Department of Design

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Aline Smithson shared how she balances her career and family at first Women in Design lecture. BYU’s Department of Design recently created a lecture series customized for female design students. The series brings in professional female designers who can speak to the realities of the workplace student designers will face. The newly formed Department of Design Diversity Committee created the series. The committee consists of professors Linda Reynolds, Bethanne Andersen and Robert Machoian. Andersen said they started the series in hopes they could “educate students to think bigger.” “I hope it creates a community where students can network with each other,” Andersen said. “I hope it empowers them to lean in and talk about different things. Also, I hope it creates an environment where, if they have any issues, they feel free to talk about them and have access to mentors that can help.” Andersen explained some of her female students have encountered disparaging comments about their ability to balance a career in design while nurturing personal relationships. “A large percent of women will support their families financially during their life because of death, divorce, illness, layoffs and downsizing.” Andersen said. “They need to be prepared for a profession and so I try to help them realize how important it is for them to work towards that goal.” To kick off the series, the Department of Design featured professional photographer Aline Smithson, an artist based in Los Angeles. Her successful career has included a focus on “childhood, aging and the humanity that connects us,” according to her biography. “All of her photographs deal with how she lives her life with her family and her art,” Andersen said. When Machoian reached out to Smithson to speak at BYU, he asked if she would like to speak as part of the lecture series targeted to female students. Smithson replied that she already had a presentation for such an occasion. Her remarks focused on the balance of being a mother and a professional artist. Photography student Megan Matheson attended the lecture and had the opportunity to have her portfolio reviewed by Smithson. “I was interested because motherhood is such a big topic within our culture as Mormons. It is something, especially as artists, we are constantly struggling with, we want to have a career and balance motherhood. They’re both two really great desires that we have. It was cool to hear her opinions about it,” Matheson said. After studying art at the University of California at Santa Barbara and the College of Creative Studies, Smithson worked as a New York Fashion editor. She eventually returned to LA to her own artistic practice and picked up photography to learn how to take better pictures of her kids. As she became more familiar with the medium, she found ways to include her family life in her art. “You can make work within your life with very little effort,” Smithson assured. One of Smithson’s first photographic successes was her series “Arrangement in Green and Black, Portraits of the Photographer’s Mother.” The series included portraits of Smithson’s mother inspired by James McNeill Whistler’s painting “Arrangement in Grey and Black.” Smithson stated that working on the series didn't feel so much like work as “simply my mother and me spending time together.” One of the main points of Smithson’s lecture was to encourage students to develop a community that could help them in their artistic pursuits. Smithson cited the works of several other artists and discussed projects she collaborated on and how they benefited her career. “Create community,” Smithson said. “This is critical to your nourishment as an artist, especially if you’re at home with kids and feel like you don’t have a creative community.” Matheson said she felt encouraged by Smithson’s words. “I think what surprises me most about these lectures is that artists are so human. They’re just like us and they have all the same desires and all the same experiences. They make great work and show us it’s possible for us to make great work too; work that is personal and work that is meaningful that other people can appreciate.” The Women in Design lecture series will be held throughout the academic year with guest artists from different backgrounds in design. The aim is to offer different perspectives on being an artist working in the design field. “In the end, the journey is about who and what you love,” Smithson said. “Having a passion and focus beyond my husband, children, family and friends has been a godsend. It has opened up the world in ways I never could have expected and given me friends all over the world. So my advice is to slow down. Make the best work you can. Enjoy your family. Make work that is uniquely you, speaks to your world, your life and your way of thinking. Tell us your stories, show us your heartbreak, find magic everywhere — and trust me, it’s out there.”

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Grant Hansen originally chose illustration as a major while preparing to go to Medical School, but quickly his plans changed. One thing he enjoys about the illustration major is how it focuses on applying all he has learned. “You can’t get through this major by memorizing the answers to the tests. It’s an industry that demands you actually know your stuff,” Hansen said. While at BYU, Hansen traveled to California with fellow BYU design students. There he started networking with AMD Radeon an organization who later helped fund his senior project. For his senior project, Hansen created and directed a virtual reality version of Jack and The Beanstalk. Hansen worked with several other students from multiple disciplines over eight months to create the final project. Hansen is hopeful their project will spark more interest in virtual reality projects on campus. He hopes he left a legacy of collaboration that other BYU students will follow. “I think that I had some impact on the people I worked with during my time at BYU,” Hansen said. “I hope that I helped reinforce the idea that we can accomplish greater things together than we can alone. That we’re just as free to do as we are to dream.” Wise words to share with others: “If you find, as most of us do, that you are your own greatest limiting factor: stop it.” Teachers that impacted your education: “David Dibble with his ability to squeeze the highest possible quality out of his students. Justin Kunz with his energy, experience and faith in his students to succeed. Bob Barrett with his sage advice, his quotes, his quotes, his quotes, and his excellent instruction. Beth Anne Anderson with her relentless positivity, her love of life and art, and infectious exuberance.” Movie title for your life: “‘What to Do When Lost.’ My life has consisted a lot of figuring out what to do when I don’t know how I’m going to get through a challenge.” Unique superpower you wish you had: “Time manipulation. You could get all your sleep out of the way in seconds, be an incredibly good athlete, be able to undo bad things that happen, get all the answers if I was ever on Jeopardy. That sort of thing.” Most meaningful experience at BYU: “I think I'd have to say the whole process of executing my senior project. It was life-changing. We were mentored by three BYU faculty members who were there to give us help and advice when we asked but generally allowed me to carry the project forward as I saw fit. Bless them.”

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The BYU Department of Design and the Department of Art have each renewed their department chairs for another term. Gary Barton continues on as the Department of Art chair as well as Eric Gillett as the Department of Design chair. Curt Holman, recently selected as the new Department of Dance chair, replaces Marilyn Berrett, effective June 1, 2017. Gillett, was appointed as chair of Department of Design in 2015 when the Department of Visual Arts split to become the Department of Art and the Department of Design. He graduated from BYU in 1991 with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and completed an MFA in design from the University of Utah. Gillett is a professor of graphic design. Gillett’s work is regularly featured in national and international design publications including Communication Arts, Print, How, Eye, Creative Quarterly, Graphis, NY Art Director’s Club and The One Show. His commissioned work as a designer, art director and creative director has included commissions for many Fortune 500 companies. His research focus relates to design systems, branding and typography. Barton became the chair of the BYU Art Department in 2015 following the division of the Department of Visual Arts. Barton graduated from BYU in 1989 with a bachelor’s in printmaking and received his master’s degree from Ohio State University. Barton works primarily in two-dimensional media including painting, printmaking and mixed media. While at BYU, Barton has served as the 2-D studio area coordinator, associate chair of the Department of Visual Arts and has been the director or associate director of several study abroad programs. He has also served on the Gordon B. Hinckley Presidential Scholarship Committee, the London Center Study Abroad Committee and the University Rank and Status Council. Holman graduated from BYU in 1989 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and again in 1996 with a master’s degree in dance. Holman and his wife are former professional ballroom dance competitors, U.S. National Cabaret finalists and invited competitors at the British Championships in Blackpool, England and the World Championships in the Netherlands. In his 25 years at BYU Holman has served on numerous department, college and university committees, including Ballroom Area administrator, associate department chair and Ballroom Dance Company artistic director. Writer: Bailey Fruit

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Photography major and Alabamian Jordan Layton was originally recruited to come to BYU to play soccer. Growing up, Layton never felt he was talented in art or music. However, four years ago when introduced to a friend’s camera Layton discovered photography and was hooked. After being admitted to the program, Layton went on a class trip to Los Angeles where the students met with commercial photographers and visited their studios. This experience solidified Layton’s decision to pursue commercial photography as a career. Layton sets himself apart with the sensitivity and attention to detail he brings to every project. Recently Layton and his professor Paul Adams, the Head of BYU Photography, embarked on a project they later named “Vanishing Voices.” While surfing the web, Layton came across a website illustrating endangered languages around the world including critically endangered languages with only one to three speakers left. “I was amazed at how many endangered languages there were even within our own country,” Layton said. “Looking into these tribes and people it really amazed me how hard they are fighting to hold onto their cultures and their languages that will ultimately die off soon.” Layton decided to document these individuals with a process called wet plate collodion tintype. This is an intensive process that was popularized in the 1850s and 60s around the time of the Civil War. One picture takes approximately an hour and a half to set up and another hour and a half to break down. “The wet plate collodion process is one of the most archival processes ever invented, so the plate could be around much longer than these languages and cultures will be,” Layton said. To create the 20-inch by 24-inch tintypes, Layton had to use a camera of that size. Layton and Adams had so much equipment they had to rent a trailer to take to California where Layton had located a few people for their visit through a number of cold calls. “Vanishing Voices” was displayed at the Harris Fine Arts Center at BYU, but Layton will continuing working on the project after graduation. Following his graduation this month, Layton and his wife Miriam are moving to New York City where Miriam will begin a new job and Layton will complete an internship with professional fashion photographer John Moe.

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Ashley Smith graduates this April with her BFA in illustration and will speak in the Department of Design convocation. During her time at BYU, Smith set herself apart by taking initiative to be involved. Recently she completed an internship in Salt Lake City with sculptor, Ryan Peterson. Peterson specializes in sculpting life-size Marvel characters, and has worked on numerous other projects in the entertainment industry. As part of this internship, Smith received a generous donation through the Mary Lois Wheatley Scholarship. This money funded her internship and allowed her to pursue sculpture as she otherwise would not have been able to do. After her internship, Smith was able to join professor Bethanne Andersen’s class for a character maquette assignment. She was able to share basic sculpting techniques that she learned during her internship. “After completing my internship, I was able to return to BYU and help other students, which I will always remember as a highlight of my university experience,” Smith said. Aside from her internship, while at BYU, Smith also won several local art contests including one held at The Wall, and another held by BYU Women’s Services. Smith is a native of Germany and lived in japan so she is currently applying for jobs in Japan and Europe. Her current dream job is to design book covers or work in children’s publishing. “For my BFA show I focused on children’s book illustrations,” Smith said. “They were all based on my life experiences, so the project was especially personal to me.” Smith’s convocation message centers on the concept of endings as a type of beginning and the importance of lifelong learning. “When you graduate college, you may feel like it’s the end of something and you could feel the urge to throw away any big dreams you had for yourself that you didn’t accomplish,” Smith said. “We can still accomplish those things. You don’t have to abandon your dreams just because they don’t fit right now.” Smith wishes to thank the many community members who frequently came out to support BYU students. She will miss spending time with her classmates and professors. Click here to the view the graduation live stream.

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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.

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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

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