Digital Commons Network^™

In This Time And Place, Christy Aggens

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

I seek out and spend time in relatively wild outdoor locations and create art based on my observations. The resulting work explores time and place, while the creation of the work increases my engagement with the environment. This process serves as a reminder that time is relative and life itself is continuous.

I start by finding time in locations where nature has been given a chance to thrive and where the sound of human activity is at a minimum. During these retreats, I use my senses to absorb information and document the experience by journaling, making recordings, taking photographs, drawing, …

Learning An Interpretable Stylized Subspace For 3d-Aware Animatable Artforms, Chenxi Zheng, Bangzhen Liu, Xuemiao Xu, Huaidong Zhang, Shengfeng He

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Throughout history, static paintings have captivated viewers within display frames, yet the possibility of making these masterpieces vividly interactive remains intriguing. This research paper introduces 3DArtmator, a novel approach that aims to represent artforms in a highly interpretable stylized space, enabling 3D-aware animatable reconstruction and editing. Our rationale is to transfer the interpretability and 3D controllability of the latent space in a 3D-aware GAN to a stylized sub-space of a customized GAN, revitalizing the original artforms. To this end, the proposed two-stage optimization framework of 3DArtmator begins with discovering an anchor in the original latent space that accurately mimics the …

Birds Of Costa Rica: Journal & Sketchbook, Clara Magsarili

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This project exhibits the birds of Costa Rica which are extremely beautiful and diverse. I had the opportunity to see 148 species of bird while studying abroad in Costa Rica in the fall of 2023. This project is a collection of personal observations of each species accompanied by a watercolor painting or colored pencil drawing. Inspired by a Tropical Birds class that I took at Veritas University in San Jose, Costa Rica, 'Birds of Costa Rica: Journal & Stetchbook' grew into a piece that encapsulates a lifetime of a love of birds, art, and sharing my passion with others.

Jackie Ruttinger: Running The Galleries And Her Best Studio Yet, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

Previous WMU Director of Exhibitions Jackie Ruttinger shares her memories of her time working on East Campus for the School of Art. She shares stories of her studio space in East Hall, a favorite tree on campus, and running the galleries of East Campus.

Nick Fugedi And The Artistic Freedom Of East Hall, University Libraries

East Campus Oral Histories

WMU alum Nick Fugedi speaks with Cassie Kotrch over Zoom about his time at WMU as an art student with a studio in East Hall.

Byoe: Making Connections Between Fluid Mechanics And Abstract Painting, Thomas Shepard, Charles Mossey, Jacob Swanson, Colin Huntington, Mary Murphy

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

This bring your own experiment (BYOE) paper details two iterations of a hands-on painting project that has been well-received by fluid mechanics students. In the conception of this project the authors have explored many of the relevant parameters for different painting techniques: drip painting, pendulum painting spray painting, and acrylic pours – one subset of which is spinning pours. These methods were explored both in terms of relevant fluid mechanic phenomenon as well as with hands-on experimentation, reviewing instructional videos and talking with artists. These efforts led to creation of short instructional videos that students can watch before undertaking their …

Exploring The Emotion Of Color, Hannah Hewerdine

Honors Scholars Collaborative Projects

For me, color is innately connected to emotion -- even as children we inherently understand the connection between simple emotions and colors, such as yellow with happiness or blue with sadness. With my exhibition, I wanted to ask the question of whether the color yellow elicits emotional response from the viewer. I created six abstract paintings that centered around the color yellow in order to explore that specific color’s emotional ties. I wanted this exhibition to simply propose a new idea for viewers to think about. I learned that I was not possibly going to elicit the broad spectrum of …

Selvage, Sandra Reed

Art & Design Faculty Research

The abstract works in this exhibition are inspired by memories or terms referencing geographic or architectural structures. The exhibition notably features a 30” x 120” triptych, Selvage, and several of its preliminary works, among the twenty-four exhibited works.

New Myths And My Religion, Pallas Lane Umbra

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

New Myths and My Religion
Pallas Lane Umbra
Faculty Advisor: Katie Mitchell

As every civilization has had its myth and legends, this creative thesis project introduces a new mythology. This world is born of our own, shaped by the experience of growing up queer in the Appalachian South. There is a specific exploration of love, rage, and spirituality. Inspired by Greco-Roman mythology while also reflecting on personal experience, this body of work shares a visual, symbolic language that is interpretable; one myth can tell many stories. Along with this new iconography, the work strips the viewer of ease and comfort …

The Ghosts Shed Tears, Sarah Jentsch

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

Before I was taught what made us different, I thought my brother and I were the same. The only difference between a doe and a buck was the antlers. As I grew, I noticed differences—in the way people spoke to us, in what was expected of us, in the questions we were asked. In what our futures were supposed to look like. The difference between the doe and the buck was still the antlers, but those antlers made one a trophy and the other venison.

Many of my formative experiences I came to understand through animals. My family home, cradled …

To Remember You By, Tesla Kawakami

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This project is an illustrated zine memoir of queer love, dating, and growing up, framed by what was left behind. I explored my dating history through illustration, writing and material objects. Each section was about a different person, and was structured through a cut paper illustration of the item that they left behind at my house. I used a variety of different illustration techniques including cut paper, collage, painting, and found materials.

Modus Operandi, Sommer Cartwright

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

There is a lack of information available on Idaho Cold Cases, especially in a modern format. I have created a project to fill this void in awareness in the community. Starting with two cases, and posting them on YouTube I am hoping to continue to keep these cases alive and get them in front of new eyes in hope of solving them. During these videos I told the stories of the victims, while creating a painting.

Family, War, And Identity, Claire E. Smith

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

An exploratory mixed media project using photography transfers centered on my Ukrainian grandmother's immigration during World War II.

Idylls, Madison Aunger

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

An “Idyll” is defined as a happy, peaceful, or picturesque scene. The term references poetry that describes a small intimate world, and scenes from everyday life.

This exhibition, Idylls, showcases the little world of my home here in Lincoln, Nebraska. The paintings mirror my experience of the domestic spaces in my life, and the peaceful moments I encounter. In Idylls you are encouraged to be idle. We do ourselves a disservice when we don’t take the time to slow down.

My work begins as an excitement about a specific formal quality, a shape of light, a hint of color, repetition …

Professor’S Painting Becomes University's Christmas Card, Mark D. Weinstein

News Releases

Emeritus senior professor of music Dr. Chuck Clevenger is known around Cedarville University for his 33 dedicated years of service and his exceptional instruction in piano and composition. However, Clevenger is also a skilled artist, and with Cedarville’s upcoming Christmas card showcasing his artwork, the message is clear: Clevenger is a modern-day Renaissance man.

Golden Hour, Christoffer A. Amdahl

2021 Art Contest

Working in the hospital is extremely rewarding but can be quite busy, and it can be relaxing to just sit down on the weekend and paint. There is no right answer or specific goal on the canvas, and sets up an afternoon quite nicely for me to wander around with a paintbrush and see what happens at the end.

More Than Meets The Eye; Accessibility Of Scientific Information Through Art, Rachael Barrows

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

Science is inaccessible to learn in a myriad of ways. Financially it can be difficult to get information. It can also be hard to look up information on your own without knowing what to look for. Teaching science also involves a lot of reading that can be difficult for some disabilities. Through art, however, science can become more accessible, both to share and to learn. Visual learning benefits understanding and retention of information as well as creates clearer holistic concepts. Through paintings, this project shares some scientific information, exploring a way to share and teach science that is more accessible.

Everybody Watched And Watched: Illustrations For A Preschool Journal, Sylvie Spencer Ackroyd

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

This is the beginning of illustrating excerpts from a journal I dictated at age three into a children’s book. Stories told by a child seemed like interesting material for a children’s book, which was something I have wanted to try for a while. What parts of the experience should be emphasized? How do the entries become a story apart from my memories? How can the images enhance the text? A thumbnail mock-up with several paintings.

Study Of Native Colombian Tribes: Art As A Means Of Inspiration, Sofia Fernandez

Honors Theses

Study of Native Colombian Tribes: Art as a Means of Inspiration, examines Latin American art, particularly Indigenous Colombian art as a source of inspiration for the creation of a series of artworks. This project considers two Colombian tribes: Wayuu and Okaina. It emphasizes these tribes’ ancestry, history, purpose, and traditions, with the objective of giving them a voice in a community where they are underrepresented and unknown. This thesis provides a critical look into the tribe’s traditions and artistic techniques through the creation of a variety paintings, drawings, and prints. This body of work concentrates on textiles and patterns from …

Student Weekly Mailer: September 28, 2020, Fontbonne University

Student Mailer, 2020-present

No abstract provided.

The Persistence Of Hope In The Art Of Donald Keefe, Donald Keefe, Bonnie Dwyer

Achieve

Artist Donald Keefe is interviewed about his work and artistic development. His artwork Untitled Construct No. 4 is featured on the front cover of the magazine issue, and through out the interview section, pgs. 70-77. A biography and artist statement is also included in the inside cover of the publication. Other artworks featured are Mythos, Waiting, Consolation, Out-of-Work Horse, Revival, Autumn No. 2, Alone (Not Alone), and The Inauspicious Present No. 2.

Me And My Fear, Grace Praytor

Diverse Families Bookshelf Lesson Plans and Activities

No abstract provided.

The Persistence Of Hope In The Art Of Donald Keefe, Donald Keefe, Bonnie Dwyer

Faculty Works

Artist Donald Keefe is interviewed about his work and artistic development. His artwork Untitled Construct No. 4 is featured on the front cover of the magazine issue, and through out the interview section, pgs. 70-77. A biography and artist statement is also included in the inside cover of the publication. Other artworks featured are Mythos, Waiting, Consolation, Out-of-Work Horse, Revival, Autumn 2, Alone (Not Alone), and The Inauspicious Present No. 2.

Barren: A Case Study Using Art In Religious Instruction To Foster Empathy By Providing Deeper Insight And Encouraging Contemporary Dialogue, Esther Hi'ilani Candari

Masters Theses

This thesis draws upon a review of current literature related to the empathy-building potential of fine art and experiences of infertile women, especially those within Judeo-Christian communities, to build a case study for utilizing fine art to create stronger more empathetic communities. For this case study, the researcher utilized an online survey of infertile Judeo-Christian women to further clarify the specific needs of this minority group. Then she drew upon a broad array of current and historical literature and artwork to discern what cultural and theological trends may have framed infertility as a stigma. Using this information she then produced …

Alexander Van Laer, Robert Huff

Hail We Akron!

No abstract provided.

Disassociation, Max Markwald

Hail We Akron!

No abstract provided.

A Synthetic Translation Of 'Pictures At An Exhibition' Via Acrylic Paint On Paper, Gwyn Ash

MUH 377: The Pictures Project

A set of four synesthetically inspired paintings, which were all created while listening to the movements which inspired them over and over (and over, som much that my mom got mad at me and told me to turn on something else).

Watercolors Of Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures At An Exhibition", Sarah Otley

MUH 377: The Pictures Project

Watercolor paintings of my impressions of Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition, movements: 2.The Gnome, 13. Catacombs - With the Dead in a Dead Language, and 14. Baba Yaga.

Painting Ecological Change In Pacific Northwest Bird Populations, Rachel Rothberg

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

The following four oil paintings are part of an ongoing series that visually explores bird populations and behavior in Northwest Washington, particularly in Bellingham and Whatcom County. I combine biological, detailed illustration with painterly practices to communicate fragile ecological balances to my audience through a medium seen less frequently in the field of conservation. My work examines the tension between life and death in the natural world to provoke conversations about environmental issues and to encourage compassion for local scenery. The work illuminates how birds, humans, and the ecosystems we inhabit are intertwined, inspiring a sense of wonder for our …

Sasah Experiential Learning: Stratford Festival Archives And Collections Management, Natalie Scola

SASAH 4th Year Capstone and Other Projects: Presentations

Natalie Scola discusses her two experiential-learning opportunities: her internship in the Stratford Festival archives cataloguing costumes and her work cataloguing and preserving a private art collection.