Studio '17 by UofU College of Fine Arts

STUDIO '17

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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Danceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new duet white white white white

Utah companies want art grads wgute w dj

Remembering the prodigious Thomas F. Rugh

Annual Report thanks College of Fine Arts contributors

Cover Photo: Beau Pearson

T is with great nostalgia and immeasurable pride that I write my final opening letter for this publication as Dean of the University of Utah College of Fine Arts. After 12 years, I will be stepping out of this role where I have had the distinct privilege of leading an intensely talented and dedicated group of artists and scholars – some of whom you will read about in the pages of this magazine. My time at the helm of this world-class college has been exhilarating, as one might imagine, because our faculty, staff, students, and alumni are changing the world. They are creating new works, imagining new solutions, forging new partnerships, and telling new stories.

The arts at the University of Utah are as prolific as perhaps they have ever been, and are now being woven into the curricular and co-curricular fabric of disciplines across the entire campus – from the sciences to business to medicine and beyond. And this magazine provides a glimpse of how our creativity is fueling innovation and progress not just here at home, but across the world. In fact, these stories about our growing programs, our people, and our impact represent but a fraction of the new beauty and perspective we are creating. Thank you for reading, and may you find as much inspiration from these brilliant and beautiful minds as I have. ≠

RAYMOND TYMAS-JONES Associate Vice President for the Arts Dean, College of Fine Arts

LETTER from the DEAN STUDIO / 2017

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CONTRIBUTORS /

ARTS & SOCIAL JUSTICE / Humanizing the issues of oppression and struggle is what creates change. These four stories highlight where art and activism intersect.

RAISING THE BARRE / For its inaugural gala concert, ballet and modern dancers from the newly formed School of Dance take the stage together for a groundbreaking performance.

Jared Elliott claymation

Photo: Michael Schoenfeld

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ADVANCING STOP MOTION / The animation emphasis in the Department of Film & Media Arts is expanding at shutter speeds. DEVISING OPPORTUNITY / Department of Theatre students are pulling inspiration for their new devised theatre company out of thin air and turning it into gold. CAMPUS COLLABORATION / Art faculty member Wendy Wischer’s collaboration with computing professor Erik Brunvand brings to life the possibilities of partnership. MAKING ART WORK / Read how teaching the business of the arts is what makes good artists into successful artists.

Photo: Brittany Palmer

THE PLACE WHERE DILIGENCE AND EXCELLENCE BECOME INFLUENCE

SURROUNDED BY THE SOUND / Music’s Vedrana Subotic speaks to the power of live music in this piece about the vibrancy of Utah’s chamber music offerings.

CREATIVE CURRENCY / Forget the starving artists, Utah’s creative economy is clamoring for workers with the skills art students are mastering in school.

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY SHAKES / Theatre professors Martine Kei Green-Rogers and Tim Slover brought Shakespeare’s ͞”The Two Noble Kinsmen” into modernity as part of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Play On! project.

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.

IN MEMORIAM: THOMAS F. RUGH / Dean Raymond Tymas-Jones penned a loving tribute to one of the College’s most special donors.

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.

TABLE of CONTENTS STUDIO / 2017

contributors Photo: Brent Rowland

Marina Gomberg Editor in Chief/Writer Marina Gombergis a Utah native and the Associate Director for Communications & Marketing for the University of Utah College of Fine Arts. She graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science in Gender Studies (2006), and has been doing communications work for the last decade in the nonprofit, private, and public sectors. Gomberg’s passions lie in the arts, activism, writing, and food. She lives in Salt Lake City with her wife, her baby Harvey, and two cats. She is a lifestyle columnist for The Salt Lake Tribune and a contributor to HuffPost.

Photo: Michael Schoenfeld

Debbie Hummel Writer Debbie Hummel has been a journalist and freelance writer for more than 20 years. She began her career at The Salt Lake Tribune and continued at the Salt Lake bureau of The Associated Press. Since 2007, she has been a freelance writer and a part-time resident of central Idaho, where her husband runs a small business. She enjoys the outdoors and traveling with her family, which includes two mostly delightful little girls, a soft cat with a pink nose, and a happy orange dog.

Photo: Michael Schoenfeld

Julia Lyon Writer Julia Lyon is a former reporter with The Salt Lake Tribune where she specialized in refugee and poverty issues. In 2010, she received the United Nations Correspondents Association Elizabeth Neuffer Memorial Prize. A graduate of the Columbia University School of Journalism, she worked as a newspaper reporter in Utah and Oregon for 11 years. While in New York City, she was a dance critic for CitySearch.com and studied clarinet at The Juilliard School.

Peg McEntee is a career journalist with decades of experience at The Associated Press, The Salt Lake Tribune and the Reuters wire service. As an AP newswoman, she covered virtually all aspects of Utah news, from the Wilburg Mine disaster, to the Mark Hoffman murders, to the Challenger disaster, as well as crime, politics, and anything else that needed to be reported and written. As an editor at the Tribune, McEntee directed and edited a variety of news teams and events, including the 2002 Olympic Winter games and the abduction of Elizabeth Smart. During her stint as an assistant managing editor, McEntee oversaw coverage of polygamy and the Crandall Canyon Mine disaster, among many other news events. As The Tribune’s metro columnist, McEntee wrote on a wide swath of topics, all from the perspective that everyone has a reason to be heard. McEntee is married, the mother of a daughter, and the servant of two cats and one dog that keeps her on the trails she loves to hike.

Photo: Todd Collins

Peg McEntee Editor

on the cover For his MFA exhibition entitled “Be Somewhere” in the Department of Art & Art History, David Habben drew inspiration from dancers’ movements and created stunning abstract black and white brushstroke drawings. The entire series was made in collaboration with the School of Dance and presented in the Alvin Gittins Gallery in Spring 2017. “This particular drawing is especially important to me, as it represents the culmination of my final project with the School of Dance. After working with the dancers for several months,

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I felt like I was finally starting to capture more of a meeting point between their amazing movement and my evolving brush work. This image, more than many of the others in the series, represents a confidence of technique and more full understanding of the motion of dance as a whole. The experience with the School of Dance was transformative, to say the least. I’m truly grateful for the opportunity that both they and the University of Utah provided for me through the graduate program.“

contri

Darby Mest who played The Girl in “Eclipsed”

will be a senior in the Theatre Studies Program in the Department of Theatre this coming year. “Eclipsed” ran March 3-11, 2017, in Studio 115, directed by Stephanie Weeks, and had an allblack female cast.

Editorial Board

Special Thanks

Dean Raymond Tymas-Jones Dan Evans, Design Direction Josi Dubois Sarah Sinwell Luc Vanier

Kathryn Atwood Sheri Jardine Samantha Matsukawa Noelle Sharp Alysha Smith

Design by modern8

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Arts and Social Justice

by Debbie Hummel

he arts influence and are influenced by many things, but there are few so passionately intertwined as the arts and social justice. The crafting of narratives – whether through performing or visual arts – to reflect or motivate change is a beauty all its own. Here are some ways in which the people of the College of Fine Arts are engaging in this intersectionality.

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Out of The Darkness A Bright Light

In a back hallway, a quiet place in Salt Lake City’s new youth shelter, above a wall-length, plywood bench, is a glimmering scene of young people moving from the light through the dark, mesmerized by music, looking up, and hopeful in the dawn. The mural, created by University of Utah Department of Art & Art History Professor V. Kim Martinez’s advanced level mural class last fall, was an effort to bring the students into the world of community art, and had been part of the vision of the building since before the Volunteers of America (VOA) shelter was opened in May 2016. Lisa Sewell, Executive Director of the Utah Arts Festival, had worked with Kathy Bray, CEO of VOA Utah, and the shelter’s architect to ensure that there would be a space for a separate 7-foot by 7-foot mural designed by a former student of Martinez’s, Mason Fetzer, and painted by the public at the annual festival. “When the building was finished, I walked upstairs and saw that huge long wall and thought, well, is there a mural project we could do upstairs,” Sewell said. Sewell contacted Martinez, who sits on the festival's board, and asked her if it was something she would consider for her class. Martinez says the project was met with great enthusiasm by the youth at the shelter, and she could see their excitement affect her students. “Students heard the life stories of youth at the shelter,” she said. “We were all changed.” Each of the nine students submitted a design and the shelter's youth voted to choose the final mural. Youth at the shelter helped to paint the mural under the direction of Martinez and her class. The finished 10-foot by 25-foot mural was dedicated on December 2, 2016, and is titled “Stars Shine Brightest in the Dark.” Themes captured in the mural came from focus groups the students held with shelter

youth and include: time and how quickly things can change, a mixture of natural and urban landscapes, and the ability to overcome fear through inner strength. A depiction of sound waves in the center of the mural represents the importance of music to the young people, and crystals and rocks line the bottom to epitomize the hidden beauty and potential in all of us, Martinez said. “The youth that I talked to about it said it showed the different layers of their life, light, and darkness,” said Sarah Strang, Director of Youth Services at the shelter. “It was very important to them for a piece of their story to be portrayed through art.” The shelter is open 24-hours a day and provides food and a haven, as well as classes and staff to help the youth transition to more permanent housing. The facility supports 80 people at a time, with a goal of helping 800 people aged 15 to 22 each year. In addition to the mural, students got a grant to the University that allowed them to travel to Philadelphia to visit the Philadelphia Mural Project and see other museums and public art. Students Victoria Attwood and Gabi Savchuk said the trip capped an already wonderful experience, and the grant project taught them an important practical skill. “(The shelter youth) were interactive and excited to do it and incredibly involved and it was very motivating to us as students,” said Attwood, a senior majoring in drawing and painting. “The youth really pushed us through to the end. They really wanted to create something beautiful with us.” Savchuk said the project has changed her interests moving forward. “I no longer want to do work that is just for myself,” she said. “I want something community based. It's so much more impactful to work with a community.” ≠

by Marina Gomberg Photo: V. Kim Martinez

Pictured is a portion of the 10-foot by 25-foot mural, entitled “Stars

creating some of the only intersectional social justice conversations on the radio locally. He called it “fullspectrum social justice” and they artfully wove together stories about labor, women, the LGBTQ community, immigration, and the environment. “We humanized these movements,” he said. “See, people’s brains can be resistant to new information when it challenges their worldview, but when we tell our personal stories about our own lives, our own transformations, our struggles, and our pain, we connect with people’s hearts. And when we connect heart-to-heart, the information bypasses fears and biases and we create greater empathy and understanding for each other.” After 10 years telling stories at KRCL, Williams was hired to lead Equality Utah in 2014, and finds himself using the power of narrative to transform public policy to better the lives of LGBTQ Utahns. He notes that the LGBTQ history is fraught with pain and struggle from persecution, a vicious plague, and the assassination of our leaders. “What I am proud to do is tell stories that inspire and uplift,” he said. “Given what we have gone through as a community, our stories are ones of strength, resilience, and courage against impossible odds – and it’s these stories that will change the world.” ≠ Editor’s note: As a member of Equality Utah’s Board of Directors, and a person who has seen the impact storytelling has had on Troy Williams’ ability to catalyze positive change in our lives, I have long wanted to (lovingly) exploit his success for the benefit of the College. Here, I finally get to do that, but I’d like to simultaneously acknowledge my personal relationship to Williams in order to provide transparency.

Photo: Brandon Cruz

Shine Brightest in the Dark,” conceptualized and painted by the U’s advanced level mural class for the Volunteers of America’s Homeless Youth Resource Center.

To Troy Williams, Executive Director of Equality Utah and alum of the University of Utah Department of Film & Media Arts, filmmaking and social justice activism are a lot alike. At the root of both, the essence is storytelling – storytelling that inspires emotional connection. He jokes that he got radicalized by Kevin Hanson, the Chair of the Department of Film & Media Arts, during his Introduction to Film course. Williams says that while he learned about film, he also learned through film about government, capitalism, socialism, and the distribution of wealth. Cinema, Williams said, provides the lens through which we can see all the ways that humans oppress one another. “It was then that I began to see art not as a commodity, but as a mechanism for social change,” Williams said. “It goes back to the construction of human narratives and talking about the stories of marginalized communities. Art is a way of telling those stories and reflecting the human condition to build empathy that inspires and provokes change.” Williams remembers that his introduction to Harvey Milk, the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California and a hero in the history of the LGBTQ movement, was through a film – the documentary, “The Times of Harvey Milk.” It was that, and the political landscape in the early 2000s, coupled by Williams’ exploration of history and anthropology through films and courses like Cinema and Poverty that inspired him to become an activist. He began attending anti-war rallies and volunteering at KRCL radio station for the progressive talk show RadioActive. It wasn’t long before he was hired on staff and took over production of the show that was

Crafting the Narrative of Progress Troy Williams, Film & Media Arts Alumnus

Troy Williams, Executive Director of Equality Utah, addresses a packed crowd at the organization’s spring fundraiser held at the Red Butte Garden Orangerie.

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“Multiple anti-bullying programs are being used within schools, but no one knows how they are affecting arts students,” he said. His study was the first to tease out an arts population through an evaluation of an anti-bullying program. “Our adolescents we care about so much are having amazing musical experiences that are inspirational and keep them going to school,” Rawlings said. “And we also have adolescents who are struggling.” Some research has already confirmed that point. In a 2016 study of male music and theatre students nationally, researchers found that group to be at a 69 6 STUDIO / 2017

percent greater risk than non-arts students of direct bullying. Additionally, that same group of students had a similar increased risk –63 percent – being cyber-bullied than non-arts students. To build on that research, Rawlings would like to follow a cohort of middle schoolers into high school in different parts of the country, studying their musical experience and peer relationships, interviewing students and families to understand why some may leave music because of bullying. “Imagine walking into band every day thinking everyone hates you, and you don’t want to be there," he said. "That prevents you from having an effective experience. That’s why you’re there: the chills you have when everyone crescendos together.” Photo: Stetson University Marketing

by Julia Lyon

What makes school bearable for teens may also make them a target, and Jared Rawlings wants to know why. "I’m trying to uncover this paradox," said the University of Utah School of Music Assistant Professor of instrumental music education. For students, playing in the band, orchestra, or singing in the choir may create a sense of belonging while simultaneously opening them up to victimization. But here’s the problem: very little quantitative research has been done to illuminate the prevalence of bullying of students in music ensembles. So, Rawlings has begun to investigate the question in a groundbreaking work recently published in “Bulletin for the Council of Research in Music Education.” In his 2014 investigation, students at four middle schools in Champaign, Illinois, participated in surveys examining how music ensemble participation impacted school connectedness, bullying, and peer victimization. Questions focused on the frequency of bullying behaviors and peer victimization within band and school, and how race, gender, and ethnicity may affect bullying. Results suggest the arts students experienced less bullying and victimization, leading researchers to conclude that fewer chronic bullies may be taking those music courses. “We hypothesize there’s something about the musical experience that informs their social emotional competency,” Rawlings said. Yet this single, narrow study is not enough to draw broad conclusions. He would like to see multiple longitudinal studies of behavior management programs investigating music & theatre students across the country.

The Sounds of Adolescence: Music and Bullying Seth Pendergast, who taught chorus and music technology at a middle school in Florida for seven years and is now a graduate student in music at the University of Utah, knows that bullying can happen in any classroom. “I always took measures to mitigate it from occurring in my room because I wanted the class to be a safe and inviting place to learn,” he said. As a teacher, he believed – as Rawlings does – that some students found a refuge in the arts. “I had the sense from them that the music classroom was a place they could be themselves and do something they were passionate about,” he said. Rawlings’ current research examines protective factors against bullying and how one specific type of bullying – homophobic bullying – affects musicians’ mental health. “It’s another paradox, because music – according to the Greeks – has the power to calm kids down,” Rawlings said. “What if music is the answer to behavior issues during adolescence?” ≠

Jared Rawlings

Courtesy Photos

David P. 1984 David P. Gardner, Gardner,President President 1999 Norman Norman Jewison, Jewison, the University of California Film Director Film Director (Los Angeles) of theofUniversity of California (Los Angeles) System System 2000 Klaus Klaus G. G. Roy, Roy, Robert Hughes, Cleveland Symphony 1985 Robert Hughes, Cleveland Symphony Art Editor for Time Magazine 2002 Lawrence Art Editor for Time Magazine Lawrence Buell, Buell, Michael Fried, 1986 Michael Fried, Hopkins University JohnsJohns Hopkins University Alexander Goehr, 1987 Alexander Goehr, University of Cambridge University of Cambridge

2003 Frederick Frederick Wiseman, Wiseman, Documentary Filmmaker, Documentary Filmmaker, Cambridge, Massaschusetts Cambridge, Massaschusetts

Eugene N. 1988 Eugene N. Borza, Borza, Penn Pennsylvania State University sylvania State University

2004 Lily Lily Yeh, Yeh, Artist, Artist, Founder, Founder and Executive Director and Executive Director of Theof VillageThe Village

Alwin Nikolais, 1989 Alwin Nikolais,Artistic Artistic Director, Director, NiklaiNikolais Dance Theater s Dance Theater

2005 Stephen Stephen Macedo, Macedo, Princeton University Princeton University

Janice Radway, 1990 Janice Radway, University Duke Duke University

Art & Activisim Making the Personal Political

Harvard University Harvard University

Harold Bloom, 1991 Harold Bloom,Yale Yale University and New York University University and New York University Milton Babbitt, 1992 Milton Babbitt, Princeton University Princeton University Barbara Kruger, 1993 Barbara Kruger, Graphic (New York) Graphic ArtistArtist (New York)

2006 Joseph Joseph Horowitz, Horowitz, Artistic Consultant, Teacher, Artistic Consultant, Teacher, and Author and Author 2007 Rose Rose Weitz, Weitz, Arizona State University Arizona State University 2008 Sir Sir Ken Ken Robinson, Robinson, Ph.D., Ph.D., Creativity and Author Creativity ExpertExpert and Author 2009 Aaron Aaron David David Miller, Miller, Woodrow Woodrow WilsonWilson Foundation Foundation

Martha C. 1994 Martha C. Nussbaum, Nussbaum, Brown University Brown University

by Marina Gomberg

Clockwise from top left: Bill T. Jones, Niegel Smith, Taylor Mac

Every year, the University of Utah brings to campus distinguished scholars and artists to deliver free lectures, open to the public, through the David P. Gardner Lecture series, and 2017 was no different. The lectureship, which is funded by the Tanner Lectures on Human Values and founded by the U's Graduate School in honor of former President David Pierpont Gardner, is hosted by the Colleges of Humanities and Fine Arts on alternating years. This year's Gardner Lecture included the genius performance artist, Taylor Mac, in conjunction with his public performance as part of UtahPresents annual season, and two other activist artists: the famous modern dancer and choreographer, Bill T. Jones and actor and director, Niegel Smith. The panel discussion, which focused on the intersection of art and activism, was moderated by longtime KUER RadioWest host Doug Fabrizio and held on the iconic stage of Kingsbury Hall on January 14, 2017. Surprisingly, what became apparent early in the conversation was the reluctance these artists feel to identify their work as activism. While perhaps some artists' work – like that of famous LGBTQ artist Keith Haring or the provocative Andres Serrano – is intended to inspire a specific action or invoke a particular sentiment, these three artists prefer to raise questions, not answer them. “What might make me and some of my colleagues uncomfortable about this word 'activist' is that it assumes that we're out there attempting to push people in a direction,” Smith said after the three had fallen quiet when asked if they were, in fact, activists in addition to being artists. “We present the question – you wrestle with it how you want to wrestle with it.” Jones classifies all art as political, which is fitting given that much of his work was about AIDS and racism. But he feels like the better way to frame this

2010 Judith Judith Jamison, Jamison, Artistic Artistic Director, Alvin American Ailey Director, Alvin Ailey Theater Dance Theater Bobby McFerrin, 1995 Bobbie McFerrin,Musician, Musician, DanceAmerican Vocalist, Conductor, Vocalist, C 2011 Richard Bushman, New New York City Gouverneur onductor, York City Gouverneur MorrisMorris Professor Professor of History emeritus, John L. 1996 John L. Esposito, Esposito, Georgetownof History emeritus, Columbia Georgetown University University and Edmund A. Walsh Columbia University University and Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign School of Foreign Service Service

2013 Mira Nair, Celebrated Filmmaker 1997 Peter Sellars, Sellars,Theatre, Theatre,Opera, Opera Filmmaker and Television Director and Television Director (Los 2014 Anna Deavere Smith, (Los Angeles) and Playwright Angeles) Actor Actor and Playwright

William J.J.Cronon, 1998 William Cronon, 2015 Tony Tony Kushner, Kushner, Playwright Playright University of University of Wisconsin-Madison 2016 Suzan-Lori Suzan-Lori Parks, Parks Playwright Wisconsin-Madison

conversation is to say that, “Artmaking is always negotiating the distance between the deeply personal and the public.” Mac, who became an artist after deeming his direct activism work as ineffective, said he found “that by making art and... acknowledging the world that is, but manifesting the world I want through the art” has done far more good for the world than his previous efforts. Those who attended his performance the previous weekend might also agree. The section of his work, “A 24-Decade History of Popular Music” that he performed at Kingsbury, engaged the audience in ways that illuminated racism, classism, homophobia, and other forms of discrimination. These artists’ description of their form of activism – raising questions rather than answering them – was a perfect theme for the evening, as they did exactly that and encouraged us all to examine just how art influences and is influenced by political and social justice movements. The entire Gardner Lecture conversation can be heard on KUER's website under the RadioWest tab. ≠

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RAI

T HE

(Left to right) Students Marty Buhler and Ana Schloemann rehearse with Gino Grenek, who came from the Stephen Petronio Company, to set the iconic “MiddleSexGorge” on School of Dance students.

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Photo: Luc Vanier

I S IN G

DANCE'S NEW DUET b y J U L I A LY O N

ARRE

hen the Stephen Petronio Company had its New York premiere of “MiddleSexGorge” in 1991, the audience was filled with dance royalty. Merce Cunningham and Rudolf Nureyev viewed a piece that – more than a quarter century later – is seen as a Petronio masterwork. Known for its difficult choreography, complicated partnering, and provocative costuming, the work is rarely – if ever set on students. Until this spring: when ballet and modern students from the University of Utah’s new School of Dance performed a portion of “MiddleSexGorge” in Salt Lake City. 9

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Stephen Petronio Photo: Sarah Silver

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This time the audience wasn’t dance royalty but family, professors, and students witnessing a work inspired by an AIDS-related protest in the late 1980s, when Petronio was literally lifted up by police over the heads of protesters. “The piece is very aggressive,” said Gino Grenek, the former Stephen Petronio Company dancer, who came to teach students an excerpt from “MiddleSexGorge.” “It deals with being in control – manipulating other people and being manipulated yourself.” The School of Dance agreed to present the excerpt without modification, though it is arguably not the obvious piece to set on students. Known for asking dancers to be “ferocious and fearless,” “MiddleSexGorge” uses the pelvis in an “aggressive manner,” explained Grenek. The men are partially clothed, wearing upside down corsets. But in true Petronio fashion, it is an innovative fusing of modern and ballet techniques. With the marriage of the Ballet and the Modern Departments in 2016 to create the new School of Dance, the University of Utah is in the midst of its own fusion, one that is far from complete. “‘MiddleSexGorge’ is going to push both dancers – modern and ballet – to come to a new place,” said Luc Vanier, the founding Director of the School of Dance. “And I hope that finding new ways to come together will represent who we are as a School.” He spent much of the academic year listening as the faculty reflected on the School’s future direction. Though little has changed curriculum-wise for students so far, a cultural shift appears to be in the works. “A student described it to me: ‘It’s like we were there side-by-side but in between us there was a wall,’” Vanier said. “‘And now the wall has fallen down.’” For Rebecca Aneloski, a graduate student in Modern Dance, the joining of Departments was “crucial, especially today” when professional dancers are expected to be skilled in a wide range of techniques. As the School becomes less segregated, she’s noticed more crossover in casting in student-led performances. For her own thesis, she cast ballet students as some of her dancers – to bring together a different community of dancers who could motivate each other and build on their different strengths. “I noticed I had a specific way of viewing

IT'S LIKE WE WERE THERE SIDE-BY-SIDE movement as a technician and a creative mind when I was studying ballet,” said the 28-year-old, who exclusively danced ballet until she was 23. “When I came to the University of Utah to study towards my MFA in modern, my mind and body were exposed to a different rhythm that has helped expand my tool box as a dancer.” Petronio’s choreography is known for requiring dancers to relinquish the rigid rules from their training. “Typical ballet steps that are being employed are being infused with a non-typical sensibility in Stephen’s work,” said Grenek. “We don’t want the dancers to approach the work with a preconceived idea of what an arabesque is.” In other words: you’re allowed to do all the things your teachers are telling you not to do. Grenek describes “MiddleSexGorge” as a ‘rite of passage’ for any Petronio dancer. “It’s pretty daunting when you first start to learn it and then it becomes thrilling for any dancer to get up on that stage and do that material,” he said. “I find it quite empowering.” In Grenek’s 17 years with the company, both as dancer and rehearsal director, he performed “MiddleSexGorge” and reset it on other dancers. He initially understudied Petronio in the solo while performing the male duet with him at the end. In later performances, he danced the featured solo in place of Petronio. The Dartmouth-educated engineering major who performed in Matthew Bourne’s “Swan Lake” on Broadway before joining the Petronio company is now in a New York immersive show “Sleep No More,” inspired by “Macbeth.” “To be a working dancer, you need to find a way to accomplish what is being asked for at an audition

Students Emily Chapman (left) and Edromar Undag (right) rehearse with Grenek.

– no matter what it is,” Grenek said. “A piece like ‘MiddleSexGorge’ is going to show those dancers that you don’t have to be just one thing. The skills you learn in one class are absolutely applicable to other forms of dance.” Angela Lee, a third-year modern dance student at the School, planned to audition for the Petronio piece when she heard it was in the works. “It pushes the School and our dancers in a super technical and fast-paced way,” the 20-year-old said in December. “It will be really interesting to see how that comes about and who gets cast.” She wondered whether having ballet and modern dancers involved would make a huge difference in how the choreography is taught. Like Grenek, Lee agrees the two disciplines need to learn from each other. “It is 100 percent where the future is looking for dance,” she said. About 10 years ago, some of the faculty did not see it that way. When College of Fine Arts Dean Raymond Tymas-Jones had an initial conversation with the chairs of the two Departments about the possibility of creating a School of Dance, the word spread quickly. And opposition was strong. The Dean believed dance could have a greater imprint and footprint on campus if the Departments aligned. But the discussion came to a standstill until a recent faculty initiative led to the new School, unanimously supported by faculty from both Departments (one professor on sabbatical abstained). The time was obviously right. “It is clear that the students appreciate and support the whole idea of a School of Dance,” Tymas-Jones said. “As evidenced by their amazing performance of ‘MiddleSexGorge.’” ≠ Stephen Petronio Company members perform “MiddleSexGorge” Photo: Yi-Chun Wu

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Photo: Luc Vanier

BUT IN BETWEEN US THERE WAS A WALL

by Marina Gomberg

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here was an excited din in the Film & Media Arts Building at the University of Utah with the anticipated arrival of Disney creatives Hyrum Osmond and David G. Derrick, animators on Disney’s most recent film, “Moana.” Upstairs, the Department of Film & Media Arts’ newly formed Animation Club was preparing questions for its exclusive, intimate discussion with the high-profile professionals, while lines formed outside the auditorium downstairs for the subsequent public presentation. This was the third time in as many years that the Department had hosted pros from Disney, and seats

always fill quickly. In 2015, when Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera, the director and producer (respectively) of Disney Pixar’s “Inside Out” came, a line snaked through the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, outside and down the hill, of people hoping to get in. So, when “Zootopia” directors Bryon Howard and Rich Moore came in 2016, their presentation was moved to the larger Fine Arts Auditorium, and still people were standing in the aisles. There’s a growing interest on campus and in the community about the process of animation, and the faculty in the Department of Film & Media Arts are working quickly to accommodate it. In fact, roughly a

Stills from Jared Elliottâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s claymation as part of an assignment for Film 2630 Traditional Animation taught by Assistant Professor (Lecturer) Steve Pecchia-Bekkum.

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“There’s a growing interest on campus and in the community about the process of animation.” decade ago, the curricular emphasis did not even exist, but is now a rapidly expanding area. “In 2004, when I was asked to start teaching the 2D animation courses, I had maybe a dozen students,” said Assistant Professor (Lecturer), Steve Pecchia-Bekkum. “And now, our classes have more than doubled, as have our class offerings.” Students now seeking a Bachelor of Arts degree with an emphasis in Animation start with their Film & Media Arts Core courses, which include introductory classes, history, and production courses. As they move into the emphasis, they’ll take introduction to animation techniques, and a course each on traditional animation and computer animation before moving on to more in-depth courses in their preferred area of animation. They supplement that with study courses like Japanese anime or “Simpsons to South Park.” And then they round things off with a handful of allied courses which can be anything from drawing to 3D modeling to multimedia graphics. “Right now, we have a very complete curriculum and a well-structured emphasis,” said Associate Professor Lien Fan Shen, who was

hired in 2007 to teach computer animation. She describes how the foundation courses allow students to get a sense for the breadth of animation studies before choosing a specific area on which to focus. And while the program provides a strong emphasis on production, students must also understand the history and theoretical analysis of animation, including the more traditional forms of animating. “We have students who tell me they can’t draw, but they can build beautiful 3D models in these programs,” Shen says. “So, I’m shifting my ideologies. I still believe the traditional forms are essential – drawing is essential for animators – and I have also gotten inspired by this new generation of students who were born with these digital tools and software, and we, as faculty, have to be open to that change.” And yet, so much of the new technology is made to simulate reality. For example, computer animation programs have an internal camera to capture each still frame, so users need to understand the principles of focal point and depth of field. Similarly, the technique used to animate 2D objects, jointing (which is just that: adjoining two objects at a joint that can be manipulated frame-by-frame to show movement), are recreated digitally to produce movement. As in all areas of study at a top Research 1 University, there is a purposeful breadth of study in addition to depth, to ensure students get well-founded and multi-

A packed house in the Fine Arts Auditorium at the Film & Media Arts Building laughs during the free and public presentation by Disney creatives Derrick and Osmond. Photo: Sarah Knight

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Photo: Sarah Knight Photography

dimensional understanding of any given discipline. And, that’s good for Animation Emphasis students, because their options for practical use of their degree are quite diverse. “People oftentimes only think of children’s media when they think of the uses of animation," Shen said. "But the functionality is much greater and includes everything from videogame production to advertising and even to healthcare.” She is referring to a project on which she’s currently collaborating with the U’s College of Nursing to create a health-related questionnaire designed to help intellectually challenged adults with medical assessments. The hope is that by having an interactive, animated experience, these adults might be able to autonomously report their experience with depression, for example, perhaps providing more information than they would feel comfortable disclosing to a medical provider. With practical applications that varied, the possible collaborations are endless. And even within the Department, the opportunity and necessity to partner with other artists, researchers, or producers is very present. This is exactly why student Taylor Mott helped start the new Animation Club in 2016, so that sound editors could find lighting technicians, etc., and so students together could connect with professionals in the industry. And did they ever on November 16, 2016, when they got the chance to sit down for an hour and pick the brains of some of the industry’s most respected practitioners, Osmond and Derrick, about their lives, their experiences, and their processes. ≠

Taylor Mott, leader of the Department’s Animation Club, and others interact with Disney animators, David G. Derrick and Hyrum Osmond, during the club’s exclusive pre-presentation interview.

Still from Mitchell Guarente’s 3D rendering work called, “A Postmodern Pastiche of Ralph Goings’ Still Life With Peppers.”

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by Debbie Hummel

Photo: Michael Schoenfeld

P P O R T UNITY

Members of the student-founded theatre group Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Louis (left to right): Ashley Ramos, Cece Otto, Katryna Williams, 17 Monica Goff, Emily Nash, Dominic Zappala. STUDIO / 2017

Photo: Michael Schoenfeld

WHEN five University of Utah theatre students decided on a whim to enter a 24-hour play competition, they didn’t expect to win, much less to be inspired to create their own theatre company. But that’s just how these undergrads became Who’s Louis. The group’s winning piece, “Numb and Awake,” was performed at the October 2015 Dark Days 24-hour Theatre Festival. Participants were given a one-word prompt, isolation, a few minutes to grab some props for their performance, and told to return the next day to present their work. Cece Otto, founder of Who’s Louis, says they didn’t write a script, but instead brainstormed on the theme, did some movement inspired by the idea of isolation, read some poetry, and did some research. Then they disbursed for the night to write individual monologues. “Something that really inspired our piece led us to thinking about mental illness. How that feels, how others see you,” said Otto. The company had to pick a name for their group and chose something that comes from a humorous mix-up that played out their sophomore year in the U’s Actor Training Program (ATP). There were two students in the program, Louis Hillegass and Dominic Zappala, who looked so alike that they were constantly being 18 STUDIO / 2017

mistaken for one another, prompting frustrated teachers or actors to exclaim, “Who’s Louis?” “Numb and Awake” begins with five performers lying asleep on the floor, waking up, and pantomiming getting ready for their day. Then they start to shout phrases such as: “I feel absolutely fine!” “You don’t know what it’s like to be me!” “Fix it and people will love you.” The play continues with a dance-like portion where an out-of-control, blindfolded player is grabbed and moved around by the others. At the end, each recited their monologue about loneliness and other themes of mental illness and isolation, climaxing with actor Zappala screaming that “no one cares,” “everything is a lie,” as he slowly picks up a toy gun. He’s grabbed by Otto, who wraps a scarf around both their shoulders as they walk off stage together. “It was one of the best theatrical moments of my life,” Otto said. “I thought maybe we should keep doing this.” The win gave them free entry to the Great Salt Lake Fringe Festival. The group also has performed at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival in Denver and was selected to perform at the opening weekend of the new Eccles Theater in Salt Lake. When Otto started in the ATP, freshman and sophomores could not audition for University

productions. She felt the decision to participate in the competition gave her a chance to try out the skills she was learning. “I was just so hungry for the work. I loved classes but thought maybe there are other ways to put my skills into practice,” she said. “Working with Who’s Louis has been really wonderful in helping to itch my creative bug over the past year or so,” agreed founding member Monica Goff. “We were really surprised and humbled by our win. It became the catalyst for moving forward with other projects.” Alexandra Harbold, a director and Adjunct Instructor with the University of Utah Department of Theatre, directed Otto and company members Ashley Ramos, Isabella Reeder, and Katryna Williams in the Studio 115 production of Carson Kreitzer’s “Self Defense, or Death of Some Salesmen” last fall. Harbold said she found the members to be playful and invested collaborators who use the creative vocabulary they’ve formed through Who’s Louis and their ATP work to great effect.

“What’s evident is their recognition of one another’s strengths and imaginations. They have fused their training and experiences within the ATP program to develop their own collaborative language as a company and a method of building work.” Harbold said. “What’s unique and so inspiring is that they are not only pursuing opportunities to create work, but they are creating those opportunities.” The group’s mission is to perform work that represents humanity and its many facets through the lens of young artists. Otto and Goff say they and their colleagues are very socially and politically minded, and themes of

' R E

T H E Y'RE

D O NE

inclusiveness, gender, race, and sexuality arise often in their work. “We like to hear different stories that aren’t really told all that often,” Otto said. The group is a devised company, which is one where the work originates from collaborative efforts and improvisation. Who’s Louis rarely writes scripts, and there is often no or very little dialogue. They turn to poetry, movement, and even company members’ dreams or brainstorms to influence the direction of a piece. In their Eccles Theater performance, “He Married a Tigress,” the performance is almost more a modern dance with themes of women’s bodies, marriage, and motherhood. Another piece, “Apt. 404,” explored people living in the same apartment at different times in their lives, but the disconnect only becomes apparent when they all come in at the same time but aren’t interacting. “A lot of people at (Great Salt Lake) Fringe said they didn’t know what our piece was about, and we would say, ‘well, what do you think it was about?’ I think we’ve done our job if they’re thinking about it after we’re done performing,” Otto said. The group plans to continue to work together while they remain at the U, she said, but for now other commitments are keeping Who’s Louis players, most of whom have jobs and volunteer in addition to their studies, busy. Goff performed in the Department of Theatre’s production of “The Two Noble Kinsmen” this spring along with other Who’s Louis cast members Dominic Zappala, Katryna Williams, and Ashley Ramos. Contributor Isabella Reeder was in Pioneer Theatre Company’s spring performance of “King Charles III.” Another member, Emily Nash, will join a study abroad program in Berlin this summer to learn more about devising theatre. Otto was in Salt Lake Acting Company’s spring production of “Harbur Gate” and had a grant approved and is at work on a performance for the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland. ≠

THINKING

P E R FORMING

Photo: Connor Guldner

Who’s Louis founder and actor, Cece Otto, acts out a scene from the piece the company took to the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

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by DEBBIE HUMMEL

ostering interdisciplinary collaboration was the impetus for a multi-layered piece of interactive art and a corresponding show of other collaborative works February in the Alvin Gittins Gallery on the University of Utah campus. Assistant Professor of Art Wendy Wischer and Associate Professor in the School of Computing Erik Brunvand joined together to expand collaborative efforts at the U, driven by a longtime desire to work together on an art piece as well as see how they could encourage the same efforts across campus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In addition to exploring our own collaboration, we are interested in seeing how we can enable and support collaboration between arts and technology researchers in general,â&#x20AC;? Wischer said.

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Photo: Amelia Walchli

Art & Art History Assistant Professor and artist Wendy Wischer touches the bronze sculpture of her own hand as part of the interactive exhibit she and Erik Brunvand, Associate Professor in the School of Computing, created and installed in the Alvin Gittins Gallery.

Brunvand and Wischer join hands to complete the exhibit’s circuit, thereby transforming the garbled water sounds and dark contaminated water footage to babbling water sounds and clear flowing water of Red Butte Creek – only made possible through collaboration.

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To combine with their collaborative art installation, Wischer and Brunvand decided to organize a show with cooperative teams of engineers from the School of Computing and artists from the Department of Art and Art History. The goal of the exhibit was to showcase connections between the different disciplines through problem solving and encouraged viewers, scholars, students, and the public to consider the value and impact of collaboration. They received a University Research Committee grant for their piece, “Collective Currents,” and funds from the College of Fine Arts were given for two other teams of artists and engineers to create pieces for a show called “Liquid Collaboration.” For their piece, “Collective Currents,” Wischer and Brunvand each cast one of their hands in bronze and positioned them on pedestals several feet apart before a curved screen. Floating on the screen are fragmented images of a creek filled with dark water. The video is projected from above onto a computer-controlled set of mirrors where, if viewers of the piece create a human chain by holding hands and connecting the bronze hands on either side, a circuit is completed and the

images come together in a more obvious picture of a clear flowing stream and a garbled soundtrack becomes the pleasant sound of flowing water. The project is a continuation of Wischer's interdisciplinary, collaborative research where she seeks to work with scientists, engineers, and community partners. She has created land art that doubles as a stream-bank restoration project and a sculpture at the U's Bonderman Field Station at Rio Mesa that is a nest for bees and doubles as a site for research. But it was another of the U's field stations, Red Butte Canyon, discovered through working with the University of Utah's Global Change and Sustainability Center, that provided the influence for her piece with Brunvand. The images in the piece are of Red Butte Creek, which most people are unaware flows through campus mostly underground, Wischer said. “It became natural to me that I would use Red Butte Creek. Most are unaware that it runs through campus. They don't know the impact campus life has on it. I'm hoping that the piece can assist efforts to raise awareness.”

Photos: Amelia Walchli

Project collaborators, artist Tatiana Larsen and Computer Scientist Peter Jensen, created another code-based installation, “Casual Nexus,” in the gallery that, too, was influenced by the movement of gallery visitors.

Photo: Amelia Walchli

The goal of the exhibit was to showcase connections between the different disciplines through problem solving and encouraged viewers, scholars, students, and the public to consider the value and impact of collaboration.

For Wischer and Brunvand the theme of collaboration is supposed to extend from their interdisciplinary work to the work that people must do to affect change. They wanted their piece to be collaborative not only in process but also to have viewers collaborate to experience the piece. “With any kind of environmental issue there may be some discomfort. To be in a gallery and hold hands with a stranger is uncomfortable,” Wischer said. “The audience has to come together, to collaborate to solve problems.” Brunvand says he became interested in the collaboration possible between artists and engineers while his wife, Sandy Brunvand, an Assistant Professor of Art and Art History at the U, was completing an MFA in printmaking. It was at this time he saw how process- and equipment-driven art could be. For the last two academic years, Brunvand has been the recipient of one of two university professorships recognizing those who excelled in teaching and scholarship in their field and have demonstrated “an interdisciplinary approach to undergraduate education.” He has taught a course at the U with Art & Art History Chair Paul Stout where

computer engineers and artists come together to collaborate on computer-driven kinetic sculptures. “We were interested in how could you get engineers and artists talking to each other, these two seemingly different types of people. I don't think they're that different, but they do think differently. We try and get those two groups of students from literally the other sides of campus working together,” he said. Both say interdisciplinary collaboration has been encouraged by their respective departments and Wischer says College of Fine Arts Dean Raymond Tymas-Jones has been particularly supportive of interdisciplinary research. The show opened in the Gittins Gallery in the Art Building on campus in February. The reception was well attended with scientists, engineers, and artists, a unique crowd for the gallery, Wischer noted. Two other groups of collaborators created work for the exhibit. Artist Tatiana Larsen and computer scientist Peter Jensen presented “Causal Nexus” to explore the cause-and-effect nature of water use and the water table in the West. A large sphere of water was connected by tubes to six other spheres hanging in the gallery. The octopus-like sculpture was programed to be influenced by viewers walking around sensors on the outside spheres, which would then raise and lower causing the central sphere to lose and gain water level. Artist Justin Watson and computer engineer Tim Grant presented “Words Are Water,” an audiovisual installation with head phones for viewers to hear audio sourced from arctic glaciers while watching images meant to present the paradox between the idea that, “water is life,” but that the melting of glacial ice could also hasten the planet's destruction. ≠ 23 STUDIO / 2017

art

making by Marina Gomberg

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T is common to think of the arts as practices, labors of love, or ways of interpreting the world. And for many, including the majority of students who graduate from the University of Utah College of Fine Arts, the arts are also a way of life. The difference between a professional artist and the proverbial starving artist is a person’s ability to make art work (as opposed to artwork) – meaning, creating a career out of an artistic practice. The distinction is important, because students who train here are not going out into the world to create art in a vacuum. In fact, as our alumni enter the workforce, they are met with increasing competition for exposure in the marketplace. Funding for the arts is highly competitive and, in some instances, in jeopardy. The skills and abilities required to compete in an increasingly globalized and commercialized economy are more necessary than ever before. While artists have a long history of being inherently entrepreneurial, skills like marketing and communications, organizational budgeting, human resources, contracts, etc., have not always been part of the traditional fine arts curriculum. But, at the U, that will soon change, because the boundaries between working on the stage and in the box office are in some places slowly dissolving as artists either supplement their artistic work with arts administration work or they naturally gravitate to those leadership roles. And, advances in the digital world means artists can collaborate with and sell to people across the globe. So, in 2015 and 2016, the College engaged in a needs assessment to better understand the demand for arts leadership/management training and our ability to meet it. What information surfaced from the evaluation, which included various focus groups and individual interviews of faculty, staff, College leadership, and community members, is that many faculty members offer whole courses, have courses already developed, or integrate the business of arts and career strategies within their existing courses. The assessment also showed an ever-increasing demand that warranted the continued investigation into the creation of new degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition to those curricular offerings, there are extracurricular offerings like the College’s awardwinning program, ArtsForce, which is an annual event series aimed at helping students articulate the value of their arts degree and prepare them to enter the modern workforce. Through panels, intimate discussions with professionals in the field, guided networking opportunities, and in-person connections to the College’s Distinguished Alumni, this program provides a breadth of hands-on learning experiences for which art students are clamoring. Because they can see as well as we do, that for as many new challenges as our modern workforce creates, there are equally as many opportunities – at least for those prepared to seize them.

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Laurie Larson is a Lassonde Studios resident and artist showing her work on the Products, Design & Arts residential floor.

The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute’s Arts Entrepreneur program hosted an art competition with the winners earning prize money and being featured on the wall at Lassonde Studios. This was one of the winning pieces.

HE University of Utah’s Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute and its new world-class, award-winning Lassonde Studios located in the heart of the U’s campus, have made the institution a leader in the nation for aspiring entrepreneurs – including arts entrepreneurs. Built with the vision and direction of Pierre Lassonde, alum from the U’s MBA program who wanted to facilitate more interdisciplinarity on campus, Lassonde Studios is a hotbed for innovation and creation. On the main floor, called the Neeleman Hangar, very few walls separate spaces, so that organic interactions are facilitated and ideation and peer support are encouraged. There are meeting spaces, food trucks, makers’ areas replete with equipment to sew, do 3D printing, work with woods and metals, etc. Troy D’Ambrosio, the Executive Director of the Lassonde Entrepreneurial Institute, calls it a “yes” space – where everything can be a canvas (and literally, writing on the walls is allowed). The hope is that the space will change as often as the students want it to. As an avid art collector and appreciator, Mr. Lassonde saw the value of luring art students into the spaces where science, engineering, and business students would be, because he knows creativity is the bedrock of innovation. “I think artists here act almost as a muse,” D’Ambrosio said. “They constantly bring a playful and creative energy to this space whether it’s filling the Hangar with tunes from the community piano or temporary tape art installations on the walls. It provides an element of surprise that can completely transform the space and inspire the community.” So, in addition to dedicating various floors of the residential spaces, which make up the second through fifth floors of the shiny copper building, to videogamers and artists, there is also programming specifically for artists through the Arts Entrepreneur program. For example, “Coffee with Creatives” is a series that connects students and residents to professionals in the creative industries, including faculty members from the Department of Film & Media Arts and Brooke Horejsi, Executive Director of UtahPresents and Assistant Dean of Art & Creative Engagement in the College. They’ve also collaborated with UtahPresents, who scheduled a pop-up concert by acclaimed cellist Matt Haimovitz in the Hangar. “The modern definitions of being an entrepreneur is creating something that didn’t exist before, and oftentimes doing so with the hope that it will change the world,” said D’Ambrosio. “Artists do that all the time. In fact, in that sense, artists might be more inherently entrepreneurial than business people.” ≠

For more information, visit lassonde.utah.edu. 26 STUDIO / 2017

Photo: Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute at the University of Utah

Photo: Courtesy of UtahPresents

Lassonde Studios is a new $45 million home for student entrepreneurs and innovators at the University of Utah. The facility, which opened in August 2016, is the place where students from any major or background can â&#x20AC;&#x153;Live. Create. Launch.â&#x20AC;?

Artrepreneurs The Lassonde Entrepreneur Institute hosts regular workshops for all students. The workshop pictured taught students the basics of Adobe Photoshop.

27 Isaac Griffin is a Lassonde Studios resident and artist.

STUDIO / 2017

Chamber Music

Photo: Brittany Palmer

SURROUNDED BY THE SOUND

Too often, music

In an era when YouTube makes it easy to see a concert from the couch, Vedrana Subotic believes it is more important than ever to preserve the vibrancy and culture of live performance. Too often, music is shared digitally, giving the audience an unrealistic idea of what a true performance is like. “In live chamber music concerts, one has the feeling of being magically in sync with the performers and the audience,” said Subotic, a University of Utah Associate Professor of piano. “You can’t help but feel instant rapport with the people around you.” She is among faculty at the U who have led an effort to provide the community with live chamber music performances, featuring small groups of musicians often playing music that audiences might not hear otherwise. Now, an established summer chamber music series and a new chamber music group are keeping the

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is shared digitally, giving the audience an unrealistic idea of what a true performance is like.

Left to right: Claude Halter on violin (principal second at Utah Symphony), Vedrana Subotic on piano (Associate Professor (Lecturer) and Intermezzo Music Director), and Anne Lee on cello (section at Utah Symphony) play a chamber music concert in Libby Gardner Concert Hall in David Gardner Hall on the University of Utah campus.

By Julia Lyon

Now people who may be snowed-in, stuck home with a sick child, or living thousands of miles away can enjoy a live concert as well. “I realized we needed to get more involved with the digital age,” Subotic said. If you’re looking for chamber music in Utah, another YouTube search will turn up Sinfonia Salt Lake, a professional chamber orchestra that held its first concert in January 2016. genre vibrant in Salt Lake City. “The mission of Sinfonia is to engage with the Fifteen years ago, Subotic was one of the co-founders community in ways that the bigger symphony orchestras of the Intermezzo Chamber Music Series, which grew cannot,” said Robert Baldwin, Professor of music and out of a love for that music niche. Director of orchestral activities at the University of Utah. “People think of it as old-fashioned,” said the awardwinning pianist. “But our students at the U love playing He was among the group, which included several U alumni, that started Sinfonia. in chamber music ensembles.” The group’s repertoire ranges from Baroque to Although the concerts which Subotic programs modern chamber music typically presented in small primarily feature Utah professionals, pianist Ubeeng venues. This is music rarely heard at traditional Kueq, then an undergraduate student, performed symphony concerts. Additionally, part of its mission is to the 1997 Sebastian Currier Trio for piano, violin, reach populations that may not normally have a chance and clarinet at an Intermezzo concert in 2016 – in collaboration with colleagues from the Utah Symphony. to experience chamber music. In 2016, the musicians played at the Utah International Charter School, whose The same concert also featured chamber music works population includes many refugee and immigrant performed in collaboration with a Ballet West dancer children. and actors from Salt Lake Acting Company. Like the Intermezzo Chamber Music Series, Sinfonia Now a graduate student at Indiana University who is independent from the University of Utah. But both finds chamber music a good way to learn to work with Intermezzo and Sinfonia build on the decades-old others, Kueq thinks it’s “very cool” that the series often tradition of chamber music at the school. programs newer music. Mikhail Boguslavsky, a violist, was key to starting Part of Intermezzo’s mission is to bring in younger the Honors String Quartets in the early 1980s, which audiences by making the concerts affordable, with helped the school recruit some of the top string players, free tickets for college students and youth. The Baldwin said. Associate Professor Hasse Borup, whose programming is a mix between masterworks and the background includes studying and playing with new and unusual. “People are looking to come to concerts which offer members of the renowned Guarneri Quartet and the Emerson Quartet, is the U faculty member now leading traditional and beloved works ... but also music one the school’s chamber music program. doesn’t often get to hear,” said Subotic. “So in many ways, the U continues the legacy of Despite her commitment to live performance, the professor has enlisted the power of technology to expand chamber music instruction that goes back quite far in history,” Baldwin said. ≠ musicians’ reach at the U. The 2016-2017 academic year is the second year she has helped coordinate live streaming of faculty showcase concerts featuring both chamber music and solo works. The performance series, Live@Libby, brings music into people’s homes through – you guessed it – YouTube. 29 STUDIO / 2017

Hiring In Utah

A S T U D Y O F U TA H ' S C R E AT I V E E C O N O M Y by Marina Gomberg

In 2013, the University of Utah College of Fine Arts was one of the many arts schools across the nation to participate in the Strategic National Arts Alumni Project’s (SNAAP) survey of tens of thousands of alumni who graduated from arts programs. The survey revealed the truth about our former students’ time at the U and their lives now. We learned that our anecdotal understanding of the great successes and career satisfaction of our students is, in fact, backed by statistics. For example, 83% of our alumni reported being satisfied in the current occupation in which they spend the majority of their work time, whether it was in or out of the arts. Forget that stereotype that arts grads are starving or can only find jobs in the food service industry, 76% percent of our undergraduate alumni and 88% of our graduate alumni currently or previously worked as professional artists, 61% of undergraduate alumni and 89% of graduate alumni currently or previously worked as arts educators, and 38% of undergraduate alumni and 62% of graduate alumni currently or previously worked in arts administration. And of those who spend the majority of their time in non-arts fields, 75% of our undergraduate alumni and 72% of our graduate alumni said their arts training was relevant to their work. It made us wonder how this all translates to professional opportunities in Utah’s creative economy, so we surveyed businesses in our state to find out what they’re looking for in potential employees and what they value and reward in their current workforce.

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Who did we hear from? More than two dozen Utah companies responded, that span a range of industries from travel and tourism to higher education, and from nonprofits to regional arts organizations, video game developers, communications firms, media outlets, and political think tanks. They are based all across the state and ranged in size from 2 (Midvale Main St. Theatre) to 18,000 employees (JetBlue) with both local and international reaches. What’s the value of creativity? From our SNAAP data, we know that 89% of our alumni reported that they developed their Creative Thinking & Problem Solving skills while at the U, so we wanted to understand the value of creativity in the workforce. A remarkable 97% of the companies we surveyed said the businesses in their industry can only remain relevant if they have a creative workforce. In fact, when asked to rate the importance of various attributes in potential employees on a scale from 1 (not important) to 5 (very important), creativity ranked the highest, with 91% ranking it important, followed by Company Fit (87%), and Related Experience (86%). Why might creativity be in such high demand? More than half (55%) of all companies surveyed said their industries change more over time than others, and 61% percent of all businesses said that in their industry, the connection between agility (the ability to keep up with current trends) and stability (the ability to sustain business growth) is strong. Essentially, creativity is paramount to success.

When asked how creativity affects their business’ success in various areas, the top three answers were people management, business development, and research development respectively – skills typically associated with higher-level management positions. And perhaps not surprisingly, creativity was noted as having an effect on every single aspect of their businesses, from sales to client management to reporting and analysis. Perhaps that is why reward structures for performance (bonuses and salary increases) is most heavily driven by creative problem solving (followed by innovation and technical excellence) by the businesses we surveyed. What else matters? When asked what skills and attributes are becoming more or less important in their industries as time goes on, the top three attributes chosen as becoming more important were Collaboration & Teamwork (71% deemed it way more important), Ability to Communicate Effectively (65%),

and Innovation, Generating New Ideas, and Resourcefulness (all three tied at 61% as way more important). This compares with Following Orders (23%), Comfort with Ambiguity (26%), and Technical Proficiency in a Specific Area (39%). How does that compare to what we know about our alumni? Our SNAAP data showed that 77% of our alumni reported developing skills in Interpersonal Relations & Working Collaboratively, and more than half of our alumni reported developing skills in Clear Writing and Persuasive Speaking. What does it all mean? We learned a lot about Utah’s creative economy from this snapshot of businesses, but what became most evident was the powerful connection between creativity and success in the workplace – it drives individual success, which in turn drives business success, making it one of the most sought-after skills in the modern workforce both in and out of the arts. ≠

U TA H H I R I N G M A N A G E R S L O O K F O R : 91 %

87 %

86%

49% 32 % CREATIVITY

COMPANY FIT

RELATED EXPERIENCE

AREA OF STUDY

EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION

A L U M N I S AT I S F A C T I O N

INDUSTRY RELEVANCE

DEVELOPED SKILLS

…of our alumni reported being satisfied in the current occupation in which they spend the majority of their work time wheather it was in or out of the arts.

…of the companies we surveyed said businesses in their industry can only remain relevant if they have a creative workforce.

…of our alumni reported developing their creative thinking and problem solving skills while at the U.

A L U M N I W H O C U R R E N T LY O R P R E V I O U S LY W O R K E D A S : PROFESSIONAL ARTISTS

ARTS EDUCATORS

ARTS ADMINISTRATORS

UNDERGR ADUATES

88 %

GR ADUATES

38 %

89 %

GR ADUATES

62 %

GR ADUATES

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Warnock Modernizing Artist Shakespeare in Residence

CENTU RY st 21 W

hen Martine Kei Green-Rogers got a call from Lue Morgan Douthit, the former Director of Literary Development and Dramaturgy at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF), she wasn’t sure what she was in for, but she knew it would be good.

MARINA GOMBERG Turns out that Douthit, along with Ken and Dave Hiz, were scheming up a massive national project to translate 39 Shakespeare plays into modern English with the intent of making them digestible to a wider range of audiences and thereby generating new love of the works. For Green-Rogers, dramaturg and Assistant Professor in the University of Utah Department of Theatre, that sounded pretty magical. “When she talked about making Shakespeare more accessible, I practically felt the lightbulb turn on above my head,” Green-Rogers remembers. “And I immediately dreamt of ways to engage our students in this process.” Green-Rogers helped shape the project, named Play On!, and was assigned as the dramaturg to two of the translations: “The Comedy of Errors,” with playwright Christina Anderson, and “The Two Noble Kinsmen,” with playwright and U Theatre Professor Tim Slover.

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SHAKES

Photo: Michael Schoenfeld

The cast of the Department of Theatre’s production of “The Two Noble Kinsmen” rehearse choreography in the Performing Arts Building.

While OSF often partners with other entities, as one of the most prominent professional Shakespeare theatres in the country, it’s rare that they’ll partner with institutions of higher education. But Green-Rogers made the case, and OSF and Theatre Chair Gage Williams got on board. And thus, was the initial weaving of this translation project into the curricular fabric of the Department. Slover had hoped that he and Green-Rogers might be assigned one of Shakespeare’s more obscure plays, so that ultimately when it was performed, it might be the first exposure audience members would have to the play. He got his wish. “This way, audiences aren’t paying too much attention to what famous lines might have changed, but getting lost in the story,” he said, noting an important element of this project –immersion into and connection to the tale itself. For some time, the antiquated language of Shakespeare’s plays has been a barrier for modern audiences. And while this project aims to provide increased access to understanding, some critics of the Play On! project have worried that

fewer young people will dive into Shakespeare’s original works if they have something easier to digest. Who’s going to want the multi-grain when they can have white Wonder Bread? But Slover remembers his first foray into the world of Shakespeare as a kid, and it was through the children’s book, “Tales from Shakespeare” by Charles and Mary Lamb. “That book gave me the courage to see Shakespeare with my parents, and while I didn’t ultimately understand all the language, I knew and loved the stories.” And as Green-Rogers wrote in an Op-ed for The Salt Lake Tribune, that when criticism began to arise, “Don’t get me wrong. A healthy and strong love of Shakespeare in its ‘original’ form (the quotation marks are my commentary on the history of how Shakespeare’s texts eventually got to us) already exists in this Department and on our campus. Our students read, discuss, and perform Shakespeare on a regular basis. However, just because we revere and teach Shakespeare doesn’t mean we’re not aware of the struggles our students have understanding the language contained therein.” So Slover wrote. And Green-Rogers offered dramaturgical support by providing insight and guidance as it related to the play’s meter, rhyme, rhythm, and to be, as she put it, “nitpicky about language and iambic pentameter.” They then took the translation to the New Play Workshop class Slover teaches each spring, where students workshop three new plays each semester and provide playwrights the experience of hearing their words spoken by actual actors. In the spring of 2016, Slover decided to pull his own card and give the class the opportunity to workshop his translation. “I brought Martine into the class as my dramaturg, and with considerable skill, she took our students through important dramaturgical exercises to help them provide productive feedback,” Slover said. The result was a work of art. And while the Play On! project is specifically aimed at the translations, some groups of artists are turning their works into performable productions, including the U’s version of “The Two Noble Kinsmen.” So, in Spring 2017, with Department of Theatre Distinguished Alum Randy Reyes as director, the U presented its modern version of Shakespeare’s “The Two Noble Kinsmen” on the stage of the Babcock Theatre, as part of what will go down in the annals of history as the perhaps the largest ever English translation of Shakespeare’s works. ≠

33 STUDIO / 2017

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 worldrenowned 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 the University of Utah College of Fine Arts.

Art

Ariadne • Sunshine Cobb • Riley Cran • Bridget Moser • Richard Noyce • Cheryl Pope George Rivera • Andrew Scott Ross • Mrinalini Tankha • Camille Utterback • Art Werger Camille Utterback is an internationally acclaimed artist and pioneer in the field of digital and interactive art. Utterback’s work explores the aesthetic and experiential possibilities of linking computational systems to human movement and physicality in visually layered ways. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Art and Art History Department at Stanford University, where she also co-directs the Stanford Graduate Design Program. She holds a BA in Art from Williams College, and a Master’s degree from The Interactive Telecommunications Program at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. She currently lives and works in San Francisco.

Dance

Kathrin Baum-Hofer • Peter Boal • Stacy Caddell • Val Caniparoli • Daniel Charon • Li-Chou Cheng Maya Ciarrocchi and Kris Grey (Gender Project – Dee Grant) • Jeanine Durning • Katie Faulkner Gino Grenek • Molly Heller • Laura Hood Babcock • Susan Jaffe • Alex Ketley • Ilya Kozadayev Anthony Kratzkamp • Jessica Liu • Jackie Lopez • Victoria Morgan • Jennifer Nugent Jerry Opdenaker • Stephanie Powell • Tong Wang • Suzi Wood The School was thrilled and lucky to welcome Jackie “AKA Miss Funk” Lopez, a Los Angeles based guest choreographer and Co-Founder/Artistic Director of the Versa-Style Dance Company. Versa-Style is a group of dancers and artist who share a passion for the many styles of hip-hop dance. The ensemble tours local schools and travels the world teaching dance with a positive, inclusive message. For our Fall 2016 Performance Dance Company show she choreographed Warriors of Light, inspired by the words of Joshua Graham, “I survived because the fire inside me burned brighter than the fire around me.”

Film & Media Arts

Peter Baxter • William Caballero • Scott Christopherson & Brad Barber • David Holbrooke Bryon Howard & Rich Moore • Michael Kanfer • Hyrum Osmond & David G. Derrick Rich Reagan Hyrum Osmond, co-head of animation for “Moana,” oversaw the animation production for the film. The highlight for him was creating an ocean character: an animated, interactive portion of the sea. David G. Derrick joined Walt Disney Animation Studios to work on “Moana.” He previously worked at DreamWorks Animation where he served as a story artist for “Megamind,” “How to Train Your Dragon” and “Guardians,” among others. Born and raised in Farmington, Utah, Derrick decided to pursue a career in the animation industry after seeing “Tarzan” while in college. He studied character animation at CalArts.

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Music

Paul Baron • Jeremy Howard Beck • Brian Connelly • Alan Morrison Curtis • Patricia George Andre Gugnin • Matt Haimovitz • Evan Jones • Norman Krieger • Lark Quartet Lee Trio Andrzej Mokrey • Alan Morrison & Eccles Organ Festival • Navy Band Northwest Stephanie & Edward Neeman • Penn Trio • David Rakowski • Jennifer Rhodes SÖ Percussion • Sounds of China • Petty Officer Garrett Stephan • Westminster Choir Matthew Zalkind • Paulina Zamora & Karina Glasinovic • Asaf Zohar David Rakowski grew up in St. Albans, Vermont, and studied at New England Conservatory, Princeton, and Tanglewood. He has received a large number of awards and fellowships, including the Elise L. Stoeger Prize from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Rome Prize, and he has twice been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in Music (for pieces commissioned by the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the US Marine Band). He has composed seven concertos, five symphonies, 100 piano etudes, 31 piano preludes, five song cycles, and a large amount of wind ensemble music, chamber music, and vocal music for various combinations, as well as music for children. His music has been commissioned, recorded, and performed widely and is published by C.F. Peters. He is the Walter W. Naumburg Professor of Composition at Brandeis University, having also taught at New England Conservatory, Harvard, Columbia, and Stanford. In 2016, Rakowski was elected into the American Academy of Arts and Letters for his contribution to musical composition.

Theatre

Kevin Asselin • Klea Blackhurst • Frank Honts • Brooke Horejsi • Scott Kaiser • Michael Legg Lynn Maxfield • Jerry Rapier • Kamella Tate • DC Wright • Karin Titze Cox • Megan Walker

Photo: Brandon Cruz

University of Utah Department of Theatre Distinguished Alumna, Klea Blackhurst is an actress, singer, and comedian who has performed everywhere from Capitol Theatre to Carnegie Hall to Broadway. While she’s been on Rosie O’Donnell, worked with the legendary Jerry Lewis, done national TV commercials, and had a character on the Onion News Network, she is most well known for her album “Everything the Traffic Will Allow: The Songs and Sass of Ethel Merman.”

Harry Weston of Versa Style, a hip-hop dance troupe brought to campus by UtahPresents, dances with students on the stage of Kingsbury Hall at a party sponsored by Arts Pass and UtahPresents that kicked off the 2016/17 school year.

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THOMAS F. RUGH 36 STUDIO / 2017

Couresty photo: Thomas F. Rugh

In Memoriam

HOMAS F. Rugh did not make art. He was not a painter or sculptor, a musician or a filmmaker, a thespian or a dancer, but he was passionately devoted to the expressions of humanity through the arts with all its complexities, mysteries, and beauty through sound, or through images, or through the spoken word.

And he was my friend. Tom passed away on October 14, 2016, after a courageous battle against cancer. I first met him in 2005, shortly after I arrived in Salt Lake City to begin my tenure as Dean of the College of Fine Arts. We met at the University of Utah Alvin Gittins Gallery, where Tom, along with two esteemed colleagues, Robert Olpin and Ann Orton, celebrated the publishing of their formidable book, “Painters of the Wasatch Mountains,” which presented for the first time a survey of distinctive paintings of Utah’s Wasatch Mountains. From that first meeting, the extraordinary passion and love Tom had for the arts, especially the visual arts, were palpable. Tom’s admiration for artists and the role the arts play in society to enlighten and uplift the spirit were among the things that gave Tom his greatest pleasures. A native of Pasadena, California, Tom received his Bachelor of Art and Master of Art degrees from BYU before pursuing graduate studies in art history at the University of Chicago. Tom and his lovely wife, Susan, raised their family of three sons in Chicago and Minneapolis before returning to Utah in 1997. Shortly after his return to Salt Lake City, Tom was appointed the founding director of the Museum of Utah Art and History in Salt Lake City in 2003. And in 2005, he became the Director of Institutional Relationships for TIAA, serving the University of Utah and universities nationwide. It is safe to say that anyone who ever met Tom considered him special because of his sincere interest in others and in building relationships that served the common good. It was because of this interest of serving the common good that Tom enthusiastically agreed to support the development and training of fine and performing arts major at the U by becoming a member of the College of Fine Arts’ Advisory Board (FAAB). He served as a member of the Board for seven years (2006-2013), even though the by-laws limit service on the board to two three-year terms. But, it was a combination of Tom’s commitment to arts education and the University of Utah College of Fine Arts that resulted in an extension of his service. From 2011-2013, he served as Chair of the Board. Like a true leader, his eagerness engendered greater participation and enthusiasm among other members of the Board. On several occasions, he called a

6:30 a.m. meeting with the Executive Director of Development and me to discuss strategies to advance the prominence of the arts on the campus of the University, as well as prospective supporters and donors. His passion was unmatched – at all times of day. It was in 2011 that Tom was diagnosed. Yet, he never neglected his commitment to the arts. It was In Solidarity1 that he maintained his devotion to FAAB, and the College of Fine Arts. During the treatment for his disease, he often commented that the health sciences were dedicated to healing the maladies of the body, but it is the arts that heal the spirit and the soul. This wasn’t just what he believed; it was how he lived his life. During his association with the College, it was often his greatest joy to interact with the incredibly talented young artists who matriculated here. He was not only interested in knowing of their progress in making contributions to their community through art-making, but he also understood that for the common good of all people, it was critical for the artists to thrive in a democratic society. In 2014, the Thomas F. and Susan S. Rugh Scholarship was created. This scholarship is established to support students in the Department of Art and Art History. Susan and Tom are quoted as saying, “We are delighted to create this scholarship to honor Tom’s years of work on the Fine Arts Advisory Board. Both of our careers are in higher education, and we believe in its transformative power. We hope our gift will make it easier for students to devote themselves to their academic aspirations in the visual arts.” Tom Rugh remains an inspiration to all of us who love the arts and believe in the importance of arts training and education being a central fabric of the experience and offerings of a research university. His indelible influence on the advancement of the arts at the University of Utah will impact the lives of young artists for years to come. ≠

“During the treatment for his disease, he often commented that the health sciences were dedicated to healing the maladies of the body, but it is the arts that heal the spirit and the soul.” 1 The Rugh Family created a blog entitled Rugh Solidarity that offered opportunities for friends to learn of Tom’s health status as well as give words of encouragement.

by Raymond Tymas-Jones 37 STUDIO / 2017

Robert H. and Katharine B. Garff

Annual Report

Lee A. Hollaar and Audrey Mack Hollaar Charles H. and Kathie K. Horman Nancy P. and Richard E. Marriott

Andres J. Cardenes and Monique Mead

HE faculty, staff, and especially the students in the College of Fine Arts thank our generous donors for their contributions of $1,000 or more to the College and its six academic units from July 1, 2015, to June 30, 2016. Their incredible generosity has enhanced education, empowered many, and inspired us all.

Anne Osborn Robert L. and Joyce T. Rice Dorothy Jo Wilson Sheppard Michael L. and Micki N. Sobieski Daniel M. and Nicky M. Soulier

Roger H. and Colleen K. Thompson

W. Mack and Julia Simmons Watkins Richard I. and Judy Winwood

Benefactor ($5,000–$9,999) Anonymous

Dee R. and Mary F. Bangerter Sandi Jo Behnken

INDIVIDUALS

Connoisseur ($25,000 +) If you’re interested in supporting the work of the College of Fine Arts and its academic units, visit finearts.utah.edu

Larry B. and Liane W. Stillman

John W. and Elizabeth Bennion Daniel C. Benton

Lowell C. and Sonja E. Brown

H. Brent and Bonnie Jean Beesley

Danne L. and Anne Buchanan

Robert D. Belnap

Rodney H. and Carolyn H. Brady

Richard R. and Susan Dinwoodey Burton

Howard S. and Betty B. Clark

Clifford A. Coon Jr.

Ty and Holly A. Burrell

Bill R. Deem and Lennox A. Larson-Deem

Thomas D. and Joanne A. Coppin

Kem C. and Carolyn B. Gardner

Jack and Janet C. Cox

Gordon L. and Connie R. Hanks

Lisa E. Eccles

James S. and Carolyn C. Hinckley

Lisa L. Evans

Robert H. and Diana Busch Hinckley III

Sarah and Matthew DeVoll

Scott S. and Ann McCullough Hinckley

Kent C. and Martha H. DiFiore

David R. Markland

Charlene Fetos

Peter D. and Catherine R. Meldrum

Susan G. Gaskill

James R. and Nanette S. Michie

J. Chris and Sandra L. Hemmersmeier

John M. and Joyce E. Rapp

Jonathan H. and Colleen Horne

Kristin Hinckley Yeager

Elizabeth A. Liljenquist

Thomas M. and Jamie N. Love

Aficianado ($10,000–$24,999)

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Deborah Magness Jane L. Macfarlane

Anonymous

James P. Macken

Lynn Blodgett

Susan Meyer and Andrew Loring Pratt

G. Gary Connelly and Marian A. Connelly-Jones

Bruce G. and Sara V. Robinson

William F. and Dawn Delvie

Jim L. Robertson

Thomas F. and Susan S. Rugh

Scott L. and Lesli P. Rice

W. Gary and Darcy E. Sandberg

Harris H. and Amanda P. Simmons

Bertram H. and Janet M. Schaap

Brent C. and Janette P. Sonnenberg

Allen T. and Margot L. Shott

Stephen Lee Swisher and Lisa Dove-Swisher

Geoffrey Stephen and Adria Jane Swindle

J. Spencer Thompson

Raymond Tymas-Jones

Paul L. and Marilyn D. Whitehead

Anthony R. Wallin and Jennifer Price-Wallin William R. and Barbara Y. Welke Von H. and Virginia M. Whitby E. Art Woolston

Advocate ($1,000–$2,499) Jack S. and Marie Y. Ashton

hank yo & Connie Jo M. Hepworth Woolston

Anonymous

Thomas Antista

Patron ($2,500–$4,999)

John W. Ballard and Karen L. Miller Randy Bathemess

Michael J. and Diane M. Anderson

Anna Nikolayevsky Benton

Bené C. Arnold

Earle R. and Linda M. Bevins III

Bruce W. Bastian

Martin and Mary Anne Berzins

William R. Bireley

Kenneth W. Birrell

Reed W. and Helena A. Brinton

Don F. and Jean W. Bradshaw

Kenneth J. and Kristina F. Burton

Fred W. and Eveline Bruenger

Dan and Paulette Cary

Andrej and Elena Cherkaev

Miguel Chuaqui and Lisa Marie Chaufty

Gerald R. and Susan E. Daynes

Daniel Patrick Conner

T. Richard and Alta Kay Lowe Davis

Ashby S. and Anne Cullimore Decker

David S. and Anne M. Dolowitz

Ezekiel R. Dumke

Spencer P. and Kristine L. Eccles

W. Hague and Sue J. Ellis

Eric N. and Shellie M. Eide

Ralph L. and Rosetta S. Gochnour

Jenifer G. Ewoniuk

Kevin Grimmett

Antista Fairclough

John W. and Marilyn R. Holt

Thomas McKay Fairclough

Tony D. and Aerste Howells

George B. and Debra G. Felt

J. Boyer and Patricia A. Jarvis

Jerome C. and Abby L. Fiat

Craig V. and Linda M. Lee

Michael and Amanda Floyd

Paul G. and Alison R. Mayfield

Cecelia H. Foxley

Marion T. Miller

Royden J. and Rebecca B. Glade

Davis Mullholand and Martha J. O’Hare

David P. and Sheila S. Gardner

Prescott M. and Sharon D. Muir

James E. Gebhardt and Lucille R. Hesse

William and Rhonda L. Nicoloff

J. J. Gerber

Darin L. and Rachelle M. Parker

Robert and Mary D. Gilchrist

Diana J. Peterson

Ronald C. Gunnell

Leon and Karen F. Peterson

Michael D. and Susan S. Huff

Gary G. and Karen R. Post

John E. and Carol F. Huffman

Colin and Katherine Potter

Elizabeth S. Hunter

Douglas K. Pottratz

David Johannesen

Sarah Projansky and Kent A. Ono

Dave and Kimberly A. Johnson

David E. and Shari H. Quinney

Jill J. Johnson

“We wanted to do

our part to help music students, their faculty mentors, and to maintain the amazing quality at the University of Utah School of Music because we believe music is an integral part of our culture. We must not lose it.” Jim Michie

STUDIO / 2017

“I enthusiastically and regularly support the College of Fine Arts at the U. We are all immeasurably enriched by its presence that permeates all aspects of campus life and reaches into the broader community around us. I can’t imagine life without art or music or dance …. It brings such depth, inspiration and joy into life. Yes, STEM is important but it really should be STEAM instead— with the Arts intertwined into all our lives.” Anne Osborn

Lisa B. Johnson

George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation

Michael A. Kalm and Janet C. Mann

James R. and Nanette S. Michie Foundation

Larry Krystkowiak

Janice S. Hinckley 2006 Trust

Karl E. and Susan Lind

Jewish Family Services

Herbert C. and Wilma S. Livsey

Kem C. Gardner Family Partnership, LTD

Donald B. and Mary O. Lloyd

Kenneth P. and Sally R. Burbidge Foundation

Richard H. and Doralee D. Madsen

Lawrence T. and Janet T. Dee Foundation

Robert P. McComas

McCarthey Family Foundation

Dylan McCullough

Meldrum Foundation

Paul H. McMurray

Morgan Stanley Global Impact Funding

Jeff T. Miller

The Sorenson Legacy Foundation

W. Richard and Janell H. Morris

Wheeler Foundation

Stephen H. and Mary M. Nichols

Zions Management Services Company

Conrad H. Nebeker and Carolyn Rasmussen Anne Palmer Ralph F. and Mary Lou P. Peak Douglas C. and Wendy A. Preston

Chevron Matching Employee Funds

John and Marcia Poulsen Price

Dizzy Feet Foundation

Carl A. and Zelie D. Pforzheimer

E. J. Bird Foundation

Jessica Radha Krishna Behl

Edward L. Burton Foundation

Jaryl L. and Julie W. Rencher

M. Lynn Bennion Foundation

David S. Richardson and Amy C. Wadsworth

Marian A. Connelly Qualified Marital Trust

Anne W. Riffey

Nancy Peery Marriott Foundation, Inc.

Michael P. and Anne B. Riordan

O.C. Tanner Company

Gregory A. Rogler

Roger H. and Colleen K. Thompson Foundation

Jonathan M. and Tina B. Ruga

S. J. & Jessie E. Quinney Foundation

Jean Ann Sabatine

The Denver Foundation

Brent Lee Schneider

W. Mack & Julia S. Watkins Foundation Trust

Evgeny Shustorovich

WVMC MOB LLC

Marlin K. and Claudia C. Sundberg

YourCause, LLC

Norman C. and Barbara L. Tanner Jack A. and Candace J. Taylor Craig N. and Connie Thatcher Scott W. and Betsy D. Thornton Marjorie N. Tucker Keith M. and Susan R. Warshaw David B. and Jeralynn T. Winder Lauryn Wingate Kenneth L. and Donna M. White ORGANIZATIONS AND FOUNDATIONS

Connoisseur ($25,000 +) Brent and Bonnie Jean Beesley Foundation Dick and Timmy Burton Foundation

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Aficianado ($10,000–$24,999)

Benefactor ($5,000–$9,999) ArtWorks For Kids Bertram H. & Janet M. Schaap Trust Community Foundation of Utah Dee R. Bangerter Support Foundation Desert Whale Productions, Inc Fidelity Charitable Gift Foundation J. Willard & Alice S. Marriott Foundation Kent C. and Martha H. DiFiore Family Foundation Meyer Gallery Myriad Genetics, Inc. O.C. Tanner Charitable Trust Princeton Area Community Foundation

Robert & Barb Patterson Family Memorial Foundation Salt Lake Acting Company The Benevity Community Impact Fund The Presser Foundation Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program

Patron ($2,500–$4,999) CCI Mechanical Inc. GAM Foundation Jazz SLC Love Communications/Studio Love Magicspace Entertainment New York Life Foundation Prescott Muir Architects, P.C. Sentinel Systems The Bruce W. Bastian Foundation The Rodney Brady Family Foundation United Jewish Endowment Trust Veritas Funding

Advocate ($1,000–$2,499) Arkansas Community Foundation C & L Investments, Inc. CENGAGE Learning Craig and Connie Thatcher Foundation Daynes Music Company Domo, Inc. Elizabeth S. Hunter Trust Harris H. and Amanda P. Simmons Foundation Hillcrest Investment Co. J. T. Miller Enterprises Inc. John and Marcia Price Family Foundation Lennox A. Larson Trust Microsoft Matching Gifts Program Montgomery Lee Inc. Nebeker Family Foundation Peterson Development Sentry Financial Corporation Sharon D. Ansted-Williams Memorial Library Terramerica Corporation & Affiliates The Children’s Hour Utah Automobile Dealers Association Wells Fargo Foundation WFB Ohio-Foundation

John and Liz Bennion

“The arts have enriched our lives greatly ever since we were teenagers, particularly the performing arts. Liz studied voice when she was young and has taken great satisfaction in singing all of her adult life. We both love going to concerts and some of our most memorable experiences have been attending concerts, operas, and plays at the University of Utah. We have been enormously impressed with the talented students of the arts we have encountered at the College of Fine Arts over the years. We take great satisfaction in the opportunities we have had to provide scholarship support to promising students in the arts through a small family foundation and personally.”

Non Profit Org U.S. Postage

PAID

Salt Lake City, UT Permit #1529

Photo: Amy Livingston

University of Utah College of Fine Arts 375 S. 1530 E. Room 250 Salt Lake City, UT 84112 — finearts.utah.edu

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

The world champion University of Utah Chamber Choir, led by Associate Professor Barlow Bradford, the Ellen Neilsen Barnes Presidential Chair of Choral Studies, collaborated with former choir member, Amy Livingston, to capture the group’s essence and legacy against the backdrop of Utah’s rich landscape (Millcreek Canyon).

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