learning and to involve students in active learning. He is known to be demanding and to have high expectations, but students respect him for his knowledge, intelligence, and experience. He is a fine and loyal colleague, an effective and engaging teacher, and an accomplished scholar.

Assistant Professor of Design David Dibble recently received an award at the Oil Painters of America 25th National Juried Exhibition. Dibble’s work “Hinckley Farm” won a Landscape Honorable Mention from the exhibition in Texas. He primarily paints landscapes working on site, and this painting was no exception. “I did the painting on location at the Hinckley farm in West Provo and loved the morning light striking the old farm buildings,” Dibble said. “I then took the painting back to the studio and further explored the scene to clarify the emotion of strong warm light and remoteness of location that I wanted to portray.”

Professor David Dibble and six alumni play pivotal roles in converting beloved characters from 2D to 3D He’s an icon who has appeared in the Sunday paper for more than half a century, but there are still some sides of Charlie Brown the public has yet to see. For example: the back of his head. This was the challenge facing a team of talented artists at Blue Sky Studios (owned by 20th Century Fox), which included BYU Illustration professor David Dibble and six other alumni from the BYU Department of Design. The group was tasked with transforming the two-dimensional world of Charles Schulz’s characters into a three-dimensional feature-length film. “In the 1950s, Charlie Brown comic strips were a little more 3D and had some depth and perspective in the drawings,” Dibble said. “But in the 70s, 80s and 90s, not only did Schulz progressively flatten down the space, he stuck a flat brick wall in front of the characters in many scenes to eliminate depth. We never see the back of Charlie Brown’s head, we don’t see him from a three-quarter angle. He’s always drawn from a profile view or straight on.” Dibble worked as a visual development artist on “The Peanuts Movie,” set to release Friday. Visual development artists design the color, shape, style and any other visual element that make up a movie. Dibble specifically created a style guide for fellow designers and animators down the production pipeline detailing the nuances for drawing like Schulz, which included references for pen strokes and line width. In order to keep the tiniest details in harmony with Schulz’s original work, such as a poster hanging on the wall in Charlie Brown’s bedroom, every illustration had to be documented with a comic strip reference to prove it was consistent with tradition. “The level of research that went into this is something people won’t necessarily see when watching the movie. To say we did a fairly deep dive to make sure that details are accurate to Schulz’s vision is an understatement,” Dibble said. For example, because Schulz drew Charlie Brown slightly different in every strip, artists created a matrix of over 500 Charlie Browns before narrowing down the final design for the movie. “We also don’t want those details to be felt more than distracting. If people aren’t noticing but it just feels right, then we’ve done our job right.” The influence of BYU graduates stretches from the beginning of the production process throughout the entire movie, with some spending more than two years on the project. BYU Alum Jeff Call helped visualize the movie as a story artist, creating a blueprint of the movie for other departments to use. “The script leaves a lot up to interpretation and we’re the ones trying to tie it down,” Call said. “Every audience member is going to bring certain expectations when they come to watch the movie. We needed to meet those expectations and hopefully surpass them.” Fellow BYU grad Tyler Carter, also a visual development artist, was responsible for designing the look of the Peanuts’ world as well as Snoopy’s imagination, an area not heavily explored in the comics. “When I first started on the film over three years ago, I was quite intimidated,” Carter said. “Peanuts is synonymous with American culture in such a way that it’s almost sacred. Like the rest of the country, I grew up watching the Bill Melendez specials. For me, it’s an honor to work on a film like this.” The fantasy world, which equates to approximately 6,000 miles of computer generated land, is where Snoopy faces off against his arch nemesis, the Red Baron. To create this world, Carter drew on his childhood memories of the towering Wasatch mountains for inspiration. BYU graduate Seth Hippen was an animator on the film responsible for some scenes that included Charlie Brown, Woodstock, Snoopy and Linus. He said his biggest challenge as an animator was mimicking the rough movement of the original Schulz work in the smooth 3D format. “The animation in the holiday television specials was shot on a budget, and movements can be a little snappy moving from a straight on view to a profile view,” Hippen said. “We didn’t want to lose that feel, so to make it work in 3D we would animate one or two frames indicating the head was turning a certain direction and then we would snap it into profile.” Other BYU alumni who contributed significantly to “The Peanuts Movie”include Raphael Tavarez (materials artist); Michael Murdock (lighting technical director); and Brandon May (lighting technical director). The BYU Department of Design is accustomed to being in the national spotlight for work produced by the animation, illustration, and graphic design programs. A 2013 news feature in The New York Times touted “Out of nowhere, B.Y.U. – a Mormon university owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – has become a farm team for the country’s top animation studios and effects companies.” Dibble agrees. “In the way our programs are structured, the students are working in teams and that translates very well to a professional setting,” Dibble said. “You need to be able to work with people. Those recently graduated students start out with a company and, because of their character and work ethic, very quickly become respected leaders.” BY NATALIE TRIPP, BYU UNIVERSITY COMMUNICATIONS PHOTOGRAPHY BY JAREN WILKEY, BYU PHOTO

BYU illustration professor Justin Kunz has given Lady Liberty a complete makeover while designing a new collectors item coin for the US Mint. The American Liberty 2015 High Relief 24-karat Gold Coin was highly anticipated by coin collectors across the U.S. It features a newly re-imagined Lady Liberty meant to reflect modern sensibilities including increasing cultural diversity. Unlike previous representations, Kunz’s is a woman whose features–from her physicality and dress to the items she is holding–represent an attempt to bring a contemporary sensibility to a traditional American icon. “It was difficult to portray Lady Liberty as a modern figure,” Kunz said, “I studied, sketched and finally, meditated on what Lady Liberty represents. I wanted the idea of her to be a simple visual statement expressed in an elegant way.' 'I wanted her to be recognizable as Liberty. I didn't want to put her in a hoodie.' As you look at the coin, you notice that Kunz’s Lady Liberty has a more rounded face with smaller, less pronounced eyes, nose and ears. Her robes are more fitted with a V-neck. Instead of a crown with spikes representing the seven seas, the modern Lady Liberty is crowned with the laurel leaf representing victory. In her left hand, she holds the staff of an American flag that flows behind her and in her right hand she holds a torch meant to represent freedom. Kunz drew upon his experience as a professional illustrator, developing drawings in graphite based on his rough sketches and photographs of two different models who posed for Liberty. He then scanned the drawings and used 2D graphics software to edit and arrange the images with typography in a circular format. At one point Kunz had Lady Liberty depicted with a drawn sword, though he was concerned reviewers might feel this pose would appear too combative. Fifteen talented artists submitted their designs for the coin and only two were chosen, one for the obverse (front) and one for the reverse (back). The Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee and the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts reviewed all of the designs and made their recommendations, but ultimately it was up to the treasury secretary to decide which design would be minted on the coin. In the end, the secretary chose Kunz’s design for the obverse where his initials now reside. “It was an exciting experience to listen in on the CCAC’s meeting while they evaluated the designs,” Kunz said, “When they came to my design each member of the committee seemed to understand what I was trying to communicate, which is thrilling for an artist.” Although having his design chosen for the new coin is an honor few artists can say they’ve achieved, it’s not the first time Kunz’s work has won over an audience. Kunz’s designs have been featured on the following coin as well. 2008 Andrew Jackson’s Liberty (reverse) Kunz continues to work with the US Mint designing coins and medals. Next year, in 2016, a new America the Beautiful Quarter designed by Kunz with a depiction of the Shawnee National Forest will become available. It may even end up in your pocket. “It’s such a privilege to work with the US Mint.” Kunz said, “My skills and creativity as an artist have grown while working with them and it’s very rewarding to have my designs seen by thousands of American collectors all over the US.” The new coin, which will be limited to a mintage of 50,000 units, has an official denomination of $100, but is sold for nearly $1500. Initial inventories of the coin were sold out within the first day of its release and it’s on backorder until October. PHOTO CAPTION: Justin Kunz designed the new Lady Liberty on the coin for the US Mint. Photography by: Mark A. Philbrick/BYU. Copyright BYU Photo 2015. All Rights Reserved photo@byu.edu. From BYU News

Incoming BYU faculty Robert Machoian’s film God Bless the Child was featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Filmmaker magazine and was made an official selection for South by Southwest. The film follows a family of five children ranging from age one to 13 years old over the course of a day after their mother abandoned them, forcing the eldest and only girl to handle her four younger brothers. Although the film is scripted, it has the style of a documentary. A scene from ‘God Bless the Child’ - PHOTO: ROBERT MACHOIAN Machoian’s film has a five star rating on iTunes and glowing reviews in The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. The New York Times praises the filmmakers for using their own children as the actors and letting their internal dynamics drive the action instead of creating characters, stating “their blooming personalities come through with a warm and wonderful immediacy.” Filmmaker magazine sat down with Machoian and his co-director Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck to discuss the challenges of making this film. Read more about the interview here.

School of Communications faculty member Kevin John is one of the youngest professors here on campus and is teaching full time this coming fall semester. His collection of video game collectibles and consoles lining the walls of his office give testament of his youth.

A post about tagging a favorite Comms professor/staff member on the The BYU School of Communications Facebook page has already reached more than 7000 viewers. How did one of these folks influence your life in a positive way? Tag your favorite professor or staff member and tell us about it. In August the BYU School of Communications faculty and staff gathered for a photograph. How did one of these folks...