Rebecca Sumsion, Author at BYU College of Fine Arts and Communications

The font you never realized was everywhere

Rebecca Sumsion — Fri, 30 Nov 2018 13:51:30 +0000

Design Professor Doug Thomas goes to San Francisco as a TEDx speaker to talk about the ideas in his new book “Never Use Futura” What do Nike, Vanity Fair, NASA and Germany’s communist party all have in common? They have all used Futura. Even the plaque the United States sent to the moon was written in Futura typeface. Thomas claims that Futura took over the world. “Futura is a name that invokes hope and an idea about the future,” Thomas said. The promise of progress is why Futura is so ingrained in our history, without us even realizing it. In his new book “Never Use Futura” BYU design professor Douglas Thomas explores the cultural history and impact of the typeface you never knew you knew. Thomas’ book was accepted into the Print Regional Design Awards 2018 for the quality of the book design, and it was the topic for Thomas’ TEDx talk this last October. In his TEDx talk, Thomas described the typeface Futura and the vast history that surrounds this seemingly mundane part of our society. However, “typeface is important for gaining trust in the written word that surrounds us every day,” Thomas said as he switched the typefaces that are associated with Tiffany & Co. and McDonalds. “You have to judge signs and signals and decide which ones you are going to trust and which ones you will ignore,” Thomas said. The subtle ways we discern typeface is how ‘Futura’ made such a drastic impact on our society. More about Thomas’ book and his TEDx video can be found here.

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Musicians from Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra Workshop with BYU Students

Rebecca Sumsion — Wed, 02 May 2018 14:20:06 +0000

The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra performed with Chick Corea at BYU Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra members Chris Crenshaw and Marcus Printup worked with music students while at BYU. Students volunteered to play in a small jazz ensemble for Crenshaw and Printup before receiving feedback. The two professionals not only demonstrated musical skills on the trumpet and trombone, but also gave the students advice intermittently throughout the workshop. “Jazz is a lot of improvisation,” Printup said. “It is a conversation. That’s why you learn how to speak in phrases. When you learn the vocabulary — all the solos, theory and chords — then you can learn how to use that in the context of playing a solo in jazz. It’s a language.” Crenshaw continued off of Printup in talking about jazz improvisation and shared a time in a performance where he made musical sounds similar to the inflection of the phrase “I don’t know.” He used the example to demonstrate improvisation as a conversation. He also demonstrated this by striking up an on-the-spot conversation with a student. “See what I did there?” Crenshaw asked. “That was improvisation. She had no clue what I was going to say or what I was going to do, but we ended up having a conversation anyway. You do it all the time, just putting in musical terms, it’s the same situation.” Students Kelly Oja and Steven Hardy volunteered to play for Crenshaw and Printup. The experience provided an intimate opportunity to get personal feedback. “It was amazing,” Hardy said. “What an opportunity to be here at BYU and have these amazing guest artists come and give you feedback. You can feel the music inside of them. And it’s great to be a part of that and communicate with them and play with them.” Oja wasn’t planning on attending the workshop but she received a text as the workshop started saying they needed a bass player for the rhythm section. “This is one of my favorite experiences at BYU,” Oja said. “I expected it to be cool. But they were super cool and very humble. “I want to make a career out of jazz music. This workshop helped me meet other people that made this their career. It also helped me see what I can become and what it takes to get there. But there are also technical aspects I take away from things like this, especially this workshop, because it was about jazz.” Toward the end of the workshop, Crenshaw and Printup shared why they love performing and what it’s like being part of a touring jazz orchestra. “There’s a lot to see in this world,” Printup said. “We’re very blessed to have this job. The moment we get on the stage and play, all the fatigue we have from not sleeping or traveling all night long goes away. It goes away because we’re playing for you and we’re playing for whoever needs it the most.” “I feel like every time we step onto the stage,” Crenshaw said, “we always have an opportunity to make someone smile or make someone’s life a little better than what it was before they came in.”

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Design Students Attend Lectures from Diverse Industry Professionals

Rebecca Sumsion — Wed, 02 May 2018 00:40:19 +0000

Visiting artists included LDS portrait painter Casey Childs and graphic designer Brian Collins Each semester, the Department of Design brings in numerous professionals working in the design industry to speak to students. Lectures range from a panel focused on female students to LDS portrait artist Casey Childs and professional graphic designer Brian Collins. Childs and Collins offered contrasting experiences for students. Childs’ lecture targeted illustration majors and how to become a successful independent artist. Collins talked about graphic design in the professional world of advertising and branded marketing. Childs received his degree from BYU and worked as a graphic designer for 10 years until he decided to focus on his personal artistic work full time. He participated in an apprenticeship alongside portrait artist William Whitaker. Childs shared his experience developing a career and showcased some of his work and sources of inspiration. He created an artwork titled “Greater Love Hath No Man,” which he submitted into an art competition hosted by the Church History Museum. After finding success with the picture, he was approached to paint the official portrait of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. “You need to get to the point where your work is so strong that people are coming to you,” Childs told students. “I think sometimes we worry about how to promote ourselves before we’ve really worked on our craft, ability and portfolio. If you do really good work, they’ll come find you. Putting in work is probably not the answer you want to hear, but if you enter shows and get into shows, then that gets you recognition for commissions. Just keep working and trying to get better.” Illustration major Abigail Remington went to Childs’ painting and drawing demonstrations. Remington hopes to do portrait painting similar to Childs. Watching Childs’ abstract approach to painting light or shapes rather than “painting a picture” was eye opening for Remington. “After watching his painting style,” Remington said, “I ended up painting the next day and felt like I improved just by using his techniques and the information I was able to get from him. It was exciting to see that immediate reaction and how I was able to internalize it. My goal is to utilize a similar process and think of my subject matter in more abstract terms. This was perfect for me because it’s exactly what I want to go into. It was nice to see a professional who does what I want to do and is making a living out of it.” This semester students also heard from Brian Collins, the Chief Creative Officer and Co-Founder of COLLINS (a brand experience design company). Collins started the company after working as Chairman and CCO for Ogilvy and Mather Worldwide. Collins came to BYU through his connection to design professor Adrian Pulfer. He came with some of his fellow designers, worked with classes and gave a lecture which focused on case studies and what he’s learned about the design industry. “You are the frontier,” Collins told students. “I’m not saying that poetically. It’s absolutely true. The career you will have will not be the career that I’ve had or your teachers have had. And that means change.” Throughout all of his remarks, Collins urged students to be aware of how fast the industry is changing and how important it is to be at the forefront of change in order to be successful and not be left behind. “The best way to compete against the future is the intense love of what we do and who we do it for,” Collins said. “It’s the thing that gets me and my team up every day. We love what we do. Every morning I get to wake up and say, ‘Let’s do it again today.’”

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Chris Cutri Invites Students to Consider Artistic Responsibility

Rebecca Sumsion — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 23:34:26 +0000

Professor Chris Cutri shares “The Wrestle: Taking Art Beyond Enjoyment” Last fall, communications professor Chris Cutri was working in his backyard when he started to think about the deep complexities going on in the world. With problems ranging from politics to poverty and everything in between, Cutri wondered if his art was made in vain and frivolous in the context of the world problems At the April Faith and Works Lecture series, Cutri shared art that addresses global issues and discussed with students and faculty whether or not they should create art with similar effects. “Today I want to explore with you my personal wrestle,” Cutri said, “with what I should be doing with the talents and opportunities I have in relation to the kind of world we’re living in right now.” Cutri started by sharing a clip from “O.J.: Made in America” that showed interviews and speeches of people being caught up in their own perceptions, oblivious to other world issues going on, such as the civil rights movement. After seeing the clip, Cutri shared that he didn’t want to get stuck on the wrong side of history. Through discussing artists and their works like Theaster Gates’ “Rebuild Foundation”, John Luther Adams’ “Inuksuit” and Kristen Visbal’s “Fearless Girl,” Cutri highlighted works that addressed current political and social issues. As he discussed the various works, Cutri asked, “Who are the artists making these artworks?” “What I discovered was the vast majority of the people making this stuff are the people who are directly feeling the effects of whatever oppression they’re dealing with,” Cutri said. “Those who are being marginalized in some way, it seems their creative work falls into this realm and they have to grapple with these things.” As a Latino who grew up in privileged circumstances, Cutri expressed his thoughts about making impactful art even though he may not be directly affected by the issue. “Am I basking in my own privilege?” Cutri asked. But then, he said, he puts on his “spiritual lens” and asks, “What responsibilities do I have as a disciple, to be thinking about others, even though it may not directly affect me at the time?” These questions led Cutri to create his own artistic works to address societal issues. One work that he shared is his “Museum Project.” As Cutri toured museums throughout the United States, he found the guards were mainly African American, Latino or other minorities, so he created a series of pictures to portray the phenomenon. He also noticed a similar trend in Europe with women guards. Then, while managing a study abroad in Spain, Cutri filmed a mini-documentary of a Women’s March that took place. Additionally, through a photography class at BYU, Cutri worked with other students on a refugee project. “I’m making these photo pieces, but what am I really doing to help?” Cutri said. “My photos may create some dialogue, may help someone to think about the issues, but what I am doing? And that’s hard. It’s one thing to make a creative work that talks about it, and then there’s another part where you really need to get in there and do something.” To conclude his remarks, Cutri reminded the audience that no matter the issue, it is always dealing with people that are Heavenly Father’s children. His final encouragement to the audience was to look at the work they were doing and see how it could become a form of ministering to others. “I don’t think anyone should tell you what kind of creative work you should make,” Cutri said. “It’s a very personal decision. But I’d like you to think and maybe reconsider what you do based on your discipleship, the talents you have and the privileged situations you’ve been in — how can you level your privilege for someone else?”

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Kalee McCollaum Says Animation Program Gave Unique Opportunity to Collaborate

Rebecca Sumsion — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 22:17:36 +0000

The Department of Art and Department of Design Convocation will take place at 8 a.m. on April 27 Animation BFA student Kalee S. McCollaum will be speaking at the Department of Art and Department of Design Convocation. From a young age, McCollaum recognized her love for art, but along the way, she discovered an appreciation for science and math. The animation major was a perfect choice for McCollaum because of its combination of technical and artistic learning. “When I took my first animation class, I was immediately hooked,” McCollaum said, “and I’ve thrown myself into learning more about animation ever since.” As a senior in the program, McCollaum has collaborated with other students to create the annual short film produced by the seniors in the Department of Design. McCollaum is the director of this year’s film. The process involves working closely with the other 25 students and four faculty members. “All of them are awesome, inspiring people. They made spending all that time in the lab completely worth it,” McCollaum said. “I guess I am proud of being the director, but honestly I have more pride in the other students and how much they have done to work together to make a really cool film.” Working on short films throughout her education provided an invaluable experience that helped prepare McCollaum for the professional animation industry. One of her biggest takeaways was the importance of collaboration and hard work. “This experience is not just great for applying to studios,” McCollaum said, “it is also an important lesson I’ve been applying in my own life as a citizen and as a member of the church.” McCollaum plans to work in the industry and rise to be the lead character or environment artist in her department. Her long-term goal is to create an animation studio in 10 years with her friends. Q&A What did you want to be when you grew up? “Before I realized making art was a job you could make money at, I always wanted to be an exotic animal veterinarian.” Where do you find inspiration? “Inspiration can come from anything and anywhere. Most often it comes from me looking at my surroundings from a different perspective. If I am actively seeking inspiration, I like to look up works by some of my favorite artists or I will pick a subject that intrigues me and learn as much as I can on that subject. I try to get inspiration from learning.” What was the hardest challenge you had to overcome at BYU? “Learning to step outside of my comfort zone.” What is your favorite snack? “Either a Twix or a Peanut Butter Snickers, depending on how ‘hangry’ I am.”

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Studio Art Major Megan Mitchell Arné Discusses Her Experiential Learning Travels

Rebecca Sumsion — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 22:15:03 +0000

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Graduate Soren Barker Shares His Passion for Theatre Education

Rebecca Sumsion — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 22:12:20 +0000

The Department of Dance, School of Music, Music Dance Theatre Program and Department of Theatre and Media Arts Convocation will take place at 11 a.m. on April 27 Talented actor and theatre education student Soren Barker will speak at the Department of Theatre and Media Arts Convocation in April. Barker started at BYU as a theatre education major but was not confident in his decision. After his mission, Barker explored pursuing a humanities major with an emphasis in theatre and a theatre minor. It was during this time that Barker spent a semester teaching English in China, which he lists as his most memorable experience during his education. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think about my time in Nanjing, China,” Barker said. “Looking back on that experience, I can see that it was the major reason I ended up majoring in education.” When he returned from China, Barker switched his major back to theatre education and switched humanities to his minor. Barker participated in several theatrical opportunities at BYU including main stage shows, mask club shows, directing projects and acting scenes. He credits such experiences as a huge influence in his work as an actor, stage manager, assistant director and director. While at BYU, Barker had the opportunity to compete at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival (KCACTF) on the national level in Washington, D.C. “It was obvious the acting training at BYU is just as good as, if not far superior to, the acting at any of the other participating colleges,” Barker said. An important highlight for Barker was receiving the special commendation for the VASTA Vocal Excellence Award at the 49th KCACTF. “It was recognition of months of work and collaboration,” he continued. “It was a tangible reward in a subjective and abstract field.” At the end of the day, all Barker really wants to do is teach. Whether it is high school, middle school or elementary, Barker plans to be teaching theatre as soon as he graduates. “It doesn’t matter to me what age my students are,” Barker said. “Perhaps I’ll end up teaching at the university level someday — who knows? The sky is the limit.” Q&A What did you want to be when you grew up? “An astronaut.” Where do you find inspiration? “I look it up in the dictionary right between ‘inspects’ and ‘inspirator.’” What was the hardest challenge you had to overcome at BYU? “My fear of answering self-reflective questions.” What is your favorite snack? “Dino Gummies.”

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Alan Menken Draws Large Student Crowd to Once-in-a-Lifetime Forum

Rebecca Sumsion — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 00:19:17 +0000

Alan Menken spent time during his BYU visit to hold a Q&A with students. PROVO, UT — It is a rare sight to see the Madsen Recital Hall filled wall to wall with students. Excited attendees flocked into every available spot to meet the composer of the soundtracks to their childhood — Alan Menken. Menken, a Tony Award-winning and eight time Academy Award-winning composer, made his debut performance at BYU to adoring audiences over the course of two nights. On the second day of his visit, Menken addressed students in a question and answer forum. Students were mesmerized as they listened to Menken talk about his successful career. For many of these students born during the years Menken gained Disney popularity, listening to Menken brought their beloved childhood movies back to life. Menken helped usher in an era known as the “Disney Renaissance” with his work on movies like “The Little Mermaid,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Aladdin” and “Hercules.” BYU student Matthew Arnett took the opportunity during the forum to ask Menken about balancing the music and story when writing a musical. “He said to make the music subject to the story. I thought that was great advice; to look at the big picture. It’s not about what I want to do as a musician, it’s about what the creative team has to say together for the whole project.” The surprising guidance that stood out to students was Menken’s advice to cut things they love and not get attached to their work. After he was told not to ask Menken what his favorite song is, facilitator Brent Yorgason instead asked what song Menken wished did not get cut from a film. “I learned not to have that wish,” Menken said. “Cutting things is going to be the most important thing you’re going to do with your career as a writer. It’s cutting and saying ‘okay, I’ll write another.’ Just don’t look back.” Later in the lecture, Menken responded to a student’s request to give direction for those wanting to become musical composers. “I could give you life advice or practical advice,” he said. “They’re the same in a way. Life advice will keep you sane and going. The practical advice is to listen to people and don’t get precious about your work. Be willing to work in any way possible — in collaboration, on your own or standing on your head. Whatever it takes to get your work done, do it. “My life advice is pretty much the same. Always be moving forward, don’t look back, figuratively. If somebody wants to look at something you’ve done before and fix it, okay you can do that, but don’t ever obsess over it. Just write another one because what is precious is your gut, your talent and your voice. The song may be precious to other people — you can’t let it be precious to you.” Menken’s advice resonated with attendee Jeanelle Long. “I think that’s important for artists to remember, because artists can become extremely protective of their work and get offended if somebody hates it. I think not letting work become precious is a really healthy way of looking at things.” The forum provided an opportunity for students like Arnett, who are pursuing the same path as Menken, to seek advice and help them toward their goals. It also provided a setting for students to hear from Menken in ways they had never experienced. Students laughed, along with Menken, when Menken mistook his water bottle for the microphone and they cheered as he seamlessly played snippets from his popular compositions. Menken ended the lecture with a climactic rendition of “I Can Go the Distance” from Hercules. Student Alyssa Garn attended both Menken’s concert and forum. “I was surprised his performance, although scripted, was so personable. The way he answered the impromptu questions during the forum compared to the way he told the scripted stories at his concert was almost indistinguishable. He puts passion into everything he does. I believe I saw who the real Alan Menken is and how he writes such inspiring songs.”

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Chris Cutri Shares ‘The Wrestle: Taking Art Beyond Enjoyment’ at April Faith and Works

Rebecca Sumsion — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 18:00:45 +0000

The lecture will take place April 12 at 11:00 a.m. in the Madsen Recital Hall BYU School of Communications Professor Chris Cutri explores the artist’s responsibility to create work that addresses global crises at the April Faith and Works lecture. Cutri plans to engage students and faculty in thinking about what kind of work they are doing and discuss how that work can foster empathy and a commitment to serve. “The creation of art or other forms of creative content are made for a variety of reasons,” Cutri said. “In this lecture, I would like to explicate the wrestle I have with the notion of what I should be creating amidst a world that is reeling from the effects of racism, poverty, political instability and other global crises.” Cutri is a BYU alumnus who graduated in 1995 and then received an MFA in film directing from the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. His academic focus centers on the production of television, commercials and documentaries and creative conception for advertising. Cutri has directed many commercials through several film production companies. He also creates documentaries that focus on the sociology of sports, especially looking at the culture of extreme sports. Cutri has also directed a feature film, “Wes and Ella.” A summary of Cutri’s lecture can be found here on the CFAC website after the event.

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Artist Nina Katchadourian Invites Students to ‘Be Curious’

Rebecca Sumsion — Sun, 18 Mar 2018 22:07:50 +0000

While installing the new MOA exhibit “Curiouser,” artist Nina Katchadourian and curator Veronica Roberts visited with BYU art students The light from the window poured into the studio space of art student Annelise Duque. Mount Timpanogos sat high in the background while florals and vibrant video stills filled the space. Duque sat with visiting artist Nina Katchadourian and showed her a video of foreign words and incorrect translations meant to explore Duque’s efforts to connect with her Filipino roots. Katchadourian immediately reacted to the video, delving deeper into the meanings and message. It was a perfect extension from Katchadourian’s BYU lecture, where she explained her fascination with exploring her mother’s Finnish heritage and her father’s Armenian background. Brooklyn-based Katchadourian came to BYU with Veronica Roberts, the modern and contemporary art curator at the Blanton Museum of Art. While at BYU, the two spent time interacting with students through lectures and studio visits in addition to installing Katchadourian’s exhibit “Curiouser” in the BYU Museum of Art. The message they left with students was fitting — be curious. Duque shared her experience with Katchadourian in her studio. “I was interested in the questions that Nina asked,” Duque said. “She asked questions about LDS culture and how that affects us. Also, a lot of her work has a lot of personality in it. She’s not afraid of hiding that. That’s something I hope to emulate.” During the lecture, Katchadourian explained how she pushes herself to explore ideas before shutting them down. “It has taken me a long time,” she said, “to take seriously and learn that sometimes even if I think an idea is half baked, you have to kind of dig into it enough to see it through, make a leap of faith in a way to get it to its next level. You don’t always have to know exactly why you’re doing it. Sometimes you have to do it in order to find out why you’re doing it.” Katchadourian shared several works of art included in her exhibit that demonstrated her curious attitude. Specifically, Katchadourian referenced “Seat Assignment,” an ongoing series of photographs and videos Katchadourian creates during airplane flights with a Flemish artist twist. “The thing I admire and respond to in Nina’s work,” Roberts said, “is the way Nina will have a ‘what if?’ idea — and often it’s a pretty absurd or irrational idea — but she follows those ideas for so long. I joke with her that she has no commitment issues because ‘Seat Assignment’ has been an eight-year project.” Art student Annie Wing drew reassurance from Katchadourian’s remarks. “It was helpful for me because I’ve been feeling kind of in a funk,” Wing said. “To see this artist who has built this entire career based purely on curiosity, instincts, being open and pursuing ideas, sometimes for years without shutting them down, helped me want to be more open-minded about my work, be more curious and work through my problems.” For Wing and Duque, one thing was clear — having Katchadourian and Roberts at BYU provided an invaluable educational experience. “It felt like art therapy,” Wing said. “It’s motivating and helpful to have someone who has walked the path of an art career come in and tell you it is possible and how to make it easier for yourself. I see these lectures as a road map for myself as a creator and as someone who’s pursuing a career in art.”

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