Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Hero Baby, Elizabeth J. Harney

Theses and Dissertations

With fiction and theory, the following pages give context to my most recent body of work called Hero Baby. The work in Hero Baby embodies an aesthetic of cuteness, as highlights the relationship between: aggression and protection, power and submission, war and commodity, nationalism and desire for love.

They Dance To Bring Attention To A War. But Who’S Watching?, Fruhlein Chrys Econar

Capstones

Potri Ranka Manis Queano has been at the helm of Kinding Sindaw, the heritage dance troupe she founded, for the last 27 years. When a group of ISIS-affiliated local terrorists attacked Marawi City, the home of the Maranao people, it infused a sense of urgency into her group’s work.

http://www.fruhlein.com/kindingsindaw

Disability Artistry Is Not Outsider Art, Hiram A. Durán

Capstones

"Disability Artistry is Not Outsider Art" explores the obstacles artists with disabilities face in trying to go mainstream.

https://hiram-alejandro-duran.format.com/capstone

Rise, Fall And Renaissance Of Graffiti, Georgina S. Hallowell

Capstones

In a losing battle against street artists, “Make your mark in society, not on society” was the statement written in bold letters on Mayor Ed Koch’s 1982 anti-graffiti campaign. Graffiti writers decided why not? We’ll do both.

New York has witnessed the rise, fall, and renaissance of graffiti culture. There was a time when a “mark” on your property was considered vandalism. Today, those marks are used to drive profit, attract tourists, keep neighborhoods alive and are more than welcome through the doors of museums and galleries around the world. From scribbled tags to murals, graffiti writers have completely changed …

.Pause., Richelle M. Dorris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

.Pause. is a series of fifteen abstract oil paintings that represent a visual inspection of changing mental/emotional states of being as we navigate life. My subject matter consists of natural and organic forms that twist, contort, overlap, and flow. These aspects—combined with dramatic and gradual shifts in color, movement, layering and lighting—create a bizarre environment of conflict and growth as well as a space for contemplation.

This series is a mixture of stylistic directions, including abstract representation, gestural, and nonobjective work. Perception is called into question as the visual information becomes more obscure. Outside elements, such as lighting and the …

Shattering Taciturnity: The Use Of Visual Arts As A Method Of Communication And Expression, Jesmil M. Maldonado Rodriguez

Theses and Dissertations

Silence an action that conceals a person’s memories, thoughts, emotions, fears, and insecurities, making them crave a method of expression. In this case, the Visuals Arts serves as an approach to investigate, create, understand, accept, and confront the darkness within the artist's psychological and emotional state. Inspiration taken from vibrant colors and insects found within Puerto Rico's natural sources, how these interact, relate, and consume the human within. By creating a series of artworks, the artist starts to comprehend how silence has taken over her life. Taciturnity has become the flame that ignited the artistic flow that leads to the …

This Is Me: Anxiety And Depression Awareness Event, Stephanie Cotrone

Honors Projects

College and life are stressful, but they don't have to be. We've all been in that place where it feels like life is caving in and there's nowhere else to turn, but it does get better. This event brings awareness to mental illnesses common on college campuses and in the community. There will be engaging and interactive activities to learn about anxiety & depression, and healthy ways to cope through music, art, theatre, amusement parks, learning, reading, and more. Performances by the Humanities Troupe and testimonies by current students who have had experience dealing with mental illness before or who …

Nonautomata, Jeremy Haynes

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is a formal examination of the exhibition titled “NonAutomata” by Jeremy Haynes, as partial fulfillment of requirements for a Master of Fine Arts degree from Stephen F. Austin State University.

By examining the psychological influences within my artwork, I question the assumption that we are all just organic machines built with the same parts although we are all assembled and wired differently to perform specific tasks in society. I recall my personal experiences and how these influence my reactions to everyday life. While using clay with traditional and non-traditional processes, I have been …

Sanaugavut: Art From Kinngait, Nakasuk Alariaq

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

“Sanaugavut: Art from Kinngait” explores 20^th century Inuit art from an Inuk’s perspective to highlight the work Inuit participants contributed to in the development of commercialized art production in the North. The author Nakasuk Alariaq is from Kinngait (Cape Dorset) and is the first Inuk graduate student at Western University to be offered space within the university’s formal settings to curate an Inuit art exhibition. This exhibition and thesis go hand in hand and are therefore very important to advocates of Indigenous self-representation in academia and in galleries. The exhibition “Sanaugavut: Art from Kinngait” was …

Léon-Jean-Joseph Dubois, Antiquarian, Anna E. Dow

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis examines the life of Léon-Jean-Joseph Dubois (1780-1846), a French engraver, antiquarian, conservator, and restorer of antiquities. Dubois lived in Paris during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, in an era when Ancient Egyptian art and history became very popular. His life was overshadowed by the career of his friend Jean-François Champollion, the “Father” of Egyptology, who laid the foundations for the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphics in 1822. This thesis is the first to study Dubois, and the focus of this study will be on his life, his publications, his art, his relationships with other antiquarians, his museum …

5 Or 6 Amphibians: An Animated Short Film, Nicholas Lockwood

Honors Theses

My art project, “5 or 6 Amphibians”, explores a feeling I have had at Union - that of being split between too many things. It is six minutes of rotoscoped animation, presented on an array of nine screens. It is the culmination of my interest in time-based art, especially film and animation, as well as construction and technical knowledge.

Bridging Dimensions: A Robotic Art Project, Samantha Miller

Honors Theses

Spanning the divide between the humanities and STEM has been a pursuit of my undergraduate experience. In my senior project I seek to relate these disciplines through the creation of “automated canvases.” Resulting is a series of robotic art pieces that automate the opening and closing motion of Turkish map folds. These map folds then present a series of paintings displaying a tone of the uncanny and references to parallel universes. Utilizing robotics in my project allows the paintings to push further into a third dimension than normally possible. Providing literal motion to my traditionally two dimensional work requires consideration …

Multiple Bodies As One, Valerie Skakun

Theses and Dissertations

Influenced by traumatic bodily injuries, physical therapy, muscle growth, breathing patterns, mental health, ways of supporting a disabled body, navigating the health care system, and exhaustion, the work described in this paper is a double meaning of the word "organ" and investigates the body as machine. The vital parts of a pump organ, the bellows and pipes, are extracted and re-configured into structures built for the performer's entire body to physically engage with in order to produce wind-driven sounds. Two of the sound sculptures require that two performers engage in play together, allowing them to audibly communicate through moving their …

Superhero Movies And Politics: The Moral Obligations Of Film Makers According To Virtue Ethics, Russell Hendrickson

Senior Theses

The theory of virtue ethics implies that filmmakers have a moral obligation to explore political themes within superhero films. My thesis is comprised of four main sections. I begin by discussing the general theory of virtue ethics and what moral obligations are placed upon someone who subscribes to this moral theory. From there, I establish my argument for why film can be used as a tool of moral education, and I outline a framework for how artists can work to cultivate virtue in themselves through the use of Arnold Berleant’s Artists and Morality: Toward an Ethics of Art as a …

Darwin Or Frankenstein?, Sylvia S. Santamaria

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Through sculpture and drawing, I create my own versions of natural specimens primarily based upon the visual unity of disparate organisms. Invented specimens are composed using a variety of processes employing a mixture of atypical materials following the (20^th, 21^st century) Postmodern shift away from formalist and traditional uses of any singular medium. As well as a variety of art materials, the specimens are hybrids of organic and biomorphic elements, blurring boundaries between botanical, animal, fungal, metal, and mineral. Is my approach perhaps like Charles Darwin, observant and studious naturalist, or am I more like Dr. Frankenstein, …

Puppet Creation: A Lost Art In Treating Child Trauma, Keely Anderson

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Trauma does not discriminate between age, culture, or socioeconomic class; trauma can happen to anyone. Although we would like to think that children are exempt from these difficult experiences, unfortunately, that is not the case. The current extensive research about the effects that trauma has on children both emotionally and psychologically and how these effects can have long term consequences will be examined in this capstone thesis. The arts-based qualitative research within this thesis will explore the benefits of puppet creation as a way for children to externalize their traumatic stories and as a means to provide children with the …

The Air We Breathe, Nida Bangash

Art Theses and Dissertations

Through the process of Mashq, an interdisciplinary practice, loosely translated as exercise, repetition or circumambulation- I utilize both references from my immediate surroundings, as well as Indo-Persian history to investigate institutions as a continual colonial legacy. The complexities of my concerns are explored through a cross disciplinary approach of painting, sculpting, performance and video installations. I explore the relation between contrasting mediums, aspiring to mediate static and moving images through an aesthetic that embodies the essence of miniature painting practice.

In this paper I will explain three works that were part of my Graduate Show. Expanding on their relationship …

A Tale Of Two Dogs Fine Art Exhibit, Jeff Harris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this paper is a formal examination of the fine art exhibit titled A Tale of Two Dogs by Jeffrey A. Harris as a partial fulfillment of requirements for a Master of Fine Arts degree from Stephen F. Austin State University.

By examining the multiple established points of view within his artwork, the author questions these establishments and asks if this approach leads to a relevant way of seeing. Using expanded polystyrene foam as a sculpture medium, a series of artworks created during the MFA research process are conceptually analyzed to explore the value of maintaining a multiplicity …

Sculpture As Souvenir: Reportable And Repeatable, Ashlyn Lee

Art Theses and Dissertations

In this paper, an analysis of the site as material, process, and concept for an artwork results in an understanding of the art object as a souvenir. Reportable and repeatable experiences are discussed and remembered in the six works of the Qualifying Thesis Exhibition at the Pollock Gallery. Of the six works is an installation, Catfish Fence, and five small works displayed on the gallery window sill: Bundle, Posted: No Trespassing, Sling, Right Recipe, and Margie Ruth’s Swing Where the Wasp Bit Me. Susan Stewart’s discussion of souvenirs from On Longing (1984) serves as a tool for considering the art …

In Praise Of Shadows, Xxavier Carter

Art Theses and Dissertations

This work is a relay of my practice in the MFA program at Southern Methodist University. In this text, I account for one of the formal elements of my practice, the box; some of the overarching themes of my practice; commentary on the performances “Rumor Has It”, “The Jesus Projects”, “Better Luck Next Time”, and “The Collector”, as well as “The Black Cock Art Foundation” and “Black Cock Café”, and some of the cultural and artistic influences on my practice. I analyze why I think my work has been received the way it has in some instances by the university …

A Vestige Of The Ultimate Force Of Time And Space, Jiyoung Megan Lee

Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Papers

This art statement is rooted in an idea that the existential quality is independent of absence and presence (synonymous to appearing and disappearing, and real and recognition) and distilled physicality of human body creates a parallel relationship between the two. In search of a proof and logic for articulating the central idea, –that the absence does not define evanescence of existence— the application of physical interactivity in my art, also known as relational aesthetic, enables the work to invite viewers in a way that the interactors leave their traces by physically interacting with the work. These individual traces are eventually …

Monsters And Mayhem And Laughter, Staver Klitgaard

Theses and Dissertations

Being an image-maker was always going to be a part of my life. As a child, I had a speech impediment and in order to communicate with my parents, I would use drawings I created to let them know what I was feeling or trying to say. Image making saved me again when I grew older; I was not a star student. But, when I was in art class, I felt like I suddenly could breathe. The minute I realized there was something I could master and have a handle on—a place of creating, learning the history of other artists—I …

Skin, Bones + Bags: Investigating The Death Of Marine Ecosystems, Rylie Walter

Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Papers

Plastic has become ubiquitous in the oceans. Although a convenient and cheap way to distribute goods around the world, plastic is also a leading cause for the death of many marine ecosystems. Walter explores her personal connection to the ocean, researches the relationship between plastic pollution and the ocean, and examines art as a means for inciting social change to protect and restore ocean environments. By using plastic as her main material for making art, Walter transforms the material from one that harms into one that can be calming and peaceful, while still representing the destruction it causes.

Collective Subjectivity And Utopian Desire, Stewart A. Stout

Theses and Dissertations

This project explores the conceptualization of the body as a collective. Displacing the individual subject position as the primary avenue through which we might see ourselves, the collective is offered as an alternative capable of opening up new avenues for a desire that is utopian, queer and communist.

Confronting The Uncomfortable, Kathryn Clapsaddle

Honors Projects

With this Honors Project, I wanted to explore some issues that might be uncomfortable through the design and creation of jewelry. The Confronting the Uncomfortable section of the project accomplished this goal. These pieces explored themes such as issues with society and the world today. I also wanted to complete a project that combines jewelry with technology to improve some aspects of the health field. The Jewelry Design in the Medical Field section of the honors project accomplished this goal. This part of the project focused on updating the medical alert bracelet design and technological integration to make these tools …

Say Luv: Reimagining The Black Female Body, Jer'lisa Devezin

Art Theses and Dissertations

From hottentot venus to Cardi B, the influence of the white representation and the treatment of the black female body has shaped a culture of oppression amongst Black women, having surpassed the white community and trickled into the black community. In hip hop culture, reality television, and social media, black women are portrayed as angry and are stereotyped as ghetto and ignorant. On the music scene woman are always sexualized under the male gaze, however now that we are in the twerk era Cardi B is giving a new perspective to the representation of women in hip hop. By using …

Empathy In Aging, Morgan Kranz, James Charles Arendt

Honors Theses

Empathy in Agingis a project exploring how to show compassion for the inevitable aging process. This form of care is physical and mental. The concept for this work comes from my time working as a nursing assistantin a nursing home. Through my experiences, this project explores what I took away through observation and interaction

Integrating The Fine Arts, Cole Alexander

Honors Projects

This project seeks to understand and apply research to a lesson plan unit regarding the integration of the fine arts (art and music) into the general education classroom.

"Playhouse Creatures:" A Study Of Restoration Actresses, Emily Laplante

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Creatures. Women. Actresses. We are here because of women like Mary Betterton, Doll Common, Nell Gwyn, Elizabeth Farley, and Rebecca Marshall. Theatre is about telling stories. Their story is a timeless one: of suffering, resilience, dedication, love, and comradery. Actresses were first permitted by royal decree to act upon the stage in 1669 by King Charles II of England. This decree created a spark within the playhouses to see actresses in the flesh perform. With this came a ripple effect of a host of expectations and suppression. This Honors Capstone is a comprehensive look into the themes of April De …

Clear And Complex, Tian Tan

Theses and Dissertations

China’s president has made constitutional amendment through parliament voting, which means he could remain in office indefinitely. I tried to find out what was going on. All the keywords on the topic were marked as sensitive, in order to prevent people from searching and posting about it.