Art and Design Commons^™

A Designer’S Process, Emily Derr

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The objective of my thesis was to design a collection of six garments and produce one made from fabric I developed using Silk Cloqué which involves felting wool in between two layers of silk gauze. The process was initially developed by David and Dorita Reyen of Reyen Design Studio based on the work of textile designer Polly Stirling. I became interested in Silk Cloqué when the Reyens were selling their work in Slocum Hall. In fall 2004, I began working with them. My first experience working with Silk Cloqué was at one of the Reyen’s scarf workshops. My other experiences …

An Original Line Of Bridesmaids’ Dresses, Mae Polson

Honors Capstone Projects - All

A line of original bridesmaids’ dresses began as a market research project for Lara Hélène Bridal Atelier inNew York City. I was to research information on current clientele and find out what they were looking for in a bridesmaid’s dress. In doing my research I sourced books on brides and weddings, internet wedding sites, conducted surveys, and took personal interviews with the founders of Lara Hélène. The market research turned into a concept to design an original line of bridesmaids’ dresses that filled a void for a unique and elegant collection that fit into Lara Hélène’s company image.

Following the …

Exploring Spaces: A Series Of Video Experiments, Nicholas R. Kinling

Honors Capstone Projects - All

My overall intention of this project was use the Honors Thesis Project to apply what I have learned while studying art video to create a collection of successful videos that allow me to work above and beyond the art video curriculum. I was eager to work independently on a long-term project, and the Honors Thesis Project provided me with both an exciting and challenging opportunity to display my academic initiative and creative drive.

Upon completion of the thesis project, I selected six video art pieces that I felt were most successful and relevant to the project theme. The theme of …

Pictorial And Spiritual Spaces A Personal Journey Through Painting And Meditation, Brendon Palmer-Angell

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The way that an artist works is directly affected by the way that they perceive and interact with their surroundings. My work over the past year has dealt with the way that I perceive different universal aspects of human experience such as death, separation and personal motivation. The work itself consists of large representational figurative paintings executed in acrylic, oil and various drawing mediums on canvas, linen, or illustration board. Each piece is preceded by a number of preparatory drawings in which space, characters, and narrative evolve.

The way that I approach subject matter and the execution of paintings has …

A History Of Twentieth-Century Handmade Metalsmithing In Europe And America, Ruth Koelewyn

Honors Capstone Projects - All

The author traces the development of modern and artistic themes in metalwork of the Western world throughout the twentieth century. The argument is that metalsmithing from 1900 to 2000 reacted to the rapid mechanization and the technological developments of the period. The results are uniquely modern, and differ immensely from the work done before the Industrial Revolution. The twentieth century was thus a period in which the styles changed dramatically but also had common themes. Through careful examination, the author points out these commonalities, and concludes that technology has pushed the field of contemporary handmade metalsmithing out of the crafts …

Horse Saddles For Adaptive Riders, Mark Rogers

Honors Capstone Projects - All

“Hippos” is the Greek word for horse. “Hippotherapy” literally means treatment with the help of the horse. In this field specially trained, licensed physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech language pathologists use the special nature of a horse to help clients meet their therapy needs. This project investigates the process of making therapeutic progress on horseback. It describes the field of hippotherapy and presents a new saddle design to make the process of therapy more effective. My design process started out with broad user research. Video camera in hand, I went to observe a form of hippotherapy called Adaptive Riding …

Pirate Story, Jake T. Powell

Honors Capstone Projects - All

What is children’s cinema? This thesis explores this question by identifying three codes of children’s film and illuminating them through a short film entitled “Pirate Story.” The film is about a boy and his grandfather, and the pirates that inhabit a bedtime story. The pirates compete with the grandfather to have narrative authority over their own existence. This film examines the role of the narrator, use of animation, and absence of the parental figures as elements that are signifiers of children’s cinema. It was shot on HD video, with animation created in After Effects. Production also involved creation of a …