Fine Arts Commons^™

Glue Gun Stories: Public Art Educators’ Perceptions Of Trauma And Its Impact On Their Pedagogy And Praxis, Alicia Gray

Educational Studies Dissertations

Public School visual arts educators play a vital role in implementing trauma-sensitive practices within schools. Through a collaborative arts-based research design the researcher worked alongside four public school visual art educators to portray their knowledge, beliefs, and values surrounding trauma while also gaining a nuanced and in depth understanding of how perceptions of trauma influence their pedagogy and praxis. Data collection methods included interviews, focus groups, participant and research observations, photo documentation, and art-based data. Participants viewed trauma as chronic adverse events that lead to maladaptive responses within students. They felt these responses had widespread impacts on the entire school …

The Diorama Of Coexistence Hypnagogia: The Liminal Space Between Dream And Reality, Yunseok Song

Master's Theses

The “Diorama of Coexistence” explores the imagined spaces where humans and animals share the same environments, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. This year-long photographic project is inspired by my Christian faith and the Genesis creation narrative, where the world was originally harmonious and unspoiled. Through my work, I aim to reimagine the natural world, not as it is, but as it could be a place where animals and humans coexist peacefully.

In researching human development and its impact on nature, I found that animals are often confined to spaces like zoo, far from their natural habitats. This led …

K(Now) W(Here), Yulin Yuan

Masters Theses, 2020-current

“How does one discover solace and belonging within these layered narratives?”

In mythology, narratives were once created to answer the incomprehensible questions of an era. These narratives unveil half-truths, customs, and convictions. K(now) W(here) is based on the experience of the artist who is Chinese and immigrated to South Africa at a young age; she elaborates the story about assimilation, authenticity, tales of her ancestral roots, and, most often, myths of identity.

The artist used narratives from Chinese mythology, collaged physically and metaphorically using tangible objects from other’s homes in combination with photography, digital media, and domestic items and assemblage …

[W]Hole: Journey To Fullness, Joni P. Gordon

MFA in Visual Art

My work raises critical questions about Black history, race, gender, beauty, and privilege. My practice also highlights the intersectionality of colorism and racism. I use materials such as cardboard rectangles with handwritten words, brown paper, doors defaced by scratches, fire, printed images, newspaper, and projected photographs to ask and answer those questions. I also use Work and Travel documents, broom and brush bristle, mop fiber, towels, and audio recordings of oral histories to exhibit invisible scars wrought by racist actions as physical and material manifestations.

My practice began after experiencing racial discrimination for the first time on a US work …

Glittered Realities, Dramatic Bodies: Abject, Camp, And Empathy, Grace Otten

Theses - ALL

Glittered Realities, Dramatic Bodies: Abject, Camp, and Empathy explores the roles of disgust, social performance, and compassion within my art practice. This essay examines empathetic aesthetics as a tool for strengthening the relationship between the artist and the viewer, while also delving into the repulsiveness of abject art and the performative elements of Camp. Through thematic sections focusing on sculpture and video performance art, Glittered Realities, Dramatic Bodies: Abject, Camp, and Empathy illustrates how bodily experience and identity exploration contends that understanding human vulnerability and the interplay between abjection, theatricality, and empathy enriches both an art practice and worldview.

Nomadic Culture And The Pre-Islamic Era Of Turkic Civilizations: A Study Of Shamanism, Lifestyle, And A Modern Societal Reinterpretation, Atagun Ilhan

Theses - ALL

This thesis serves as an exploration of my cultural heritage during the pre-Islamic era of the Turks. I find this topic particularly significant because the pre-Islamic era often receives little attention in Turkey's cultural discourse, and there are even efforts to erase this era, largely influenced by the indoctrination policies of Islamic-driven Turkish governments. My aim is to delve into the cultural, religious, and diverse modes of living of the pre-Islamic nomadic Turkic people who inhabited Eastern Asia. The investigation begins by elucidating Nomadism within its geographical context. Furthermore, it delves into cultural and religious aspects such as shamanism, temples, …

Selling Water To A Fish: Study Of The Visual Narrative In Tourism Advertising, Ziwei Aletta Ren

Theses - ALL

In the new era dominated by visual culture, the realm of tourism increasingly relies on artistic tales to brand and market destinations. The power of storytelling, intertwined with art, can invite viewers to create psychological and emotional connections with corners of the world yet unexplored. This thesis explores the profound role of visual narratives in tourism advertising, revealing how they forge emotional and psychological connections between viewers and unexplored places. From the historical roots of advertising in ancient civilizations to the modern digital age, visual narratives have evolved to meet the changing desires of travelers, emphasizing authenticity and immersive experiences. …

Visualizing The First Visit To The Red Cliff Structural Analysis, Jinning Wang

Theses - ALL

This article explores how individuals can achieve spiritual freedom in the face of adversity and the twists of fate, drawing inspiration from the famous ancient Chinese poet Su Shi's First Visit to the Red Cliff. The thesis will work in two directions: first, from a philosophical and Buddhist perspective, it analyzes Su Shi's path to self-redemption during the creation of First Visit to the Red Cliff. Second, it combines my own experiences and dialogue with Su Shi in my artworks. The thesis takes both Su Shi's and my perspectives, using Su Shi's challenges in his life as a starting point …

Frightened Birds: An Exploration Of Insecurity And Its Artistic Expression, Chenyu Wang

Theses - ALL

This thesis aims to examine the root causes of human insecurity and to explore how to live with insecurity, both theoretically and visually. The nature of insecurity is further explored by analyzing it in a philosophical sense and making an analogy with Albert Camus’ understanding of “absurdity.” As a universal feeling, insecurity has enormous potential to be explored as an artistic topic. Creating and thinking from this feeling can trigger the audience’s emotional resonance and inspire more thinking in response. Insecurity is about meaning, about human longing and expectation, about the absurdity that one cannot escape. By analyzing insecurity, one …

Love Or Control? Analyzing Emotional Expression Within East Asian Family Through Artworks, Wenyi Qian

Theses - ALL

The author's own spirited and unconventional childhood defied societal norms, challenging conventional expectations for a young girl. In the name of love, their parents endeavored to guide them towards a more reserved and compliant path. Drawing from these personal experiences, this research aims to unravel the intricate fabric of emotional expression within East Asian families and its profound impact on familial relationships and individual psychological well-being through the lens of artistic works. These themes of love and control frequently surface in the creations of East Asian artists, providing a unique perspective to deepen our understanding of the complex emotional dynamics …

Positionings, Carolyn Grace Crowley

Theses - ALL

This thesis relates to my experiences as a queer woman, who was raised Catholic, grappling with my place in contemporary womanhood and how this confluence informed my work as a visual artist. Applying the visual styles and aesthetics of depictions of saints, expressionist and baroque painting to create a modern reflection on my femininity through painting and performance. This paper first explores my background, the meaning of my paintings, then how their meaning informed my technical and formal choices. Finally, it ends with a reflection on what I learned about myself and culture as a whole, asking the questions “Will …

Bridging The Gap: Neglect And Misunderstanding In Mother-Daughter Relationships, Yuhui Zheng

Theses - ALL

This thesis examines the conflicts between mothers and daughters within the Chinese cultural background. First, it states the domestic and social factors that impact the dynamic of maternal relationships with daughters in China. Then, by analyzing artworks like Everything Everywhere All at Once and Turning Red, it sheds light on how mother-daughter conflicts are represented in the plot and how filmmakers conceive such films to showcase mother-daughter relationships artistically. Finally, the thesis concludes by combining the above research with my own experiences, culminating in a visual thesis about a mother-daughter pair’s journey from conflict to reconciliation. The dissertation provides an …

Analysis Of Dilemmas And Self-Expression In The Highly Sensitive Person, Zixiao Song

Theses - ALL

This thesis primarily analyzes the definition of the highly sensitive person (HSP), the psychological issues this personality trait may cause, and coping mechanisms. It explores the experiences and challenges of HSPs, as described by psychologists and authors with extensive research in this field, such as Dr. Aron, to explore the inner world and coping mechanisms of highly sensitive individuals. Subsequently, through analyzing classic films and picture books such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower and All Too Much for Oliver, I observed how certain characters display the behavioral traits and psychological activities of HSPs from an artistic perspective. Finally, …

Under The Lychee Tree: A Journey To Resurrect, Reanimate, And Reflect One’S History, Jasmine Veronica Whitmore

Theses - ALL

In this paper, Under The Lychee Tree: A Journey to Resurrect, Reflect, and Reanimate One’s History, I discuss the history of my relationship with my mother in regard to my artistic practice. This paper is divided into chapters that discuss my influences and the work I’ve made about myself and my mother in relation to the themes of resurrection, reanimation, reflection, care, and memory. I use photography, video, installation, and our family archive to articulate these ideas.

6847 Miles, Ze Tian

Theses - ALL

In this paper, 6847 Miles, I discuss how my time in graduate school and developing my artistic practice has led me to my thesis project. The paper is divided into chapters that discuss how I gradually made my work about myself and my family in relation to themes of self-discovery, self-reconstruction, and acceptance of the fragility and contradiction of familial love. I use photography and video to articulate these themes and my vulnerability.

Master Of None: Living, Thinking And Co-Creating With Unruly Frigid Bodies, Greeshma Chenni Veettil

Theses - ALL

This thesis explores the primary modes of my artistic practice, which involve paying attention to bodily sensations, posing questions about the ordinary, and engaging in purposeful drifts of inquiry. Through a loose assemblage of practices centered around ice, static photographs, and my own brown body, I delve into the vitality and transgressions inherent in these seemingly inert beings. My work draws upon feminist scholarship on embodiment and employs affective engagement as a methodology for unlearning. Disparate accounts are considered through a polyamorous engagement with diverse disciplines. In doing so, I underscore the importance of unbound curiosity over linearly connected deductions …

Consumer Spaces, Objects, And Bodies, Olivia Dovorany

Theses - ALL

Consumer Spaces, Objects, and Bodies is an exploration of consumerism and a study of objects, delving into the different marketplaces and products designed to influence our behavior. Using methods of collecting and image making, I question the relationship to my own consumption and challenge how I am programmed to respond as a consumer.

The Girls: Queering The Family Archive, Kathleen Warren

Theses - ALL

My research and artistic practice explore how queerness can offer a liberatory framework for confronting intergenerational cycles of grief that reinforce the dual closets of emotional and sexual repression. Rooted in my own family’s history of traumatic loss, I explore the dialectics of memory and identity in my project The Girls. I explore how closeting operates in families and archives through several theoretical frameworks, with perspectives from Marianne Hirsch, bell hooks, and Michael Foucault’s History of Sexuality. By investigating the gendered roles imposed by the traditional family gaze, religion, and shame, the text examines how photography, archives, and performance can …

Tethered, Robert Zumwalt

Theses - ALL

Tethered explores the relationship I have built between music, the natural world, and the objects I make. Current ruminations as well as memories that influence my work are shared along with the techniques developed for this expression. In my ceramic practice, I work through multiple series simultaneously, often transitioning between projects, sometimes seemingly disparate. This writing mirrors that exploratory process, cautious not to arrive at any conclusions, as such definitive answers are not the artist’s responsibility. These things of my constructed world, these illusions that enable my actions, are examined as both obstacles and tools for connecting to the viewer.

Dead Woman Walking: Articulating Historical Violence Toward The Femme Through Visual Art And Cultural Experience, Angelica Elizabeth Starcovic

Theses - ALL

Individual identity formation is a crucial tool in my artistic practice. I rely on articulating my experiences as femme to reclaim and denounce the signifiers of femininity invented and perverted by patriarchy. Using historical survey of instances and explorations of fear and violence through art and visual culture, my works reckon with how archaic gender beliefs still entrench themselves in our contemporary worldviews and their psychological results. The deconstructions of these facades uncover the violence and fear ingrained in feminine identity inflicted through bodily control in culture. Here I argue for her humanity against the abject violence culture and media …