Art and Design Commons^™

Fragmented Bodies, Lauren Careese Alexander

Art Theses and Dissertations

Through Memory Webs and fragmented ceramic vessels, I express what it feels like to grow up living in a biracial body. I utilize mixed media to emulate a mixed-race experience. My Memory Webs are fashioned by painting on scraps of canvas and attaching them with crocheted wire and ribbon to speak to how my memory has impacted my identity. My fragmented ceramic vessels are cut up and stitched back together to represent disjointedness and un-belonging. All of my work is contextualized through the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and what the Monster may represent for people of color. I also …

Arrival Of Spring, Ryan Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

Ryan Johnson’s plein air paintings address a season of personal longing by relying on the empathetic power of observational painting. His current series of oil on linen panels, painted on site, track the transition from winter to spring in and around New York City. In “Arrival of Spring”, he reflects on the decisions made on site, art historical influences, and the hope of anticipation.

Vision, Repetition And Redemption: Envisioning Universal Salvation In A Group Of Six Carolingian Ivory Book Covers, Valerie Thai

Theses and Dissertations

Six Carolingian ivory plaques share almost identical imagery. This thesis focuses on the figures of Synagoga and the rising dead repeated in the compositions. As the ivories are Gospel covers used in Mass, this study demonstrates how these motifs appeal to the congregation, conveying the Christian tenet of universal salvation.

Words With God, Krista Fassett

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

As a studio artist using multiple media, I investigate subjectivity of the female body as depicted within the context of evangelical doctrines and traditions. I explore misogyny and the absence of bodily autonomy in the bible, which designates women as property to be owned, purchased, and sold. Some overlapping themes include religious trauma, domestication, submission, and virginity. The intertwining of topics allows me to share my lived experience, and ignite conversation into certain religious doctrines that simultaneously live among cultural and political lines.

Emphasizing ‘holy’ scripture, my art varies through domestic materiality and includes crocheted textiles, oil paintings, installation with …

Softly And Tenderly Calling, Jewelya Coffey

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

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,

Calling for you and for me;

See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,

Watching for you and for me.

Come home, come home,

You who are weary, come home;

Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,

Calling, O sinner, come home!

Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,

Pleading for you and for me?

Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,

Mercies for you and for me?

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,

Passing from you and from me;

Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,

Coming for you and for …

Exhibiting Forgiveness, John C. Lyden

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Exhibiting Forgiveness (2024), directed by Titus Kaphar.

Behind The Lens, Jolie M. Adams Miss

Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

What Fuels Me as a Photographer?

Many photographers don’t realize their ability and opportunity to give back and make a difference. I believe photography extends beyond taking a series of photographs. For me, it is my way of serving others, connecting with people, and sharing their stories. I believe photography is a powerful tool to inspire change in communities—especially in those that are underserved. Photos are visual statements of humanity: an abstract of our failures, ignorance, arrogance, compassion, resilience, progress, and so much more. I want my photography to go beyond a small circle of influence. All of us have …

Holy Body/Monstrous Body: The Life And Practices Of Saint Catherine Of Siena., Melissa B. Miller

Dance (MFA) Theses

This research examines the violent misogyny and contempt for the female body in, but not limited to, Western Christian environments using as a lens the life and practices of Catherine Benincasa, a mystic and tertiary Dominican sainted in 1461 as Saint Catherine of Siena. Further, the research looks at the use of the abject and grotesque in performance, as well as transformative storytelling, as a means of making lived experience visible, and is explored as a liberatory response to such systems of domination and violence. Though this research is framed in a religious context, contempt towards female-presenting bodies is not …

Innovation, Liberation, And Agency In The Outsider Visionary Art Of James Hampton And Purvis Young, Griffin J. Joerger

Senior Projects Spring 2024

This project argues for the urgency of scholarship, inherent artistic sensibility, and legitimacy of modern, religious, spiritual, visionary, untrained, and self-taught art from the American South which challenges conventions of materials and exhibition. The research focuses on two specific African-American visionary outsider artists named James Hampton (1909-1964) from South Carolina and Washington, D.C., and Purvis Young (1943-2010) from Miami, Florida, both of whom defied white and classical standards of beauty and value. The subject of education will shape my argument, comparing how the differences in artistic opportunities, training, and support systems in the South versus the North impact Southern, self-taught, …

Body. Freedom. Choice: Creating Artwork In Post-Roe America, Erin Sedra

MSU Graduate Theses

I knew from a young age that I never wanted children. Whenever I expressed my disinterest in motherhood, I was often met with bewilderment, disapproval, and hostility. The church I was raised in taught me that my value and worth as a woman directly correlated with the power of my birthing hips. This fundamentalist upbringing has significantly shaped my relationship with my femininity, my body, and my artwork. When I feel powerless, turning to my art gives me a sense of control and self-expression. This body of work began as a reaction to the overturning of Roe v. Wade and …

Legends Of Light: Crafting Middle Grade Fantasy In The Tradition Of Catholic Philosophy And Medieval Visual Culture, Bernadette Lamb

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This essay promotes the writing and illustrating of middle grade literature that mirrors the wonder-inducing experiences of leafing through an illuminated manuscript and stepping into a Gothic cathedral. An examination of Catholic medieval visual culture moves into a discussion on its underlying philosophy and theology, which are profoundly centered on relational healing and the dignity of the human person. Christian writers including St. Pope John Paul II, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Josef Pieper, Madeline L’Engle, Dr. Bob Schuchts, Makoto Fujimura, and Andrew Peterson inform an exploration of mercy, forgiveness, and love as self-gift in the context of illustration and storytelling …

The Voice Of One Crying In The Wilderness, Megan Kenyon

MFA in Visual Art

I am a Midwestern, Christian, and feminist artist. I make work about the beautiful, broken, and absurd ways in which American evangelical culture influences lives, especially women’s lives. I’m dragging everything into the light by deconstructing and critiquing the world in which I live, move, and have my being. I do this by harnessing prophetic imagination and incarnational space to shine a light on how patriarchy infects evangelical Christian theology and practice. Using prophetic imagination through photographic self-portraiture and text (my own and found texts using the Bible), I seek to make plain the effects of white, Christian patriarchy on …

The True "New Eve": Ben Wildflower's Magnificat And The Second Creation Story, Mary L. Parks

Obsculta

Images of the Virgin Mary have provided comfort to Christians for almost two thousand years. Many of these images have depicted the Mother of God as gentle, demure, pure, and obedient. Ben Wildflower’s woodcut, Magnificat, imagines another side of Mary’s story. This paper considers the second creation story, “New Eve” typology, and church teaching about current social and environmental issues to demonstrate why Magnificat is an ideal portrait for the true “New Eve”.

Catholicism Online: How The Church Is Communicating In The Visual Field, Alexandra Barfield

Honors Theses

ABSTRACT

Given the rise and importance of social media in the last two decades, religious institutions, especially the Roman Catholic Church, have an important place online to fulfill their mission and belief of spreading the Gospel message. Communicating this message on social media and with contemporary marketing practices is an opportunity and a challenge for churches, Catholics, and apostolates alike. In this study, I analyze a variety of Catholic-related Instagram accounts and interview individuals involved in Church management and content creation. This primary research is prefaced with secondary research exploring the status of the Catholic Church in the United States, …

How To Become A Butterfly, Jillian Parsons

Honors Theses

Few could naturally imagine how a lowly caterpillar can become a majestic butterfly. And yet, God uses the very parts that make up the humble insect to form and grow it into unequaled beauty. He works with what is available; the components are already present. My goal with this paper is to inspire you to think about what goes on inside that chrysalis from a perspective of God’s original purpose for humanity and how Jesus has renewed that original purpose. As you linger in these pages, try to imagine how God workshopped the butterfly and decided the transformation should come …

Cultural Formation Of Place: Making Yourself At Home, Olivia Arratia

Art Theses and Dissertations

The environment you grow up in can become a pivotal part of your existence. The sights, smells, people, and places you experience every day can transform the way you see the world. Growing up in a Mexican-American household has brought its own set of experiences that have made me the artist I am today. I am one of many contemporary artists building on the foundations of their heritage and the Chicano movement. I am also a Mexican-American artist expanding the identity and extending the legacy in the 21st century. This paper will investigate how Mexican-American heritage has influenced my artistic …

Sanctuary: The-Construction Of Communion, Carlos Salazar-Lermont

MFA in Visual Art

This thesis narrates the development of the multimedia art installation called Sanctuary. I unwrap the theoretical background of my practice, which is rooted in the theories of deconstruction by Jacques Derrida, and the rhizome theory by Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari. I approach my creative process as a grammatic of matter, space, and time, constructing meaning through an interplay of significants that connect to political, social, economic, and cultural implications. In the case of Sanctuary, I sought to create a path of empathy towards Venezuelan refugees in St. Louis, Missouri through the exploration of the concept of communion. …

Sewing And Dressmaking In Martha Mcmillan's Day (1891), Elizabeth G. Allen

Martha McMillan Research Papers

This paper describes the process of sewing and dressmaking in America from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s and provides historical context for Martha McMillan's discussion of sewing and dressmaking in her 1891 journal.

Becoming Artist Christians, Vaughn Donahue

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

"I encourage [my students] to express themselves in their art, as a multi-dimensional image bearer of Christ."

Posting about how to "do art" as a Christian from In All Things - an online journal for critical reflection on faith, culture, art, and every ordinary-yet-graced square inch of God’s creation.

https://inallthings.org/becoming-artist-christians/

President Lovell And Beta Upsilon Chi, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

Presidents’ Day Cards

SWOSU President Diana Lovell met with Beta Upsilon Chi (Brothers Under Christ) brothers Brock Parker (left) and Connor Blackburn (right) as they delivered hand-made cards for Presidents' Day.

The Shape Of Faith: Understanding God Through Pottery, Kenton Ke

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

The Bible uses the relationship between a potter and the clay as a metaphor to describe the relationship between God and humans. “Yet you, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.” (Isaiah 64:8, NIV). This paper will expand on this metaphor, and draw parallels between the development of personal relationships with God and the complicated processes of pottery making.

Visual Displays In Space Station Culture: An Archaeological Analysis, Justin St. P. Walsh, Alice C. Gorman, Wendy Salmond

Art Faculty Articles and Research

We offer an archaeological analysis of the visual display of “space heroes” and Orthodox icons in the Russian Zvezda module of the International Space Station (ISS). This study is the first systematic investigation of material culture at a site in space. The ISS has now been continuously inhabited for 20 years. Here, focusing on the period 2000–2014, we use historic imagery from NASA archives to track the changing presence of 78 different items in a single zone. We also explore how ideas about which items are appropriate for display and where to display them originated in earlier Soviet and Russian …

Pompea's "Flourish: Engaging The Confluence Of Faith, Art, Beauty & Restorative Justice" (Book Review), Elizabeth Nolan

The Christian Librarian

No abstract provided.

The Art Of Heritage And Mortality, Barbara Johanna Mileto

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Through my art I explore the formation of cultural and personal identity addressing the importance of heritage, ancestors, and religion in Latin-American culture, while I develop my unique deities and spiritual space, creating my own iconography. The pieces are strongly autobiographical, using my family members, and frequently lived experience as a subject. Furthermore, I am drawn to the circle of life and productive failures - beginnings, deaths, and transitions. - My work integrates two-dimensional and three-dimensional mediums, ranging from photography and printmaking to assemblage and textiles, video and digital.

Cvc's Plans For Spring 2021

St. Norbert Times

News

• CVC’s Plans for Spring 2021
• Coffee, Crafts and Conversation
• Managing Difficult Talks at Home

Opinion

• Is Good Enough Good?
• My Prediction for 2021

Features

• Circle K Club
• A Published Alum: Jasmine Babineaux

Entertainment

• Student Spotlight: Kodee Zarnkee
• Music Review: My Chemical Romance
• Higurashi When They Cry
• Coming Soon to Netflix
• Most Anticipated December Book Releases
• Junk Drawer: Most Looking Forward to Over Break

Sports

• Delayed: College Hockey
• The Olympics Are Still On
• Common Ice Skating Injuries
• Implications of College Sports Cancellations

Mental Health During Winter

St. Norbert Times

News

• Mental Health During Winter
• A Conversation with Heather Bruegl
• The Girl Child Art Foundation
• Maria Sherman Talks Feminism, Boy Bands

Opinion

• The Lasting Effects of the Trump Presidency
• Learning In School
• Being Thankful in 2020 is Possible
• Issue With Modern-Day Feminism

Features

• Knight Theatre Goes Virtual
• New Club: Green Knight Donations
• Tribute for Dr. Ray Zurawaski

Entertainment

• Student Spotlight
• Weekly Review of “The Bachelorette:” Episode 3
• Four of the Most Anticipated November Book Releases
• Weeb Corner: Jujutsu Kaisen
• Coming Soon to Netflix
• Junk Drawer: The Last Show We Binge-Watched

Sports

• College Football and COVID
• NFL Proposes New Affirmative Action …

Eternity In Low Earth Orbit: Icons On The International Space Station, Wendy Salmond, Justin Walsh, Alice Gorman

Art Faculty Articles and Research

This paper investigates the material culture of icons on the International Space Station as part of a complex web of interactions between cosmonauts and the Russian Orthodox Church, reflecting contemporary terrestrial political and social aairs. An analysis of photographs from the International Space Station (ISS) demonstrated that a particular area of the Zvezda module is used for the display of icons, both Orthodox and secular, including the Mother of God of Kazan and Yuri Gagarin. The Orthodox icons are frequently sent to space and returned to Earth at the request of church clerics. In this process, the icons become part …

Student Wins Valley Pitch Contest

St. Norbert Times

News

• Student Wins Valley Pitch Contest
• Our Fragile Democracy: A Conversation
• Music, Movements and Manhood
• Fr. Gregory Boyle Talks Love, Tenderness

Opinion

• The Road to Voting Rights For All
• When Does a Coach Cross the Line
• Why Are You Here?
• In-Person vs. Online College
• The Internal Struggle of Politics
• Top Mental Health Apps of 2020

Features

• SNC Goes Green with Eco Club
• A Fond Farewell to Hessica Horton

Entertainment

• Student Spotlight
• Book Review: “180 Seconds” by Jessica Park
• Three Music Artists For Late Fall and Early Winter
• Hypnosis Mic - Division Rap Battle - Rhyme Anime
• Weekly Review of “The …

Legacy Of Ruth Bader Ginsburg

St. Norbert Times

News

• Legacy of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
• Presidential Madness as Election Looms
• Lovelee Talks Art and Community
• Fall Sorority Recruitment
• CAUGHT: COVID Cash
• Beto O’Rourke Calls on Gen Z

Opinion

• Reality TV is the New Reality
• The Mystery of Multitasking
• Goodbye, RBG
• Impending Apocalypse and Puppeteering
• A Screaming Good Time in Wisconsin

Features

• Green Bay Farmers’ Market
• Kayaking on the Fox
• Career and Internship Fair Goes Virtual
• New Faculty: Elizabeth Danka (Biology)

Entertainment

• Student Spotlight
• Weeb Corner: What’s New in Anime?
• Review of “Avatar: The Last Airbender”
• Four of the Most Anticipated October Book Releases
• Junk Drawer: Favorite Fall Beverage

Sports …

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 …