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Tides And Air, Kristine R. Synowka
Tides And Air, Kristine R. Synowka
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This thesis discusses the intermedia and sculptural artwork for Kristine R. Synowka's exhibition, Tides and Air. Through a wide variety of different media, both traditional and electronic, a hypothetical world split between terrestrial plants and weeds and ocean environments is explored within the space of the gallery. Echoing the movement of the viewer through the gallery space, the imagery switches focus from the familiar backyard plants to an oceanic realm based off the kinds of environments that we mostly know from theory. A possible new mythology relating to animals is subtly hinted at through encounters with artwork portraying animals from …
Creating Liminal Spaces, Silas Brook Spellman
Creating Liminal Spaces, Silas Brook Spellman
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The work described in this thesis was completed as partial fulfillment for the Master of Fine Arts degree, West Virginia University. I describe how I work with a variety of media, tools, and materials to search for expression within the painting of the liminal space between the real and the imaginary. This document contains a description of the flexibility of the work to be displayed in various and transient formats. It also discusses how I encourage viewer participation on several levels and can place the viewer between the space represented in my art and the world we experience and perceive …
From Curve To Edge, Sarah Jewell Olsen
From Curve To Edge, Sarah Jewell Olsen
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This thesis is a description and analysis of the ceramic work of Sarah Jewell Olsen. This thesis includes a description and images of the work for the thesis exhibition From Curve To Edge as well as a discussion pertaining to the conceptual, technical and formal content of the work.
I Know, Right?, Morgan Gesell Milders
I Know, Right?, Morgan Gesell Milders
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
My MFA thesis and supporting exhibition will highlight sculptural work that deals directly or indirectly with shared cultural experiences. A narrative explains my interests in meticulous craft and recycling cultural objects and the origins of the popular culture imagery used in the exhibition. I will explain how with parody and satire I am able to leave the viewer feeling at once judged and judgmental.
The Rationale For Ridiculous, Erica E. Passage
The Rationale For Ridiculous, Erica E. Passage
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This thesis is a description and analysis of the ceramic work of Erica E. Passage. This thesis includes a description and images of the work for the thesis exhibition The Rationale for Ridiculous as well as a discussion pertaining to the conceptual, technical and formal content of the work.
The Failure Of The Surveillance State: Observation, Narrative And Identity In American Literature And Culture Since The Cold War, Jeremy C. Justus
The Failure Of The Surveillance State: Observation, Narrative And Identity In American Literature And Culture Since The Cold War, Jeremy C. Justus
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This dissertation examines an aporia in Michel Foucault's analysis of ideological panopticism. Foucault would likely suggest that the contemporary widespread use and acceptance of second-generation surveillance technologies exemplifies the discursive circulation of panoptic ideology. To the contrary, there is a great deal of evidence that suggests that such technology can be used for, to borrow Steve Mann's phrase, sousveillance (or, literally, "to watch from below"). By drawing from Niklas Luhmann's and Gregory Bateson's examinations of the inherent "blind spots" of observation systems (both literal and metaphorical), this dissertation suggests that sousveillance posits a challenge to the theoretically "neat" (according to …
Metonymic, Thomas Stollar
Metonymic, Thomas Stollar
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This thesis intends to support and describe Metonymic, a Masters of Fine Arts exhibition. The exhibition was the result of recorded introspection during the month of January 2012. Metonymic (Image 1)* aimed to highlight the importance of seemingly meaningless everyday occurrences, feelings, and emotions on the growth of one's personality. Ultimately the exhibition emphasizes the abstract nature of human personality, and its unimaginable complexities. *Please refer to dissertation for diagrams.
Controlled Substance, Ron Hollingshead
Controlled Substance, Ron Hollingshead
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
My MFA thesis and supporting exhibition will highlight sculptural work I have created that deals directly or indirectly with circumstances surrounding personal health problems. A recent L4-5 micro-discectomy and the following complications have given much inspiration for my art making. I use this personal narrative as a jumping-off point to create object-based artwork that brings up larger, more universal themes, such as body, disability, pain, and pharmaceutical use. I will explain how the creation of artwork about the process of healing brought with it its own catharsis.
Immediacy And Gesture, Aaron Anslow
Immediacy And Gesture, Aaron Anslow
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The concepts of immediacy and gesture are described in this thesis and their relation to my ceramic work. This thesis also discusses the historic and contemporary influences that contribute to my work, as well as my personal history, travel, and technical research into different clay bodies, slips, glazes, and firings.
Con[Text], Virginia D. Millard
Con[Text], Virginia D. Millard
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
My work explores the relationship of text and image to the creation and perception of our roles in the world, principally from a feminist point of view. I examine the influence of symbols and labels, both imposed and carefully chosen, on the identity women present to the world and ourselves. Through photography and design, I reflect on the roles I fill in my own life as an artist, wife, mother, and daughter and the symbols and words associated with such roles in the hope of revealing a larger truth about communication and relationships through words and images.
Reboot, Nick Lejeune
Reboot, Nick Lejeune
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
I am an artist that works with technologically obsolete materials in order to elevate them to have purely aesthetic, sublime qualities. Creating my art this way has led me to profile and understand hoarders; those who collect materials that are otherwise socially useless. They collect these objects to the point where the collection act becomes an obsessive psychological disorder. This thesis will prove that while I identify with those who struggle with this disorder, my own collection tendencies lend themselves to being more related to the processes of contemporary artists and their need to reconfigure the original use of objects …
(In)Significant Objects, Kurt A. Teeter
(In)Significant Objects, Kurt A. Teeter
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This thesis describes my MFA Thesis Exhibition: (In)Significant Objects, which was on display at the Paul Mesaros Gallery at the West Virginia University Creative Arts Center from November 29 to December 11, 2010. The exhibition included twenty-one large-scale ceramic storage jars and this written thesis explains why I, as an artist/craftsman, still find significance in these objects. By basing my vessels on ancient Greek amphoras, I am indicating that these forms, though heavy and obsolete by contemporary American standards, still have a role as decorative objects expressing vitality, idealism, and active discovery.
Vibrant Amusement, Bretton J. Kern
Vibrant Amusement, Bretton J. Kern
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This thesis is a description and analysis of the ceramic work of Bretton J. Kern. This thesis includes a description and images of the work as well as a discussion of the technical and conceptual content of the work.
(Re)Construct: Exploring Objecthood In A Digital Age, Patrick L. Jones
(Re)Construct: Exploring Objecthood In A Digital Age, Patrick L. Jones
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The following paper describes the conceptual framework and several works in the exhibition: "(re)construct: exploring objecthood in a digital age," which was on view at the Laura Mesaros Gallery at the College of Creative Arts, West Virginia University. The exhibition ran from November 30th through December 11th, 2009. The exhibition consisted of both oil paintings on clear acrylic and ink jet photographs. The question which this paper and the exhibition attempts to address is: what are the ontology and the limits of hyperreality in contemporary society? The following paper and the exhibition is epistemologically based and asks the following questions: …
Gourd'geous, A. Noel Slowikowski
Gourd'geous, A. Noel Slowikowski
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Finding a voice to articulate my passion for making utilitarian pottery has been the central focus of my graduate studies. As a ceramic artist, I strive to make work that celebrates clay's tactile qualities, history, environmental responsiveness, and beauty. My research involved investigating different clay processes, fabrication methods, glazes, and contemporary/historical influences. The end result is a body of work that expresses a balanced blending of clay, nature, and history.
Iconography Profiles, Matthew Forrest
Iconography Profiles, Matthew Forrest
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This thesis examines the connection between art and its viewer and how this understanding of audience interaction impacts the way I create my work. The inspiration and spiritual basis for my work is explored to show the meaning behind my thesis collection. This document also explores the methodology and processes I use in the creation of my art. I also discuss the way in which my work is displayed with consideration towards lighting and the creation of the art being exposed from start to finish for my audience. The concluding thoughts in this thesis sum up the importance of religious …
Achieving The Dream: An Actor's Journey And Creative Process Of Writing And Performing A Solo Performance Based Upon The Life Of Novelist And Civil Rights Activist, James Baldwin., Rodney A. Creech
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This document explores the creative process involved in the development and writing of the one-man performance, focusing on the life and writings of essayist, novelist, playwright, and poet James Baldwin. This documentation will also cover research, journal excerpts, rehearsal, performance and self-evaluation of this thesis project.
Dot Matrices, Kelly Suzanne Sipes
Dot Matrices, Kelly Suzanne Sipes
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
My thesis work is the production and mapping of painterly space using particular methods of formal abstraction, in contrast with common pattern. I construct these paintings in several layers, embellishing gestural atmospheres with idiosyncratic shapes and patterns in alternating rhythms. My focus is on the development of improvisational processes, creating a less ceremonious context for the measure of abstract painting as an idea, a visual language, and as an autonomous object. My technique of mapping is established to consider a territory for a reformed autonomous identity that is in opposition to the pluralist excesses of the postmodern. This paper will …
Pieces Of The Universe, Michelle C. Moode
Pieces Of The Universe, Michelle C. Moode
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The work included in my thesis exhibition, Pieces of the Universe, demonstrated a cyclical art-making process that is closely connected to the content of the work. Through the installation, my aim was to extend the relationship I have with my art into the viewer's experience of the work. This paper presents my three main goals for the installation, and discusses the origin and interconnectivity of these goals. My research practices, influential artists, and future plans for this body of work are also addressed.
American Standard, John A. Pascarella
American Standard, John A. Pascarella
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The work included in my MFA thesis exhibition entitled " American Standard" examines our role as narrative-based individuals within the American culture. In this current body of work I use the photographic image as a director uses the medium of film (moving image). Location scouting, casting, lighting, directing, editing, and processing all become intricate parts of the work, all to lead to a single solitary frozen moment in time that I believe creates a story. Story as created not in a fictional sense, but more in the vein of creative non-fiction, as the stories I tell come from a personal …
The Vessel And The Sacred, Myra Kaha
The Vessel And The Sacred, Myra Kaha
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Through the use of architecture as a container or vessel, the ideas of the human body, the domestic and the sacred are addressed. Architecture becomes a metaphor for the human body. Both function as a vessel. The subjects of containment and preservation are approached through the creation of vessels that store containers.
The Mythical Speech Of Janine Antoni, Patrick L. Jones
The Mythical Speech Of Janine Antoni, Patrick L. Jones
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The confrontation of societal myths has been a major concern of many female artists since the 1960s. However, confronting the ideological construction of myth is not enough to discredit it. The semiology of myth, according to Roland Barthes (1915-1980), simply absorbs this confrontation by placing the artist in the position of a signifier of the myth itself. Paradoxically, in order to discredit myth the artist must "speak the myth," in order to empty the ideological content of the myth through the adoption of mythical speech. This produces a counter-myth. Language as a vehicle of feminist expression has been a permeating …
Wood Ash Glaze, Bradley Charles Birkhimer
Wood Ash Glaze, Bradley Charles Birkhimer
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
My thesis is a documentation of my research with wood ash glaze. Specifics of the type of wood ash used, how it was prepared, where it was collected, and glaze formulas are discussed. I have included a brief history of ash glazes and the importance through their elemental structure. Contemporary potter's who have strongly influenced me through their use of ash glaze are referred to also. The type of clay, firing methods, and application are also briefly mentioned. My goal is to present the variety of surfaces using a small collection of glaze material and wood ash with several types …
A Cross-Cultural Design Pattern: Chinese Modern Design, Feifei Fan
A Cross-Cultural Design Pattern: Chinese Modern Design, Feifei Fan
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Chinese graphic designers are gaining more visibility and earn awards in various international poster competitions, shaping a new visual frontier in Chinese graphic design. These successes are based on their special cross-cultural design principle, which combines Chinese traditional culture with the imported Western modern design theory. In this paper, Modern Chinese design history, development and characteristics are reviewed. Meanwhile, some existing principles are demonstrated and something new is experimented through the series posters design.
Schemas, Jennifer G. Yerdon
Schemas, Jennifer G. Yerdon
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The work included in my MFA thesis exhibition entitled Schemas, represent the relationship that objects have to the body via perception. They become a map of understanding that is at once the object and the experience of that things objectness. Strategically composed this experience is translated into texture, color, and pattern. In this thesis statement I will address how we understand objects in the world and the importance of our interaction with said objects. In addition I will discuss the map like processes that I employ to create these works. I will also discuss the influential artists and writing that …
Breaking Boundaries, Juan Giraldo
Breaking Boundaries, Juan Giraldo
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Graphic design communication is in constant change. Everyday new technologies emerge and evolve, affecting the way we communicate and deliver messages. For this reason, graphic designers should be able to understand the basic principles of design and effectively apply them to any media. It is my intention with this thesis to analyze the way I work in the design process, my influences, and also, why I make specific decisions based on different media. To illustrate these concepts I will discuss the body of work presented in my thesis exhibition: Breaking Boundaries.
Ersatz, George M. Horton Jr.
Ersatz, George M. Horton Jr.
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
My work attempts to develop the relationship between optical and formal painting traditions in modernism via the literal surface of the painting and the object or objects represented. They are arranged to create an effect of simultaneous emergence and dissolution. They represent the falsely temporal aspects of the perceived world, the concretization of which only exists in the mind of the viewer. This thesis statement will address issues of surface and illusionism in modern pictorial theory and the importance of perception verses objectification. In addition I will discuss the subject matter, composition, and techniques employed to create the works. I …
Pyxidis Echo Lacuna, Jessica Mai Weathersby
Pyxidis Echo Lacuna, Jessica Mai Weathersby
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The intention of the work that supports this thesis is to provide a space for the viewer to suspend the exterior world and move into a space where he or she finds a line of questioning and a cyclic experience that ultimately leads to self-reflection. The microcosm and macrocosm enlarged and reduced, respectively, to human scale, allow one to experience this phenomenon in conversational dialog. By conflating the limits of the universe, the participant becomes omniscient within this configuration of large printed works on paper. Texture, line and variant translucent color provides the viewer with a multi-sensory experience. Interaction of …
Loss Count, Sonya Corin Russomanno
Loss Count, Sonya Corin Russomanno
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
My prints encompass themes of loss of past experiences, poetics, repetition, and feeling. By remembering facts from past experiences, one can recall how a particular moment felt. My intention when producing a piece of work is to generalize themes of loss, time, and memory by using visual features of pattern, space, and repetition of forms to exemplify feelings in relation to loss, time, and memory. This thesis statement will first address themes of loss, time, memory, and the visual devices that are employed with one intention, that they exemplify features crucial in my work. In addition, I will address the …
Portmanteau, Peggy Ann Edwards
Portmanteau, Peggy Ann Edwards
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Portmanteau is a blend of two words incorporated to make a new meaning. In my painting I combine two animals to make a new life form. The weak, defenseless animals get armament and the fierce, dominant carnivores are made less threatening so that man will not find it necessary to destroy them. My animals are hybrids and with hybridity anything is possible because hybridity is about making meaning without being bound by actuality. My hybrid animals are whimsical and funny but I create them for a serious reason. I want people to look at them and see that they are …