Art and Design Commons^™

A Community Of Knots, Katherine Mahler

MFA in Visual Arts Theses

In her 1965 essay On Weaving, the artist Anni Albers stated, “As it is possible to go from any place to any other, so also, starting from a defined and specialized field, can one arrive at a realization of ever-extending relationships. Thus tangential subjects come into view. The thoughts, however, can, I believe, be traced back to the event of a thread” (Albers XI). A thread is the beginning of coming into being. In this paper, I will discuss the lines of my work from the beginning of the program, exploring mapping to how my work as a teacher …

The Benefits Of Art Therapy On Stress And Anxiety Of Oncology Patients During Treatment, Helen Shiepe

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Within the last ten years research on art therapy and its positive impact on oncology patients’ stress and anxiety during treatment has been minimal. Oncology patients whether they are children or adults when diagnosed experience similar reactions due to their diagnosis, treatment, and in some cases end of life care. The current question is whether or not art therapy does have a positive impact on decreasing the stress and anxiety with oncology patients while undergoing treatment. Deane, Fitch & Carmen (2000), discussed art therapy as a healing art that is “intended to integrate physical, emotional, and spiritual care by facilitating …

Confronting Contemporary Mythmaking: On Artists’ Engagements With Popular Culture, Jonathan Case

MFA in Visual Arts Theses

This paper begins by outlining an understanding of how the culture industry operates in American culture and explores ways to counter the transmission of modern mythmaking through art. As described in Roland Bathes’s Mythologies, mythmaking in the contemporary context serves to sever current systems of power and coercion from the historic processes of their creation; to naturalize the current neoliberal order and make it seem like the only way things could ever be. This sort of mythmaking is transmitted through popular culture, and many artists have responded to it through their practices. Herein I describe several different artists’ approaches, including …

Wound-Dwelling: Empowerment Through Masochistic Experiences, Nizlyn

MFA in Visual Arts Theses

The psychoanalytic concept of the Skin Ego Theory describes the skin as a passage for pain and pleasure to travel through. Remnants of external experiences as well as internal struggles affect the penetrable barrier of the somatic wrapping and leave inscriptions on the flesh. Through my work, I have been exploring the skin’s ability to protect, envelope, and inscribe meaning through my papercuts, oil paintings, and clay sculptures. I procure the marks on my body through kink and BDSM, which then influence the work. Though my bruises may fade with time, my skin becomes tougher. By recontextualizing Skin Ego Theory …

Making Room: Addressing The Counter-Therapeutic Nature Of Psychiatric Hospitalization Through Containment- Based Group Expressive Therapy, Max Sandor Copans

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

The process of hospitalization and the environment of a typical psychiatric hospital is often counter-therapeutic. To challenge this problem, clinicians may introduce the concept of psychological containment. To elaborate, being hospitalized anywhere can be disorienting, frightening and even traumatic. This problem is only further exacerbated in psychiatric hospitals where patients may be disorganized, manic, or struggling with psychosis. Furthermore, psychological containment is essentially the ability for psychiatric patients to prevent their intense emotions from effecting others negatively, and to act with resiliency when other patients are unable to contain their own disruptive behaviors. This paper utilizes both an initial literature …

Three Strikes: The Evolution Of A Creative Practice Through Discovery, Connection, And Structure Or We Should All Be Artists, Anthropologists, And Feminists, Anne Barnes

MFA in Visual Arts Theses

By identifying the three areas that merge to form my artistic practice: discovery, connection, and structure; this thesis uses my creative process as a way to form the link between my intellectual and material impulses, and to identify the connections I make between what abstract painting means to me, my feminist ideals and how they are informed by the gender inequality persistent in the art world today, as well as thoughts I have around the concept of the “feminine” as viewed through the lens of art history. In this way, I demonstrate how these elements are woven together and the …

Being In The Place Of Possibility, Laura Domencic

MFA in Visual Arts Theses

This paper explores my art practice as a phenomenological search for understanding how to be in the world. It begins with a description of my practice as a way to access the place of possibility that exists between faith and doubt. I examine materiality in art making to encourage consideration of both the physical and temporal nature of experience and to find balance with the increasingly incorporeal experience of the digital world. I discuss the materials and processes of drawing, sewing, and printmaking within their historical contexts. This paper connects my practice with artists who consider the act of perception …

Paradise Entertainment's Feature Of The Week: Splint, Brittney Callahan

MFA in Photography and Integrated Media Theses

Watching television has been part of my daily ritual since childhood. Every time it was turned on, I was able to enter into new worlds that were exotic compared to my house. Each story on the screen filled me with hope, inspired me with passion, and took me to a place where everything, no matter how terrible, seemed to have a purpose, an arc, and an end. These visual narratives birthed the idea of an equational life, one that seemed simple and mathematical. After I realized that life couldn’t be firmly calculated, I decided to invent my own alternative realities …

Taking In: A Juried Selection Of Undergraduate Photography 2016, Lucad Students

Taking In

Taking In is a juried annual student-run publication that showcases the best of LUCAD undergraduate photography and video. The project focuses on the business of promoting art and culminates each year with a juried exhibition, publication, and website all designed to promote selected works of AIB artists. The selected pieces were chosen anonymously by a jury of distinguished members of the Boston art community. The book in your hand is the end result of a collective effort by those in the class.

Enduring Peripheries, Anna Yeroshenko

MFA in Photography and Integrated Media Theses

In the 80s when Russian state-sanctioned architectural production consisted of standardized buildings that deplored any unnecessary ornament or decoration, an architect functioned only as an interpreter of numerous limiting factors. As an act of protest against the stagnation in architecture, a group of young architects began to create projects that existed only on paper. For them ‘Paper Architecture‘ became a way of bypassing restrictions and dissenting, a way to critique the dehumanizing nature of the architectural style that prevailed at that time. Spatial compositions, which were hard to comprehend visually, elements of inverse perspective, and impractical, idealistic environments depicted a …

Tales From The Fells, Anne Elder

MFA in Photography and Integrated Media Theses

Our relationship with the natural world is complicated and under scrutiny as we make irrevocable changes to the earth. We enter the woods to get lost, and to find ourselves. We walk there to find thrills, peace, inspiration; to hear ourselves think, to be surprised, to make profit. Our childish fears may have changed from bears, monsters and getting lost, replaced by adult fears (bears, unsavory humans, getting lost). The woods may frighten us or be a place of comfort, but it is rarely a neutral experience. When we lose access to these spaces, it affects our ability to find …

Familial Dialects, Amanda King

MFA in Photography and Integrated Media Theses

Using the framework of scientific investigation, ‘Familial Dialects’ explores the languages – systems of signs and codification of those signs - of individual members of my family, and the metaphors that arise from their interaction with pieces of the natural world. Each of the pieces combine an inherent form and an organizing action as a means of representing an individual’s form of expression. These familial dialects are created and translated using the methodologies of a naturalist - collection, dissection, observation, and classification. The pieces draw meaning from the connotative associations built from familial connections as well as from broader cultural …

Imagining The Unknown, Angelina Kidd

MFA in Photography and Integrated Media Theses

It is true that there is no scientific proof of life after life or of the human soul. However, I believe there is a soul and that it is energy manifested as light. Our lifetime is a mere pulse when measured against the evolution of earth. We are connected to the cosmos through the very calcium in our bones and the iron in our blood, which originated from stars that died billions of years ago. My belief is that the earthly body is separate from the soul and that our light energy returns to the cosmos. Energy will not cease …

Taking In: A Juried Selection Of Photography 2012, Aib Students

Taking In

Taking In is a student run project featuring a selection of work created by students attending the Art Institute of Boston. The project focuses on the business of promoting art and culminates each year with a juried exhibition, publication, and website all designed to promote selected works of AIB artists. The selected pieces were chosen anonymously by a jury of distinguished members of the Boston art community. The book in your hand is the end result of a collective effort by those in the class.

Taking In: The Best Of Aib Photography 2011, Aib Students

Taking In

Taking In is a student run project featuring a selection of work created by students attending the Art Institute of Boston. The project focuses on the business of promoting art and culminates each year with a juried exhibition, publication. and website all designed to promote selected works of AIB artists. The selected pieces were chosen anonymously by a jury of distinguished members of the Boston art community to represent the best of AIB Photography in 2011. The book in your hands is the end result of a collective effort by those in the class.

Taking In: The Best Of Aib Photography 2010, Aib Students

Taking In

Taking In is a student run project featuring a selection of work created by students attending the Art Institute of Boston. The project focuses on the business of promoting art and culminates each year with a juried exhibition, publication, and website all designed to promote selected works of AIB artists. The selected pieces were chosen anonymously by a jury of distinguished members of the Boston art community to represent the best of AIB Photography, 2010. The book in your hand is the end result of a collective effort by those in the class.

Taking In: Photography 2009, Aib Students

Taking In

Taking In showcases a selection of work from students attending the Art Institute of Boston Work was collected by members of this class for presentation before a jury of distinguished artists from outside of the school. The images selected by the jury were then sequenced for the book, which is designed to be distributed throughout the artistic community. In addition, the work is displayed in a gallery exhibition and on our website. In your hands is the result of the hard work and dedication of the members of this class.

Taking In: The Best Of Aib Photography 2008, Aib Students

Taking In

Taking In is the culmination of a semester's worth of work done by a group of thirteen students who set out to publish a collection of the best of AIB's student work. Guided by professor and artist Matthew Nash, and previous issues of Taking In, the class organized production, solicited work from peers, selected distinguished members of the art community to jury the work, and communicated with a team of designers to layout the book. The thirty-seven images are only a fraction of the work currently being produced by the students at the Art Institute of Boston, and there is …

Taking In: Aib Photography 2007, Aib Students

Taking In

Taking In is a student run project featuring a selection of work created by students attending the college of art and design. The project focuses on the business of promoting art and culminates each year with a juried exhibition, publication and a website all designed to promote selected works of AIB artists. The selected pieces were chosen anonymously by a jury of distinguished members of the Boston Art Community to represent the best of undergraduate in 2007. The book in your hands is the end result of a collective effort by those in the class.

Taking In: Aib Photography 2006, Aib Students

Taking In

This book is our fourth edition of Taking In:...a collection, a celebration really, of the best photography created by the students of The Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. Students came together in the class, taught by Gretjen Hargesheimer, and dedicated themselves to all facets of this yearly publishing event...including design, fund raising, jury selection, editing, layout, and print production. Taking In: is truly a collaboration of the images, ideas, and talents from all departments at AIB. The concept has always been a simple one...to showcase the artistic diversity and vision of students who incorporate photography in heir …

Taking In: Aib Photography 2005, Aib Students

Taking In

This book is the third edition in the Taking In: series. As was the case in Taking In: I and II, the work, dedication, detail, and graphic design is extraordinary and impressive. The work submitted by our students, and selected by our distinguished judges, reflects the eclectic vision, visual intelligence, perception, and promise of a talented student body. During this first year as a class, Taking In: worked through twice as many submissions than the previous years in half the amount of time. The stable class structure allowed a dependable process to support creativity and enabled the students, as artists, …

Taking In: Aib Photography 2004, Aib Students

Taking In

This book is the second edition in the Taking In: series. As was the case in Taking In: I, the work, dedication, detail, and graphic design is extraordinary and impressive. The work submitted by our students, and selected by our distinguished judges, reflects the eclectic vision, visual intelligence, perception, and promise of a talented student body. Taking In: is truly a collaboration of the images, ideas, and talents from all departments at AIB. The concept has always been a simple one...to showcase the artistic diversity and vision of students who incorporate photography in heir personal artistic expression.

Taking In: The Best Of Aib Photography 2003, Aib Students

Taking In

Welcome to the first edition of Taking In: the best of aib photography. During this first year Taking In has gone through many twists and turns in order to publish a professional portfolio representing the quality work produced by students at the Art Institute of Boston at Lesley University. Along with the portfolio there will be a gallery opening this Fall presenting all of the published pieces in a professional setting. Our intention is to bridge the gap between student creations and the greater art community through publication. The number of entries for our first publication were more than …

The Art Institute Of Boston Course Catalog (1973), The Art Institute Of Boston

Art Institute of Boston (AIB) Course Catalogs

The Art Institute of Boston maintains, and always has maintained throughout the course of its long history, that the artist holds a unique position of responsibility in his society. Because the weight of his contribution is so widely felt in this age of the expanded media, the artist is expected to be not only innovator, but also arbitrator. The decisions which affect his life and his work influence a wide body of people who look to him for illumination.

Art cannot be taught as a development of certain visual talents separate from a larger awareness of life. The Art Institute …

The Art Institute Of Boston Course Catalog (1971-1972), The Art Institute Of Boston

Art Institute of Boston (AIB) Course Catalogs

The Art Institute of Boston maintains, and always has maintained throughout the course of its long history, that the artist holds a unique position of responsibility in his society. Because the weight of his contribution is so widely felt in this age of the expanded media, the artist is expected to be not only innovator, but also arbitrator. The decisions which affect his life and his work influence a wide body of people who look to him for illumination.

Art cannot be taught as a development of certain visual talents separate from a larger awareness of life. The Art Institute …

The Art Institute Of Boston Course Catalog (1969-1971), The Art Institute Of Boston

Art Institute of Boston (AIB) Course Catalogs

In January of 1968 The School of Practical Art changed its name to The Art Institute of Boston as an outward sign of the diversity of ideas and interests that had generated during the past decade. The combined efforts of students, teachers, and administrators have produced a broad program which attracts students with a variety of goals, and affords an opportunity to study in several different disciplines.

The Art Institute of Boston seeks talented young people who wish to make art their lifetime career. The school offers a three-year program leading to diplomas in advertising design, illustration, photography, and fine …

The Art Institute Of Boston Course Catalog (1968-1969), The Art Institute Of Boston

Art Institute of Boston (AIB) Course Catalogs

It is the purpose of the School of Practical Art to train students so thoroughly in the various phases of commercial art, that they may upon completion of the course earn a good living in their chosen career. Earnest effort and thorough preparation are necessary if the student is to become successful professionally. Enthusiastic and excellent working habits must be developed early and maintained throughout the course. Deadlines must be given and met punctually. Good design, composition, color and technical skill must be evident in all finished work. In preparation for this high standard the beginner receives a thorough foundation …

School Of Practical Art Course Catalog (1967-1968), School Of Practical Art

Art Institute of Boston (AIB) Course Catalogs

It is the purpose of the School of Practical Art to train students so thoroughly in the various phases of commercial art, that they may upon completion of the course earn a good living in their chosen career. Earnest effort and thorough preparation are necessary if the student is to become successful professionally. Enthusiastic and excellent working habits must be developed early and maintained throughout the course. Deadlines must be given and met punctually. Good design, composition, color and technical skill must be evident in all finished work. In preparation for this high standard the beginner receives a thorough foundation …

School Of Practical Art Course Catalog (1966-1967), School Of Practical Art

Art Institute of Boston (AIB) Course Catalogs

It is the purpose of the School of Practical Art to train students so thoroughly in the various phases of commercial art, that they may upon completion of the course earn a good living in their chosen career. Earnest effort and thorough preparation are necessary if the student is to become successful professionally. Enthusiastic and excellent working habits must be developed early and maintained throughout the course. Deadlines must be given and met punctually. Good design, composition, color and technical skill must be evident in all finished work. In preparation for this high standard the beginner receives a thorough foundation …

School Of Practical Art Course Catalog (1963-1964), School Of Practical Art

Art Institute of Boston (AIB) Course Catalogs

It is the purpose of the School of Practical Art to train students so thoroughly in the various phases of commercial art, that they may upon completion of the course earn a good living in their chosen career. Earnest effort and thorough preparation are necessary if the student is to become successful professionally. Enthusiastic and excellent working habits must be developed early and maintained throughout the course. Deadlines must be given and met punctually. Good design, composition, color and technical skill must be evident in all finished work. In preparation for this high standard the beginner receives a thorough foundation …