Meet the conductor of the Rexburg Tabernacle Orchestra, Mark Seare. 

Seare taught band in Sugar-Salem schools for 28 years, including seven years when he also taught orchestra. He retired from teaching in 2022. Mark has a piano performance degree and a music education degree, both from Utah State University, and an orchestra conducting degree from BYU. 

He joined the Rexburg Tabernacle Orchestra in 2005 as the principal clarinetist, and conducted for the first time in 2021. He conducted once more in 2022 before being asked to be the permanent conductor, starting in the 2023-2024 season. 

When choosing music for a concert, Seare says the orchestra likes to have a theme, and that this Tuesday’s concert is loosely based around the outdoors. 

“‘Appalachian Spring’ is such an iconic American composition,” he says of Aaron Copland’s iconic composition. “Most soundtracks of western movies base their compositions off of ‘Appalachian Spring.’”

Violinist Richard Ferguson will be featured on “Lark Ascending” by Ralph Vaughan Williams. 

“This is a beautiful piece that sounds like a lark song, and so it definitely has some outdoor overtones,” Seare says. 

The orchestra will also perform the overture to “Candide,” an operetta composed by Leonard Bernstein. 

Seare says he feels fortunate to work with so many excellent musicians, and that Rexburg has an disproportionately large number of talented musicians. 

“When I first started playing, I felt so lucky,” he says. “I was happy to be teaching, but when I got to play again, I would sit in our rehearsals and pinch myself. I just felt so blessed. The musicians I’m surrounded by are just excellent, excellent musicians. Many of them could sit in professional orchestras.”

The orchestra performs Tuesday, March 5, 2024 at 7:30 p.m. at the Rexburg Tabernacle Civic Center, 51 N. Center Street. Admission is free, but donations are welcome, to benefit the renovation of the Tabernacle.

REXBURG — This Friday’s Art Stroll is custom-made for admirers of books and the visual beauty of the written word. Artist and typographer Nils Lindstrom will be featured, along with artist and custom bookmaker Scott Samuelson.

The Art Stroll happens this Friday, Feb.2 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Romance Theater at 2 East Main Street in Rexburg as part of a free monthly series from Rexburg Cultural Arts that showcases talent and gives the community hands-on art experiences.

Lindstrom has been designing fonts as a professional typographer for decades. He’ll unveil his latest work, a font named “Miss Saylor,” at Friday’s event. The font was inspired by an old candy box Lindstrom discovered in his aunt’s basement when he was helping to sort through her possessions after she died.

“She was 100 years old when she passed away,” Lindstrom says. “We were cleaning out her basement and there was this beautiful box, clearly from the 1930s or 1940s. It had a very French feel to it, and it said ‘Miss Saylor’s’ on the top.”

As he admired the box, Lindstrom says he could “hear a big band playing.” The experience inspired him to create the new decorative typeface, which he’s excited to debut at Art Stroll.

Lindstrom has enjoyed a long and rewarding career as a typographer and teacher, but it’s not what he planned to do as an artist in his youth.

“I didn’t set out with the intention of being a typographer,” he says. “In fact, I just sort of slipped into it because I took a lettering class at Ricks College from Richard Bird in 1973, and after my (LDS Church) mission in 1975. … He was my second father. It was a combination of Dick Bird and Leon Parson who nudged me into looking into ArtCenter College of Design to further my education after Ricks.”

Thanks to his teachers’ encouragement, Lindstrom did pursue an education at ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California, earning his bachelor’s degree in 1980, after which he spent 34 years teaching typography at the same university from 1987 to 2021. During that time, he also maintained his own private studio, creating fonts for sale and for private commercial entities. Some of his typefaces can be found for purchase at MyFonts..

After more than four decades in California, Lindstrom says he moved “back to Idaho, where I belong,” in 2021, and is “thrilled to be an instructor of type at BYU-Idaho.” He says that 90% of graphic design is “what you do with the type.”

“If the type isn’t handled right it pulls the whole thing down,” he says. “It feels funky or awkward or not integrated or boring. Typography sets a mood, it creates an atmosphere and it’s usually wholly unperceived by the viewer.”

His own designs, he says, are usually quite decorative and meant for display.

“They’re intended to be used as headlines or sentences or short paragraphs,” Lindstrom says. “You wouldn’t want to read a book set in any of my typefaces. It would be torturous.”

Lindstrom will be in attendance at Art Stroll and is looking forward to sharing his work with the public, along with Samuelson, whose handmade books will also be on display.

Samuelson found his way to art by way of English studies and cultural experiences.
“I have a strong interest in art, but I took no art classes in high school or college,” Samuelson says. “All of my degrees are in English, so I’ve always been involved in books, as my mother read picture books to my sister and me extensively.”
As a child, Samuelson’s family traveled through and lived in Europe, where he was “exposed to the greats of sculpture, architecture and painting,” he says.

Eventually, as an English professor at Brigham Young University-Idaho, Samuelson took an art class from Kelly Bergener, with guest lecturer George Barnhill of Sugar City, who taught about book arts.

“I was captivated,” Samuelson says. “I saw a way to fuse my literary/poetic interests with my artistic interests.”

Samuelson and some friends hired Barnhill to teach a class in basic bookmaking, and also got involved in a Pocatello book arts group, and then a national weeklong workshop on bookmaking that he attended several times over the next few years, eventually being named the Poet in Residence for the event.

An opportunity opened up at BYU-Idaho during a restructuring of the university’s art department, giving Samuelson an opportunity to teach bookmaking.

“The art department was being reorganized when the Spori Building burned down, and the new Spori was being built, so I proposed to the department chair an introductory book arts class with me as instructor,” he says. “I taught that course for a few years in addition to my English classes.”

Samuelson also taught book arts for four semesters at Southern Virginia University while he and his wife were serving an LDS Church mission. In 2020, his work was featured by the Idaho Center for the Book at Boise State University, in a retrospective entitled “The Things We Make.” It was an honor that soon grew into something even bigger for the artist, as he was named Idaho’s first Book Artist Laureate.

“While working on the exhibit, we realized that there ought to be such a thing as a Book Artist Laureate, and that neither Idaho nor any other state apparently has one,” said Idaho Center for the Book Director Stephanie Bacon, in the credits for the exhibit. “Where better than Idaho, and who better than ICB to name one? We hereby name Scott Samuelson as Idaho’s Book Artist Laureate, et omnis gloria!”

(He assumes that last phrase, which translates to “And all the glory,” was meant to be humorous.)

Samuelson’s Art Stroll exhibit this Friday will also include a number of handmade books by local artist Lisa Jones.

“I am grateful to Rexburg Arts for their interest in and encouragement of the arts,” Samuelson says. “Generally in the community and their sponsoring this show and my work specifically.”

Originally published at EastIdahoNews.com

Jenny Crawford had a few options in front of her when she wasn’t chosen for Madison High School’s small a cappella ensemble, Vocal Spectrum, ahead of her senior year of high school in 2022. She could have accepted the outcome and moved on. She could have let it turn her off to her interest in and talent for singing.

But Crawford had a better idea. She called her friend, Hannah Clark, and suggested they start their own group. Both girls loved singing and loved the idea of singing in a small ensemble. They weren’t going to let one hurdle stop them from doing what they loved.

The girls consulted the list of singers who had been called back at Vocal Spectrum auditions and for the high school’s Bel Canto chamber choir, and invited a handful of girls to join them in a new group. That’s how Una Voce was created.

Crawford and Clark are both seniors at Madison. The ensemble also features seniors Kira Hellmann, Katelyn Hellmann, and Sarah Gordon, junior Ella Morley, sophomore Maggie Anderson, and Brigham Young University-Idaho freshman Ellisi Joos.

“Una Voce” is Italian for “one voice,” and since the fall of 2022, the young women have worked hard and rehearsed many hours to achieve their harmonious blend of voices.

Una Voce will perform at this Friday’s Art Stroll at the Romance Theater in Rexburg, a free event that is held on the first Friday of every month. Una Voce will take the stage at 5 p.m. and again at 6 p.m. to give a sampling of the songs they’ve been perfecting over the last school year. They’ll alternate performance times with harpist Justine Turcotte, who will perform at 5:30 p.m. and again at 6:30 p.m.
Also at the Art Stroll, Rexburg Arts, which hosts the monthly event, will announce upcoming theatre productions, with information on how to audition. This will be the organization’s first season of live theatre. According to a news release from the organization, they will also hold a costume drive during the Art Stroll to collect costumes and props for the upcoming productions. More information and a schedule for the Art Stroll can be found here.

Una Voce’s Art Stroll performance will be a preview of the girls’ upcoming full concert, to be held May 22 at 7 p.m. at the Madison High School Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $2 apiece and can be purchased here.

Crawford’s mother, Janet, says she feels lucky to be the mom who gets to have the girls in her home regularly, as they rehearse for their upcoming shows. She says that when her daughter initially had the idea to start her own group, Janet thought it was a great idea, but wasn’t sure it would actually happen.

“I didn’t think it would really come to fruition,” Janet says. “It’s a lot of work!”
But Janet says she has been impressed by the girls’ work ethic to make Una Voce happen, and she’s happy to see them putting “a lot of effort into something so good.”

It’s a sentiment echoed by the girls’ Madison High School choir teacher, David Hinck.

“I’ve been really impressed, particularly with Jenny (Crawford) and how she’s taken the lead on it,” Hinck says. “Not only has she organized the group, she has been really proactive in figuring out, ‘How do I do a concert?’ All the logistics — to rent a venue and all that kind of stuff. It’s been really fun to see her take that and go. I’m really proud of her.”

Hinck is happy to see his students using the skills they’ve developed over the years in a way that brings them joy as they share their talents with their community.

“These are good kids,” he says. “They’re really talented and they do good work. They can be proud of the work they’re doing.”

Justine Turcotte has been playing the harp privately and professionally for 30 years. She is a harpist with various orchestras in SE Idaho. She has taught many students first in Utah, and currently in Idaho. Harp study builds confidence in young people, while the music creates a wonderful sense of peace in the home.

Aubrie Mema is a pointillist artist and painter. She has been working as a full-time artist for the past 20 years. Her works have been exhibited in Europe, Asia and the US and her work is a part of collections around the world. Mema’s work focuses on the concept of opposition. She is intrigued by the idea that opposition can be found in everything and that there is both a tension and synergy that exists between the two extents. She asks the question, “What is moderation and who gets to decide the boundaries?” Mema uses religious and psychological themes in her art to visually express this concept.

Mema grew up in southern Ohio. She received her BFA in Fine Arts from Utah State University and is currently enrolled in an MFA program at America’s most influential Art and Design school, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Here she plans to meet and develop relationships with professor mentors, build an artist cohort, meet many acclaimed artists in various creative fields and establish connections that will allow her to continue her success internationally. She recently moved from Tokyo, Japan to reside in Rexburg where she has already started to help create an art scene by co-founding The Art Guild of Rexburg, which is an all-female artist group with members who come from diverse creative fields. The guild is intended to help artists to become aware of and establish connections with other creatives in the area, provide opportunities to collaborate, expand skill exploration, and both engage with and uplift the community through artistic endeavors. Mema also sits on the recently created Rexburg and Teton Visual Arts Council.  

Mema has been creating since she was very young. Her parents became aware of her talent and encouraged it by placing her in private art lessons. She was asked to create illustrations for her father’s business when she was only in Junior High. Her father would tell his colleagues “I passed any art talent I had on to Aubrie so now she has it all and I’m left with none!” Aubrie says, “This gave me the validation I needed, but I didn’t decide this would be the pursuit of my higher education until high school.” Mema’s art teachers encouraged and helped her apply her works into art competitions where she enjoyed success. She received The Ohio Governor’s first place award for four of her works. The awards and accolades were proof to Aubrie that she had talent enough to be able to find success as an artist, so she chose to pursue art as her career.  

Since Mema finished her bachelor’s degree, she has been working as an artist. She was the youngest artist accepted into Washington, D.C.’s Touchstone Artist Cooperative where she found success. It opened doors to other possibilities as well. She says, “I enjoyed exhibiting in multiple galleries in DC, selling lots of art, and being a part of a thriving artist cohort.” After D.C., Aubrie moved to Europe and Asia. Italy, Sweden, Belgium, Albania and Japan have been called her home over the last decade. Here she was exposed to lots of diverse cultures, art and religious traditions.  

These influences can be seen in her work. During her residence abroad she has had the privilege of both exhibiting and curating in various exhibits. Among her successes, she was represented by Anstensen Gallery in Gothenburg, Sweden, exhibited at the LDS Rome Italy Temple Visitors Center, and the Tirana International Hotel in Albania for a solo exhibition. Her experience curating allowed her the wonderful opportunity to collaborate with the local LDS community, various non-profit organizations and Albania’s Historical Museum to create juried shows of works that reflect on the importance of family and religion. 
Artist Andy Warhol said, “They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself.” Mema says “My desire is to create work that uplifts and encourages positive change in the viewer. Art is too powerful of a tool not to have a clear message with its creation.” Mema enjoys the process of creating with dots. She says that each dot is insignificant alone, but many dots together create a masterpiece. Mema says “I hope that viewers of my work consider their lives similarly; small actions, like dots, can seem insignificant, but over time these actions are what transform us into who and what we are. That can bring powerful change!”
  
Mema’s work will be featured at the Art Stroll Friday, April 7, from 5-8 p.m. a the Romance Theater in Rexburg.

Rexburg artist Liese Schöner Worthen is a creator. She doesn’t stay within one specific medium, choosing instead to create art across the spectrums of style, media type, technique, and purpose. 

Schöner Worthen is a native of New Jersey. She was trained at the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York City and was later mentored by award-winning artist, printmaker, and professor Curlee Raven Holton at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. She now resides in Rexburg and is eager to build the arts community in her new city. 

Schöner Worthen doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t interested in creating art. She says her parents tell her that, even as a small child, she always kept busy with her creations. 

“My parents will tell me that I was always making something or drawing something,” she says. 

But it wasn’t until fourth grade that she truly believed herself to be an artist. 

“I won my first art award when I was in fourth grade, and I thought, ‘Oh, I really am an artist,’” she says. “And of course, that conversation continues in my head. ‘I don’t know if I’m really an artist—Oh, yeah, I’m really an artist.’”

Schöner Worthen says she thinks most artists grapple with similar thoughts. 

“We always are questioning, are we really good? Are we really an artist? A lot of artists I’ve talked to have the same thoughts.”

Schöner Worthen’s legitimacy as an artist was validated in a big way when she was accepted to Parsons where she majored in architecture. According to the Association of Independent Colleges of Art & Design, “Parsons School of Design is one of the leading institutions for art and design education in the world.” In 2022, Parsons was ranked as the best art and design school in the United States for the fifth straight year by QS World University Rankings. 

Schöner Worthen says she told herself, “If I can get into Parsons, then I’m an artist.”

After her time at Parsons, Schöner Worthen served a mission in Switzerland for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After her mission, she met and married her husband, and ended up at Lafayette College, where her husband was the dean of students, and where she met Holton, who would become an important influence in her development as an artist.  

“Curlee Raven Holton is a very well-known African American artist, focused on history,” Schöner Worthen says. “He’s really fantastic. I call him my mentor because I think he taught me more than I ever learned at Parsons about how to actually be an artist, beyond how to paint and how to make prints.”

As an artist in residence at Lafayette in the Experimental Printmaking Institute, which was founded by Holton, Schöner Worthen was able to work alongside other artists she admired, including Faith Ringgold and Richard Anuszkiewicz. 

“We worked with some unbelievable people,” she says. 

As an artist with a breadth of interest and skill, throughout her life Schöner Worthen has worked across mediums, always planning for what’s next. 

“I’m fascinated by lots of things,” she says. “Right now I’m painting, so I’ll paint for a while. I’ll usually give myself an assignment. So I’ll finish that, and usually I’ll have something in mind to do next. So, next, I’m going to do some small prints, some linocuts, and then who knows what’s next?”

Schöner Worthen says her artistic style varies, and she’s not sure how an observer would describe her work. 

“Depending on the medium, the work is very different,” she says. “Right now, I’m doing abstract. Usually, when I do oil, it’s more realism than it is abstract. It kind of depends . . . I’ve also done installation work, which I also love very much. That usually has some kind of theme, usually about women.”

A few years ago, Schöner Worthen and her family moved to Rexburg, where she now teaches art at Madison Middle School and her husband, Kevin D. Worthen works for Brigham Young University-Idaho. They are the parents of Cole, 24, who is a nursing student at BYU-Idaho, and Ava, 19, who is an artist, like her mother. 

Schöner Worthen says they felt drawn to Rexburg, but are still working out why, exactly, they’re here. 

“We have no idea why we are here in Rexburg, but something led us here,” she says. “We’re kind of east coast people trying to fit in in the west . . . (Kevin) loves what he does at BYU-Idaho. He’s in student success and retention, and that’s always been his thing. He just really wants to help students succeed.”

Schöner Worthen enjoys teaching at the middle school and values the opportunity to work with children. 

“I love having influence on these young people” she says. “They are very talented students. It’s nice to have an impact on the younger minds, because I believe that art is so important for young people. It’s about tapping into that part of their brain that a lot of children don't do anymore.  They do things that don't require a lot of imagination—someone already created it. It’s very hard for them to imagine things, to come up with ideas. They want me to give them all the information.”

Schöner Worthen points to Bloom's Taxonomy, a set of education models developed by a doctor named Benjamin Bloom.  

“Creating is at the top of the pyramid,” she says. “The pinnacle is to create, and that’s why art is so important. Because it opens up that part of the brain that affects everything else that they do.  Innovation is so important, and if we don’t have students tapping into that part of their brains where they can create and they can innovate, we’re going to be in trouble, so that has been really important to me.”

Upon moving to Rexburg, Schöner Worthen says she found herself on the outside of the local art community, not being affiliated with BYU-Idaho’s art faculty. Her desire to be part of a community of artists led her to spearhead the creation of The Art Guild of Rexburg, which is an organization of women artists in the Rexburg area who work together to promote art, learn about art, and to look for and create opportunities for local artists. 

Alongside fellow artist and Art Guild member Aubrie Mema, Schöner Worthen will exhibit some of her work at the Art Stroll this Friday, April 7, from 5-8 p.m. at the Romance Theater, 2 E. Main Street, Rexburg.

Stephen Beyer is a musician and producer from the Chicago area. His main instrument is the guitar and he has a passion for effects pedals and the wide soundscapes they can create.

During his time as lead guitarist for local Rexburg band, “The Howls”, he produced their debut record American Dream
(2018) under his Indie Label, Red Car Records. 

Currently he has two singles released under his name on all streaming platforms. In one month’s time his third single, “Gatekeeper” will be released. Following soon after, his debut Solo Album releases, a project he’s taken great care to create over the past year.

The album, Stephen Beyer, includes a wide variety of musical styles and genres that have influenced him. Featuring sounds from Alternative Rock to Folk-Acoustic to Ambient, the 12 tracks are all originals barring one cover song of “Fairytale Lullaby”.

“My favorite Albums have always been pieces of work that have a sense of flow and cohesiveness throughout the entire tracklist. Whether it be the lyrical whit and catchiness of Weezer’s debut 'The Blue Album,' the seamless transitions within Animal Collective’s 'Merriweather Post Pavilion,' or the awe-inspiring compositions that make up 'In-Rainbows' by Radiohead, the greatest Albums are best experienced as a whole rather than picking them apart by individual songs. 

"The influence music has had on me is profound. Ever since I had the first taste of composing a song of my own, I’ve aspired to write and record an album. One that I’m proud to share with the world. An album that holds to my personal standards and tastes. One that my teenage self would be excited to discover. Looking back at the hard work that I’ve invested in my debut Solo Album over the past year, I’m enthralled to say that I’ve accomplished that goal.”

Lynn Hall will share his music and recite some of his favorite cowboy poetry at the April Art Stroll.

Hall is a native of Madison County who took up trumpet playing as a child.

"This was the instrument that we had at the house, that my siblings played, so I picked it up when I was about 11 years old and started making some sputtering sounds on it."

A decade later, he's still playing and has studied music education as a student at Brigham Young University-Idaho. He also sings in a barbershop chorus. Lynn performed in the Nauvoo Brass Band as a performing missionary and has performed with Jenny Oaks Baker and George Dyer. He offers trumpet and beginning brass lessons and can be reached at Email Lynn Hall.

Based in Idaho, Mo travels the country weaving personal stories with folk and fairy tales, throwing in a tall tale here and there for good measure. She performed on the National Storytelling Festival Exchange Place stage in 2022 and will be featured at Stone Soup Women's Storytelling Festivals in 2023. Her YouTube channel, "Miss Mo Storyteller," is a platform for families and teachers to bring folk and fairy tales into their homes and classrooms. She has performed locally with Snake River Storytelling. Stay tuned to see their future storytelling events and workshops.

Aspen Nyshelle is a 23 year old Idaho-based painter who specializes in oil and mixed media works. Growing up in Montana, she developed a deep love for nature and God's beautiful creations. She feels that painting is a gift that allows her to appreciate His work in a very special way. Aspen's lively use of color and theme aim to portray magic in the mundane and challenge viewers to see the world around them with new eyes.  

Aspen is currently a Mastery Program student at the Milan Art Institute in Athens, Georgia, with plans to graduate Fall 2023 and continue her professional career as a full-time artist. Since 2017, she has participated in many competitions, shows, and has sold to people all around the country. 

My name is Natalie Jonas. I have fun thinking up, writing, and illustrating creations for my toddler. I also enjoy supporting parents in teaching their children gospel essentials from the earliest age possible. I graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Illustration and a minor in Family Life. My husband and I have a business called A Covenant Child. We sell a lift-the-flap book called My Covenant Path With Jesus. It's great for Sacrament Meeting reverence and teaching children (from 15 months to three years) about Jesus and all five covenants made in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We also sell art/activity downloads for toddlers as well. 

The work of Mary Lou Romney will be on display at Rexburg City Hall during the month of November, 2023. Learn more about Mary Lou here.

The exhibit is located in the south hallway, and can be accessed from either the east or west entrance of City Hall (35 N 1st E).

Some of Mary Lou's children will be in attendance at the gallery during November's Art Stroll, Friday, November 3, 5-8 PM.