Martin Luther King, Jr. commemorated through the fine and performing arts
photo credit: Alison Worthen/ UVU Review
First place visual arts
Artist: A group effort by the Water Media I classes of Jana Parkin
Medium: Watercolor collage of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“She put 2 inch by 2 inch pieces of paper in a bowl, had us each pick one out and told us it was our final project. We didn’t find out what the image was until we put all of our pieces together on the day of the final and she told us it would be submitted to the Martin Luther King Commemoration Art Show,” said Linda Peterson, a student whose art was chosen as part of the collage. “She said to be really free with the choices we made and to use any colors or techniques. We all were a part of it and had our own thoughts and ideas, but put them all together and it’s really kind of a cool look — and it is still recognizable. It wouldn’t have been as interesting to look at it had have been one piece done by one person, this really brings everyones personality to it.”
First place music
Title: “Chaos, Pain and Peace”
Photo credit: Alison Worthen/ UVU Review
Composer: Jacob Bradshaw
Performers: Alex Arnold, paino
A-reum Jung, flute
Jacob Bradshaw, percussion
“I chose three main themes, chaos, pain and peace. Chaos being pretty obvious in all the chaos Martin Luther King experienced in his life, that different cultures have experienced in their lives because of anger and misunderstanding and a failure to get to know each other and be brothers,” said Bradshaw, the song’s composer and a music major at UVU. “And pain, I imagine a great deal of people have gone through a great deal of pain, because of the chaos, and peace is something I pray for all the time and I hope everyone does. We are getting closer but things still happen; it is something we are still fighting for and we are still trying to get. The way we can do that is by realizing the dream of Martin Luther King.”
First place dance
Title: “The Body Beautiful”
Choreographer: Josh Lee
Music: Loretta Young Silks, Sneaker Pimps, Sweet Love for Planet Earth and F*ck Buttons.
Dancers: Kandice Barney, Brittney Gleaves, Lacey Jones, Jazlyn Nielsen, Neilsen Murray, Ismael Arieta, Alyssa Richardson and Samantha Rodarte.
Photo credit: Alison Worthen/ UVU Review
“More often than not, the media portrays unrealistic views that continue to dominate our contemporary community and instead define us by other terms. This is why I choreographed “The Body Beautiful.” It is a reaction to the values that are manifested in our popular culture. It is my dream that one day we will free ourselves and find the truth that is within us all through arts, dance, music, writing and dialogue and can break free and a new reality for ourselves that are not contingent upon the vogue,” said Josh Lee, who envisioned the cultural meaning behind the performance and thereafter embodied it in his choreography.