Digital Commons Network^™

Vincent Pham Interview, Devin Meyer

Asian American Art Oral History Project

2009 interview with Vincent Pham a Doctoral Student at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and co-author of Asian Americans and the Media (Polity, 2008).

Layers, Jan Bennett Troutt

Student Theses and Dissertations

The creation of art has many different inspirations and origins. It can be based on forward thinking and portray thoughts and ideas that have not yet occurred, or can be retrospective and revisit occurrences in the past. No matter which avenue the idea originates from, once the creative process begins, it must be pursued until the artist feels a sense of completion. This thesis exhibition was created to explore my own thoughts and feelings when faced with life changing events, but yet it suggests how mankind in general might perceive and react in similar circumstances. When exploring these topics, I …

Gordon Cc Liao Interview, Elise Osenbaugh

Asian American Art Oral History Project

2009 interview with poet Gordon CC Liao

Creative Insubordination, John Henry Blatter

Theses and Dissertations

In today’s lexicon a ‘Daily Constitutional’ usually refers to a daily walk. But in actuality, a ‘Daily Constitutional’ is something that one does on a daily basis that is beneficial to one’s constitution or healthful(1); and one’s constitution being the aggregate of a person’s physical and psychological characteristics(2). With this definition, the daily constitutional refers to any daily activity that improves a person’s physical or mental health. At various stages in my life I may have understood my constitutional to be any number of things and it was not until I came into my own did I truly discover my …

The Certainty Of Uncertainty, Julie Nagle

Theses and Dissertations

In this paper I investigate the limitations of memory, physical and psychological effects on individuals’ perception that effect memory, and the impact of those limitations on our ability to recall objective truth. The paper is introduced with an explanation of my interest in the subjective narrative voice in historical accounts and questions the possibility of a completely objective voice. In the first chapter, a fantastical biographical story of the life of Tycho Brahe is used as an example of the difficulty in parsing truth from legend. Descriptions of changes in scientific methods exemplify the uncertainty of scientific fact. I propose …

Collapse, Mia Feuer

Theses and Dissertations

Through large sculptural works that are often caricatures of representational objects, my work explores the complicated moments and tangled histories of childhood Jewish schooling in Winnipeg and travels to Israel and Palestine as an adult. My thesis exhibition Collapse, as well as most of my graduate work, examines my investigation through manmade constructions that control and restrict or unite and connect the movement of others. Sculptures about a destroyed bridge’s imagined longing for exotic places, a giant onion serving as a resuscitation mechanism against tear gas or a construction crane to Armageddon are some examples of work that explore the …

On A Saturday, Thoughts And Revelations, Maria Pithara

Theses and Dissertations

A favorite poet, a strange woman on the beach, pictures I love to look at. Back yard voyeurism, some thoughts on portraiture and why I couldn’t be a photographer. Strange rituals that make sense. Unexpected revelations. Two kinds of light. This essay presents part of the constellation of thoughts, images and ideas that have informed my most recent video installation, Saturday.

Nature Calls, Angela White

Theses and Dissertations

I am wandering wonderingly through the unplanned material atmosphere shaped by differences in temperature and moisture. The chaotic nature of weather phenomena is the catalyst for visual exploration of the subterranean catacombs of reality. The work is metaphor of nature and its creation of form and substance. Observing art and nature: I am allowing nature to be the instigator of art.

Schema., David B. Mazure

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis supports the Master of Fine Arts exhibition at the Slocumb Galleries in Ball Hall at East Tennessee State University, from February 23^rd through February 27^th 2009. The exhibition is comprised of eight graphite drawings, one ink drawing, eight vinyl prints, two hundred sixty lenticular prints, over fifty digital inkjet prints, and one video installation. The exhibition presents the artist's exploration into using drawings and prints as installation as they relate to quantum physics and universal scale. Subjects discussed, on a project-by-project basis, include thought, ideas, methods, influences, and process by which the work in the exhibition …

In Pursuit Of Harmony: Calligraphy & Typography, Feifei Fan

Theses and Dissertations

Chinese calligraphy and Western typography have been evolving for around five thousands years. During this time, they have developed quite different characteristics. Compared with the geometrical form and precision of Western printing types, Chinese calligraphy features abstract shapes and spontaneous strokes. These differences result in a gap that prevents a harmonious and organic relationship between them. This project explores the possibilities of combining these two historical visual systems, demonstrates specific methods and approaches for creating compelling formal relationships, and endeavors to establish a friendly, organic and harmonious dialogue between Chinese calligraphy and Western typography. The outcome of this project is …

Yasufumi Nakamori Interview About Ysuhiro Ishimoto, Katherine Cloutier

Asian American Art Oral History Project

2009 interview with Yasufumi Nakamori, friend of photographer Yasuhiro Ishimoto

Modes Of Participation: Co-Creative Approaches To The Design Process, Carissa Henriques

Theses and Dissertations

This project explores the notion of participation within the graphic design and problem-solving process. Through projects using generative tools and collaboration, I explore ways to instigate controlled participation from designers and non-designers. I observe and document how the methods and means of participation affect the creative process during these projects.

Making Home – At Home And Abroad, Stasya Panova

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

For my Capstone Project, I created a dual exhibition centering on the theme of home, in collaboration with Elody Gyekis, a Schreyer’s Honor student at Penn State University, double majoring in Painting and Ceramics. The show was entitled “Making Home: at home and abroad” and was exhibited both in State College, Pennsylvania, and in Syracuse, New York, in March 2009. The body of work was the culmination of our three-year collaboration and consisted of photographs, drawings, paintings, sculptures, ceramic, and video art. The making and installation of the pieces investigated the physical and emotional experience of making home, …

The B Street Residence Biophilic Design And The Colorado Home, Colin E. Fanning

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The main focus of this Capstone has been exploratory—self-educational. After having learned, during the course of my studies in interior design, about the methodology of biophilic design (literally, “life-loving”)—which deals with the human psychological affinity for the natural world and attempting to reconcile that with the built environment, in order to create spaces that protect both body and mind—I wanted to experiment within that philosophy, to build my own biophilic design skills. This matched well with my long-running passion for sustainable design—the two methodologies are distinct but closely related, and when used in concert they represent a progressive vision for …

Senior Collection And Fashion Industry Experience, Amanda Coyne

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

My goal upon completing my Honors Capstone Project was to explore the process I went through over the course of the year as I completed my senior collection in the Fashion Design program at the School of Visual and Performing Arts. My senior collection incorporated inspiration I gathered over the past four years to show how I have evolved as a designer. It was a unique experience in that it has allowed me to express my personal design aesthetic through my clothing.

My senior collection consists of six looks that were constructed and styled individually to be ready for two …

Remey's Calming Kids With Communication, Kate Vallon

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Pain management is often studied by doctors, psychologists, and child-life specialists. However, designers have a strong influence on the care, comfort and pain management of a patient, specifically one in the hospital. Pain management is a difficult topic to study and understand because everyone feels pain differently, however, by looking to the roots of pain and its affects on communication and anxiety we can learn to understand how to mollify its aches. Pediatric pain management is even more difficult to comprehend because there are many added elements involved in a painful experience.

Syracuse Grows: Grassroots Communications, Sarah Marshall

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Small budgets, overextended staff, and inaccessibility of design software can prevent non-profit organizations from having successful communications. This project is an examination of sustainable communications through creating a marketing system for Syracuse Grows, a grassroots network cultivating a just foodscape in the city of Syracuse. The goal was to provide a successful communications program for Syracuse Grows that represented their needs, reflected graphic principles, and promoted the organization. But more importantly, this plan was designed so that it can be updated and utilized following the completion of this project.

The five requirements for this plan were: (1) to develop a …

Works From Lingnan, Kevin White

Artists-in-Residence Programme : Exhibition Catalogues

The 7 porcelain vessels on display were all created in the Visual Studies studio during the artist’s residence at Lingnan. Each vessel was made in porcelain, with underglaze cobalt brushwork and onglaze pigments and decals.

Much Ado About "Nothings" : Ray Johnson And Fluxus, Tracy Ditolla

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Ray Johnson was a performance and collage artist who had a career that spanned six decades, yet there is relatively little known or written about him. After interviewing his friends and acquaintances I will bring to light new information and insights on Johnson’s work. In this thesis I discuss the performance art of Johnson and compare it to pieces by Fluxus and Happenings artists. I also address the influences that Zen Buddhism had on his life and work as well as his rejection of the established art world. I argue that Johnson was possibly the only artist to date who …

The Borderline Between The Personal And Political, Celeste De Luna

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This paper is a documentation of the form, content, techniques, and processes of the body of visual artwork I created for my M.F.A. graduate coursework. My work frequently uses themes based on the migrant/border experiences of women, children, and families throughout generations in the context of the larger American experience. My acrylic paintings on canvas, assemblages and installations validate Latino/Chicano experiences and invites reflection and learning. My work is influenced and relates to contemporary Chicano and Post-Chicano Art, Feminist Art, and the writings of Gloria A. Anzaldua.

Visual Cultural Identity In South Texas Art And Design, Mirla Gonzalez De Martinez

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

Transculturation as the key element in the search for autochthonous visual richness and profundity is the theme for my investigation. In the process, numerous questions arise for the need for authentic cultural expression but also ownership of cultural, social identities. I selected the Rio Grande Valley region having little knowledge of conflicts that surround this border and its territories. I also explored the social and cultural histories that included art making and architectural and graphic design. The transfer of cultural imprints, sometimes accepted but often rejected or unknown, forms the basis of this inquiry. My intent resides in a respect …

Life Drawing With Gross Anatomy Medical Students And Implications For Art Therapy, Elliott Addesso

EVMS School of Health Professions Theses & Dissertations

It is important to incorporate humanities training into medical education in order to enhance the potential for humane and ethical interactions among physicians. In this study, a life drawing studio course was led by an art therapy graduate student to explore the effects of a life drawing course on medical students concurrently enrolled in Gross Anatomy. Based on students’ perceptions of their experience in the life drawing class, theoretical implications for the practice of art therapy in studio applications were discussed.

Five medical students participated in the course on a voluntary, non-credit basis. The course consisted of seven meetings and …

Building Blocks Retreat Center, Kelly Warner

Theses and Dissertations

In a perfect world, teamwork just exists. People function harmoniously with each other & their environment. Although we do not live in a perfect world, people and environments can always change and adapt to better their relationships. The Pumphouse was abandoned 41 years after the project was completed because it no longer met the needs and performed the functions that it needed to perform. It no longer serves the same purpose that it once did. And while acknowledging its past, it must also address its new functions and become a piece of beautiful, usable architecture once more. This space will …

Blood & Thunder Classics, Vol. 2, Brian Taylor

Theses and Dissertations

A MAGAZINE – A game of Chutes and Ladders – a network of pools connected by streams, rivulets, creeks and rivers. Concerns: aluminum, sculpture, film, an endless image or an image-object, cork, shoulders as the center of movement, archery, wicker, nystagmus, darkness or the penumbral near-darkness, constant movement, beer, tone, musical forms, bells, gongs, The Titanic, purple, black and white, indeterminacy, Ghostface, yodeling, John Smith, John Adams, David Hammons, Beyoncé, Honda CR-V’s, Har-khebi, Ahnighito, Hermann Doomer, Prince, Yvonne Rainer, perception, double rainbows, composers from Transylvania, Los Angeles, and chandeliers. “Everything is everything.” and “A woman is the first teacher.”

Connectivity, Jennifer Farris

Theses and Dissertations

Create a place for learning Develop an interior system that addresses the under utilized spaces in existing higher education schools directed towards distance learning Design a place for one and a place for few, within a place for many Traditional classroom/school environments were developed around a specific program that addresses the needs of a teacher-class environment. Distance learning programs are introducing a new approach to higher education and require a new approach to learning environments. The goal of this project is to understand the development of the traditional classroom environment in order to assess the changes that need to be …

Culture And A Connection, Chris Arias

Theses and Dissertations

Culture and a Connection In the Spanish province of Asturias, many homes built in the16th and 17th centuries are constructed of dry-stacked stone and large timbers for floor joists, rafters, decking. They are topped with large, irregularly shaped roof slates. Alongside many of these homes stands a rectangular granary called a cabazo. The cabazo, similarly constructed, is a stand-alone structure about twenty feet tall, six feet wide and twenty feet long. The main portion, (the storage area), stands ten feet off the ground atop two large, tapered columns. The upper level is typically separated form the lower level by a …

Paper Tricks, Edward Gardner

Theses and Dissertations

Prefabricated post disaster housing

Real Life, Invented Selves: An Analysis Of Online Self-Portraiture, Nicole E. Greene

Scripps Senior Theses

The Internet has been a mystifying and nebulous concept since its birth in the early 90s (Kelly). Just two years ago in an infamous public address, former Senator Ted Stevens attempted to explain the internet to the masses, calling it a series of tubes (Doctorow). This statement was followed by a flurry of blog postings, YouTube videos and general mockery from the computer savvy communities, thus confirming the fact that most people, besides the geeks, still don't fully comprehend what the Internet is. At its inception, PHDs, scientists and professors of anthropology alike hailed the Internet as a potential "gaia …

Examining The Stigmatization And Psychological Consequences Of The Overweight Body With Art, "B(Eats) Being There", Neena Laufer

Scripps Senior Theses

Contents: Body dissatisfaction; Discharge of emotion through art; Stigmas' consequences as captured through photography; Lauren Greenfield; The perceptions of others; This is beautiful; Psychological consequences; Thesis project: "Being There"; Artistic influences; "Being There" revisited; Past endeavors in mixed media; Artistic influences: everyday materials and structural art; Conclusion; Honors in Studio Art thesis extension; Works cited. Includes 21 images.

The Role Of The Viewer In The Gallery Space, Meghan Berliner

Scripps Senior Theses

My installation, "The Viewers", consists of three life-sized figures and a projected video feed. The figures are placed in and around the gallery space, and the video originates from a hidden camera installed in one of the figures eyes. The first figure that the viewer encounters upon entering the gallery space is hyper-realistic security guard. His position behind the gallery circulation desk, a space which is traditionally assumed not to be an 'art space' allows him to view those entering the gallery while remaining relatively unnoticed. A camera that is installed in his one of his eye sockets and hidden …