Art and Design Commons^™

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 …

Japanese Paper And Paper Conservation, Kei Takahashi

Honor’s College Freeman Research Journal

Washi is a Japanese handmade paper which has very long traditions. There are many types of washi in Japan but there are three main types of paper which are the kozo, mitsumata, and gampi paper. Kozo paper is made of mulberry fibers and the most well-known and has the highest production in Japan. Mitsumata and Gampi paper are made of tree of daphne fibers but the process of these two papers are different and Gampi paper is the highest quality of paper compared to the other two types papers. Before washi was created, the handmade paper originally came from …

Ciencia De Las Mujeres: Experiencias En La Cadena Textil Desde Los Ayllus De Challapata, Denise Y. Arnold, Elvira Espejo

Textile Research Works

En el contexto de la crisis económica que atravesó Bolivia en los años ochenta, una comunidad de puna de pastores andinos, Livichuco, que forma parte integral del ayllu mayor de Qaqachaka, emprendió por iniciativa propia un proceso de mejoramiento de su producción textil, con un programa de rescate de los tintes naturales de la región. Con recursos mínimos, los comunarios compraron ollas y bateas metálicas, y comenzaron a preguntar a las personas mayores sobre sus conocimientos prácticos tradicionales en el ámbito de la tinción de textiles. Durante un período de diez años, y en coordinación con varias instituciones —incluida la …

Textile Society Of America Newsletter 31:2—Fall 2019, Textile Society Of America

Textile Society of America Newsletters

Letter from the President

TSA News:
Announcing the 2019 Fellows of the Textile Society of America
New Professionals Convening: Envisioning Textiles Futures
Observations of New Professionals Convening: Envisioning Textiles Futures
Board Workshop with artEquity
Announcing Research Travel Grant Recipients
Textiles Close Up: Textiles Old and New in Detroit’s Cultural Center
Cooper Hewitt’s Object of the Day Blog Hosts TSA Members for NYC Textile Month

In Memoriam: Marion Coleman

In Memoriam: Archie Brennan

TSA Symposium News
17th Biennial Symposium: Hidden Stories/Human Lives
16th Biennial Symposium Workshop Review: Rediscovering the Potential of WARP(S)

International Exhibitions

Featured Article
A Land of Light and …

Synchrotron Radiation Analysis Of Daguerreotypes: Surface Characterization, Electrocleaning, And Preservation, Madalena S. Kozachuk

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The first commercially viable photographic image, the daguerreotype, captured images from 1839 to 1860. While daguerreotypes provide a significant historical record of 19^th century individuals and events, deterioration now disfigures many of these images. This work describes the application of synchrotron radiation (SR) to the study of daguerreotypes.

Three goals were addressed in this thesis: 1) to utilize SR to further elucidate the physics and chemistry of the daguerreotype and how the surface varies with time, 2) to study the effects of the electrocleaning system on the daguerreotype surface, and 3) to propose suggestions to improve their preservation and …

Book Review: Palaces For The People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, And The Decline Of Civic Life, Eric Klinenberg, Georgia Westbrook

School of Information Student Research Journal

No abstract provided.

Universe Of Things: A Human Presentation Of Food-For-Thought., Madeline Halpern

Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Papers

I present this statement under three loose categories: People, Objects and their Environment. I consider People as human, Objects as art objects, domestic objects, and food, and Environment as the shared space of the former groups. Food directs this statement as I present each concept and creative process as a metaphorical dish. Material exploration carried me from a direct practice of reorienting acrylic paint and questioning object functionality through personified sculptures into theoretical thesis work in which I use interpersonal relations and the idea of consumption to translate tactile, gustatory and olfactory sensations into digital film. In this meal 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.

From Chinese Painting To Wearable Art: The Development Of Wearable Art Design Process Model And Evaluation Methods For Wearable Art Designers, Ling Zhang

Ling Zhang

Wearable art is “art composed of materials structured so they can be worn on the body and that exhibit visually exciting design elements and principles” (Bryant & Hoffman, 1994, P.86). It is a unique (Becker, 1987) and visible symbol that not only depicts the mood of a designer, but also communicates her/his belief, life style, culture, knowledge, and aesthetic tastes to the world. The goals of creating this wearable art collection were to: (a) incorporate traditional Chinese Xie Yi painting themes, ideals or motifs into modern fashion designs with the silhouettes of Western clothing through the use of a variety …

Wish You Were Here, Janie Stamm, Janie I. Stamm

Graduate School of Art Theses

The State of Florida is under threat from the effects of climate change. Rising sea levels are creeping up on to Florida’s coast, eroding the beaches and encroaching on heavily populated cities. Over my lifetime I will watch the water spill over the streets of my home town. I will watch the water flood the Everglades, pushing saltwater into freshwater habitats. I will watch the water begin to drown the state, taking Florida’s many little known histories along with it. This thesis serves as a document of Floridian life during the Anthropocene.

Within this thesis, I tell the story of …

Kiddush Levana, The Moon Is Your Handheld Mirror, Noa Ginzburg

Theses and Dissertations

Noa Ginzburg is weaving cast-off and hand-made objects, lights, reflections, spells, drawings, and an abundance of knots into site-responsive installations. In her thesis, Ginzburg addresses Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings, the synergy of assemblages, repurposing of materials in the era of Anthropocene, and how notions of solidarity and indeterminacy influence her work.

Cultural Heritage Preservation In The Context Of Climate Change Adaptation Or Relocation: Barbuda As A Case Study, Martha B. Lerski

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

This case study introduces an arts camp methodology of engaging communities in identifying their key cultural heritage features, thus serving as a meta study. It presents original research based on field studies on the climate-vulnerable Caribbean island of Barbuda during 2017 and 2018. Its Valued Cultural Elements survey, enabling precise identification of key tangible and intangible art forms and biocultural practices, may serve as a basis for further studies. Such approaches may facilitate future research or planning as climate-vulnerable communities harness Local or Indigenous Knowledge for purposes of biocultural heritage preservation, or towards adaptation or relocation. I report on findings …

Carbon 碳, Mengyuan Li

CGU MFA Theses

Death is the one certainty in life. This fascinates me and I cannot stop thinking about it. When it comes to life and death, the cemetery is a more realistic place than heaven and hell, and it is also a place to feel life and death more directly. A simple gravestone separates life from death. Cemeteries let people come face to face with life, death, and even love.

In a cemetery, there is a tranquility that is different from the city or nature. In a cemetery, people take off their masks and face their emotions. I believe that when we …

Textile Society Of America Newsletter 31:1—Spring 2019, Textile Society Of America

Textile Society of America Newsletters

Letter from the President

TSA News:
Textiles Close Up: Andean Meets Anni in Chicago
R. L. Shep Ethnic Textile Book Award 2018 Nominees
Special Issue of JTDRP [Journal of Textile Design Research and Practice] Published
TSA Seeking a Newsletter Editor
International Report

In Memoriam: Sandra Alfoldy

TSA Symposium News
TSA Symposium 2020: Call for Submissions
Report from Student and New Professional Awardees

Book Reviews
The Art and Science of Natural Dyes: Principles, Experiments, and Results
Call for Submissions: Textile Month

Featured Exhibitions
Anni Albers
TSA Members at Fiberart International 2019
Contemporary Muslim Fashions

Member News

Barong Tagalong, Sabrina Skerston, Ellen C. Mckinney

Ellen C. McKinney

The barong tagalong, also known as the barong Filipino or simply the barong, is the national men's shirt of the Philippines. It is a long-sleeved, collared shirt, buttoning halfway down the front. Traditionally, the barong is made of white, transparent cloth with embroidery around the buttons. The shirt is usually woven out of pina fiber, which is harvested from the leaves of the pineapple plant.

Faja, Ellen C. Mckinney

Ellen C. McKinney

The faja is a compression undergarment, similar to a girdle. The faja is worn very tight on the body to create an extremely curvy hourglass figure. The undergarment shifts organs and flesh and has been said to reduce one's appetite. The degree of figure shaping and body compression depends on the fabric composition. Versions can be found in mixtures of spandex, cotton, nylon, or latex; the less forgiving the material, the more flattering the effect. The undergarment may be closed with hooks, a zipper, or both.

Gestalt Bag Assignment, Don Wightman

Assignments

In this assignment, students had to create a mock-up paper carrier bag and design a Gestalt image derived from facsimile rendering. The Gestalt image would go on the side of the bag.

Lifetime, Emily E. Kuchenbecker

Theses and Dissertations

Time is my bully. Time marks the start of something, as well as the end. We are all carrying out the inexorable passing of time as it relates to our impending mortalities.

I do not fear death.

The awareness of my body’s impermanence employs me to feel that much more connected to the vessel containing that of which I am.

But what am I? Am I my body- or is it much deeper?

Through the work executed during my graduate research, I have attempted to quantify my existence through the archiving my time and body. This document ushers you through …

Bag Logo Assignment, Don Wightman

Assignments

An assignment that required students to create a logo and construct a paper bag with the logo on it and with specific dimensions given.

When Marginal Counterculture Becomes Accepted Mainstream: Preservation And Counterculture(S) Heritage Of The Past, Barry L. Stiefel

Counterculture Studies

In recent years there has been an emerging phenomenon of places and things associated with counterculture becoming a central focus of the heritage preservation field, which in a manner of speaking, is an indicator that the places, tangible objects, and intangible traditions of counterculture gradually shifts in acceptance from being the margins to the center of cultural heritage values. Examples include the Haight-Ashbury Neighbourhood in San Francisco, California that was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 2011; and Bob Dylan being awarded the Noble Prize for Literature “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American …

Public Health Implications Of Retailer Resale Of Returned Textile Clothing Merchandise, Antonette M. A. Francis-Shearer

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Historically, 18th century anecdotal accounts of the decimation of several tribes of U.S. of the Native American population by trading of infected textile blankets alludes to the role of retail in the transmission of infectious disease. This study explores implications of the modern day retail organization practice of reselling returned clothing textiles from a public health infectious disease perspective. A qualitative multi-case study, utilized responses from 20 open-ended, unstructured interviews of retail employees assigned to the returns process. Additionally, several informal observations of select U.S.based, top-ranked clothing retail organizations, identified by the National Retail Federation were completed. Select federal, state, …

Ciencia De Tejer En Los Andes: Estructuras Y Técnicas De Faz De Urdimbre, Denise Y. Arnold, Elvira Espejo

Textile Research Works

Las estructuras y técnicas de los textiles andinos, en las piezas arqueológicas y en las piezas tanto históricas como contemporáneas, se cuentan entre las más complejas del mundo. Si bien el tapiz o faz de trama quizá sea el más conocido de todos los tipos de tela de la región, es sin duda en las telas de faz de urdimbre donde estas estructuras y técnicas han alcanzado su máximo desarrollo, sobre todo en nuestros tiempos. Varios estudios anteriores han intentado describir las estructuras y técnicas de faz de urdimbre, fundamentalmente los libros clásicos Textiles of Anciente Peru and their Techniques, …

A Spectacle And Nothing Strange, Taylor Z. King

Theses and Dissertations

Working through methods of abstraction and comedic mimicry I choreograph awkwardly balanced sculpture with objects of adornment as a means to defuse personal sensitivities surrounding my experiences of gender, desire, and home. The research that follows is concerned with the adjacent, the in between, above and underneath, because I feel that this kind of looking means that you are, to some degree, aware of what lies at the edges. Maybe this is what Gertrude Stein means to act as though there is no use in a center—because this concerns a way of relating, though there are many things in the …

Contemporary Methods Of Preserving Land Art: A Case Study Of Robert Smithson's Spiral Jetty, Samara Johnson

MA Theses

The preservation and conservation of Land art has become an increasingly complex and urgent issue as important Earthworks created in the late 1960s and early 1970s continue to age. They present a variety of challenges—both physical and philosophical—to those tasked with maintaining them. Using Robert Smithson’s Spiral Jetty (1970) as a case study, I have outlined four key guidelines for maintaining and preserving works of Land art. In order to survive, the artist’s intention intact, these works require collective stewardship, an interdisciplinary approach, the promotion of responsible visitorship, and an extension of the museum model. Today, social media has presented …

Artist Frames: A Lost History Tracking The Innovations Of Discarded Visions, Isabella Leokadia Kapczynski

MA Theses

By considering the multiple aspects of a picture frame, this thesis paper explores the relationship between the frame and the painting it surrounds. Functioning to both preserve and present a painting, the frame is often a concern of curators, dealers, restorers and institutions. Though neglected, the painters themselves had opinions about the framing of their work. This research centers on the classification of a picture frame as either fine or decorative art. First, the metaphysical and marketing ramifications of the frame will be considered, followed by a concise history of the frame that will focus on the nineteenth century Impressionist …

Islamic Ceramics, Indelible Creations: Assessing And Preserving The Scripps Collection, Josephine Ren

Scripps Senior Theses

This research project examines and documents the collection of Islamic ceramics at Scripps College from an art conservation standpoint. The main objectives were to establish provenance for these objects, assess their current conditions, propose recommendations for future preservation, and discuss the importance of preventive conservation and general collections care methods. Based on my survey and research, I demonstrated which objects in particular should be prioritized due to their states of conservation and significant educational value. Such objects raise further points of departure regarding authenticity and conservation ethics.