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Faculty From the CFAC Recognized for Exceptional Work at University Conference

August 30, 2021 12:00 AM
Five faculty members won prestigious awards at the Annual University Conference; three faculty members were recognized during the college meeting
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CFAC Faculty and Staff Recognized at Annual University Conference

August 29, 2019 12:00 AM
Seven faculty members from the College of Fine Arts and Communications were recognized — four with university awards and three with college awards Several faculty members from the College of Fine Arts and Communications were recognized during BYU’s 2019 annual University Conference for their outstanding accomplishments and service. Kelly Loosli, Claudine Bigelow, Daniel Everett and Kori Wakamatsu received university faculty awards. Stephanie Breinholt, Daniel Barney and Nathan Balser were presented with college awards. University awards were announced at the opening session of University Conference on Monday, August 26. College awards were presented by associate dean Amy Jensen and dean Ed Adams during the college meeting on Wednesday, August 28. University Awards Kelly Loosli | Department of Theatre and Media Arts | Karl G. Maeser Excellence in Teaching Award Loosli, a professor of animation, was awarded the Karl G. Maeser Excellence in Teaching Award. This award highlights the masterful teaching accomplishments of faculty members at BYU. Loosli has had a passion for media arts since a teenager working as a clay animator for television commercials. While an undergraduate at BYU, Loosli won a Student Emmy for a claymation film. After his time at BYU, Loosli went on to work on major productions, including DreamWorks Feature Animation films “Shrek” and “Spirit.” Over the past 12 years, Loosli has dedicated himself to growing and expanding the BYU animation program into the nationally recognized program it is today. He teaches animation, storyboarding and screenwriting. Claudine Bigelow | School of Music | Karl G. Maeser Research and Creative Arts Award Bigelow, head of viola studies and chamber music coordinator, was awarded the Karl G. Maeser Research and Creative Arts Award. This award — given by the Karl G. Maeser Scholarship Society — honors faculty members for exceptional research and creative accomplishments. As an avid recitalist, Bigelow continues to perform locally and nationally throughout the year, including performing at the Grand Teton Music Festival each year. She has played with the National and Utah Symphonies, Smithsonian Chamber Orchestra, National Chamber Orchestra and at the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C. Bigelow was chosen to be a Fulbright Senior Scholar in 2012 and served as artist-in-residence at the Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music in Wellington. Daniel Everett | Department of Art | Young Scholar Award Everett, a professor of art, was awarded the Young Scholar Award. This award acknowledges faculty members who demonstrate immense potential and achievement in the early stages of their university careers. Currently, Everett serves as the LEP Coordinator for the Department of Art and oversees its BFA program. At BYU, he teaches new genre, photography and advanced studio courses. Everett specializes in many forms of media, including photography, video and installation. A solo exhibition by Everett has been featured in the Utah Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago. His work has been displayed in more than 90 exhibitions in 16 countries throughout North America and Europe. Kori Wakamatsu | Department of Dance | Joseph E. White Teaching and Learning Faculty Fellowship Wakamatsu, the contemporary dance program coordinator, was awarded the Joseph E. White Teaching and Learning Faculty Fellowship. Fellowships acknowledge the time and effort sacrificed by “the university’s support services in providing a transfer of positions and budget to enhance teaching and learning.” As contemporary dance program coordinator, Wakamatsu oversees dance education within the Department of Dance. Prior to teaching at BYU, she taught dance at public middle and high schools in Utah. Wakamatsu has collaborated on projects including “The Thought of You” animation, “The Nightingale” play, “Dance Engine” and “On Site” mobile dance series. College Awards Stephanie Breinholt | Department of Theatre and Media Arts | Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Work Brienholt, the BFA acting area head, was awarded the Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Work during the college awards portion of University Conference. “Stephanie is continually involved in creative work in a mixture of directing and acting,” said associate dean Amy Jensen. “She is uncommonly adept at helping students accomplish great things; she has proved herself to be a professor who is helpful and caring.” As a nationally recognized director and award-winning educator, Brienholt helps students in the Department of Theatre and Media Arts prepare for a successful career in the theatre world. In addition to teaching, she is a professional actor, voice over artist, voice and dialect coach and designer. Brienholt is a member of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association. Daniel Barney | Department of Art | Excellence in Teaching Barney, a professor of art, was awarded the Excellence in Teaching for his accomplishments as a teacher and educator. Barney currently teaches classes in curriculum development and theory and methods in contemporary art. “Daniel is continuously described as being rigorous, current, inspirational and concerned for his students,” said Jensen. In addition to his time in the classroom at BYU, Barney serves as the assistant editor of “Journal of Social Theory in Art Education” and associate editor of “Journal of Curriculum and Pedagogy.” He also participates in the review boards of several key research journals. Barney has co-edited the book “Arts Education and Literacies” and has authored articles for various art journals and publications. Nathan Balser | Department of Dance | Excellence in Citizenship Balser, a professor of dance, was awarded the Excellence in Citizenship, recognizing his service on several department committees and as associate chair in the Department of Dance. “His wisdom and insight is relied upon, along with his unique ability to bring people to a consensus,” said Jensen. “His colleagues describe him as understanding, peacemaking, generous, collegial and collaborative. He is an engaged artist who seeks opportunities to serve and advocate for the art of dance.” Balser teaches contemporary dance and musical theatre dance techniques and theories. During his time as a BYU professor, Balser has choreographed for The Young Ambassadors and Contemporary Dance Theater, as well as BYU productions of “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “Wonderland.” He has also choreographed multiple productions at Sundance Summer Theatre and Hale Center Theatre. Prior to coming to BYU, Balser performed on Broadway, toured nationally and appeared on Tony Award programs and Kennedy Center Honors programs on CBS. He is a consultant at Utah Conservatory of the Performing Arts (COPA) and is a member of Actor’s Equity Association and Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG/AFTRA). College Staff and Administrative Employee Recognition (SAERA) Award Bridget Benton | Dean’s Office Francie Jenson | Dean’s Office Melinda Semadeni | Dean’s Office Becca Weidner | Advisement Center New Faculty and Staff Kitsa Behringer | Museum of Art | Museum Educator Jason Cassel | Music | Piano Technician Ty Davis | Dean’s Office | Creative Services Manager, BYU Arts Marketing Adam Dyer | Dance | Assistant Professor Eliza Tanner Hawkins | Communications | Visiting Faculty Desiree Gonzalez-Miller | Music | Visiting Instructor Tony Gunn | Theatre and Media Arts | Visiting Assistant Professor Devin Knighton | Communications | Assistant Teaching Professor Korianne Orton Johnson | Music | Assistant Teaching Professor Brian Smith | Communications | Associate Professor Jamie Kalama Wood | Dance | Assistant Teaching Professor
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CFAC Faculty Honored at BYU’s 2017 University Conference

September 07, 2017 12:00 AM
Recognition included four university awards and three college awards.
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CFAC Faculty Chosen for University Conference Awards

September 07, 2015 12:00 AM
On Monday, August 24th, Megan Jones and Wade Hollingshaus of the Theatre and Media Arts Department, and Ronald Staheli and Rosalind Hall from the School of Music, received awards at the opening ceremonies of the recent University Conference at the Marriott Center. Megan Jones received the Alcuin Fellowship Award, recognizing teachers and scholars that work above and beyond disciplines to contribute to general education and honors curriculums. Jones has a PhD in Theatre Historiography from the University of Minnesota. She is the Associate Professor of Theatre as the Theatre Arts Studies BA Program coordinator and Women’s Studies affiliate faculty member. She received her PhD in Theatre Historiography from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. Megan is also a director/choreographer whose credits at BYU include Crazy For You, Holes, Romeo and Juliet, Arabian Nights, Henry 5, and the upcoming Twelfth Night. Wade Hollingshaus also received the Alcuin Fellowship Award. Hollingshaus has a PhD in Theatre/History/Theory/Criticism from the University of Minnesota. He is the department chair of the Theatre and Media Arts Department and the head of the Dramaturgy Studies. He is also an affiliate faculty with BYU’s Scandinavian Studies program and serves as the liaison between the American Society for Theatre Research (ASTR) and the Theatre Library Association (TLA). He is also a member of the Performance Philosophy research network. Currently, Hollingshaus is working on a new book project on Peter Gabriel and theatricality. Rosalind Hall, third from left, and Ronald Staheli, fourth from left, front standing row. UAC University Annual Conference in Marriott Center. August 24, 2015. Photography by: Mark A. Philbrick/BYU. Copyright BYU Photo 2015. All Rights Reserved. Rosalind Hall also received the Creative Works Award. Hall, a native of Wales, came to Utah in 1989 to pursue post-graduate studies in choral conducting at Brigham Young University. Her British training was at London’s Royal Academy of Music and Edinburgh and London Universities. Before returning to teach at BYU in 1999, she spent seven years at the Waterford School where she chaired the music department, directed the choral program and played a key role in developing the Waterford Fine Arts Academy. She is renowned for her innovative and vivacious approach to vocal and rehearsal technique. Hall is the Choral and Conducting Division Coordinator for the School of Music. Ronald Staheli received the Creative Works Award recognizing outstanding achievement in developing creative works that have wide acceptance, and national or international distribution. Staheli recently retired as a conductor in performances involving the combined choirs and orchestra of BYU. He has traveled widely as a clinician and guest conductor and also has become known for what a colleague calls a profound sense of phrasing and articulation, which informs all his work. Travels have taken him and the choir to the Middle East, Russia, Western and Eastern Europe, the South Pacific, West Africa, and most recently, China.
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