Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Where The Muses Dwell Vs. Where The Muses Sell: How The Experiences Of Art World Professionals Reflect The Increasingly Blurred Boundaries Between Museums And Auction Houses From 1940-2008, Sara Marcus

MA in Art Business Dissertations

This dissertation aims to explore how the experiences of personnel who have crossed over from museums to auction houses reflect the increasingly porous boundaries between these traditionally separate cultural and commercial institutions. Utilizing a strong historical and theoretical foundation built upon a historicization of museums and auction houses as well as analyses of key philosophical and sociological concepts and discourse, this paper presents a critical examination of the role of art world professionals as case studies. Through qualitative analysis of interviews with three prolific and generalizable professionals from 1940-2008, fundamental themes emerge from the research that expose how the growing …

Mirroring Memory: Material, Reflection, And Becoming, Nila Mojaveri

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

This thesis explores how memory shapes identity through material, reflection, and tactile processes. Drawing from my personal experience of migration from Iran and the emotional distance from home, the work examines memory as a shifting, layered, and embodied phenomenon rather than a fixed narrative. Through the use of mirror, clay, fabric, and paint, I investigate how materials can hold, reflect, and transform lived experience. Each material carries specific meaning: mirrors introduce fragmentation and reflection, clay records touch and grounding, fabric evokes softness and domestic memory, and paint creates atmosphere through layering and tone. Together, these materials form a visual …

A Community Affair: An Exploration Of The Queer Community, Nightlife, Performance Art And Their Adjacent Qualities, Tatiana M. Castro

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the importance and roll of community in queer artwork, such as drag and burlesque and retroactively also all the work that I create. This paper aims to express this importance by exploring my personal relationship with building community. By interviewing performers selected through a customized-for-savannah voting process, I allowed the community to directly influence my thesis, as well as directly referencing photos of the hands of community members as a continued motif used throughout my work to represent community. This culminated in a two night thesis performance and installation  exhibition that explored performance and how its environment …

Chapter 3: Diamonds In The Rough: The Development And Occurrences Of The Rhombus Motif, Its Components, And Its Variations In Olmec And Olmec-Related Textiles, Billie J. A. Follensbee

Precious Pattern: The Dotted-Diamond Motif in Indigenous American Textiles, Explorations in Mesoamerica, the American Southwest, and the Andes

Discusses the development of textiles in the Mesoamerican Preclassic/Formative period from the Gulf Coast, the rhombus textile patterns and motifs in Olmec and Olmec-related imagery, and includes further reflections on the dotted-diamond motif, its components, and their correlations.

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026 Poster, Special Collections, Fleet Library

12th Baker & Whitehill Student Artists' Book Contest 2026

Opening reception and award ceremony Wednesday, February 25, 2026 at 6:30pm, Fleet Library, 1st Floor Main Reading Room. Juror: Gabrielle Reed.

The Transforming Image | Wintersession 2026 Syllabus, Hunter Whitaker-Morrow, Movement Lab

Course Materials

This studio course engages the contemporary digital moving (and sounding) image as a medium undergoing rapid development. Advancing the exploratory ethos of early video art, participants will probe new possibilities for experimentation against the contemporary backdrop of ubiquitous access to smartphones and production capabilities as well as the proliferation of tools for digital signal manipulation, media recycling, and image sequencing.

Coursework will center on a variety of hands-on creative exercises that challenge predominant conceptions of the moving image and engage with medium-specific approaches including video installation, desktop performance, generative cinematics, recycling media, realtime audio-visual performance, and notions of digital materiality. …

The Transforming Image | Class 1.1, Hunter Whitaker-Morrow, Movement Lab

Course Materials

No abstract provided.

The Transforming Image | Class 1.2, Hunter Whitaker-Morrow, Movement Lab

Course Materials

No abstract provided.

The Transforming Image | Class 1.3, Hunter Whitaker-Morrow, Movement Lab

Course Materials

No abstract provided.

The Transforming Image | Class 3.2, Hunter Whitaker-Morrow, Movement Lab

Course Materials

No abstract provided.

Transversal Storytelling Course Work, Patrick Buhr, Movement Lab

Course Materials

No abstract provided.

Acceptability, Usability, And Clinical Integration Of A Clinic-Based Digital Game For Hpv Education: Qualitative Perspectives From Adolescents, Parents, And Healthcare Providers, Elizabeth Reifsnider, Satya Subedi, Nouran Ghonaim, Megan Whaley, Angela Chia-Chen Chen

Ellmer School of Nursing Faculty Publications

Background/Objectives: HPV vaccination is safe, effective, and recommended at ages 11–12, yet uptake remains suboptimal. Serious video games may offer an innovative strategy to deliver brief, engaging education during clinic visits. This qualitative paper, embedded within a mixed-methods study, examined adolescents’, parents’, and healthcare providers’ (HCPs’) perceptions of the acceptability, usability, and perceived clinical applicability of HPV Detective, a tablet-based digital game designed to provide HPV-related education to parent–child dyads during pediatric clinic wait times. Methods: Eight adolescent–parent dyads (N = 16) and three HCPs from university-affiliated pediatric clinics participated in 30–60-min semi-structured Zoom interviews. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and …

2026 Yearbook, Risd Archives, Center For Student Involvement (Csi), Risd Design Guild

RISD Yearbooks

No abstract provided.

Intersections Of Art And Medicine, Lina Adwer

EMET Projects

No abstract provided.

Among The Remnants, Jade-Lynn B. Lewis Vance

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This written thesis serves as supporting documentation and research for my Master of Fine Arts thesis exhibition, Among the Remnants, at West Virginia University. This dissertation will explain how my artistic vision, influences, research, and thesis exhibition fits into larger art and cultural contexts. Drawing from art history and theory, my work explores memory, touch, and fragmentation. My fascination with artifacts and the stories they hold inspires my research and drives me to create personal connections within my own art. The figurative sculptures serve as a vessel for recalling impactful experiences and embodying personal perception and these interactions. The …

Centring The Audience: Attitudes And Behaviours In Australian Arts Organisations, Katya Johanson, Abbie Trott, Mark Taylor, Anne Kershaw, Hilary Glow, Tracy Margieson

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Many arts organisations seek to increase the diversity of their audiences. Recent literature suggests that this requires organisations to interrogate and change their ways of operating. This is a fundamental shift for a sector that has long considered the goal of diversifying audiences as a problem external to the organisation. Responding to this discrepancy, this article compares attitudes and behaviours among workers in arts organisations, to identify whether staff see the need to make change and practise the behaviours required. It identifies and uses three organisational capabilities–‘dynamic capabilities’, ‘social networks’ and ‘business improvement processes’–to frame an analysis of a national …

How Expert Designers Foster Expertise: A Study Of Professional Visual Communication Practice, Grant Ellmers, Marius Foley, Juliana Peloche

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

While design expertise has been widely studied across domains such as industrial design, engineering and architecture, visual communication design has received limited attention. Earlier research examined novice designers’ development of reflective capability, and its link to expertise progression. This study extends that work by investigating how expertise manifests and is fostered among experienced designers within visual communication design practice. Through in-depth interviews with five experienced designers (20–35 years’ industry experience), this qualitative case study employed thematic analysis grounded in Schön’s reflective-practice theory and Lawson and Dorst’s (2013) design-expertise model. This approach enabled close examination of how reflective processes, mentoring structures …

Rustic Fall Showpiece, Aislyn Ford

Student Publications

Small decorative amenity inspired by fall, featuring colorful tones of reds, yellows, browns, wheat stocks and rusty beams to create a rustic cozy feel to my piece!

Thinking With Trees: Responding To Sympoietic Plant Relations Through Visual Art, Xiaoyu Yang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Societal Impact Statement: Amid escalating climate crises, this paper explores how we might rethink our relationship with the natural world, particularly with plants and trees, through the perspectives of visual art. This paper reveals how art invites us to see trees and other plant life not as passive background scenery, but as living beings with their own forms of experience and individuality. Rather than offering technical solutions to the climate crisis, visual art creates something equally important: a shift in how we think and feel about ‘othering’ non-human life. By making visible the inner lives and behaviours of plants, art …

Infrared Simulation, Sophia Zhou, Ashton Hoo, Tyler Ricks, Sebastian Fox, Kathy Phu

Undergraduate Research Posters

Infrared image recognition is more difficult than visible-spectrum recognition due to limited high-quality training data. This project addresses that challenge by generating simulated infrared images using temperature-driven rendering in Unreal Engine and other 3D software. These simulations can support applications such as health monitoring, heat detection in mechanical and structural systems, thermal regulation, and engineering process control.

Untouchable Beauty Of Everyday Aesthetics In Wim Wenders’ Perfect Days, Nindya Galuh Fatmawati, Agni Saraswati

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Wim Wenders, in his latest film Perfect Days (2023), presents an everyday aesthetic experience conveyed through a visually striking aesthetic characterized by a "peaceful" gaze. This study aims to explore the everyday aesthetics depicted in Perfect Days, which align with traditional Japanese aesthetics, specifically wabi-sabi. The analysis is framed using Todd McGowan's Cinema of Desire theory. The research employs a qualitative descriptive method to examine the subject and utilizes a Psychoanalytic approach for analysis. The findings reveal that object ‘a’ in Perfect Days is highlighted through mise-en-scène and music, as these two cinematic elements facilitate a moment of …

Roblox As Open Text: Identity, Meaning, And Ideology Through Eco’S Semiotics, Yuyus Rustandi, Nanang Sutisna

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

This study examines Roblox as a digital cultural space that constructs and represents adolescent identity through Umberto Eco's semiotic approach. Roblox functions not only as a game platform but also as an open text comprising visual signs, social symbols, and complex narratives. This studi is based on a literature review from nine prior empirical studies, this research analyzes how avatars, virtual environments, Robux economy, and user communities shape diverse systems of meaning. Findings show that Roblox serves as a site for identity construction, simulation of social values, and reproduction of dominant discourses such as capitalism and gender performance. The study …

From Editor, Rahayu Surtiati

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2026.

In this edition readers will find ten articles plus one book review proposing an idea of how culture survives modernization. The four articles (1, 2, 4, and 8 show how culture and ecology or culture and traditions can reshape collective memory and identity. Two articles: 6 and 7 discuss Japanese culture: first elderly people show learning a foreign language can keep their spirit of life; second Japanese urban culture in contemporary context. Last but not least three articles (3, 5, 9, and 10) describe three different situations: roads represent symbolic dimensions; priestly …

Third Place And Nostalgia In Postcolonial Jakarta: Adaptive Reuse Of Cikini Post Office, Ade Ariyani Sari Fajarwati, Mochamad Aviandy

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

The transformation of space in postcolonial cities extends beyond the restoration of old buildings; it involves cultural practices that reshape collective memory and identity. Through adaptive reuse, colonial-era heritage spaces are revitalised as social hubs. This study examines Post Kantoor cafe, a former colonial post office turned into a “third place” within urban spatial culture. Using qualitative methods—visual observation, spatial documentation, and a literature review—the study finds that nostalgic aesthetics, evident in antique artefacts, colonial atmospheres, and curated visuals, foster emotional connections across generations and social classes. More than a site of consumption, the cafe becomes a space for dialogue, …

The Silent Witness: The Journey Of Celibacy In The Life Of Diocesan Clergy Of Pagadian, Jumar T. Lague, Enrique C. Tapanan, Raven M. Leyte, Jinggle C. Selgas

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

Celibacy is a defining vow in the life of Catholic priests, requiring thorough preparation and ongoing commitment. While celibacy enables priests to devote themselves fully to ministry, it also presents challenges that can influence their fidelity to priesthood. This study aimed to explore how Catholic priests experience, sustain, and interpret their vow of celibacy within their ministry. Using a transcendental phenomenological design, ten diocesan priests from Pagadian, representing junior, middle, and senior clergy, were purposively selected and interviewed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, validated with participant feedback, and analyzed thematically while bracketing researcher biases. The findings reveal that priests …

Sustainable Materials And Emotional Durability Correlation In Interior Design, T.A. Hana El-Etr, Prof. Dr. Ola Hashem, Prof. Dr. Dalia M. Ezzat

Journal of Art, Design and Music

This paper studies the relationship between sustainable materials and emotional durability in interior design, within the Egyptian context through the case study: Galleria 40 complex. The concept of sustainability often focuses on ecological responsibility; the emotional impact to how the interior spaces affect long-term users, as well as reducing the consumption of unnecessary materials. Egypt has developed environmental rating systems such as the Green Pyramid and participated in international certifications like LEED, yet the incorporation of cultural identity with user experience in sustainable design remains limited. By tackling a mixed-method approach, involving a public survey and observational study of Galleria …

Properties Of Shape Memory Alloys In Solving Design Problems, Aya Mahmoud Ad-El Gawad Gouda

Journal of Art, Design and Music

Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs) are a unique class of materials that possess the ability to return to a predefined shape when subjected to specific thermal or mechanical stimuli. This property, known as the "shape memory effect," arises from the transformation between two phases: the low-temperature martensite phase and the high-temperature austenite phase. SMAs have gained significant attention in various engineering fields, particularly in solving complex design problems that require materials with the ability to undergo reversible deformation. These alloys exhibit exceptional properties such as high strength, elasticity, and the ability to absorb significant amounts of energy, which make them ideal …

Representación Del Sujeto E Identidad Narrativa En La Cultura Digital Contemporánea: Análisis Hermenéutico De Red Dead Redemption 2, Edgar F. Vázquez Martínez

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

El videojuego, más allá del entretenimiento, se ha consolidado como un objeto de estudio relevante, reflejando y moldeando la cultura contemporánea (Henríquez & Zúñiga, 2017). Su evolución ha generado un campo de investigación donde el sujeto es protagonista, irrumpiendo en el panorama cultural de manera similar a la televisión y el cine en sus respectivas épocas (Jiménez, et al., 2020). Con millones de jugadores a nivel mundial y un mercado en constante crecimiento (Statista, 2023), los videojuegos se han convertido en una forma de consumo cultural significativa.

Teóricos como Frasca (2001), Seraphine (2016), Juul (2013), Bogost (2012) y Eco (1986) …

From The Pages To The Gaming Table: Designing A Homebrew System To Adapt A Book Series Into A Ttrpg, Ricardo Victoria Uribe, Nazario Robles Bastida, Chris Birmingham

Journal of Roleplaying Studies and STEAM

Adapting media properties, in particular fantasy, science fiction, and horror books, has been a staple of the development of tabletop role-playing games since their inception. Different properties, ranging from Lord of the Rings to Call of Cthulhu and everything in between has been undergoing this process. Developing an indie game based on indie and self-published books can be used as a promoting tool on overlapping audiences, which is the case for the selected book series for this design exercise. This paper has the aim of sharing these developing experiences during the early stages of creating a quick start guide supplement …

Tiles Of Time And Faith: Pewabic Pottery, Sacred Symbolism, And Gothic Imagery In Religious Architecture, Katie Nabozny

Rushton Journal of Undergraduate Humanities Research

This research explores the presence and significance of Pewabic tiles in sacred spaces in historic churches. It examines the architects, artistic influences behind the tiles, and thematic connections to religious iconography, including Gothic and astrological symbolism. It emphasizes zodiac symbolism in ecclesiastical settings, linking these designs to historical and cultural traditions across Europe and the United States. Additionally, the study highlights Mary Chase Perry Stratton and her research on religious art, which informed her ceramic works. By analyzing archival materials, site visits, and historical sources, this research deepens understanding of the intersection between Pewabic Pottery, religious architecture, and astronomical symbolism.