Studio '20

STUDIO '20

T H E O F F I C I A L M AG A Z I N E O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F U TA H C O L L EG E O F F I N E A R T S

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The immersive arts all around usllide hite white whtie whtie wht

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Widening the dance circle

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Getting film industry chops

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Harmonious inclusion

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Annual Report thanks College of Fine Arts contributors

Photo: Sarah Knight Photography

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ome call it flow. Others might call it Here, you will read examples of creative energized focus. But when we can quiet experiences that are transforming our the world’s increasing noise for even a relationship to art, to others, to our histories, moment, it is pure magic. By noise, I and to ourselves. It is art that acts as an don’t mean sound, necessarily, I mean distraction. empathy machine, transporting — nay, Our phones, our worries, our presumptions — transcending — us to new and more anything that keeps us from being fully present connectedness and compassion. in a moment.

It takes shape in dance practices rooted That state of being — however we name it — in ideas of equity and access not just in the is one that has become a luxury in our modern, movement’s vocabulary or meaning, but even chaotic world. It’s also a vital entry point to the in the inclusive and thoughtful way it’s made. It places and spaces where we can safely expand takes shape in cinematic experiences filmed with our consciousness to include new and 360-degree cameras placing us at the center of sometimes challenging ideas. someone else’s human experience. It’s immersive But that which crowds our headspace has theatre, inclusive choirs, data-inspired music, become more pervasive and harder to wrangle. larger-than-life puppetry, accessible education, And so like in most moments of struggle in our funding to incubate ideas and more. history of humanity, we find ourselves turning And it’s not just changing us; it’s changing to art. our worlds around us.

In this case, art that immerses us so deeply in So, sit back, block out your noise, and find your an experience, little else can make its way in. own moments of connection in these pages. ≠

JOHN W. SCHEIB Dean, College of Fine Arts

LETTER from the DEAN STUDIO / 2020

'20 THE PLACE WHERE DILIGENCE AND EXCELLENCE BECOME INFLUENCE

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GETTING CLOSER / Our faculty, students, and alumni are reimagining how audiences can connect with art through creative, brave, immersive arts experiences.

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Photo: Todd Collins

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MOVING TOWARD JUSTICE / As the School of Dance embarked on a journey toward renewed wellness, they found incredible meaning in explorations into equity, inclusion, and justice.

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BUILDING MONSTERS / See the behind-the-scenes work of creating the fantastical beasts that helped make the Department of Theatre’s production of “She Kills Monsters” come alive.

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PITCH TO SCREEN: BRINGING STUDENT FILMS TO LIFE / Students in the Department of Film & Media Arts transform their ideas into realities through the rigorous processes carefully crafted by the department’s faculty to prepare them for the professional film industry.

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ALL THAT CAN HAPPEN IN A SINGLE BREATH / Department of Art & Art History’s biennial Warnock Artist in Residence, Kei Ito, brought new light to campus.

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FAF GRANTS / Under Associate Dean Liz Leckie, the Fine Arts Fees (FAF) Grants program prepares students for their next steps through guided fundraising, project management, and reporting processes.

MAT-FA / Unlike any other in the nation, the U’s Masters in Art Teaching – Fine Arts program engages students in a hybrid online/residency program focusing on community-engaged arts learning.

BRIDGING THE GAP / This story highlights School of Music’s Peyden Shelton and his electro-acoustic trumpet quintet who together are bringing new music to the universe.

GUEST ARTISTS & SCHOLARS / In addition to the impact of our renowned faculty, students in the College of Fine Arts benefit from the multitude of guest artists and scholars brought to campus each year.

BRUCE BASTIAN / Bruce Bastian’s generous philanthropy has changed every corner of our state and created a lasting legacy for our School of Music students.

ANNUAL REPORT / It is with overwhelming gratitude that we name those who fuel the continued success of the College of Fine Arts with their generosity and philanthropy.

CONTRIBUTORS + THANKS /

REACHING HIGHER TOGETHER / Under the leadership of Assistant Professor Emily Mercado, the School of Music’s formerly-named “Women’s Choir” is breaking down barriers to welcome new voices.

TABLE of CONTENTS STUDIO / 2020

GETTING

Photo: Ashley Thalman at Ultraviolet Studios

CLO

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Immersing the Arts Audience

By Emeri Fetzer

We know what we’re doing when we go to see art. As spectators, traditional formats for arts experiences have set inherent expectations for us. Theatre and dance-goers know how to buy a ticket, take a seat, and silence cell phones before the house lights go dim and the curtain is drawn. At galleries and museums, visitors speak in hushed voices, and hold their hands safely at their sides or back: look, don’t touch. For as long as we can remember, we have sat before screens, gazed upon stages, and strolled along spacious exhibition walls. Typically, not much is asked of us but to be there. Some of us like this arrangement and, undoubtedly, art presented this way has moved us for centuries. But can we get closer?

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ately, Utah creatives across mediums are asking this question. In the digital age, where attention is a commodity, it takes more to jolt our systems. Boldly and experimentally, artists are leaning into a rising sense that local audiences are ready, and maybe even ravenous, to burst beyond traditional expectations around performance and exhibition. Hungry to affect art as they are affected by it, viewers welcome opportunities to be fully immersed, perhaps surprised, perhaps changed.

This year, as University of Utah artmakers blew the rules wide open, they made profound connections with audiences, inspired fresh conversations with students, and made arts lovers out of a new and unexpected crowd.

Audience as protagonist

Robert Scott Smith in promotional photo for Sackerson’s “A Brief Waltz in a Little Room: 23 Short Plays About Walter Eyer.”

Immersive theatre deepens the audience-toperformer relationship by pushing boundaries through proximity and interaction, and heightens viewer autonomy by allowing for choice and free movement through spaces. At times, immersive theatre can feel so close you wonder if it was made only for you.

“A Brief Waltz in a Little Room: 23 Short Plays About Walter Eyer,” produced by local theatre company Sackerson this past fall, took audience members, one at a time and with headphones on, through scenes unfurling the life of one man. In the back rooms of the Gateway Shopping Center’s Urban Arts Gallery, each patron became Walter Eyer, stepping into his world, hearing his voice in their own heads, brushing up against his closest relationships, feeling his heaviest burdens. Many creative alumni and faculty of the College of Fine Arts collaborated with Sackerson to bring the show to fruition.

By making the audience member the lead protagonist, Sackerson removed the leading actor from the live experience. But although he did not perform, Assistant Professor at the University of Utah’s Department of Theatre, Robert Scott Smith, embodied Walter for the show’s video projections, sound, and imagery. Smith was fully on board.

“It is really in line with what I strive for, in thinking about how to get out of the constructs of narrative and innovative ways to be part of the art,” he said. When he attended the show as a spectator, and was thrown back 3 STUDIO / 2020

One room in “A Brief Waltz in a Little Room: 23 Short Plays About Walter Eyer,” designed by Dan Evans.

into relationship with the very character he developed, he described the unconventional experience as “meta.”

No two audience members saw the same production, as each experienced the 20+ available scenes in a random order. In this way, the production mimics the truly voyeuristic and fleeting quality of the human experience.

“There is a part of you that always wants more of the story. But based on what you choose to explore and become invested in, your path is your own,” Smith said.

Sackerson has been creating unconventional works that rekindle the audience’s role in live theatre since 2015. Incorporating site-specific design and intimate storytelling, their productions have captured the interest of a unique demographic and laid the groundwork for this burgeoning genre to rise in Utah.

well as creating environmental graphics and exhibition design. Evans collaborated for many years with LA-based choreographer Heidi Duckler, who worked very much in the site-specific immersive vein, transforming numerous blank sites into vivid worlds for performers to inhabit.

“As a visual designer, this is how I already naturally approach the world. I’m drawn to pieces that invite interpretation. And to me, working collaboratively with directors and artists across mediums is the best way,” Evans said.

Most recently, he was one of the designers Sackerson enlisted to create the world of “Brief Waltz.”

As opposed to rooms with more straightforward scenic needs, Evans was most interested in rooms with the greatest number of question marks: he was tasked to create the setting for a scene of conversion therapy, Space as muse the now discredited practice of attempting to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity (for which In proscenium works, the audience only views the set he incorporated bright, oppressive lighting and imagery frontally, and from the distance of the house. In immersive that would heighten claustrophobic feelings) and a second work, the audience can touch, smell, and feel all elements of a scene, requiring that every inch be designed so as not room inspired by “an impossible game of twister.” Unlike the tight install and strike schedules of typical touring to break the story’s spell. Another key factor is audience shows, Sackerson gave the team ample time to work routing. It is imperative that the audience is cared for, independently in the space. ushered in a way where they can confidently give in to the “There was immersion in the design process as well,” experience, but boundaries and limitations are clear.

Evans said. “I love working in reality. Having that giant Design is paramount in materializing the worlds of workshop to play in is a luxury.” immersive theatre. Designers evoke specific emotions for scenes, mask and integrate technical elements, and move Up close and personal audiences efficiently and responsibly.

Often the initial muse for the script, the space This firm belief of School of Dance alumnus Graham becomes a continual partner in guiding an audience’s Brown drives a pressing desire to blend dance, narrative, trajectory through a story’s arc, and so finding the perfect and audience proximity. venue is often the starting point. Dan Evans, Associate Brown’s latest project, “Thank You Theobromine,” Professor in the Department of Art & Art History, has is an immersive dance theatre production that takes a wealth of experience in designing for performance, as place inside a multi-level working chocolate factory

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“Dance is always more interesting up close.”

Performers Michael Watkiss and Lauren Payne in promotional photo for SONDERimmersive’s “Thank You Theobromine” (now newly titled “The Chocolatier”).

Surrounded on all sides In good filmmaking, the story alone is often enough to make us lose ourselves. In recent years, strides forward in virtual reality (VR) technologies and 360-degree cameras have expanded possibilities in film and media, calling for new methods in the studio.

Photo: Ashley Thalman at Ultraviolet Studios

in downtown Salt Lake City, the Chocolate Conspiracy. Like in “A Brief Waltz in a Little Room,” guests experience intimate proximity to performers, perhaps close enough to hear a whisper, or be invited to join a slow dance. Co-directed

by Brown and Rick Curtiss, and produced by their company SONDERimmersive, the show explores ambition, love, and loss through the multiple sides of one chocolatier.

Brown has been hooked on narrative performance for many years. Since discovering the work of UK-based physical theatre company DV8, whose acclaimed work incorporates dance with film, theatre, and text, Brown became “enamored with really saying something, with making work where the audience is invested in what happens next in the story.”

To this end, his graduate work focused entirely on the integration of dance and theatre. Later, he encountered “Then She Fell” in NYC, an immersive dance theatre work that completely removed the proscenium and allowed the audience to roam free through winding spaces. “I was drawn to the clarity of content, the intentionality, the proximity...there is an infectiousness to this kind of work.

There is an enormous capacity to get lost in it.”

One of “Thank You Theobromine’s” original performers was Department of Theatre Professor Sarah Shippobotham, whose acting expertise was key in integrating the story with movement. Because the diverse cast brought a range of different perspectives

and strengths, collaboration amongst artists was key. In breaking down traditional hierarchies, designers, writers, and performers could find synergy in the evolution of a production.

Brown has noticed that the crowd showing up to immersive performances includes new faces outside of the community that frequents Utah dance. The intrigue of the unknown continues to draw out new arts enthusiasts.

“There is no doubt new technologies are changing the way we experience film and media,” said Ha Na Lee, Assistant Professor in the Department of Film & Media Arts. “Will VR cinema ever overtake single channel 2D formats, or will it be relegated to the fringes of filmmaking? New media formats such as VR are still largely experimental and auteurs are grappling with a new visual language, new freedoms, and new constraints. The technology is still nascent, but improving rapidly.”

As students from the University of Utah prepare for careers in moving images, it is imperative that they are not only exposed to emerging technology but that they develop an adaptive mindset, ready to consistently evolve with cutting-edge tools as they are introduced.

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“There is no doubt new technologies are changing the way we experience film and media.”

Assistant Professors Miriam and Sonia AlbertSobrino are keenly invested in students being prepared professionally in this way. The sisters were awarded a University Teaching Grant in Spring 2019 allowing the Department of Film & Media Arts to purchase an Insta360 Pro II Spherical VR Camera. This past fall, Miriam’s Grips & Lighting Course incorporated this camera, challenging students to script, light, design, and film their work in new ways.

“It’s a perfect learning scenario for Grips & Lighting,” she explained. “Since we are filming all around the camera, hiding the lighting equipment becomes more challenging. The visual effects route, while very possible, can be both tedious and expensive, so it becomes really important to approach the project efficiently using professional practical lighting and collaborating with the production designer to conceal film gear on set.”

Working in collaboration, the class wrote a comedic horror script in which characters are struggling to put a disconnected head back on its body. All shots addressed the central camera as if it were this lost head, putting the viewer at the center of the chaos.

To write for the six planes of action, the class used a color-coded scripting system.

They shot their scenes in a freight elevator, hiding lights behind the props. Special attention was paid to the movement of the camera to limit a viewer’s dizziness while still surrounding them with action on all sides, and not allowing lenses to capture overlap.

Film student Braden Ingraham played the main character in the film. “I found it very hard to act in such a tight space as to not get into other camera lenses,” he said. “It felt unnatural to act in the environment, interacting with a small camera as a person. It helped me grow a lot as an actor.”

Sonia also incorporated the Insta360 Pro II into her Digital Cinematography class, but with a special focus on its idiosyncrasies for Digital Cinematographers.

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“As filmmakers we must keep up with the constantlychanging technology, and that obviously includes professional 360 cameras,” she said. “In the classroom, we devote as much time as we can to 360 technology, but we do so from the cinematographer’s standpoint. The students learn the peculiarities of these more advanced cameras and are looking at focus distance, camera exposure, clean plating, and the more complex postproduction workflows.

Film & Media Arts students are introduced to virtual reality early in their training at the U. Lee introduces it along with projection mapping in Intro to Media Production, a class designed to explore multidisciplinary art practices with emphasis on extending the moving image beyond conventional production and screens.

Once students reach advanced levels, they work with multi-channel video, and interactive and algorithmic techniques for viewing video.

“Students should explore expanded cinema and extend their creativity beyond traditional screen-based filmmaking. As creative artists and filmmakers, it is important to experiment with and understand the strengths, weaknesses, and unique characteristics afforded by emergent media,” Lee said.

Furthermore, Lee is developing a Media Arts Department (MAD) lab, which is a creative space dedicated to teaching and research around emerging and experimental filmmaking for people in the Department of Film & Media Arts. “The lab has a capacity to support contemporary cinematic installations, performances, multi-channel films, VR, 4K video, volumetric filmmaking, ambisonic sound, projection mapping, and physical computing for interactivity,” she said.

Despite expanding possibilities, Lee doubts traditional filmmaking is going anywhere.

“It’s not a zero-sum game,” she said. “When online streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon, Hulu became popular, many people predicted the end

Photo: Jack Houghton

of traditional cinema. However, both platforms still coexist. In my opinion, VR won’t replace our regular film experience, but it is the beginning of a more individualized interactive embodied experience — apart from the collective experience of the movie theater.”

(Left to right) Student Harrison Greene, Assistant Professor Sonia Albert-Sobrino, and Graduate Student Elizabeth Lowe during a Grip and Lighting class working with the Insta360 Pro 2 Spherical VR Camera.

Connection over product

Photo courtesy of UMOCA

Part of “Never An Hour for Thought” by Kelsey Harrison at UMOCA.

Assistant Professor Kelsey Harrison declined to write a press release for her UMOCA exhibition, “Never An Hour For Thought.” Not only was summarizing her work for consumption counterintuitive to her ongoing process and the fundamental underlying themes of the work, it was the very thing she was questioning.

“I don’t have the conclusions,” she said. “I invite people to think about these things with me.”

In a churning market for creatives, societal pressures to produce, market, and move on can create isolation over connection. Harrison’s artistic practice at this particular moment in her career called for questions over answers.

It called her to observe more than to instruct, to leave things open ended rather than perfectly punctuated, to create space for interaction over exhibition.

“People like to make art that makes them smart, and people like to see and understand art because it makes them feel smart,” Harrison said. For the work, she filled a hallway with vinyl cutouts of tropes she had subverted through rewriting such as: “Life is about Peace, Peace is Surrender, Never Give Up.” “The hallway was ‘here’s where we’ll be smart together,’” she said.

Turning the corner, things change. A spacious room holds a couple of original furniture pieces, and stacks of carefully selected books. As she observed viewers, no one would quite relax into the space as she had hoped, to take the time to read the selected books or use the space to be.

But perhaps shaping an event to foster an experience could change the approach. To this end, Harrison hosted two live events within the exhibition space at UMOCA 7 STUDIO / 2020

Photo: Tori Duhaime

Dancers at Heartland Collective’s Valentine’s Day performance turned dance party.

bringing live music, performance, and discussion into the gallery space. On night one, experimental music duo Red Desert, with percussionist Devin Maxwell and clarinetist Katie Porter, performed on and around the furniture.

“I like how experimental music changed the relationship to attention. There are often quite grating sounds, or elongated silence. As opposed to pop music where you follow a programmed experience, this kind of sound doesn’t just wash over you.” Seated on the chaise lounge she designed, Harrison read “Exhaustion and Exuberance,” an essay by Jan Verwoert suggesting the idea of care as a way to subvert the pressure of a high-performance society.

For the second event, entitled “Experiments in Listening and Talking,” Harrison invited composer Phillip Bimstein to share his own music and lead those gathered in some tonal experiments developed by sound artist Pauline Oliveros. Harrison and Bimstein finished the evening with a dialogue of passages from their selected readings.

In offering a space for engagement, Harrison expanded the exhibition experience beyond mere observation, allowing visitors to become part of the underlying questions, and therefore part of the artmaking. Perhaps, investing in community is her way of slowing down the production machine. Either way, this care is felt long after the exhibition comes down.

Freedom is a dance party Associate Professor in the School of Dance and Director of Heartland Collective, Molly Heller is discovering new possibilities at the intersection of dance performance, community, and wellness.

If you attend a Heartland performance, you are likely to find yourself on the dance floor with performers before the evening is complete.

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Born from a desire to cultivate connection alongside others through movement, Heartland Collective designs movement around the language of the heart, incorporating fantastical themes like Valentine’s Day, woodland creatures, or the cosmos. Heartland performances culminate in dance parties that invite audience members to dive deep into their own bodies and process their emotions, much like you might do in a dance club.

“The pairing of a performance that merges into a dance party, attempts to dismantle the hierarchy of the performer/audience relationship and gives autonomy to participants, where they have freedom to engage in any capacity and enter and exit the event,” Heller explained.

“The curation of an evening that manifests within the choreography, scenic design, costuming, and music, is intended to be a platform to build trust and care with an audience,” Heller said. “Our mission within the performances + dance parties is to cultivate a sense of belonging and to co-create an experience alongside an audience. As our themes navigate emotional complexities, the body gets to process its responses through movement. Our intention is to share the inter-workings and intra-workings of the heart in the company of others, risk, and embrace imagination.”

Beyond integrating performers and viewers, Heller is also interested in bringing dance to unexpected places and in allowing performances to roam. Experimenting with a pop-up format, Heartland has locomoted audiences through downtown Salt Lake City, from north to south Main Street.

“The idea of a moving performance is not necessarily unexpected, but what occurs within this approach will always be unexpected and unpredictable. It also allows us to work in public spaces where people find our work who might not typically engage with dance,” she said. ≠

In a time where we are more likely to connect over social media, with less opportunities to engage in physical closeness with both strangers and those we know, immersive art is giving us the space to take a chance, to let ourselves be seen. Through challenging local audiences, these remarkable artists within the College of Fine Arts community are expanding and extending the meaning of their work.

Whether it is confiding to an audience member in a closed room, welcoming a new dialogue, letting loose on the dance floor, or curating a space that sparks the imagination, these artists refresh known formats and battle disconnect. With unwavering belief in the transformative power of art experienced live, they push Utah into the next wave of arts engagement, putting our growing city on the map for innovation and enthusiasm.

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MOVING TOWARD

By Marina Gomberg

JUSTICE

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hen the University of Utah Departments of Ballet and Modern Dance joined in 2016 to become the unified School of Dance, new Director, Luc Vanier, said that creating a culture of wellness became a main focal point.

“When we analyzed our collective ambitions and challenges, it became apparent that our first opportunity was to discover how to be well together,” he said.

While those conversations included pragmatic approaches to working dynamics, shared governance, and communications, they also delved deeply into inclusivity, equity, and representation. Their explorations illuminated how true wellness can only be achieved when systems of oppression and exclusion are acknowledged and addressed.

Shifting cultural norms, however, especially in a large organization or institution, is a lot like turning a large ship. It’s slow, resistance can come from all angles, and once course has seemingly been corrected, it’s probably time to re-evaluate and shift again. It’s not easy, but very necessary in order to chart the best course.

In the 2019-2020 academic year, with all players on board, the School of Dance found its stride in its investment and implementation of change. The approaches are multifaceted, ongoing, and already catalyzing important progress.

And it has come with a little help from some friends.

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Charles O. Anderson After visiting the School of Dance as a graduate program reviewer in the summer of 2019, renowned dance educator, choreographer, and artistic director Charles O. Anderson, offered to come back to facilitate conversations about shifting the culture to one of greater justice, equity, and access.

His offer was enthusiastically accepted. As a leading voice in the area of critical race theory in dance both in his choreographic work with his company, dance theatre X, and his teaching at The University of Texas at Austin, Anderson is uniquely positioned to identify places where dance can reflect and diminish oppression.

In fall 2019, during his first of two visits to the U’s School of Dance, he worked with undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff to have brave, personal explorations into the ways discrimination has played roles in their lives.

During that visit, Anderson also set one of his company’s pieces, “(Re)Current Unrest: We Are the People,” on students. With only two weeks in town, he tapped modern dance graduate student, Alex Barbier, as his rehearsal director to take the reins on getting the piece ready for performance after he left. The two stayed in close contact.

DeMarco Sleeper, AXIS Dance Company member high-fives Julian Handman, member, of Tanner Dance’s Dancers with Disabilities Program.

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“What’s perhaps most powerful about collaborating with Charles is his process, because not only does the work represent important aspects of racial injustice, but his process embodies the ideas of inclusion and representation that he hopes his works manifest in the world,” Barbier said.

The days were often challenging and overwhelming with new choreographic vocabulary, physicality, and sometimes painful introspection, and also deeply positive for the participants.

“Each of us emerged better dancers, but more importantly, we emerged more empathetic humans.”

Anderson returned in spring 2020 for additional collaboration and dialogue.

Participants at Dancing Around Race take Gerald Casel’s class called “Somatic-based movement practice.”

Photo: Todd Collins

In an art medium where bodies are the instrument and mode of communication, dance hasn’t historically been all that welcoming to differently-abled humans.

But that’s beginning to change, thanks to people like modern dance Professor Pamela Geber Handman and AXIS Dance Artistic Director, Marc Brew.

Geber Handman has dedicated the latter part of her professional career to making dance more accessible to diverse bodies, and recently collaborated with UtahPresents through a College of Fine Arts Dee Grant to bring AXIS Dance to campus. The company is dedicated to “the commissioning, creation, and performance of contemporary dance that is developed through the collaboration of dancers with and without physical disabilities” and is led by Brew, who reclaimed his identity as a professional dancer after surviving an accident in his early 20s that left him paraplegic.

The two, along with Instructor (Clinical) of Special Education, Kristen Paul, and Associate Professor of Gender Studies and English and Director of the Disability Studies Program, Angela Smith, planned a longer residency for AXIS Dance when they came to perform at Kingsbury Hall for UtahPresents.

In addition to panels, teacher trainings, community engaged work, a presentation for the U’s School of Medicine, and a visit with the children of the U’s Tanner

Photo: TWIG Media Lab

AXIS Dance

Dance’s Dancers with Disabilities classes, Brew and company members in AXIS got to spend important and intimate time with School of Dance, Department of Special Education, and many other students and faculty.

“The experience of working with Marc was powerfully illuminating and thought-provoking,” said Geber Handman, “He met us where we are, and opened our eyes to new possibilities.”

She described a particularly impactful moment for her when Brew was teaching a technique class in his wheelchair and encouraged students to “locomote through the space.” He had illuminated the value of inclusive language — even in movement prompts — since to have asked the students to walk or run through the space would have excluded movers like him.

“He showed us — amongst his resilience, storytelling, and choreographic brilliance — the power of inclusive language to invite individual interpretation of movement and welcome all bodies, no matter how they move,” she said. “And I can’t wait to see what possibilities arise as we widen the definition of what being a dancer means.”

School of Dance’s performance of Charles Anderson’s “(Re)current Unrest: We the People.” The dancers are Duran Andrade, Erin Butts, Jackson Conn, Amelia D’Avanzo, Emma Furukawa, Elliott Keller, Dakota King, Josie Kolbeck, Joanna Lees, Emma-Ruth Pierre, Kelly Scott, Jillian Snow, Lauren Wattenburg, Ellen Weiler, Vivienne Williams.

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Dancing Around Race

Photo: TWIG Media Lab

After attending the 2018 conference of the National Dance Education Organization, where she presented her paper, “Connecting Dance Histories, Theories, and Criticism,” School of Dance Assistant Professor Kate Mattingly decided to bring the conversation of inequities in higher education back to the U. When she received the Dee Grant written with U collaborators, Erika George and Maile Arvin, Mattingly teamed up with colleagues Kimani Fowlin, Rebecca Chaleff, Tria Blu Wakpa, and Gerald Casel to host a four-day immersion called “Dancing Around Race: Whiteness in Higher Education” that was designed to “address and challenge systemic exclusions in curricular design, teaching practices, and course contents.”

Kimani Fowlin teaches a class called “Dancing my Truths” during Dancing Around Race.

“I can’t wait to see what possibilities arise as we widen the definition of what being a dancer means.”

The event, held in January 2020, welcomed around 60 dance professionals from across the country and included public panels, technique classes, discussions, moving and writing practices, and presentations.

The series of events was fueled by the aspiration of decentering whiteness both in its planning and execution, and drew inspiration from Casel’s Dancing Around Race events in the Bay Area.

The foundational idea was inspired. The timing was kismet. And its impacts were profound. Participants shared words like “reflective, invested, and honest” to describe their experience of the immersion.

School of Dance Assistant Professor, Natalie Desch said the greatest impact for her was “The awareness that was sparked for many people, and our responsibility of doing more…There’s nothing but more that can be done.”

And doing more is exactly what Mattingly plans to do. With the wind in their sails, she and her colleagues have submitted a proposal to the Dance Studies Association annual conference which will take place in Vancouver in October 2020 to continue the conversation.

So, while the School of Dance will forever be working towards a better future, we celebrate the progress being made in the present. ≠ 13 STUDIO / 2020

BU I LD I N G

BY E M E R I FE T ZE R

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Student Ailish Harris (left) and guest artist Matt Sorensen (right) construct a dragon for “She Kills Monsters.”

Photo: Todd Collins

or a production designer, a script that includes fantasy roleplaying, epic battles, menacing monsters, and 90’s pop culture is an utter playground for the imagination, and an enticing opportunity to use novel tools in bringing a stylized world to life.

This year, the University of Utah Department of Theatre presented Qui Nguyen’s “She Kills Monsters,” the story of Agnes Evans, a young woman grieving for her deceased sister. The Evans sisters were never very close, but after Tilly’s death, Agnes finds a notebook containing a game scenario created by her sister. She discovers that Tilly was a well-known Dungeons and Dragons player. To find out more about Tilly and her mysterious community, Agnes recruits a “dungeon master” named Chuck to help her play the game.

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(Left to right) students Dani Lincoln, Kiersten Farley, and London Rosemary at work

Photo: Todd Collins

on The Beholder puppet.

Photo: Todd Collins

Student Connor Johnson

Students in the Performing Arts Design Program (PADP) had to think larger-than-life to deliver both the epic adventure and cheeky humor of the Dungeons and Dragons world — one swarming with monster bosses like Kobolds, Bugbears, a Gelatinous Cube, a Beholder, and even a five-headed dragon. The large scale of Kingsbury Hall, where the play would be produced, further amplified the need for big, bold choices. As they began to strategize, the design team dreamt up striking shadow sequences and dramatic lighting, and a set featuring stone castle walls.

But to tackle monster-making, PADP Head and Associate Professor, Brenda Van der Wiel, called upon New York based puppet artist Matt Sorensen. Sorensen, approaching completion of his MFA in Puppetry from University of Connecticut, joined Van der Wiel as a guest artist for nearly half of the her fifteen-week design course in puppet making. In the past, the costume crafts class has covered everything from armor to horns, millinery to wings, depending on the needs of the upcoming performance season. This fall, building D&D’s fantastical beasts was the sole focus.

While some students were experienced in theatrical design, others came from stage management, computer science, and writing programs, bringing an exciting blend of diverse perspectives.

“Many of the students were unfamiliar with the script, and I don’t know what they were expecting, but

in armor.

“

…many of the students were surprised to find how unique and widely varied each of the puppets for this production are.

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”

“ …diving into real scenarios is

what best prepares emerging production designers for work post-graduation.

Photo: Todd Collins

”

(Left to right) student Connor Johnson, guest artist Matt Sorensen, student Ailish Harris, and PADP Area Head Brenda Van der Wiel.

when most people hear they will be building puppets, they are likely thinking about foam and fabric hand puppets like the Muppets; small, cute, and manageable,” Sorensen said. “I think many of the students were surprised to find how unique and widely varied each of the puppets for this production are. There was no uniform cookie-cutter process for what we were asking them to accomplish.”

Sorensen, Van der Wiel, and the students crafted puppets from a light, durable material called ethafoam and PVC pipe for structure. Because battle scenes required sweeping movement and aggressive stage combat, the monsters needed to be both long-lasting and pliable. The puppets were finished with paint, fabric and leather details, and even LED lights for special effects.

Throughout the process, students were encouraged to consistently think about how the puppets would move on stage. “Some of the puppets are wearable, so you have to consider not only how they fit the performers, but those performers’ physical safety as well. Can they see clearly? Can they move their bodies in a healthy way without risking injury? My students had to incorporate these types of problem-solving skills into the process, along with learning new construction techniques and using unusual materials,” Sorensen described.

Not unlike most artistic practices, design is best learned through doing. While many assignments in college don’t extend past grading, the results of theatrical design courses are presented for live audiences, and both collaborators and performers count on their completion and quality. Van der Wiel holds that diving into real scenarios is what best prepares emerging production designers for work post-graduation.

“It’s a business where you constantly evolve,” she says.

“I think the biggest thing for students is the ability to keep learning. You need a certain level of skill that you can build on, but designers need a questioning mindset.”

She also hopes that students will become accustomed to creative problem solving with limited resources.

“I’m trying to let them open their minds and think broadly, and not let a budget stifle their imaginations.

Really creative things can be done with a limited budget. If you shut down your imagination, you will never get to the most creative solutions,” she said.

Beyond the designers, incorporating puppetry also allowed the cast of performers to expand their awareness, agility and strength. From developing a character while fully masked, to navigating the added weight of a wearable puppet in both dance and fight choreography, actors developed new skill sets throughout the production. With strong acting as the core focus, design and performance work synergistically to communicate the emotional core of the story.

“The beauty of theatre is that you can take a myriad of different approaches to telling the same story, and if they are produced in earnest, they can each be effective and compelling,” Sorensen said.

For this particular production, puppets were just the thing.

“Puppetry touches our hearts in a unique way, transcending the barriers that exist within live human storytelling,” Sorensen said. “It can enhance a production in many ways that other elements of live theatre can’t, but we still use the same time-honored theatrical storytelling techniques.” ≠ 17 STUDIO / 2020

Photo: TWIG Media Lab

O

n a fall evening in Salt Lake City, University of Utah Department of Film & Media Arts alumna Summer Florence sat near the back of the Tower Theatre as her short film, “Salty Plastic,” played on screen. Showing her work in front of an audience felt “surreal,” she said, “like a dream come true.”

“There’s a scene near the end of my film that has an insert shot of a letter, which is tilted to the right,” she recalled. “I’ll never forget seeing the entire audience’s heads tilt simultaneously to read that letter. It’s a funny anecdote, but it really was amazing to witness. I felt such a sense of community and support in that moment.”

Florence took home the Audience Award for Best Undergraduate Film for “Salty Plastic” at the 2019 Film Spring Showcase and at the F&MAD Film Festival that same year, and the short has gone

on to collect yet another Audience Award at the Indies and I.P.A.s Festival in Cedar City. Like many of her peers, Florence loves the palpable sense of community that comes from the festival experiences that the Department of Film & Media Arts hosts.

“Community is definitely the key word to a theatre setting,” said Bethany Joy Burr, Film MFA graduate student and winner of the 2019 F&MAD Fest Graduate Audience Award for her film, “TUBcake.”

“There is something inherently collaborative about filmmaking — in the process and the product.”

In other words, films are meant to be shared.

Film Students at the U are not only exposed to world-class instruction from a gifted and creatively diverse group of faculty members, but they are also encouraged to experience the perils and triumphs of sharing their work publicly, whether it’s the first glimmer of an idea or the big reveal of a project months in the making.

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the Second Edition of the Film and Media Arts Department’s Film

The Department of Film & Media Arts presents two public screening events a year, the F&MAD Film Festival and the Spring Showcase, in addition to the newly instituted Pitch Competition, a public event where students pitch project ideas to a panel of judges.

The aim is to simulate real-world festival experiences during both screening events, give students a concrete sense of how their films look and sound in a theatre, and lend them the confidence to know that they can successfully navigate the real thing later. Like most big festivals, students submit their films through the Film Freeway platform, requiring them to create filmmaker biographies and artist statements. Then comes the excruciating wait to see if their project is selected, news that arrives with written feedback from the judges about each submission.

The F&MAD Festival is hosted at the charming Tower Theatre in SLC’s 9th and 9th district every fall, while the Showcase is held on campus. Both events pull out all the stops to create a festival atmosphere, complete with filmmaker badges and awards ceremonies with certificates and trophies.

Showcase filmmakers are encouraged to interact with the audience, learn how to navigate a Q&A session, and network with film professionals — soft skills that will be invaluable after graduation.

Miriam and Sonia Albert-Sobrino, Assistant Professors and independent filmmakers, and also sisters (who often go by the name the Also Sisters), challenge their students to scrutinize their projects from the very earliest stages. They introduced the Pitch Competition in 2018 as part of their Producing and Directing class, and the event is now an annual trial-by-fire for budding filmmakers.

“We put the competition together because as filmmakers we are constantly pitching,” Sonia explained. “That’s part of 20 STUDIO / 2020

“

Pitch Competition in Fall 2019.

In order to get someone to back your project and produce it, you must know how to pitch it well.

Photo: Also Sisters

Mason Henrie pitches his film project, “Luna and Estelle,” during

Student audience at the Department of Film & Media Arts’ F&MAD Film Festival at the Tower Theatre.

Photo: TWIG Media Lab

“

The aim...is to create an environment for students to learn from mistakes and improve.

the process. In order to get someone to back your project and produce it, you must know how to pitch it well.”

During the competition, student filmmakers work through how to answer challenging questions about their creative decisions, and learn to craft an “elevator pitch” — a quick go-to description that eloquently communicates their film’s theme, message, or genre. All this while being judged by panel of professionals, who give honest, sometimes tough, feedback.

Adding to the pressure, students are recorded during their pitch, so that the upcoming cohort can dissect their performance to learn from it, too. The aim of the entire event, Miriam and Sonia say, is to create an environment for students to learn from mistakes and improve.

Film & Media Arts alumna Sage Bennett remembers pitching her concept for her short film, “The End,” as both nerve-wracking and exciting.

“It’s vulnerable sharing your ideas, and especially vulnerable in front of a crowd,” she said. “I felt that the Pitch Competition was just enough beyond my comfort zone, but not too far out of it — the perfect place for growth.”

Bennett ended up winning the Grand Jury Award for her pitch, and was awarded a stipend to help bring “The End” to life. In the next five months, she moved from writing, to pre-production, filming, and post production, and eventually screened the film at the Spring Showcase and then the 2019 F&MAD Fest. “The End” went on to win awards outside the University, picking up the Utah Student Short Film of the Year Award at Fear No Film Festival, and so far has been screened at the Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival 2019, and BLOW-UP the International Arthouse FILM FEST in Chicago.

Now, Bennett works as a commercial director at Namesake Content, a production company based in Salt Lake, and for Boogie Nights, a company based in Paris. She says her experience at the U helped prepare her for her current work.

“There are lots of situations I am in now, whether it is a phone call or a moment where someone asks me what I am up to, where I have to pitch an idea. The competition prepared me for those moments.”

And the screening opportunities?

“Priceless,” she said. “It’s so gratifying to watch an audience experience your work. Seeing it on the big screen, makes you realize that it could be on other big screens, with even bigger audiences.” ≠

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By Marina Gomberg

22 STUDIO / 2020

Photo: Michael Yalamas

Viewing artist Kei Ito’s work is a breathtaking experience in and of itself. The imagery is striking and provoking just in its aesthetic. It’s like it radiates its own heat. It’s haunting.

And when you come to understand his inspirations for and processes of creating the works, the influence deepens immeasurably.

He literally puts himself in each of his works, which he often makes through a camera-less photography practice which exposes the sun to lightsensitive paper to the rhythm of his breath.

Ito is a rising conceptual artist and the Spring 2020 Marva and John Warnock Artist in Residence for the University of Utah Department of Art & Art History. His work with students through his class, “The Art of Trauma,” shares the powerful and healing practice of making work that confronts past trauma.

“Everyone has some sort of trauma,” he says.

“It doesn’t matter how big it is or how cultural it is. It could be personal. It could be collective. But everyone has trauma that makes them want to change the world.”

His is exploring the devastation of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima during World War II. A familial trauma. A generational trauma.

Ito wishes he remembered more or had asked more questions of his grandfather who witnessed and survived the bombing, but who died of cancer when Ito was nine years old. What he does remember, though, has inspired his work, which has catapulted him into national renown.

“My grandfather described the A-bomb as being like hundreds of suns lighting up the sky.”

That idea — the brightness, the heat, the destruction — is one Ito has dedicated much of his life to try and comprehend. And it was during his MFA at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) that he came into an art practice that has helped him heal.

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Photo: Jun Ito

“My grandfather described the A-bomb as being like hundreds of suns lighting up the sky.” That idea...is one Ito has dedicated much of his life to try and comprehend.

Keo’s grandfather, Takeshi Ito, holds baby Kei Ito at the piano.

Ito’s signature piece, which he conceptualized during that time, called “Sungazing” is a collection of 108 letter-sized prints, each a blinding representation of what can be materialized in just a single breath. “’The Art of Trauma’ is not just about victimhood, though” Ito says. “It’s a reclamation. A redemption. It’s about understanding. It’s a process of healing through which sometimes the artwork is just a byproduct.”

Which is why there 108 pieces in the collection.

Because in Japanese Buddhist tradition, between New Year’s Eve and New Year, Japanese temples ring humansize bells once for each of the believed 108 evil human desires. It is a cleansing ritual said to rid the body of evil before the new year.

“Sungazing” was the beginning of Ito’s redemption, and it’s a work he recreates annually with various modifications. Some iterations are 200-foot scrolls marked by the sunlight of 108 of Ito’s breaths on a roll of light-sensitive paper, one of which was collected by The Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago and another by The Norton Museum of Art in Florida.

“Photography is such a set or fixed media. And so often we think that a photograph needs to be framed and displayed on a wall in order to be taken seriously.

But I always thought that photography can be something more than that. I wanted to create photographic art that pushes the boundary of the idea of what photography is.”

So, now picture 108 human-scale photograms made by the shadows of his own body. The feeling of burned flesh and human tragedy effervesces from each one and 24 STUDIO / 2020

the collection all together is unforgettable.

“Afterimage Requiem” is a massive visual and sound installation made with Ito’s sound artist collaborator, Andrew Keiper, Ito’s colleague and former housemate during graduate school at MICA. The two vowed to make work together one late night when they realized the connection of their family histories: Keiper’s grandfather was an engineer who helped develop the atomic bomb during the Manhattan Project.

Collaboration. Reconciliation. Healing.

And Ito doesn’t just create art about the passed-down intergenerational trauma. Like so many others, he has traumas of his own to inform new work, like “Infertile American Dream” which is a triptych of C-prints depicting a disassembled model house created by exposing light-sensitive paper to sunlight on the day the 45th U.S. president was elected to office.

“When Trump was announced to be the president, I felt this sense of denial from this country where I have been working so hard to become a member of,” he recalled. “America has always been touted as a place for a fresh start and providing a chance to build one’s home. However, after the election it felt as if the American Dream could no longer even be conceived.”

Kei Ito and curator, Liz Faust, installing “Afterimage Requiem” at the Baltimore War Memorial, MD.

The Marva and John Warnock biennial residency program, which began in 2010, has quickly become an important catalyst for dialogue encompassing contemporary issues of art making, pedagogy, interdisciplinary and collaborative work, art in the community and art as activism. The program aims to expose students to new, innovative, and diverse contemporary art practices, while providing an opportunity for trilateral exchange amongst students, faculty, and the public at large. The artistin-residence will lead a Master Class that takes the form of intensive workshops throughout the semester.

“Art has always had the power to unite and heal. In today’s political climate, we have become even more aware of our differences and see cultural diversity and the give and take of different perspectives and innovations as a strength. Kei’s art carries forward the work of his grandfather by bringing awareness to the threat of nuclear war in a profound way, which opens up space for dialogue and hopefully social change. We believe that bringing Kei to Utah to teach this class provides our students a great opportunity to understand how art is changing laws, policies, relations, and perspectives.” — Henry Becker, Assistant Professor, Art & Art History

Photo: Kei Ito

for Contemporary Art, NC.

“Afterimage Requiem” at the exhibition at Southeastern Center for Contemporary Art, NC.

Photo: Michael Yalamas

Marva and John Warnock Artist in Residence

View of “Sungazing Prints” at the exhibition at Southeastern Center

Photo: Kei Ito

His work has reflected on American politics and drawn arresting connections like that of the Japanese internment camps and the Muslim travel ban in his work “Only What We Can Carry.” He has also pursued narratives around other nuclear crises like Fukushima in “Ravaged Flower of the Future.”

And all with camera-less image-making.

“When you think about photography, you think about using a camera which is a lens-based media. The lens pointing outward captures what’s in front of you. However, if you want to capture something that’s already gone, invisible, or exists only in memory — how do you capture these phenomena? My answer to that was to abandon the camera. Get rid of it entirely and use the most conceptual base of photography: light sensitivity.”

He says, now that “everything has been done aesthetically, the only way you can create something new – something interesting – is by adding who you are in the artwork.” ≠

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By J. Michaela Funtanilla

U

niversity of Utah choral Assistant Professor Emily Mercado believes everyone should have access to musical experiences. She is the director of School of Music’s Voci Altissime, formerly known as the Women’s Chorus. From 18-year-olds to 70-year-olds, from music majors to continuing education students, the non-audition choir welcomes all levels of singers, blending and developing their instruments together.

Mercado was hired as an Assistant Professor in 2018 after earning her PhD in Music Education at Louisiana State University. Her teaching assistant and PhD candidate Erin Bailey said, “Mercado’s philosophy is simple: Music is for everyone.”

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This philosophy prompted a change in the choir’s name. Students chose “Voci Altissime”— a name that means “high voices” and references Utah’s mountain town, Alta. If any other music ensemble changed their name, it would seem trivial. However, choirs have a unique history of being gender-specific due to cultural and physiological differences between men and women. Voci signals gender awareness and sensitivity in music education at the U. “Mercado recognizes that great music can only be made in a safe environment where people can take vocal and expressive risks. She works hard to make sure every individual feels needed and wanted,” said Bailey.

Photos: Assistant professor Emily Mercado teaches choral music education and directs Voci Altissime.

Photo: Brandon Cruz Photography

Mercado recognizes society as a whole is expanding understanding around gender and identity. As more research on gender emerges, presentations at conferences discuss topics like navigating the everchanging gender landscape, creating safe spaces, and teaching transgender students in the choral classroom. One conclusion is a common thread: in order to become more inclusive of all genders in choirs, educators should refrain from using gendered-language. Specifically for choirs, this is a new approach, as choral history has been deeply rooted in gender specifics.

The separation between male and female voices began in the fourteenth-century when boys’ choirs were established and some music was sung by young male sopranos and altos. Physiologically, male and female voices require different training exercises and techniques that are easier to achieve when the genders are separated. Especially when it comes to young singer’s vocal development through the various stages of puberty. Because of this, it was natural to associate high voices with women and low voices with men.

In her article on transgender singers, LSU professor and a chair of the National Association of Teachers of Singers, Loraine Sims said a voice can’t be tied to gender if we want to change binary thinking. Choral educators like Mercado, are changing their choir names and practicing non-binary language. Mercado teaches these ideals to her students that are currently teaching in local high schools as part of their studies.

Research shows that an individual can experience distress being assigned to a group that identifies as a specific gender. Even though a choir’s name change may seem insignificant, according to California State University voice professor, Joshua Palkki, small changes can have a “deep emotional impact on a trans student.” Palkki often presents at national research and practitioner conferences, addressing LGBTQ and gender

issues in music education. He said that it is especially important for educators to provide safe spaces and explicitly make their acceptance known to students.

“If an individual is happy being in a choir in which they best identify, then that’s worth the extra work and the unique sound that the choir might produce,” said Mercado.

Voci member and music major Betsy Andrews appreciates Mercado’s open class environment— setting an example of vulnerability allows her students to do the same. Andrews has experienced both auditioned and non-auditioned choirs. In her opinion, auditioned-choirs invest in the performance end-product but “Voci invests in the experience, the people, and the connections you make with others.

It’s a safe place, no one is left out, and no one is just a voice in the choir. We are one voice, one team, one family,” said Andrews.

It’s this focus on personal development that drives students to Mercado’s class. Voci being a nonauditioned ensemble makes it ideal for beginners and students who want to be part of a musical group without the pressure of an intense performing experience. However, the ensemble also performs challenging 3- and 4-part treble repertoire, and some students enrolled in Voci Altissime have sung in choirs for many years. This allows students the freedom to focus on individual goals under Mercado’s collaborative and safe environment.

The Women’s Choir changing its name to Voci Altissime in order to encompass all identities is only the natural outcome for a choir that already cherishes community and personal growth.

“It’s great to see the choir take initiative and address the questions of gender identity,” said the Director of the School of Music, Miguel Chuaqui. “A more inclusive choir is sure to lead to a more diverse musical experience.” ≠ 27 STUDIO / 2020

Hansen, Etsuko Kato, Kylie Millward, Hannah Nielsen, Holly Nielsen, and Candace von Hoffman, who curated and presented their annual interim

Photo: Amelia Walchli

Department of Art & Art History MFA students, Bryce Billings, Dana

show, “Mixed Bag,” made possible

by FAF Grants.

Photo : Amelia Walch li

S

tudents studying in the arts across America are learning the practices, traditions, technologies, and histories of their disciplines. But where some institutions are falling short is in the preparation of their students to smoothly transition into the modern workforce as practicing artists after graduation. Data collected by the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project (SNAAP) has shown that arts alumni across the country wish they had more real-world experiences in the business of being a professional artist.

The University of Utah College of Fine Arts (CFA), which has participated in the collection of this data to ensure our alumni voices are included, has put this feedback to good use.

In addition to developing new programs and opportunities for our students to build their professional networks, gain financial literacy, and get practical experiences through internships, we are continuing to bolster the now 20-year legacy of our Fine Arts Fees (FAF) Grant program.

Implemented in the 1998-99 academic year, the CFA’s FAF Grant program has made important funding available to CFA student groups that are registered as a Sponsored Student Organization through the U’s Office of Student Leadership & Involvement to help with both undergraduate and graduate student-driven noncredit projects. This includes staging performances, inviting guest artists and scholars to campus, and attending national and international conferences and competitions.

By providing parameters on eligibility and outcomes, the program replicates processes practicing artists go through to pitch, secure, and use external funding. The projects must enhance student learning, enhance the student experience for the larger University community, and/or create or host arts events on campus or in the greater Salt Lake Area. The groups must originate in the CFA and be advised by a faculty member in the CFA. But the students applying for project funding aren’t the only ones benefitting from this experience. Since taking over the FAF Grant program, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs, Liz Leckie, PhD, supported the program becoming completely studentdriven. The shift meant that students now make up both the applicants and the committee who chooses what projects get funded each year.

“Many of our students will go on to become professional artists. For them, this process requires them to think about planning, budgeting, marketing, Illustration Professor Michael Hirshon with his wife, Robin, look in on Kylie Millward’s GIF projection.

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“It’s been rewarding to see the ways that FAF Grants can transform students’ educational experiences.”

“Writing a grant can feel like a daunting and intimidating task. The FAF Grant application provides a template with questions, which serves as a foundation for what to include in future grants. For some of us, this was our first time organizing and curating an exhibition. Even with ample planning, a few things surfaced that we had not considered.

It was okay for this exhibition to include trial and error, and I think we all walked away having learned something we can utilize for future exhibitions.” — Kylie Millward, FAF Grant recipient, MFA Studio Arts Show (Art & Art History)

and reporting. It also gives them resources, tools, and access to a faculty mentor to ensure their success,” she said. “Other students might become arts administrators or professionals working for organizations that support artists.

The opportunity to serve on the FAF Grant Committee, vetting and choosing awarded student groups, connects our students across disciplines and gives them practical experiences in making critical decisions.”

The FAF Grant program has awarded roughly $1.75 million to fuel the passions of CFA students, but there are always more hopeful applicants than available funding. As tough as that makes the committee’s work, it’s invaluable preparation for their futures.

The competitive nature elevates the experience for the applicants as well, and even provides some the important opportunity to learn from not being chosen.

“Our goal has been to integrate learning into all aspects of the program’s implementation,” Leckie said.

“And it’s been rewarding to see the ways that FAF Grants can transform students’ educational experiences.” ≠

“The paperwork was very realistic to me, as well as the amount of people involved. Presenting and pitching this project so many times felt accurate to how important clarity is in your ideas, so that the necessary number of others involved in creating the vision are well updated and prepared for your and their relevant works ahead!” — Sammy Howard, FAF Grant recipient, Animation Crew (Film & Media Arts)

“I feel the FAF Grant process is a good representation of a grant application process I might encounter later in my career. It included planning and communication with artists from as far away as Austria and helped me to put into words the benefits of hosting visiting musicians, both in writing and in a verbal presentation format. Similarly, the obstacles along the way, including paperwork and processes that usually are just behind the scenes, became very clear to me as the project went on.” — Evan Silloway, Illustrations: Kylie Millward

FAF Grant recipient, Low Brass Society (Music)

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Photo: Eduardo Ayres Soares

MAT Ranked 11th by TheBestSchools.org, which grades schools based on academic caliber, faculty, accreditation, and liberal arts commitment, the online graduate degree is unique.

“The College of Fine Arts offers the only Master of Arts in teaching degree with an emphasis in Fine Arts in the country,” said Kelby McIntyre-Martinez, the Assistant Dean for Arts Education & Community Engagement.

“We listened to our constituents and created something unique in terms of curricula and delivery.” eorgiana Simpson wanted to take her teaching Launched in June 2018, the two-year degree to a new level. So she enrolled in the new program with its online hybrid format allows working Master of Arts in Teaching with an emphasis in educators to get a degree while continuing to teach.

Fine Arts (MAT-FA) and felt her confidence build.

MAT-FA students spend two weeks on campus at the “The quality of individuals with whom I have University of Utah for two summers and do the rest worked, the professors, and my cohort have helped of the classes online. me grow exponentially as a teacher and an artist,” Many of the students have been teaching for 8 to said the Whitehorse High School teacher.

10 years and have families, making it difficult to go to The interdisciplinary degree, open to educators school full time. with or without teaching licenses who want to “This MAT-FA degree makes it possible for enhance their teaching skills in the arts, was Utahns and people across the country to bring all recognized in 2019 as one of the best online master’s the arts together and to think about our field in new programs in the nation. and profound ways,” the Assistant Dean said. “We

G

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FA students creating devised participatory performance pieces in collaboration with young people from the Hartland Youth Center.

By Julia Lyon

Faculty include professors from the School of Dance, School of Music, Department of Theatre, Department of Art & Art History, and the Department of Film & Media Arts.

The students are drawn to the program by the variety of expertise and the opportunity to work with accomplished faculty from across the College of Fine Arts.

While students engage in research and study theories underlying best practices in teaching, the curriculum requires students to go further as they apply diverse teaching methods both during the want them to be challenged by multiple art forms, to think differently about their teaching practice, and to summer residencies and while taking online classes.

“Our faculty are leading the way in terms of consider how student populations are changing.” generating and applying new arts education research,” The MAT-FA came to life after years of surveying educators about what kind of program would best meet said McIntyre- Martinez. “They’re bringing 21st century ideas to this program. MAT-FA students their needs. More than 200 local and national arts are being challenged in ways that are authentic and educators were interviewed. Many of those expressed relevant to their specific communities.” interest in a master’s degree but said they could not For Simpson, the art teacher in San Juan County, quit their jobs to pursue an additional degree. the degree has helped her “fill in the gaps” in her Students hail from around the country although the majority live in different parts of Utah. They teach non-traditional teaching background.

And even though she lives in a remote rural music, theater, dance, visual art, film, and media community in Utah, the MAT-FA provides her with arts — some in traditional public education, others in a community setting. A little more than a third are access to the same high-quality education as her more urban counterparts. single parents.

“The MAT-FA program presented a way to take Some are teachers who don’t specialize in any one arts discipline but who are passionate about bringing my art teaching to the highest professional level,” she said. ≠ the arts into their classrooms. Students from certain western states pay reduced tuition rates.

The two residencies on campus are extremely focused. From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., six days a week, the students meet with their cohort and attend courses on teaching strategies, participate in workshops with nationally-recognized artists, and go into the community to develop and implement arts-based lesson plans.

By coming together in the summer, the students establish deeper relationships that become more meaningful as they give each other feedback and complete online coursework throughout the rest of the year.

The goal is to focus on skills the graduates can bring to the classroom or the community.

“The MAT-FA offers practical, real world A MAT-FA student conducts a math knowledge that is applicable to their everyday visual arts integration lesson with a teaching experiences,” said Anne Dibble, the Fine fourth grade students.

Arts, MAT Program Administrator.

Photo: TWIG Media Lab

The inaugural cohort of MAT-FA

MASTERING THE ARTS WITH A NEW DEGREE

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Photo: Amy Pearman

BY JULIA LYON

W

hat Peyden Shelton performs isn’t necessarily the music you expect. In fact, it’s often music no one’s ever heard at all — because it’s newly composed for a cutting-edge genre that integrates acoustic and electronic music in a kind of musical soundscape.

Shelton, an Assistant Professor of Trumpet at the University of Utah School of Music, hopes you give this electro-acoustic music a chance.

“Take several tastings,” he said. “Come back to it later — your taste buds evolve.”

As a member of the electro-acoustic trumpet quintet called Fifth Bridge, Shelton and his colleagues are helping build a repertoire for a whole new instrumentation: electro-acoustic trumpet ensemble.

In this style of music, the trumpet players’ acoustic music is integrated and manipulated with electronics while the composer’s electronic creation is played simultaneously.

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Born in the middle of the last century, the electro-acoustic genre remains outside mainstream repertoire, but is expanding the musical language for both performers and listeners.

“It opens up a lot of doors for you — not only to include digital sounds from a computer — but you can be a little more creative with the performance space or include a visual performance,” Shelton said.

Fifth Bridge recently completed the groundbreaking project, “Big Data to Big Art,” an intersection of visual art, science, and music. The collaboration between NASA, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, and Grammy-nominated composer John Hollenbeck features a video of the sun’s activity in colors of light that can’t be seen by the human eye. Filmed by satellite-based telescopes, the video is accompanied by music performed by Fifth Bridge.

“It shows that the sun is not just a static, boring, yellow ball of light that we are used to. It shows there

Kelly Rossum (Christopher Newport University), Ashley Hall (Longy School of Music), Jason Crafton (Virginia Tech), Peyden Shelton (University of Utah), and Gabriel DiMartino (East Carolina University).

are masses of swirling gas larger than an entire planet, spinning like giant tornadoes and coming to rest,” said Henry Winter, an astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics, who believes art and science are not exclusionary.

He hopes “Big Data to Big Art,” which may be performed at different venues nationally over the next several years, will help make science more accessible.

“I think there’s far more that connects artists and scientists than separates them. A lot of scientific output is quantifiably beautiful and elegant,” he said.

“I want people to know there’s so many things you can do in science and art — never feel like you have to sacrifice one for the other.”

As a musician who seeks out new music, Shelton has received funding through the University of Utah to commission four new trumpet concertos from young American composers, which he will eventually perform.

A College of Fine Arts grant also funded the creation of a new electro-acoustic trumpet chamber ensemble piece by contemporary composer David Sampson. Fifth Bridge, which is committed to playing new music exclusively, came together to premiere the work in March in a unique space known as The Cube. The venue, at an arts center on the

“TAKE SEVERAL TASTINGS, COME BACK TO IT LATER — YOUR TASTE BUDS EVOLVE.” U OF U PROF. PEYDEN SHELTON

Photo: Amy Pearman

Members of Fifth Bridge (left to right)

Virginia Tech Campus, is known for its immersive, cutting-edge art experiences. With more than 1,000 speakers, it can manipulate the audience’s perception of what it hears.

“I think the appeal of Fifth Bridge is that it is simultaneously new and familiar, in other words a combination of instruments and sounds that they may have never heard together,” said Jason Crafton, one of the members of Fifth Bridge and an Assistant Professor of Trumpet at Virginia Tech. Members of the ensemble live in different parts of the country.

“Electronic music has no boundaries, so our concerts often span a huge breadth of musical aesthetics,” he said. “While I don't think audiences find our work shocking, they may be surprised by the palette of sounds we utilize.”

When he’s not playing groundbreaking repertoire, Shelton is a full-time trumpet professor teaching 15 students in his School of Music office, a room filled with mutes, mouthpieces, and photographs of trumpet players from the U.S. and around the world.

He wants to give students a better idea of who they’re hearing — of who they could become — and how to create their own excellence.

“I equate a lot of what I do to teaching a new language,” he said. ≠

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Artists & Guest Artist Scholars

At the University of Utah College of Fine Arts, students learn from some of the top faculty in the country. But that is not all; each semester, each academic unit brings to campus world-renowned artists who offer master classes, give public lectures, screen films, host discussions, and ultimately broaden the breadth and depth of exploration into all areas of study. During the past year alone, these artists were brought to campus to share their knowledge and expertise with us.

Art & Art History Brien Beidler • Erik Brandt • Bryan Czibesz • Amy Irvine Kei Ito • Allison Milham • Shaye Remba • Tanja Softic Jessica Spring • Claire Taylor • Ashley Eliza Williams Carmen Winant —

Photo: Amelia Walchli

Tanja Softić is an artist and educator born in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (former Yugoslavia), whose work addresses factors of cultural hybridity that shape the identity and worldview of an immigrant. Through printmaking, drawing, photography, artist books, and poetry, her work suggests a displaced existence: fragmented memories, adaptation, revival, and transformation. During her visit, she created a new print with the assistance of students.

Dance John Allen • Charles Anderson • Lauren Anderson • Jennifer Archibald Michelle Armstrong • Kathrin Baum-Hofer • Winter Rose Beaudry Marc Brew and AXIS Dance Company • Ann Carlson • Omar Carrum Alejandro Carrudo • Gerald Casel • Rebecca Chaleff • Peter Chu • Shane Davis Natalie Desch • Delvina Faye Driscoll • Laja Field • Lindsay Folkman • Kimani Fowlin Heather Fryxell • Heather Gray • Jennifer Gordon • Jeremy Grimshaw Lorin Hansen • Millicent Hodson • Anna-Marie Holmes • Tauna Hunter Susan Jaffe • Elizabeth Johnson • Seh Yun Kim • Tamara King-Amsden Anthony Kurtzcamp • Sharee Lane • Jessica Liu • Dragos Mihalcea Darrell Grand Moultrie • Nick Mullikin • Nitya Nritya Dance • Jared Oaks Ursula Perry • Mauro Romualdo Carly Schaub • Joshua Shutkind • Eliza Tappan Kevin Thomas • Oleg Vinogradov Tria Blu Wakpa • I Gusti Agung Ayu Warsiki Sara Webb • Tom Welsh • I Nyoman Windha • Candace Wittier — Darrell Grand Moultrie is a renowned American choreographer and master teacher. He received the Princess Grace Choreography Fellowship Award, is a choreographer for Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and is among few choreographers working in theatre, modern dance, ballet, and commercial dance.

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Photo: Samantha Matsukawa

Film & Media Arts Sage Bennett • MP Cunningham • Davey Davis • Chris Doucet Abby Ellis • Summer Florence • Anayat Fakhraie • Chelsea Hernández • Greg Kiefer Inmi Lee • Sara Newens • Joseph O’Driscoll • Whitney Palmer • Benton Paul Jake Proctor • Paul Webster — Paul Webster is a leading film producer with over fifty credits to his name. A former head of production for Miramax Films, he has also created or co-founded numerous production companies, won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Drama, and was nominated for six Academy Awards.

Music John Adler • Aloysio Fagerlande • Stephen Anderson • Avery Ensemble Rachel Barton Pin • Bassoon Piano Duo • Oto Carrillo • Angela Cheng Todd Coleman • Paula da Matta • James Decker • Lisa DeSpain Dover and Escher Quartets • Ann DuHamel • Terry Everson • Till Fellner Mark Fouxman • Imani Winds • Craig Jessop • Kristopher Johnson Lachezar Kostov • Jean Laurenz • Fred Lerdahl • S. Andrew Lloyd Christophe Mantoux • Na Wai Choral Ensemble • Pacifica Quartet • Sameer Patel Pavel Haas String Quartet w/Boris Giltburg • Penderecki Piano Trio • John Raymond Edmund Rollett • Rebecca Rollett • Benjamin Sabey • David Salness • Jordi Savall Suzanne Stumpf • Nancy Toff • Mike Tetreault • Viktor Uzur • Jory Vinikour Anna Weesner • Ethan Wickman • Garrick Woods • Larry Zalkind • Matt Zalkind Paulina Zamora • David Zerkel — For more than 50 years, Jordi Savall, one of the most versatile musical personalities of his generation, has rescued musical gems from the obscurity of neglect and oblivion and given them back for all to enjoy. A tireless researcher of early music, he interprets and performs the repertory both as a gambist and a conductor. Performing with his ensemble, Jordi creates a world of emotion and beauty that he shares with millions of early music enthusiasts around the world.

Photo: Brandon Cruz Photography

Theatre Jessica Altchiler • Chris Albright-Tufts • Kevin Asselin Kristen Blodgette • Mark Booher • Shelly Butler • Madi Cooper Andy Einhorn • Clayborne Elder • Susan Ferrara • Rachel Flesher Wendy Franz • Coltyn Giltner • Noah Gouldsmith • Wes Grantom Frank Honts • Jesse Klick • Ted Malawer • Marcella Pereda • Tara Rubin Eric Santagata • Ellen Simon • Matthew B Sorensen • Jessica Steinrock Zev Steinrock • Jeff Talbott • Olivia Vessel • Natalie Weiss — Jessica Steinrock is a Certified Intimacy Director, Intimacy Coordinator with Intimacy Directors International (IDI) based in Los Angeles, California. As a pioneer of this field, she works to promote this role as a standard for intimate content creation.

35 STUDIO / 2020

Donor Spotlight: Bruce Bastian

Photo: Drake Busath

Twenty years ago, a $1.2M gift to purchase Steinway pianos forever changed the trajectory of music at the University of Utah. Bruce Bastian, music educator, software pioneer, and philanthropist, made that trajectory possible.

By Emeri Fetzer

S

chool of Music alumna Anne Marie Pace (BMU 1981) graduated B.S. (before Steinways) and knows first-hand how high-quality instruments impact the education of music students.

“When I was at the U getting my degree in piano performance, we practiced on old, upright pianos in dingy rooms. When I first saw the School of Music’s new piano practice rooms with beautiful Steinway grands, I felt teary,” Pace remembered.

When Bastian was recognized by the School of Music this fall with its highest honor, a 2019 Camerata Award, Pace made sure to thank him personally.

Bastian’s incredible gift in 2000 allowed the purchase of 55 handcrafted Steinway pianos, widely considered the “gold standard” of pianos, propelling a prestigious designation of the School of Music as an all-Steinway School. Almost 15 years later, the university administration invested an additional $1.9 M for additional Steinway pianos, bringing the total collection to 125.

Today, music students have a wealth of riches at their fingertips. Piano faculty offices boast two side-byside Steinway grands for instruction. In the school’s Libby Gardner Concert Hall, performers can select from either 9-foot Hamburg or New York grands — depending on their preference for more subdued or brighter tones.

Practice rooms for piano majors all include at least one, and sometime two, grand pianos. Every music faculty also has a piano in their office, regardless of their area. This spectacular fleet of instruments requires the oversight of a very busy, full-time piano technician.

A gift with immeasurable impact, Bastian’s investment reflects his own enduring love of music, and his commitment to those that pursue it.

Since he started taking piano lessons at age six, music was central to Bastian’s life. He grew up surrounded by the sounds of jazz greats Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, and The Count Basie Orchestra. On Sunday afternoons, he listened to his father on string bass practicing with his jazz band. For Bastian, music brought inspiration, solace, and community.

Earning a bachelor of arts degree in music education and a master’s from Brigham Young University, Bastian directed the Cougar Marching Band. In this role, Bastian recruited, trained, and advised students, and spent summers designing pregame and half-time shows.

“Whether I was playing in the symphonic band, orchestra, jazz band, or marching band, those were my friends, that was my life. That’s the part of my day that I lived for,” he said. Though his path shifted

to computer programming, Bastian has consistently drawn upon his musical background throughout his successful career.

When a dear friend of Bastian’s told him about the pressing need for pianos at the U, he didn’t need convincing. Skip Daynes, fourth generation owner of Daynes Music Company, connected Bastian with Henry Steinway during a visit to NYC. Quickly a fast friend, Steinway introduced him to the century-old craftsmanship of Steinway & Sons pianos, reinforcing the immense impact the pianos could have on music students at the U. Current students and alumni consistently remark about how these pianos have impacted their everyday studies.

Dr. Desireé González-Miller, a recent Doctorate of Musical Arts (DMA) Graduate and Assistant Professor of Piano at Brigham Young University stated, “As a student at the U, you get so used to the high standard of sound and mechanical ability of Steinway pianos.

Having access to such a quality instrument is a catalyst for all the hard work we put into practicing. And beyond that, playing a Steinway concert grand piano gives you an extra boost in performance. The experience of playing becomes magical.”

Fellow DMA alumni and BYU Assistant Professor Jared Pearce said, “I had a wonderful experience with using Steinway pianos at the University of Utah.

Steinway & Sons has long since been revered as the undisputed king of piano instruments, dominating the world’s concerts venues. It’s unique and warm tone, combined with an ability to sing triumphantly alongside a full orchestra make it one of the gems of the musical world. Some of my favorite experiences as a student were rehearsing with the award-winning choirs as an accompanist. I always had access to multiple Steinway 7-foot grands and it made every rehearsal special and rewarding.”

Because of Bruce Bastian’s generous support, the instruments at the School of Music now match the high level of education that both undergraduate and graduate students receive. From classroom to stage, our musicians at the U play with joyful confidence. ≠

“Without music, there would be a big hole in all of us. It excites us, it calms us, makes us smile, makes us laugh, makes us cry, brings memories to our minds. It reaches our soul like few other things can.”

Bruce Bastian, portrait taken in Dumke Recital Hall for the Camerata Awards

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Thank You

Connoisseur

$25,000 +

Anonymous Artworks For Kids Kenneth P. and Sally Rich Burbidge Foundation I Kenneth P. and Sally Rich Burbidge Foundation II Gordon and Connie Hanks Kem C. and Carolyn B. Gardner Huntsman Foundation Meldrum Foundation James R. and Nanette S. Michie Foundation Beverley Taylor Sorenson Foundation Sorenson Legacy Foundation The I.J. and Jeanné Wagner Foundation

Aficionado $10,000–$24,999 F. Michael Bannon & Susan D. MacIver Brent and Bonnie Jean Beesley Foundation M. Lynn Bennion Foundation Dick and Timmy Burton Foundation Edward L. Burton Foundation Lawrence T. and Janet T. Dee Foundation Kent C. and Martha H. DiFiore George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation Susan G. Gaskill Ralph L. and Rosetta S. Gochnour Charles and Kathie K. Horman Lee A. and Audrey Mack Hollaar William R. and Robin R. Larson Andrea S. Dumke-Manship and Michael A. Manship McCarthey Family Foundation Ballard Miller Foundation S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney Foundation Salt Lake City Arts Council Foundation Roger H. and Colleen K. Thompson Foundation W. Mack & Julia S. Watkins Foundation Connie Jo M. Hepworth-Woolston and E. Art Woolston

T

HE faculty, staff, and especially the students in the College of Fine Arts thank our generous donors for their contributions to the College and its five academic units from July 1, 2018, through December 31, 2019.

Their incredible generosity has enhanced education, empowered many, and inspired us all.

If you’re interested in supporting the work of the College of Fine Arts and its academic units, visit finearts.utah.edu

Ron Losby Alex and Sarah Lowe David R. Markland* Paul G. and Alison R. Mayfield Rowena May Merrill Wurzel and Susan Parsons-Keir Patrick and Lucy Beale Partridge Leon and Karen F. Peterson Family Wayne G. and Robyn E. Petty Andy and Zelie Pforzheimer Frank N. and Patricia A. Pignanelli The Presser Foundation David E. and Shari H. Quinney Bruce G. and Sara V. Robinson Steven L. Rosenberg W. Gary and Darcy E. Sandberg John W. and Amy Scheib Scott and Lesli P. Rice State Farm Companies Foundation Robert Stringham and Michelle Michie Marc T. and Charlene M. Wangsgard Von H. and Virginia Martin Whitby

Friend

$1–$999

Thomas Douglas Aaron Jeffrey and Holly Abel Kerry D. and Teresa C. Adams Lisa R. Adams Kurt E. and Michelle C. Addison Ron C. Allen Maria Albanese Kevin and Jo Aldridge Tacie Lee Almy M. and Kathryn H. Anderson Anonymous Michelle Muntean Armstrong Thomas R. and Sidney H. Armstrong Lisa M. Arnett Jack S. and Marie Y. Ashton Avenue B Maxine C. Babalis Trust Stephanie Babalis Michael and Kayo Baker Robert L. and Maria J. Baldwin James and Margaret Barnes Jason and Sharlie Barber Kathleen Barlow Gerald W. and Martha R. Barnes* Jake and Devon Barnes James and Margaret Barnes Marlene Barnett Matthew Robert Barrett C. LaMar and Carol W. Barrus Curtis and Allison Barton Robin and Shirlene Bastar Edward J. Bateman Margaret K. Batson Thomas D. and Mary Ann Bauman Brant and Anne Bayless Sarah Janice Beesley Denise Marie Bégué Robert and Maria Belnap Stephen Smith Bennett Daniel Bentley Jeffery Bentley and Ana Gonzales de Bentley John E. and Barbara E. Berg Courtney Shea Bergen Michelle Colleen Bickel Robert and Deanna Biles Hope Bird Kevin and Jill H. Bischoff Kyle William Bishop Laura Jennette Blair Rebecca Lee Blue Kevin Bogdanow and Lenore Somer Patti A. Bollenbaugh Peter Bollwerk William Bollwerk Jeffrey Bollwinkel and Janice C. McCallister Gerrit Boogert Brian E. and Teriann L. Booth Howard Bornstein and Judith B. Russell Don A. and Virginia A. Bostrom Hope Bowden Morgan A. and Ashley E. Boyack Hal and Holly Boyd Ira R. and Nancy L. Boyer Barlow Bradford Laura Marie Bradley Blake S. Bratcher and Kyle R. Adcock Jerry and Diana Bratcher Michael Braun Raymond E. Brim* Jack W. and Karen R. Brittain Ellen R. Bromberg David J. Brown Julie Brown

thank yo Benefactor

$5,000-$9,999

Anonymous Barbara M. Bannon* Sandi Behnken E.J. Bird Foundation The Brass Ring Foundation R. Harold Burton Foundation Shane Larson and Genevieve Christianson Marian A. Connelly Eric C. and Lisa L. Evans Darla Gill and Pieter Unema Gretchen S. Jackson Emma Eccles Jones Foundation Merit Medical Systems, Inc. Joyce T. Rice Jim L. and Bonita Robertson Janet M. Schaap Trust Michael L. and Micki N. Sobieski Daniel M. and Nicky M. Soulier John M. and Martha Morrison Veranth Anthony R. Wallin and Jennifer Price-Wallin Wells Fargo Foundation Paul L. and Marilyn Whitehead Zions Management Services Company

Patron $2,500–$4,999

John W. and Elizabeth Bennion William R. Bireley* The Rodney Brady Family Foundation Lowell C. and Sonja E. Brown The Castle Foundation Lisa Marie Chaufty and Miquel Chuaqui Judith C. Condie Thomas D. and Joanne A. Coppin Skip and Susan E. Daynes David L. Dee and Karen M. Gardner Dee Phillip L. and Mary Lou Hansen Chris and Sandy Hemmersmeier Elizabeth S. Hunter Trust Daniel Lee and Stephanie Ross-Lee

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STUDIO / 2020

Advocate $1,000–$2,499

Michael D. and Sheila L. Ainlay Bruce W. Bastian and Clinton Ford Robert L. and Colleen Bauman Joyce M. Bennett Michael H. and Judi F. Bourne Sandra Faye Brock John and Katie Brooks Kenneth J. and Kristina F. Burton Byron Russell, LLC. Daniel W. and Peggy S. Campbell Chris Peter Demiris and Darcy Bentley Michael and Sheila Deputy Paul Dorgan Early Light Academy Eric N. and Shellie M. Eide Dick and Susan Evans Jerome C. and Abby L. Fiat George B. Felt Ira and Lili Field Susan F. Fleming David P. and Sheila S. Gardner Robert and Mary Gilchrist Thor Gjelsteen and Millah Nikkel Royden J. and Rebecca B. Glade Samuel Gene Harris Susan Stoddard Heiner and Blake T. Heiner The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation Patrick Jan and Peggy A. McDonough-Jan Thomas A. and Lisa B. Johnson Craig V. and Linda M. Lee Herbert C. and Wilma S. Livsey Donald B. and Mary O. Lloyd Thomas M. and Jamie N. Love Angie Matinkhah Dylan McCullough Jay and Sandhya Narasipura Nebeker Family Foundation R.K. & E.D. Pedersen Family Foundation, Inc. David and Rhenda Power Douglas C. and Wendy A. Preston Sarah Projansky and Kent A. Ono Anne W. Riffey W. Edward and Catherine W. Stringham Terramerica Corporation & Affiliates Verizon Foundation Emily Ann Brooks Wayment Frank M. and Janell Weinstock John Paul and Joy F. Wiscombe Henry C. and Lois Eileen Wolking

Joan C. Brown Lynda Smart Brown Living Trust Perry Neil Brown and Amy De Forest Edwards Rodney L. and Sally Brown Scott J. and Sarah E. Brown Stephen Brown and Tracey A. Thompson Wilson C. and Darleen H. Brown Jacob M. and Elizabeth Bruner Halley Jean Bruno Wallace F. and Bonnie B. Bryner William E. Buchanan Colin and Leslie Buck Todd and Lori Budge Family Living Trust Stephanie E. Burgoyne Barbara Burt Café Zupas Glen S. and ReNae S. Call Michelle Annette Campbell Priscilla J. Campbell Rita A. Campbell James E. and Constance D. Cannon Lisa Marie Cannon Karen Elaine Cardon The Jeffrey and Helen Cardon Foundation Jan Broberg Carter Sean James Carter Michael and Frances Carnes Pamela Carpenter Ann Attayek Carr Philip and Carlisle Carroll Garret G. and Staci Jo Carson Clayton and Jamee Cart Bruce and Lenna Carver Jean S. Casner F. Burton Cassity Simon Catania CBIZ, Inc. CENGAGE Learning Matthew S.H. Chambers Dhiraj Chand Vickie L. Charlesworth-Walker Nicholas Maurice Cheek-O’Donnell Cheval Dancewear Lisa K. Childers Luana Chilelli Revocable Trust Jamie L. Chinn James N. Chipman Chipotle Mexican Grill Jay and Sharon Christensen Michael Travis Christensen Mark V. Christison Marquita Shell Christison Li Chou and Carrie G. Cheng Lynne H. Church CK Real Estate, Inc. Jeffrey P. and Jane Ann Clark Joann S. Clark Marybeth J. Clark Randy L. and Tamralynn T. Clark Juan Carlos Claudio and Kade J. Clark Richard L. Clegg Adam Christensen Condie Boyd and Beth Cole Hal S. and Pamela S. Cole Elissa Nicole Collins Patricia J. Conway Craig and Carla Rae Cook Jorgensen Emily Catherine Cook Reed K. and Julie W. Coombs Corner Bakery Café John and Julie Wright Costa Thomas P. Costello Covenant Communications, Inc Matthew Cowan Liz Cowan John A. and Mio Moroi Cowden Janet C. Cox James B. Lohse and Carolyn Cox Peter M. Harvey and Barbara J. Cox Lew W. and Barbara Cramer Cindy Dahle Joel L. Deaton and Judy A. Daly David and Lisa Dame Dancewear Inc. Ronald W. and Cynthia F. Daniels Dan F. and Rebecca J. David Karen Lynn Davidson* Kathy A.F. Davis Peggy D. Davis Richard R. Davis Kehn and Allison Dayton Ashby Decker and Anne Cullimore Decker James R. and Monica DeGooyer Charles and Christina Deneris Deseret Book Company Samantha Dewey Scott S. and Holly N. Dodge Christine Dolcimascolo Dolly’s Book Store Richard J. and Kristin S. Douglass

Glen A. and Janet W. Dover Dreamstill 7 Studios LLC James R. and Mary Ann Dresher Dalton and Joanna Driggers Josiane Dubois Allison McKinnon Duke Charles and Rebecca Dunford Samuel R. Dunn and Robin L. Wilks-Dunn John A. and Shirley Ann Durham Michael and Peggy Durrant Ivonna Earnest Roger D. and Tanja Easson Eastern Arts Society ECS Publishing Corp.

Roger and Karen L. Edgley Jeffery B. and Karamea E. Edwards Kelly Eggersten Orvil John Elia Janet Ellison Donald E. Emery Empower Pilates and Health Coaching Malibu Richard C. and Ann W. Engar Autumn England Elaine E. Englehardt Richard D. and Chariya Ernst Jenifer G. Ewoniuk Richard M. and Linda J. Eyre Steven Eyre Ronald Wayne Fairbanks Michael O. and Jody White Farley Fawson Realty, P.C. David M. and Marsha G. Fetzer Laja Nathalie Field David T. Fikstad Sarah Faye Fink Millard S. and Barbara L. Firebaugh John H. and Joan Bennett Firmage Linda Terry Flanders Kevin B. and Rebecca P. Flynn Robert B. and Virginia J. Folsom Linda M. Fontenot Anthony and Tina C. Fonzo Marene Foulger Dexter and Nancy Francis F. Ivan Frazier Jonathan and Leanne Freedman Amy French Landon and Ashley Freter Jack Thomas Frey Rinda Frye Fund Raising Counsel Inc. Susan H. Furness Megan Searfoss Furse Joseph and Norma W. Gabriel Susan M. Gabriel Craig and Laurel E. Galli Bernard and Rosemary T. Ganis Bryson D. and Jan V. Garbett Robert T. and Susanne B. Gardiner Evelyn Garlington Stacy Garrop Anne Norman Van Gelder Elizabeth Maria German Lee Gerstein and Shari D. Levitin W.M. Gidley and Lisa W. Gidley Clark P. Giles David and Barbara Gill Francois De La Giroday and Michele Farr Gary and Noelle Glade Royden J. and Rebecca B. Glade April and Dale W. Goddard Edward Gorfinkle and Beth Ellen Krensky Fred L. Gottlieb and Cynthia A. Godsey Goldman, Sachs & Co. Match Barry G. and Deborrah S. Gomberg Marina and Elenor Gomberg Taylor J. and Jacqueline S. Goodman Ed and Holly Gornik Romas Grazhees John C. and Linda S. Green Richard N. and Carolyn Greene John W. and Jane Griffith Elizabeth Camille Griggs Gayle Gruner Don and Dana Gull Patrick Tanner Guinn John M. and Jessica Guynn Brian and Mary Haan Will Hagen and Andrea Ashdown Constance Haggard Edward J. Haggerty and Kristine J. Halverson Robert A. Haise Jon M. and Karen J. Hale Jette Halladay E. Dean and Barbara J. Hamblin Larry T. and Robyn L. Hancock Gordon L. and Connie R. Hanks Lance Marcel Hanna Kenneth J. and Geraldine G. Hanni Kenneth Hansen and Susan Vinetra Burke

ou

Bruce and Michelle Hansen Paul B. Hanson Helen A. Harbold June L. Harral Caitlyn Sara Harris Richard Clinton Harris Rulon K. and Elline H. Harrison Seretta G. Hart Jonnie A. Hartman Brian E. Hartmann A. Scott and Jamey B. Harvey Gregory J. Hatch and Terry S. Kogan Scott A. and Cindy S. Hatch Frederick R. Hawkes Kristopher Thomas Hawkins Michael Z. and Kathryn Y. Hayes Jasmine Janeel Haywood Heaton Family Trust Catherine Ann Heiner Janna Mauldin Heiner January Held Demi Ali Helenius Kelly Henley Leslie Kay Henrie Wayne R. and Joan I. Herlin Steven Norman Hess Gerald W. Hewes Paul W. and Leora R. Hewitt Rebecca A. Hickox Daniel Hindert and Carol A. Osborn Mark E. and Susie I. Hindley Stephen M. and Patricia Hodson Thomas S. Hoffman Benjamin G. and Andrea T. Holley Lawrence S. and Michele L. Holzman Kerri A. Hopkins Kenneth Donald Hovley Karineh Hovsepian and Russell Kelly Scott N. and Linda L. Howell Deborah B. and Richard V. Hoyt Richard V. and Deborah B. Hoyt Michael D. and Susan S. Huff Shirley Y. Hughes P. Dan and Kim W. Huish Micaela Hulsey Satu Hummasti Shaun Humphries Kimberly Lorraine Hunter Shauna Hurst Paul F. and Sandra S. Iwasaki Jackman Music Corporation Janet Jackson Roger P. and Rhonda L. Jackson John Dennis James John Samuel James William E. and Mary Ann P. James Khosrow and Gitti Javedani Matthew C. and Rebecca E. Jennejohn Derek and Michelle Jensen Douglas and Claudia Jensen Douglas E. and Beverly S. Jensen Cory Jenson and Cindy K. Gust-Jenson Jonathan M. and Portia Jepsen Dave and Kimberly Johnson George E. Johnson, IV Jennifer Binford Johnson Stuart Andrew Johnson Wynn and Pamela Johnson Benjamin A. Johnston Alexander H. Johnstone Pamela Palmer Jones Richard and Shelli Jones Heather L. Joseph Margaret R. Jurado Jeffrey G. and Molly J. Justice Robert F. and Anne R. Kaelberer Andrea Kaplan Eric R. Keeney Seth and Angela Keeton Suzan A. Kendall Chad W. and Aimee Kendell Megan A. Kennedy William H. and Lorna C. Kennedy Christopher D. and Renate F. Kesler Noman Khan Nancy Killian Alicia M. Kim Stephen E. and Catharine A. Kimball Robert and Leigh King Douglas T. and Julie A. Kirchner Natalie Ann Kirk Brock and Maren Kirwan Brandon R. Kitterman Kurt and Theresa Klein Louise T. Knauer and Frances J. Friedrich Kathleen C. Knowlton Tyler B. and Alisa A. Knowlton David R. Koch Matthew and Brianne C. Koch Stephen J. Koester

“The University of Utah and especially the College of Fine Arts make Utah a special place in which to live. The artistic quality of the faculty and students is outstanding, and the University has trained many of the distinguished artists in local and national professional companies.

Our connection to the School of Dance deepened when John started taking non-major classes as a way to break up the day during his PhD studies in Chemical Engineering. Twenty-plus years later he is still taking dance classes, and Martha has begun auditing music classes (cheers for HB-60!).

We look forward to continuing to interact with today's students who expose us to contemporary ideas and the perspectives of another generation. Funding an endowed scholarship strengthens our connection to the School of Dance, by watching recipients grow from students to professional artists.”

John and Martha Veranth

Julie Kolka Derek and Hilary Koolhoven Julia Kozusko Stanley and Eileen Kraczek Peter L. and Kristin L. Kraus Barbara Kreek Ajay Krishnan and Shailaja S. Akkapeddi Larry and Jan Krystkowiak Nicholas A. Kunde Steven C. Labrum Jeffrey S. and Elizabeth LaMora Bruce and Margaret M. Landesman Guttorm J. and Claudia S. Landro Chris and Andrea Larsen Christopher S. Larsen Lennox A. Larson Trust Paul B. and Sharon O. Larson

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Scott R. and Jennifer J. Larson Matthew J. and Jeri Ann Layton William G. Lawrence H. Larry Leasure Investments Elizabeth Hendricks Leckie Christopher W. and Paula J. Lee Gary B. and Loma M. Lee Preston and Katie Lees Emily A. Lehnardt Kathryn Lenton Kristina Sue Lenzi and Nini Rich David and Letitia Lester Wayne Leupold Editions, Inc Joan L. Levy A. Lenore Lewis Ruoyu Li Katherine P. Liddle Darron P. and Mary J. Lillian Laron J. and Joan T. Lind Bruce Lindsey and Marilee Suzanne Keys Morris D. and Jane H. Linton Arthur D. Lipson and Rochelle S. Kaplan Michael J. Lisonbee and Helen Louise A. Nichols Perrin R. and Jill R. Love Erica Lovell Steven F. and Ruth W. Lowe Rachel Ann Luebbert Nicole Ludvigson Sara H. Lufe Lunch Box Wax Donna M. Lundquist Larry V. and Susan C. Lunt Irene Lysenko Alan D. and Linda L. Magnuson Colleen Mitchell J. Michael and Mary A. Mattsson Maureen McGill Ray Levey and Elinda McKenna Mark McKinlay and Laurie A. Haynie Lisette H. Miles Mightycause Charitable Foundation R. Scott and Megan R. Miller Ronald A. Motzkus and Launa J. Lashley-Motzkus Peter F. and Annette Malen Pamela L. March Michael and Melanie Marcheschi Leslie Mauldin Lindsay S. McCarthy Katie McDaniel Lorita S. McLeod Noriko Meek Russell D. and Nancy Merrill Anthony W. and Carol J. Middleton H. Janet Millerberg Mary Milliner M. David Eckersley and Anne Milne Samuel Anthony Mollner Wendy Patricia Molteni Gregory B. and Nancy H. Monson Carrie A. Moore William R. and Chari W. Moreton Frederick A. and Lucy W. Moreton Peter R. Morris and Lori Ann Reed Morris Larry A. and Marsha K. Mourdock Patricia A. Murphy Living Trust Frederick A. and Lucy W. Moreton Edward B. Moreton Garrett Tyler Medlock Lynsey Marie Mitchell Samantha Matsukawa Ashley Marie Mitchell Fumiko MacPherson Devin McDonald Eileen McGartland Carl Marantz Harry B. Millyard Christian Munoz Lisa A. Martin MOD Super Fast Pizza, LLC Linda Faye Marion Lauren Maul Kevin and Dorothy McGuire Emily Carpenter Mostue Greg and Joanna McNamee D. Kent and Barbara E. Michie Patrick J. and Susan L. Miller Dustin Matinkhah Roger L Miller Melonie Murray R. Tyler and Josel McCabe Trenton S. and Elizabeth C. Michie James B. Merlette Chris Munk Cassia Blake Nielsen Renee Norton Andrea Van Nest Andrew Patrick Nelson Leeann H. Nay Laraine Nickel Daniel Robert Naylor

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Marianne Neff Lindsey Marie Nordin Grace Stephenson Nielsen Jacob F. and Catherine B. Nelson David S. and Judith B. Nielson Andrea N. Nelson Christianna Nelson Matthew and Shanna Nelson Gregory Lamont Nielsen Ronald H. Nishijima Kaylee Oborn Opera Appreciation Club Karrie Ann Ogilvie Cassandra and Britt Taylor Anna Kristine Oldroyd Daniel F. O’Bannon Mary Florence Olpin Steven C. and Moyne Osborn OSF International, Inc. Jerold D. and Jo Ann S. Ottley Ryan and Kiley Patano Provisions Restaurant Jane H. Pugh Christy C. Patton Scott W. and Nanci O. Pickett Michael B. and Yvonne Purcell David and Cheryl Pace Charles G. and Cheryl J. Pribble Brent Griffith Podosek Nick A. Ericksen and Marjorie Pack John and Janene Petersen Julianna Michelle Gardner Pierson Melanie Pehrson John Michael Peterson Catherine E. Poelman Tyler and Sarah Peterson Brent Kevern Palmer Holly Poff Jay F. and Janis S. Pryor Mark and Jamie Peterson Theo J. and Ruth R. Powell Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. Ralph G. and Barbara R. Pahnke Denis R. and Bonnie G. Phillips Colin and Katherine Potter Matthew J. and Ann H. Parkin Mori B. and Lisa K. Paulsen Randy and Molly Pearce Joel and Diana J. Peterson Leon and Karen Peterson Nicole Pinnell Larry V. and Sherry J. Poulson Frank and Claudia V. Prather Linda D. Page Serena Dawn Quaglia Gabriel Reyes Kamron Howard Reese Gregory T. and Jane E. Roach Craig Steele Romney Chad Lee. Riley Michael S. and Debra J. Robinson Christopher F. and Jill H. Randall Ray, Quinney & Nebeker Victor S. and Susan K. Rickman Shirley R. Ririe Laura Ellen Rice Brian L. Richards David B. and Andrea J. Richardson Jack B. and Itha W. Rampton Robert K. and Cindy K. Rothfeder Steve H. and Gayle E. Reiber Vernon R. and Loretta C. Rice E. Russell and Phyllis J. Vetter Steven T. Roens and Cheryl A. Hart Michael P. Riordan Patricia Carole M. Rubley George A. and Karen C. Raine Connie W. Reed Jeffrey R. and Suzanne Riddell Bret H. and Donna Rigby David F. and Mary Lynne M. Robertson Janie L. Rogers Farrell Tyler and Debbie Rohrich-Tyler Margaret Ann Rorke Paul L. and Barbara A. Rose Jennifer Rouse Marijane Rushing Gary and WenDee Russon Randall R. and Raquelle T. Scott Nicholas Fituri Scown Brent Lee Schneider and Kim David Blackett Clark L. and Marion Searle Anthony John Segura Alexander and Alla Shustorovich Deann G. Simonich Arthur B. and Sandra P. Sleeper Donna T. Smart Chris and Patricia Smith J. Christopher Smith Nathan Smith

Robert S. Smith John R. and Geraldine J. Snow Barbara Sondrup SoundFORMovement Anne D. Spikes Alan and Tamara K. Springer Sandra Faye Stennett Jay L. and Kris T. Stone David and Janet D. Stowell Mark Stubler Robert E. and Ruth J. Seegmiller Sony Electronics Inc. Glenda Jean Staples Ruth Simmoneau Andrew V. and Alice B. Sullivan Arthur J. Swindle Sinfonia Salt Lake Jonathan Scoville and Tandy Beal Camille Larissa Sheridan Harris D. Smith Michael and Sharon F. Sheranian Brianna Shepard Jennifer Ann Timpson Shiba Roland and Renee Schiffler Gary and Sylvia Skeen Kendal Sudman Ari and Julie Schwartz Hal and Cathleen Sibley Richard and Jenny Smartt Stephen R. and Kathleen R. Snow Karlyn Salazar Scott Schaelling William T. and Debra L. Siegel Dustin and Jennifer M. Silvester Shauna R. Scott Brian C. Stewart Kurt Sanders Robert J. and Debbie D. Stevens Jeffrey Joseph Swindel Matthew Sincell Erik C. Sather and Nicole Walker Gregory H. and Janet L. Shaw Sarah Ann Shippobotham Aubrey Shirts Wayne M. and Judith Starker Barbara Sluder James D. and Marion L. Smith Mark and Margo Snyder Jeff Scott Sorensen J. Michael Stewart Carol M. Stocking James Stuart and Julianne Turner Stephen and Gay Sweely Lisa I. Stocking Elizabeth Southwell Lesli Spencer Edward W. Szatmary and Michelle M. Almazan Michael H. and Ruth C. Stevens Glenda H. Shrader Gregory J. Skedros Vedrana Subotic Jeffrey L. and Leslie V. Silvestrini Melvin R. and Sandra S. Sowerby Jeffrey W. Shields and Mary Elizabeth Ross Daniel and Traci Sheinberg Fred R. Silverster Kay Shean David K. Turok and Annabel Sheinberg Leigh Selting and Marsha Knight Edgar J. and Joanne Thompson Glenda J. Thompson Brittany A. Timpson Patricia P. Tipkin Bobbi Joe Thomas Lisa Marie Tuckett Sheryl Marama Thorell Maren Danae Tenney CJ and Rebecca Travis Milton S. and Leslie M. Taylor Kent D. and Ceceila M. Tibbitts Texas Instruments Foundation Wesley B. and Rebecca L. Thompson David C. Huryn and Natalia L. Turk

Lane Twitchell and Adriana Velez David S. and Lila C. Taylor Wendy J. Thompson Prilla S. Tilt and Lloyd V. Tilt, II Marti W. Tuttle Armando and Janelle Vigil LaVaun Vernon John and Dana Vandover Nicole Anne Vernon Luc M. Vanier UGurt LLC Utah Kannada Kuta Brian and Kay Vigue Christopher P. Hill and Jacqueline Wittmeyer Connor Wright Connor Weems Rex G. Wheeler and Cora J. West Krista Nicole Widdison Kate Wolsey and Jacqueline Green Alene K. Wecker John W. and Linda Whiting Laurel Rollins Walsh Chad A. Wilber Isabel Brooks Washburn Harold and Peggy Weight William E. and Sharon L. White James Warren Williams Marcie Wray Ruth V. Watkins and Robert Young Gina Williford Sharon Walkington Rhett Wimmer Eric Craig Wing Heidi DeWitt Woodbury and Todd Woodbury Madeline Wright Jason Aaron Wild Daniel Walker Donald E. Webb Ardis Westwood David B. and Anne G. Wirthlin Wells Fargo Foundation Educational Match Julia Simmons Watkins Arnold J. and Jennifer B. West Warren and Mary Whitaker Ronald E. and Susan B. White Robert and Sheree Weixler Matthew G. and Anita C. Wells Mary Elizabeth Wemer Patricia West Warren and Mary Whitaker Whittenburg Foundation Debra L. Williams Gwen G. Williams Margaret W. Wilson J. Todd and Michelle Wolfenbarger Marcie B. Whipple Lawrence and Maida Withers John L. and Susan W. Walker Thomas and Maureen Wipf Frederick G. and Corrine K. Welt David G. and Steffenie E. Yates Paul C. and Kathryn B. Young Chandra Randi Young Preston John Zook Tieg Anthony Zaharia Shawn R. Zenger

“ It is our hope that by contributing to the fine arts that we help preserve and protect the past, we educate and inspire students and faculty in the present through interdisciplinary collaboration, and we create a future with a depth of knowledge and vision that knows no boundaries.”

Marilyn and Paul L. Whitehead, MD

contributors

Editor-in-Chief Marina Gomberg is the University of Utah College of Fine Arts Director of Communications + Marketing and an award-winning lifestyle columnist for The Salt Lake Tribune.

On the Cover

Writers

Front cover: Molly Heller with members of the Heartland Collective. This pre-pandemic photo serves as a physical reminder of safe practices, and a emotional reminder of the importance of human connection.

Emeri Fetzer has a decade’s experience writing about the arts. She is a Communications Specialist and Grant Writer for the College of Fine Arts.

When she’s not busy at the CFA, she is dancing, camping, or cooking with friends.

Heller is an Assistant Professor in the School of Dance and the Director of Heartland, a Salt Lake City collective combining dance, visual art, and music composition/performance. She is also an alum and earned her MFA in the School of Dance.

Her research investigates performance as a healing practice and the relationship between physical expression and emotion.

Photo: Marissa Mooney

J. Michaela Funtanilla has been on the College of Fine Arts marketing team since 2018. Though an Ogdenite at heart, Michaela resides in SLC as a writer, designer, and coffee shop chess player.

Julia Lyon has been an award-winning newspaper reporter in two states. Before writing on deadline, she spent hours of her life playing the clarinet and singing on stage. Her debut nonfiction children's book, "A Dinosaur Named Ruth," will be published by Simon & Schuster in 2021.

Molly Powers is a designer and visual artist based in Salt Lake. She is a Marketing and Communication Specialist for the University of Utah College of Fine Arts.

Come visit us at finearts.utah.edu to view more about events, online magazine and videos, and more.

Editorial Board

Special Thanks

Dean John W. Scheib Miriam Albert-Sobrino Josiane Dubois Dan Evans, Design Direction Satu Hummasti Peyden Shelton Xi Zhang

Devon Barnes Denise Begue Blake Bratcher Sheri Jardine Samantha Matsukawa TWIG Media Lab Design by modern8

41 STUDIO / 2020

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The COVID-19 pandemic had profound impacts on the latter part of this academic year. With classes moving online, our faculty, staff, deploy creativity as education. Witnessing the correlation between the increasing challenges and the increasing determination was a powerful reminder of the role artists play in the world — constantly adapting, constantly giving, and constantly reflecting the world around us.

Photo: Also Sisters

and students had to employ creativity out of necessity in order to

THE PLACE WHERE DILIGENCE AND E XC ELL ENC E B ECOM E INFLUENC E

Alone Together

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