Digital Commons Network^™

Let Them Make Art: Why Unified Arts Festivals Are Beneficial For Independent Artists, Anton Gress

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Artistic disciplines typically have two markets: corporate, and independent (mainstream and underground, if you will). The corporate market accounts for a small fraction of all artists and reaches the largest audience, while the independent market accounts for the vast majority of working artists, yet remains niche. The issue is marketing. Even the most successful independent artists cannot match the selling power of large companies. This project seeks to illustrate the potential of unified arts festivals to facilitate greater audience exposure for independent artists, and how this may benefit the artistic community.

The arts communities at Chapman University have a similar …

Invisible Labor And The Preservation Of Dignity, Laken Bridges

All Theses

My art seeks to question the social value of labor. Throughout history, labor hierarchies influenced by social class and economic stigmas have informed how laborers are viewed in the United States. Physical jobs such as menial and domestic work are a common form of invisible labor that experience debasement and stereotyping. In my art, I use labor-based and ordinary objects as a metaphor for the worker, linking the value or disposability of the object to the societal value of labor. This critique of labor is enhanced by the manipulation of text, by the formal tools of scale and perspective, and …

Comics And Illustration From The Written; The Conversion Of A Story From Prose To Graphic Depiction., Kayla A. White Ms.

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This is a thesis that details the process of writing a short 30 page novel, and then converting the subsequent story into a graphic format via illustrations and into a comic book layout. The story itself deals in reworking our learned assumptions of good and evil, specifically in the supernatural and human possibility for both. The comic book format is an exploration of my reader’s different responses to the written and the graphic.

Aquaponics Art, Alexander Horton

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

Aquaponics has enormous potential to change the way we farm. I wanted to connect more people to Cal Poly's first aquaponics club by creating a functioning aquaponics art installation that allows people to plant their own plants. This paper is catalog of the design process as a reflection of what this project hopes to accomplish.

Aesthetics In Culture, Dan Rager

Dan Rager

This article examines the role of aesthetics in art, music, non-art objects, and activities in daily life. It shows that recognition is vital to our understanding of art and art-objects and sometimes creates conflicts which ask, what does one do with art? The question becomes more confusing when we think about non-art objects and activities which concern our everyday experiences from eating, clothing, cleaning and dealing with life's natural elements. The author points out that Western cultures have a distinct artworld that is usually limited for special occasions set aside for that purpose. He suggests that aesthetics in culture is …

What Is Art?, David Versluis, Matt Drissell, Sara Alsum-Wassenaar

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"Three views by three artists on the definition of what art is. Do you agree with their views?"

Posting about art and what is good art from In All Things - an online hub committed to the claim that the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has implications for the entire world.

http://inallthings.org/what-is-art/

Perceptions And Realities: Contemporary Impressions Of Formative And Temporal Experiences, Holly Lee Brewer

Theses

This thesis describes contemporary, non-traditional printmaking processes aimed at creating a metaphor for our perceptions of time and how the passage of time affects us both internally and externally in our attempt at constructing our self-identity. The language of this metaphor adopts the internal patterns of tree burls and altered pieces of manufactured wood in communicating the transience of time and mutability of memory. Texture is highlighted in many of the pieces for the exhibition, not only with that of irregular wood grain, but also in the series with skin-like handmade flax paper. In order to demonstrate how memory is …

The Fine Art Of Ineptitude, Sue Winemiller

Manuscripts

Each of us knows at least one of them. They are perched before easels duplicating the spring's emerald meadows and the autumn's turbulent skies. Clad in leotards, they pirouette and pas de buerre their souls into the "Nutcracker Suite," while their colleagues entrance the audience with skill in the orchestra pit. Not content with a monopoly of the fine arts, their type is found fashioning Christmas angels from empty toilet paper rolls, making doll houses out of old cereal boxes, and whipping together gourmet dinners from cans of Campbell's Chicken Noodle Soup. I speak of my personal nemesis, the artist--one …

The Land Scouts: Guide Book, Katie D. Ries

Faculty Creative and Scholarly Works

The Land Scouts promote modern land stewardship and are open to all. The Guide Book gives an overview of the scouts as well as information on getting started earning badges and hosting a troop.

The Immersive Medium: Art, Flow, And Video Games, Christopher M. Yalen

Oglethorpe Journal of Undergraduate Research

In this article, the question of whether or not video games could be considered art is explored, as well as what this means for video games as cultural products. Using an interdisciplinary approach, I suggest that there are some games we can consider “art”, and that these games are not only different aesthetically speaking, but are also different from a media-effects standpoint. The article consists of three main sections, an aesthetic review, a content analysis, and a pilot study. In the aesthetic review, I employ different perspectives from aesthetic philosophy in order to come up with criteria for what an …

Valley Vista: Art In The San Fernando Valley, Ca. 1970-1990, Damon Willick

Faculty Pub Night

No abstract provided.

Expanding Art's Audience, Tony Connors

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

This paper investigates the need for contemporary art museums to expand their audience to fit their role as educational institutions. It is based on research that looks at ways museums have typically been operated in the past and then focuses on newer modes of operation, using the Brooklyn Museum as an example of a museum that educates and reaches a greater audience. Lastly, the paper looks at how particular artists have broken the mold of presenting art in order to interact with and relate to audiences in new ways. This research explains ways that art can be made accessible to …

Performance Sculpture--An Exploratory Collaboration Between Sculpture And Dance, Cesia G. Kearns

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Kinetic sculpture suggests new visual possibilities when combined with dance. Wishing to explore such avenues of interaction for sculpture, this artist sought to develop pieces that could be incorporated into choreography. An artist and a choreographer wove their concepts and styles together to create a performance art piece that rose from the reciprocal influences of interactive sculpture and dance. The creative process included development of concepts, visual imagery, and movement as the artist and choreographer shared ideas. The choreography of the original dance influenced the form, structure, and conceptual elements of the sculpture, which was developed in reaction to the …

Impact Of Combining Traditional Printmaking With Contemporary Digital Print, Harumi Okoshi

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

For this project, I would like to combine the precision of computer-generated graphics with the warm-feel of traditional printmaking as a way to integrate traditional art practices with new technology. Graphic design is regarded as commercial art, such as designing packages or posters, and is separate from fine art. As a graphic designer, my goal is to develop meaningful visual solutions. Through the presentation of my project, I will demonstrate a way to introduce traditional printmaking into contemporary graphic art. There are a lot of preparations involved for traditional printmaking. You have to make several proofs before you actually print …

Crossing The Divide Between Art And Craft, Kristin Harsma

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Throughout history, various qualities of art have gone in and out of fashion, works declared high art being considered most important. However, there has always been a hierarchy of not only subjects of art but also of media used to create art. Some media, such as fibers, stained glass, mosaics, and even ceramics, are considered on the lower end of this scale, due to their associations with certain processes and function. I argue that it is illegitimate to maintain a hierarchy based on processes and function, for all works of art require some knowledge and skill of one's craft, whether …

From Runway To Museum: Creating Successful Exhibitions Showing The Interrelationship Between Fashion And Art, Erica Kroening

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Historically, high-end fashion has been reduced to ideas of materialism and functionality in the eyes of the average person. What has commonly been overlooked on the runways of New York, Paris, and Milan was the idea of fashion as an object of art. Some designers, artists, and art historians have always given fashion the warranted classification as art, but this concept is not yet accepted by the regular museum visitor. This paper focuses on three high-end fashion exhibitions that show when a designer’s inspiration and vision is successfully translated into a museum setting, it encourages the visitor to see the …

The Hierarchy Of Rococo Women Seen Through Fashion Paintings, Sanda Brighidin

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

The style of Rococo evokes a variety of feminine attributions; women were usually depicted in works of art in a decorative manner. Many of the interpretations of these paintings focus on the luxurious clothes and lavish backgrounds. Artists like Jean-Antoine Watteau and Francois Boucher were responsible for elevating a very elegant view of Rococo women of Rococo within the public’s eyes. But there were also depictions of non-aristocratic women that were geared more to the middle class (bourgeois). After reading a number of articles and book chapters on Jean-Baptiste- Simeon Chardin, and visiting the Louvre museum in Paris, I became …

Visual Tension In Graphic Design, Raven Heinstein

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

My thesis explores the use of visual tension in various graphic design areas and works. It delves into the purposes of creating visual tension and in which instances it can be most effective, as well as most ineffective. It discusses the use and creation of visual tension with design hierarchy, rhythm and dynamics, symmetry and asymmetry, negative and positive space, color relationships, and typographical design. I will define visual tension, discuss its relevance and significance, and show informative examples. I'm using mainly secondary research in the form of textbooks and examples by other designers, but I have also included a …

Tried It With Glasses Off Too; Sometimes., Nolan John Fedorow

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

I use a small wedge of wood as a tool to pick out food scraps that find themselves lodged between my teeth. I also use a small wedge of wood as a tool to keep a straight door from swinging freely on a crooked house. The small wedge of wood I stuff in between the floor and door as a tool is a controlling apparatus, much like landowners who use fencing to keep people from walking repeatedly through their land and inadvertently creating a path where they shouldn’t. A wooden door stopper will come to adorn a perpendicular-patterned patina across …

Creativity In The Elementary Art Classroom: Incorporating Strategies For Encouraging Creativity, Hannah Kim Sions

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Virginia art educators base their lesson plans on the Visual Arts Standards of Learning for Virginia Public Schools. Although creativity is implied in these standards, they are not directly mentioned; it is possible that lessons are not encouraging student creativity. Through a review of literature, this study explored the role of creativity in the elementary classroom, the role of creativity in the art education classroom, and strategies to encourage creativity in students. Findings suggest that creativity can be incorporated into lessons through a variety of strategies. Creativity is a lifelong process, and strategies that are incorporated into lesson plans, will …

Learning To See, Jade Webber

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Learning to See is a written document accompanying the culmination of my three years painting at a graduate level. Through an exploration of line, color, shape, light and bears I traverse the wandering heart of painting. This document is an exploration of the place in which people become bears and bears become mountains.

Risd Pod 2014 Alumni Research Report, Project Open Door

Publications + Documents

Research and report by Craig Dreeszen, Ph.D., Dreeszen & Associates with Dr. Paul Sproll, Head, Department of Teaching + Learning in Art + Design (TLAD) and TLAD MA research assistants, Karina Esperanza Yanez, En-Ling Lu, and Lauren Allen, Rhode Island School of Design Funding for the research provided by the Surdna Foundation. Dreeszen & Associates was commissioned to work with the Department of Teaching + Learning in Art + Design faculty and graduate research assistants. The research objective was to identify, find, and collect data and stories about the paths taken by Rhode Island teens (RI POD alumni) who …

Polly, Megan E. Zagorski

The Mercury

No abstract provided.

Eclipse: Theories In Contemporary Art's World, Bethany Burton

Student Scholarship

Globalization and New Internationalism have quickly become two of the most common and comprehensive theories for discussing contemporary art in the early twenty -first century. Moving beyond the formal qualities of a Eurocentric paradigm today's art movement is often associated with ephemeral practices that span outside of both national territories and museum walls. While activating public pace and integrating electronic multimedia, artists and curators have begun to challenge the formal art institutional apparatus, showcasing a worldwide spectacle that merge together Western and non-Western art.

Mfa14 (Mfa 2014), Sam Fox School Of Design & Visual Arts, Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, Buzz Spector, Patricia Olynyk

Books and Monographs

Catalogue of a culminating student exhibition held at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum, May 9-August 3, 2014. Contents include Introduction / Buzz Spector and Patricia Olynyk -- David Baker / Katie McGinnis -- Amber bloom ; Mop cask ; Sullen fluff ; Frothy Shiraz ; Aquatic jaws ; Smoking trumpets ; Lake feigned goose flap / Steve Byrnes -- Nathan Childs : the affliction a strange weight, the weight a plume of pain, the pain a shrill desire / Aaron Coleman -- Christopher Chrome / Marianne Rosa Laury -- Shayna Cohn / Cassie Jones -- Alyse Cole / Nicholas …

What We Give, Nicole B. Stupin

Undergraduate Honors Theses

The artist discusses the concept, imagery, and research influences behind a body of work entitled What We Give, for the completion of her Bachelor of Arts Degree and undergraduate research for the Fine and Performing Arts Scholars branch of East Tennessee State University’s Honors College. The artist used this body of work to explore her personal relationships with the ocean, Aspergers, and information. Particularly, the artist’s pseudo-mystic beliefs about the ocean, her frustrations with her life struggles, and fascinations with scientific facts and libation vessels are discussed. Dysfunctionality is cited as the driving force behind the thought process of …

2014 Forces, Scott Yarbrough

Forces

No abstract provided.

Without Words, Adrienne Lichliter

All Theses

My work seeks to question culture's occupation with the direct and conclusive, stirring the viewer away from immediate understanding in order to better grasp the pervasive vitality of the obscure. The thesis outlines the presence of the unclear in our lives and our lack of consideration of its importance due to an occupation with productivity. This argument is made with a body of non-objective artwork that presents visual and spatial ambiguities. By occupying paradoxes and indeterminate focal points, the art resists recognition and conclusion both formally and intellectually. The paper also discusses the importance of printmaking and restraint, requiring one …

Downing, Joseph Dudley, 1925-2007 (Mss 565), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

MSS Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 565. Correspondence, articles, news clippings, photographs, exhibit invitations and catalogs, and miscellaneous materials documenting the artistic works and personal life of native Kentuckian artist Joe Downing during his career in the United States and abroad. Includes records of exhibits and patrons of Downing’s work.

Labor, Vera Bauluz

CGU MFA Theses

I make sacred objects from scratch, from ready mades, from industrial materials, and sometimes from trash or recycling. I treat those objects with love and reverence to embed them with essence and soul. I propose conversations with objects exquisitely executed, that question our social order and the machine, easily understood by everybody, although still challenging our understanding of contemporary art.

The placement of the work and the lighting, as fundamental part of the installation, attempts to generate strokes of conscience that enhance human understanding and capabilities beyond a specific discourse.

Humor and sacred coexist in my installation and in my …