Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program

Tag: University of Utah College of Fine Arts

  • Arts Education Research Symposium 2020 focuses on inclusion through the arts

    Arts inclusion research project at Mill Creek Elementary incorporates mural textures for visually impaired students

    Photo by Master of Fine Arts Teaching Candidate Robert Plumb

    How do we effectively create inclusive arts integrated learning spaces for all students?

    On Tuesday, January 14th at the Arts Education Research Symposium, the College of Fine Arts alongside principals, district leaders, and community arts colleagues, will tackle this very question. The goal? To network, share research, prompt discussion, and forge partnerships in an effort to continually create environments in school where all learners are included and can thrive. 

    As Kelby McIntyre-Martinez, Assistant Dean for Arts Education & Community Engagement, explained: “The inclusive arts landscape has drastically changed over the last decade, and so has our K-12 student body. As we work towards creating educational spaces that truly include all learners, it is vital that our educational systems and teacher preparation programs implement relevant methodologies that are innovative, mutually beneficial, and celebrate each child’s abilities and unique contributions.”

    The Arts Education Research Symposium will include a short, interactive STEAM performance and movement workshop led by the Deaf Children’s Theatre Touring Company, Sunshine 2.0, from the National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

    Following, local administrators and Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts Learning Program specialists will share best inclusive practices.  Speakers will include: principal Lori Reynolds and specialist Jonathan Hale from Sprucewood Elementary in Canyons School District, principal Ann Kane and specialist Rachel Lankford from Mill Creek Elementary in Granite School District, and elementary teaching and learning director Melissa Hamilton of Murray School District. These leaders will present arts inclusion research projects that have seen incredible results within their own schools and districts.  

    Research has shown participation in educational inclusive arts programs contributes to individuals’ skill development, which in turn can lead to confidence building as well as increased social and academic participation (Hillier, Greher, Poto, & Dougherty, 2012). Knowing this, how might we better prepare arts educators to adapt, differentiate and modify instruction across the arts more effectively?

    “This past academic year, school administrators, in partnership with the College of Fine Arts, identified that inclusive art making and the sharing of best practices across the region was a top priority,” McIntrye-Martinez explained. “The Arts Education Research Symposium is specifically designed to address the interests and needs of our partner school districts.”  

    Join us in this inspiring opportunity to connect and create. 

    Arts Education Research Symposium: Inclusion Through the Arts
    Tuesday, January 14th at 8:45 am – 12:45 pm (light breakfast & lunch provided)
    Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts and Education Complex at 1721 Campus Center Drive  

  • Congratulations to the University of Utah’s MAT Program

    The Master of Arts in Teaching – Fine Arts at the U of U was just ranked #11 as one of the best online education degree programs in the country! The program isn’t even a year old!!! Check it out!!!

  • Infuse Art – Change Our World

    The University of Utah, College of Fine Arts, presented their ArtsLink 2019 conference on Saturday, March 2nd. ArtsLink is free to students and is a daylong introduction into the wonderful world of arts integration. Plus breakfast, lunch, swag bags, and lesson plans for all!

    It was a fun day filled with art making and educational conversation. Breakout sessions, integrating the beautiful book, Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, by Oliver Jeffers, were held in the four art forms of Dance, Drama, Music and Visual Arts.

    Dance with Jana Shumway: “Here We Are” on the LAND THAT WE LOVE!

    Curriculum Connections: At the end of this workshop, students understood more about our earth’s land. They danced the different biomes (desert, plain, tropic, tundra, grassland, mountain, forest, wetland.) They choreographed movement about the levels in the soil (topsoil, subsoil, bedrock;) and created shapes of many land forms, then moved like the forces (water, wind, gravity, ice) that case weathering and erosion. Quite a workout!

    Drama with Penny Caywood: Notes for Living on Planet Earth

    Curriculum Connections: Students in the Drama workshop connected the Drama standards of Creating, Performing and Responding with Literacy standards (Connect.) Students read, listened to and told stories from a variety of cultures, genres and styles. They identified characters, setting, plot, theme and conflict in the stories. They also identified historical, global, and social issues connecting them through drama/theater work. Sounds heavy duty but it was SO MUCH FUN!

    Music with Susan Swidnicki: Come Dance and Sing Around the Ring

    Curriculum Connections: The geography of a community influences the cultural development of the humans who inhabit the community. There are relationships between climate, natural resources and other geographic characteristics and a community’s cultural development.

    Students explored the idea of interrelationships between community and environment. Susan explained ways people respect and pass on their traditions and customs. Students then identified physical features of a community and could explain how they affect people’s activities in that area – All Through Music!

    Visual Arts with Jen Terry: Animal Maps

    Curriculum Connections: Mapping builds higher order thinking skills and brings meaning-making to place, thing, concept and idea. This sense of scale, perspective, representation, symbol and observation connects deeper understandings to the experience and helps break apart place, thing, concept or idea into meaningful chunks of information to form an understanding of the whole

    Students created a variety of maps – animals maps out of shapes, map of a fish, character maps and scientific drawings. So many ideas. So little time!

  • Murray Mural Project Part 2

    Work continues on the murals for elementary schools in Murray School District.  Follow along as we update this fascinating mural making process. 

    Images have been gathered and now the “fun” begins . . .   

    Scanning the images from the elementary students, combining them with artwork from university students, moving them around digitally and combining them with hand drawing is the next step in the process.  

    And the “fun” continues . . .  

    Compositions, layout, color palettes, and calligraphic line systems are finalized. Maquette drawings (a small preliminary model or sketch) are presented for input to representatives from Murray City. 

    University artists travel to Murray High School, Hillcrest Jr. High, and Riverview Jr. High

    The mural process is explained to Jr/Sr High school students. Examples of murals were shown and students made suggestions on designs and gave input on the color palette. 

    Finally . . . PAINT!

    Final maquettes are printed on smaller canvases and painting with the chosen color palette begins. When finished, these maquettes will be presented to the Murray City Council for final approval.  They will then be printed on canvases that are 4′ x 8′.  Keep watching for more of this process in the weeks to come!

  • Saturday Classes and Professional Development Opportunities

    Don’t miss out on these exciting opportunities available to you, several at minimal or no cost!

    The Arts Engage Saturday workshops at UVU still have openings. Join the best presenters in the area for Drama, Dance, Music, Visual Art or Robotics workshops. Visit this website to sign up. Class meets October 13, November 10, January 26, February 23, March 16 and April 13. (There will be a make up for the Sept 15 class for those needing USBE credit.)

    Evening For Educators information and registration can be found here. October 3rd 6:00-9:00 at BYU

    University of Utah College of Fine Arts ArtsLINK Mini Conference Friday, October 5, 12:30-2:30 at the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts and Education Complex at the U of U

    Utah Dance Education Organization Annual Conference provides workshops for teachers, October 27, 2018 at the Beverley Taylor Sorenson Arts and Education Complex at the U of U

    Orff Workshop Guest Presenter: Christa Coogan Music and Dance Saturday, October 27, 8:30-3:00 at Utah Opera Production Studio in Salt Lake

    Dance and the Child International is for people of all ages to dance together to build family and community ties. Register here for this event November 3, 2018 at BYU