Art Practice Commons^™

What An Interesting Video To Put On The Internet (An Amusing Economic Indicator), Dahlia S. Bloomstone

Theses and Dissertations

My exhibition reconciles representations of domesticity, labor, and morality through the lens of sex-work (SW). It consists of video work, a video game, and free-to-take objects, where donation, the strip club, and the fish tank converge. My work concludes that SW is a timeless construct that will always exist even after reimagining multiple worlds.

The Art Of Surviving: Alchemy Of Healing Trauma In Relation To Identity: A Self Study., Rebecca Morgan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis explores trauma’s physical and psychological aspects concerning identity as an artistic practice. Through exploring materials, subject matter, and media, my approach to trauma is based on personal and socially engaged experiences and my attempt to re-conceptualize that experience through the language of contemporary art. Extensively this work is governed by childhood memories and the critical aspect of being raised as a female in a patriarchal society. Being raised female comes with a certain number of expectations and requirements. This work creates a physical and spiritual connection between trauma and the identity of what is female. Discussing these …

A Theoretical And Performer’S Analysis Of Todd Goodman’S Tuba Concerto And Extended Program Notes Of Recital Pieces, Johnathan De Soto Jr.

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

This document analyzes American composer Todd Goodman's 2012 work for solo tuba titled Tuba Concerto. It contains 10 chapters, including one for each of the three movements of the work: an introduction providing biographical information on the composer and context for the work within the late twentieth century and early twenty-first century; a performer’s analysis on the solo tuba part; and the biographical and performance information of composers also performed on the accompanying recital. Each of the four chapters includes theoretical analyses regarding each of Goodman's movements and practical considerations for performers of the work to observe. The thesis also …

Aiii Sài Gòn Hông?, Jackie Ta, Ngoc Uyen Phuong Ta

All Theses

“Aiii Sài Gòn Hông?”

In Saigon, “Ai… hông?” is a phrase that street vendors often shout to advertise what they sell for the day. This body of work, “Aiii Sài Gòn Hông?” (Translates: “Saigon, anyone?”) invites the audience to take a glimpse into the vivid everyday life in contemporary Vietnam through a perspective of a Saigon local. Utilizing the modalities of painting and sculpture, I collect, accumulate and organize parts of the streets and marketplace by manipulating and amplifying certain key visual elements. The goal of the work is to reconstruct an experiential space that speaks not only to the …

Beyond The Classroom: Building Professional Skills With The Flyaway Mural, Augusta Gaston

Honors Theses

In April of 2022, I completed a collaborative mural at Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Reflection Riding hosts a radio antenna connected to the Motus Wildlife Tracking System, which studies animal migration routes through North, Central, and South America. Working collaboratively with artists Rondell Crier, Tyus Allen, and Professor Derek Witucki, we designed and installed a mural that would communicate the Motus research to their visitors in the absence of a Reflection Riding employee. The project was funded by various grants awarded by ArtsBuild and The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and organized by budgets that …

The Impact Of Murals On Traffic Safety: A Behavior And Crash Analysis, Maria Cecelia Cruz

Civil Engineering ETDs

ABSTRACT

This research analyzed changes in motor vehicle volumes and motor vehicle speeds after the installation of an intersection mural in Albuquerque, NM and changes in crash frequency after mural installations in Philadelphia, PA. Data was collected manually on site for the Albuquerque study and secondary data – including installation dates and physical characteristics – were used for the Philadelphia crash analyses. Statistics were computed to determine trends in motor vehicle speeds and volumes relative to the Albuquerque mural installation. A geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis and t-test statistical analyses were used to determine which Philadelphia murals saw significant …

Tableaux For The Future, Sally Curcio

Masters Theses

My sculptural installations aim to elicit a sense of optimism and possibility through form, color, and mode of display. The work subverts the symbolic order by repurposing everyday forms and objects, allowing us to see the familiar as new, and thereby awakening us to what may be possible to formulate a better, more beautiful, more universally connected order.

Creative Common Worlding With Research Creation In Early Childhood Education, Sarah M. Hennessy

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Creative Common worlding with research-creation in early childhood education engages with provocations that disrupt dominant understandings of children and their relations with more-than-human and human others. Reconceptualizing alternatives through art, this dissertation contemplates the potent possibilities beyond human stewardship, underscores the influence of an uncommoning lens, and emphasizes the difficulties with humancentric notions of research. If, by disrupting how we understand ourselves and our role in place, we modify our actions and change our habits, then perhaps we can live differently and contribute differently to the planet. Through a common worlds framework together with research-creation, this dissertation considers climate education …

The Office Of Possible Projects, Juliette Walker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This writing is a companion to the MFA thesis projects that I presented in the Spring 2022 semester at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. My thesis work did not exist as a singular, solo exhibition in a traditional gallery space like it did for most of the artists in my graduating cohort; rather, I completed three different but substantial and interrelated projects, many of which occurred outside of traditional art spaces: the Office of Possible Projects at the Fayetteville Public Library, the Cake Stand Biennale which took place across the city of Fayetteville, Arkansas, and the office of …

Credulous Escapism, Brianne C. Casey

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

My Master of Fine Arts (MFA), explores the world of toys. I do so following the Thesis Dossier Stream, which is paired with a Thesis Exhibition Credulous Escapism (2022). My program of research reflects on the psychological impact of toys on myself and individuals. I have sought to create a series of works that express childhood wonderment and awe through paintings and installation works. The paintings depict apocalyptic landscapes in which toys explore an alternate universe which allude to a foreboding entity: the reality of adulthood. To contextualize my work, I examine the works of Marcel Duchamp, Diana Thorneycroft, Melanie …

Winding Down River Road, Gillian Harper

LSU Master's Theses

As a mechanism to explore my temporary home in Louisiana, Winding Down River Road is a collection of artworks that integrates natural materials collected from landscapes in southern Louisiana with steel and petroleum-based products. My interest in researching environmental issues, ecology, and industry has shaped my vehicles for observation and how I generate data. Through a variety of methodologies, I am considering how climate change is forcing many of us to re-contextualize how our home can be affected by the very industries we rely on. Personal engagement with residents living in the dystopian atmosphere of southern Louisiana’s industrial corridor and …

Half In Dream: The Tangle In The Grid, Abbey L. Paccia

Masters Theses

Half in Dream: The Tangle in the Grid discusses the form and content of a physical art installation by the same name. The site-specific installation is a large three-dimensional collage of natural ephemera collected from the area around Amherst, Massachusetts, which interacts with natural lighting conditions to illuminate a gallery-facing image of ever-moving light and shadow. The written work elaborates some of the many details within the structure of the artwork, and reveals the philosophies, embodied practices, and methodologies that informed the visual work's creation. Woven throughout are reflections on phenomenology, walking practice, General Systems Theory, collective making, narrative arts, …

Visibility, Jamie Valdez

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

I am a woman, activist, artist, mother, and wife. My art practice questions the role of

institutions in disseminating outdated traditions and unfair rituals in relation to women. Bringing

visibility to what is ignored, I create works that are critical to the unfair expectations that society

fosters, expectations which ultimately oppress women vis- -vis the (art) institution. Through

different conceptual strategies, my work questions what society has taught us about gender

roles and explores the pedagogies that our institutionalized education has systematically

perpetuated for women and girls from early educational experiences.

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 …

La Cultura Que No Cambia, Karina Arreola-Gutierrez

MFA in Visual Art

In the text of La Cultura Que No Cambia, I mention how my work has been influenced by becoming more aware of generations of altar making that occur in my family. By collecting stories and photographs of altars, I can observe and create work based on how the legacies can change through generations or stay the same. The memory of my ancestors and family traditions is strengthened. Growing up seeing discrimination towards others has influenced me to highlight my Mexican heritage of traditions, culture, and language through several different methods. Using these elements, I can create work informing audiences about …

The Ephemerality Of The Living And The Persistence Of The Inanimate, Erin Johnston

MFA in Visual Art

I create fragile, sculptural works with paper. Either cast from pre-existing objects or constructed forms, my three-dimensional works ultimately become pure paper objects. I use the visual language of absence, memory, ruin and ephemerality to present modern artifacts and address the now. I am interested in how the manufactured crumbs we leave behind as a species reveal our collective desires, and our relationship to the body and mortality. I am fascinated with, and even enchanted by, the proliferation of material objects and their tendency to surpass the lifespan of any single human. Perhaps this behavior of producing lasting creations is …

Lovesick: An Original Comic Book, Sims C. Vincent

University Honors Theses

Lovesick is a creative thesis in the form an original comic book. Belonging to the genre of action comedy, this 30-page comic is entirely drawn traditionally in black and white ink. The story follows a 20-year-old artist named Dax whose unhealthy mental state prevents him from producing artwork. Feeling desperate, Dax makes a deal with a mysterious salesman named Middleman. In exchange for gaining the ability to effortlessly make all the artwork he wants; Dax will be forced into employment with an evil corporation that is hellbent on enslaving humanity. This paper explains how the story was constructed, and what …

Shaping The Witch: A Visual Art Thesis, Amanda Cobb

University Honors Theses

This thesis is an exploration of the complex and interconnected nature of folklore, personal mythology, and re-enchantment as expressed through the lens of puppetry. I have drawn inspiration from the works of deeply reflective works concerning the psychological nature of mythologies of Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung, as well as the magical and beautiful work of artists Jim Henson, Brian and Wendy Froud, and Mercer Meyer. Through working in the medium of puppets, I have given consideration to the possibilities and limitations of these forms in expressing the complexity of narrative, personal mythology, the anxiety of disenchantment, lost and reclaimed …

The Needle And The Pen: A Retrospective On Eighteenth Century Life, Consumerism, And Dress In Relation To Modern Garment Production, Madeleine F. Beer

University Honors Theses

Within the realm of feminist scholarship of history, it has been said that "human stories can be told as effectively with the needle as with the pen" -Serena Dyer

Throughout history, craft deemed "women's work" has been undervalued on all levels but aesthetic. Gendered creative practices have been the focus of dress and craft historians; and such works have begun to reverse the emphasis of women as simply consumers and instead push forward the narrative of women as creator and producer.

I strive to make work that is both aesthetically pleasing and informative. Textiles reflect the human experience, weaving linear …

My First Embrace Of The Sea & The Fish Swimming In My Head: A Collection Of Poems, Photographs, And Cultural Artifacts Inspired By My Father And Ocean Vuong's On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous, Maya Sutriasa

University Honors Theses

This creative thesis reflects the artistic process and influences of Maya Sutriasa's BFA project. This work aims to understand the duality of her biracial and bicultural identity as a second-generation Indonesian-American. This exploration begins with memory, employs time travel, recounts metaphors pertaining to water, and bears witness to her family's cultural hybridity. This paper, and the artwork done for this project, was a means of understanding parts of myself. The artwork shown in this paper mostly takes the form of introspective poetry, journal entries, and textile art.

Ode-Cean: California, Danny-Olivia F. Hanson

University Honors Theses

As a 2D artist from San Jose, California, the overarching themes in this work have been self love, self expression, and interconnectedness. For this thesis project, the author chose to focus specifically on depicting Californian wildlife as a way for them to feel more connected to their home. The hope is for audiences viewing the work to think about the way that they are connected to sea creatures and their ecological impact. Motivations behind the work and process of creation are discussed.

Entities: A Field Of Imaginary Games, Thrasyvoulos Ioannis Kalaitzidis

LSU Master's Theses

With this body of work, I am looking for visual symbols that help communicate unuttered meanings through storytelling and stimulate an affectual response to the viewer. This exploration is presented in two different forms: a surreal sculptural installation and a board game. The installation consists of large-scale sculptures made from light and soft materials (polyurethane foam, plastic waste, paper) that are available to move inside the gallery, while the board game is presented as a set of 3D prints with instructions on how the participants can play it. The materials used in the installation suggest a way to transform waste …

Ambiguity Of Vision: Reimagining The Hypervisible Void, Kiwha Lee Blocman

Theses and Dissertations

Asking questions about what Painting is in the 21st century and the dominant narratives it can challenge, my paintings complicate the viewer’s reading of pictorial hierarchy and the projection of human relations in the world. I de-hierarchize and decentralize the compositional components that make up a painting by using patterns to create spatial depth, not European perspectival conventions. In dialogue with modernists such as Matisse who drew from the visual vocabulary of “The Orient”, my central forms derived from architecture and ornamental fragments possess a body-like presence. Further, I reinvent ancient Asian printmaking processes with oil paint. Observing the tenets …

Spirituality & Wellness In The Black Lgbtqia+ Experience: A Literature Review, Black Pruitt

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

This literature review explores the intersections of race, sexuality, spirituality, and wellness. The findings highlight the complex trauma caused by both racialized and religious violence and how they have historically impacted the lives of Black LGBTQIA+ people today. The research offers evidence for the benefit and efficacy of implementing traditional Afrodiasporic spirituality into expressive arts therapeutic treatment, particularly for Black LGBTQIA+ people and communities. This research also suggests the necessity for actively and effectively dismantling Western psychological frameworks and approaches that have been historically harmful towards Black and LGBTQIA+ people in order to pave pathways towards collective healing and liberation.

Toward Holistic Mental Wellness: A Literature Review Of Mindfulness-Based And Focusing-Oriented Art Therapies, Lesley Vernon

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Modern day living, for all its benefits, is synonymous with record levels of stress. The mental health clinician’s role is to assist clients in accessing the skills and tools necessary to reduce and alleviate the symptoms of stress-induced anxiety. Mindfulness is emerging as a potent and effective tool to restore one’s state of well-being. Likewise, engaging in art therapy has been shown to reduce stress and foster resilience. Grounded in humanistic and existential theories, this literature review aimed to assess the impact and effectiveness of two intermodal holistic therapies, specifically mindfulness-based art therapy (MBAT) and focusing-oriented art therapy (FOAT). A …

A Perfect Escape: Fantasy, Place And Narrative In Adolescence, Cydney Cherepak

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This essay explores the realms of special places, the literary genre of fantasy, narrative, and comics. These topics are traversed alongside subjects of adolescence and the creation of stories for middle-grade readers. Framed with personal stories, as well as peaks into my process, I investigate these subjects through the lens of my own life and work, specifically my thesis project, a comic for middle-grade readers titled Beyond the Castle Walls. Beginning with adolescence in association with special places, I consider the work of developmental psychologists David Sobel and Edith Cobb as they pin-point the role of secret forts, nature, …

Disorientations, Noah Greene-Lowe

MFA in Visual Art

The materials that make up the ordinary and mundane in the United States also reinforce and normalize a white spatial imaginary. Conventions of mapping, imaging of land and landscape, and elements of the built environment continue to orient us in a logic of space as property. In my sculptural work, I employ strategies of disorientation and creative repair, or reconstruction, to unsettle the spatial practices of whiteness and structures of power embedded in the mundane, the familiar, and the domestic. I consider the planned cohousing community where I grew up as an influence on my work, and my whiteness. By …

Emotion And The Visual Arts, Hailey Bayne

Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects

The emotional aspect of the visual arts has been researched and reviewed for decades, and many artists have completed work with the purpose to instill an emotional response in the viewer. How are emotions communicated and perceived through the visual arts? Utilizing knowledge from centuries of art theory, other emotion-focused artists, and the science behind the core emotions, I completed five multimedia pieces in complete isolation whilst triggering only one singular core emotion per piece. I used my understanding of myself and my emotional responses to center each piece around a different schedule, diet, look, and routine complimentary to the …

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 …

Isocrates's Place In Postmodern Advertising, Christopher Barkley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study in communication and rhetoric seeks to ascertain constructive applications for distinct advertising practices by examining Isocrates’s work and place in postmodern advertising. The focus uses 5 principles known to Isocrates which are: 1) commonwealths of households, 2) integration of reputation, elegance, substance and style, 3) education and public discourse, 4) phronesis and praxis, and 5) truth and verisimilitude. These 5 principles can form a constructive and practical advertising approach. This study is important. It examines Isocrates through the lens of advertising and extends the research done about him by leading Isocrates scholars who have looked primarily at his …