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2006

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Articles 7231 - 7260 of 7353

Full-Text Articles in Arts and Humanities

Consuming Brazil: Afro Brazilian Religion As A Base For Actor Training, Corey Justin Roberts Jan 2006

Consuming Brazil: Afro Brazilian Religion As A Base For Actor Training, Corey Justin Roberts

Theses and Dissertations

Actor training, like the theatre in Brazil, has historically been a middle and upper class pursuit that followed European models, namely Stanislavski's system. Yet within Brazil there is a wealth of diverse cultures that are inherently theatrical and well suited for application in actor training. In this study I explore one such culture, the Afro Brazilian religion Umbanda. First, I examine its formation to illuminate how the religion itself performed (or served as a site for cultural interaction) throughout history. Then, I explore the practice of the religion both apart from and in relation to the theatre and Stanislavski's system. …


From The Seat Of Authority: A Case Study In Exhibition Development, Chasity Janet Miller Jan 2006

From The Seat Of Authority: A Case Study In Exhibition Development, Chasity Janet Miller

Theses and Dissertations

During the Spring 2006 semester, Virginia Commonwealth University students enrolled in the graduate Museum Studies course on exhibition development collaboratively curated an exhibition entitled From the Seat of Authority, which opened at the Anderson Gallery in June 2006. This thesis project documents the exhibition and offers an account of the deliberative and creative development process in which student-curators engaged. It is different from other case studies that focus on the technical aspects of curating an exhibition.Major components of the development process include articulating a theme, selecting artworks, writing interpretive text, and designing display techniques. This thesis project aims to characterize …


Terra Incognita, Miriam Ellen Ewers Jan 2006

Terra Incognita, Miriam Ellen Ewers

Theses and Dissertations

Process Art: A Dialectic Between Intention Versus AccidentThe Art Studio as an Experimental LaboratoryThe Artist's UnknownImagined ArchitectureSubterranean Architecture: Natural and Man-MadePirenesi's Carceri PrintsGaudi's Architectural ModelsSelf-Reflexion and the Subconscious in Art-MakingArt and Ecstasy


Intimate Encounters; Staging Intimacy And Sensuality, Tonia Sina Campanella Jan 2006

Intimate Encounters; Staging Intimacy And Sensuality, Tonia Sina Campanella

Theses and Dissertations

This text is a partial record of the conception and development of Reflections of Red in a Mirror of Desire that opened on February 20th 2006 for a three day run ending on February 22nd. The majority of the text is focused on the events and research that provided the concept for the show. Some of the research includes influential choreographers and companies such as Pina Bausch, Graziela Daniele, Moses Pendleton, Pilobolus, Momix, Julie Tayrnor, and Merce Cunningham. Included in the analysis of this event are the experiences and lessons that came about during the process of directing Reflections of …


Lessons Of Vocal Coaching Shakespeare In Hollywood: A Production Analysis, Deborah Thomas Jan 2006

Lessons Of Vocal Coaching Shakespeare In Hollywood: A Production Analysis, Deborah Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is a personal narrative of my experience as vocal coach on a production of Ken Ludwig's Shakespeare in Hollywood directed by BT McNicholl and performed in the Raymond Hodges Theatre of Virginia Commonwealth University in November 2005. Chapter one covers my identification of the play's vocal and aural challenges; what I did to prepare for those challenges; the research I gathered on 1930s Hollywood prototypes for the play; an examination of Shakespearean verse, especially that in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and how Ludwig synthesized Shakespeare's verse with that of his own.Chapter two is divided into an account of …


Politics And Personal Life In The Era Of Revolution: The Treatment And Reintigration Of Elite Loyalists In Post-Revolutionary Virginia, Gregory Harkcom Stoner Jan 2006

Politics And Personal Life In The Era Of Revolution: The Treatment And Reintigration Of Elite Loyalists In Post-Revolutionary Virginia, Gregory Harkcom Stoner

Theses and Dissertations

Historians of loyalism in Virginia during the American Revolution typically characterize supporters of the Crown as a small and unorganized group that had little bearing on the outcome of the war. However, these historians greatly underestimate the extent and nature of Virginia loyalists. Patriots throughout the state feared and loathed outright demonstrations of loyalty to the Crown, sought to identify and remove Tories in their communities, and worked to prevent the reentry of these Loyalists into postwar Virginia. Those loyalists who attempted to return to Virginia realized that continual attention was required to shape and present an image that would …


David Gilmour Blythe's Street Urchins And American Nativism, Corey S. Piper Jan 2006

David Gilmour Blythe's Street Urchins And American Nativism, Corey S. Piper

Theses and Dissertations

David Gilmour Blythe's street urchin paintings created during the 1850s are disturbing and often grotesque. The image of childhood that he created was quite different from that of his American contemporaries who adapted the romantic notion of the child from eighteenth-century English painters. Previous scholars have noted the contrast between Blythe's vision of America's street children and the optimistic view offered by other American painters but have not offered a sufficient explanation as to why they differed so radically. This thesis will examine several of Blythe's urchin scenes, as well as his poetry and writings to reveal the clear presence …


Public: An Exploration Of Community, Environment, And Technology, Christopher John Malven Jan 2006

Public: An Exploration Of Community, Environment, And Technology, Christopher John Malven

Theses and Dissertations

This project examines the potential of computer technology to enhance navigation within, and incorporate information-sharing into, the public urban environment.


Cooking With Paint, Jody Lynn Schwab Jan 2006

Cooking With Paint, Jody Lynn Schwab

Theses and Dissertations

Graduate school has been a time of travel through experimentation. The journey has almost always been a search for materials and sources that match my need for working with the self-referential narrative within the framework of a process. Repeatedly, I would venture out and turn back, only to venture out again, packed with new materials and image sources, in search of a complete process. In retrospect, there have been no dead ends, only quenched curiosities that sometimes cleanly, often clumsily, lead one to the other. What is left is a series of explorations from which I can pluck similarities, clues …


Growth, Peter Fitzgerald Jan 2006

Growth, Peter Fitzgerald

Theses and Dissertations

In nature we see a wide variety of bold colors and unique shapes. Trees personify these characteristics with their curved branches creating distinctive lines and shapes. Leaves and blossoms enhance their structures with an array of colors. Trees possess awe inspiring energy. Each tree is a living thing, its growth shaped by its environment.Similarly, my work is a response to the environment. I employ a spontaneous and bold technique in an attempt to capture the energy I perceive in nature. The use of vigorous lines and high keyed contrasting colors with varied textures conveys that trees are living, growing entities, …


Facts Of The Imagination (From The Inside Out), Janelle Ann Iglesias Jan 2006

Facts Of The Imagination (From The Inside Out), Janelle Ann Iglesias

Theses and Dissertations

Growing up in a bicultural household, navigating the F train as well as mountain creeks, studying culture and then participating in its production, these are some of the idiosyncrasies that I bring to my work. My investigations are rooted in combining a rediscovery of the sensuousness of the natural world and an investigation of the poetics of everyday life. Choosing materials and situations within the realm of the everyday, I'm interested in a transformation that suggests the infinite potential and worth in all things. The resulting objects have identities as complex as my own. They are ridiculous and serious, normal …


Drawing Through A Linear Temperament, Jorge Miguel Benitez Jan 2006

Drawing Through A Linear Temperament, Jorge Miguel Benitez

Theses and Dissertations

I am a draftsman, painter and printmaker. This first person statement is a written extension of the art that constitutes my thesis. It discusses the links between my work and the Enlightenment, Humanism, Catholicism, ethics and the Western canon as well as my use of perspective and other classical techniques in relation to history, language, high art, popular culture, propaganda, contemporary upheavals, Christian and Islamic Fundamentalism, globalization and the digital revolution. Furthermore, the main arguments draw upon my Cuban origin and European ancestry, the Cuban Revolution, my Belgian early education and eventual American hybrid identity. The overriding theme, however, concerns …


Foliage And Fabrication, Carrie Rosicky Garvey Jan 2006

Foliage And Fabrication, Carrie Rosicky Garvey

Theses and Dissertations

In my photographic work, I contrast natural and man-made objects abstracted by manipulation of scale. Details of the objects are blown up to proportions larger than life. By distorting the scale, I aim to allow the audience to view the image out of context, enabling the viewer to see it for its aesthetic value rather than the object's functional purpose.


R. Walton Moore And Virginia Politics, 1933-1941, Daniel Gregory Tulli Jan 2006

R. Walton Moore And Virginia Politics, 1933-1941, Daniel Gregory Tulli

Theses and Dissertations

This study is a chronicle of the efforts of R. Walton Moore and the Roosevelt Administration to liberalize the conservative Virginia Democratic Party during the 1930's. Moore was an elderly politician and amateur historian who had been in and out politics in the state for over forty years. He was opposed at every turn in his efforts by state Democratic Party organization leader Senator Harry F. Byrd, and his conservative colleague Senator Carter Glass. Both Glass and Byrd opposed most New Deal legislation throughout the decade. Moore served officially as Assistant Secretary of State and Counselor to the State Department, …


Den Of Thieves: Appropriating And Applying The Collaborative Ideals Of The Labyrinth Theater Company, Timothy Michael Bambara Jan 2006

Den Of Thieves: Appropriating And Applying The Collaborative Ideals Of The Labyrinth Theater Company, Timothy Michael Bambara

Theses and Dissertations

My goal was to successfully appropriate the collaborative ideals of the LAByrinth Theater Company and incorporate them into my directorial process while working on a collegiate production. I gathered a large amount of information from my visit and contact with the LAB and through personal interviews with the Co-Artistic Director and the Developmental Director. I had seen two of their shows and I was familiar with the quality of production that I had to uphold. I played a lead role in Guirgis' Jesus Hopped the 'A' Train and I was familiar with the rhythm, the dialect and the seriocomic matters …


Adaptive Re-Use Of Abandoned Structure - A Holistic Urban Experiment, Dongjoo Kang Jan 2006

Adaptive Re-Use Of Abandoned Structure - A Holistic Urban Experiment, Dongjoo Kang

Theses and Dissertations

Availability of good housing may no longer be an important issue for most U.S. citizens. Nowadays most are well housed and the problems confronting those who are not- except in the case of the homeless- are not highly visible. During the last decade, old warehouses in downtown Richmond, Virginia have been converted to new uses as restaurants, apartments, and offices. This reuse of old buildings has brought more people to the downtown area, making streets safer for pedestrians and residents than when the areas were abandoned. However, these well-designed and newly renovated apartments are not for everyone, especially low and …


The Virtue Screen: An 18th Century Biombo At Virginia House, Jacqueline Carrera Jan 2006

The Virtue Screen: An 18th Century Biombo At Virginia House, Jacqueline Carrera

Theses and Dissertations

An eighteenth century Mexican folding screen or biombo is located at Virginia House in Richmond, Virginia. A similar three-paneled screen is also located at this site. Upon seeing the similarities between each screen I concluded that the seven panels were at one point a part of one folding screen. The top sections of these folding screens show emblems that depict images of virtues and vices. The source of the emblems on the Virtue Screen is Otto Van Veen's Homtii Emblemata. The text on the screen is taken from a Spanish translation of the Horatii Emblemata entitled the Theatro Moral de …


The Huhugam Heritage Center: An Administrative History And Case Study In Tribal Museum Issues, Christina Esposito Jan 2006

The Huhugam Heritage Center: An Administrative History And Case Study In Tribal Museum Issues, Christina Esposito

Theses and Dissertations

The Museum Studies thesis project represented by this document entailed the compilation of a board of directors orientation packet for the Gila River Indian Community's recently established Huhugam Heritage Center (HHC) in Chandler, Arizona. The packet, including an administrative history of the institution and an annotated bibliography of museological resources on issues relevant to tribal museums, provides current and future members of the HEZC Board of Directors with information needed to effectively carry out their duties. Research and preparation of the administrative history constituted a case study of Native American tribal museum development. The history supplies members of the HHC …


The Oldest Well, Saul Benjamin Becker Jan 2006

The Oldest Well, Saul Benjamin Becker

Theses and Dissertations

This body of work, representing the past two years, is focused on the idea of the composite landscape. This reconfiguring of the elements from the external world combined with invented places is a way for me to articulate the subtle transactions between the interior psyche and the external world. The way this new conglomerate space is represented is a result of my inquiry into the relationship between nature, culture, and the sublime. The place where the private acts of the studio meet the shared exterior world is where I find my intellect, fantasy, and sense of reality collaborating in chorus.


State Of Being, Anne Bradshaw Jan 2006

State Of Being, Anne Bradshaw

Theses and Dissertations

My work speaks to the processes of adaptation and assimilation, phenomena that explain the way in which we transform life experience and incorporate the effects of such experience into the daily workings of our psyche. To this extent my work is a self-analysis, an autobiographical reckoning, a non-verbal representation of collective experiences rendered in forms upon which images are spontaneously drawn or painted with fiber. The process of making art as a means of accessing creative instincts is a manifestation of the way in which I experience life. Adapting and assimilating to our human condition is an art, a form …


Trees, Kara M. Drinkwater Jan 2006

Trees, Kara M. Drinkwater

Theses and Dissertations

The intention behind my work is to draw the viewer's attention to the intimate, beautiful details found in nature. For example, I am awed and inspired by the unique qualities found in every tree whose varieties are seemingly infinite. The basic concept of my work is to portray the images of trees close to the viewer's eye to instill a sense of nature's grandness.


It's An Irish Lullaby: One Story Of Hyphenated American Culture, Mary-Ellen Jones Jan 2006

It's An Irish Lullaby: One Story Of Hyphenated American Culture, Mary-Ellen Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this project was to come to a clear understanding of Irish-American culture--and how that culture expresses itself in individuals. The text considers the role of myth, religion, language, tradition, stereotypes and to a lesser degree gender in the molding of character. Although autobiographical in nature many of the themes are those that encompass the Irish-American experience as a whole. Questions asked throughout the process include, what makes one hyphenated? How is this culture passed from generation to generation? And is it multifaceted? Is there more than one way to express being Irish-American. The text is presented is …


Bitterroot Landing: An Adaptation From Novel To Stage, Christy Leake Jan 2006

Bitterroot Landing: An Adaptation From Novel To Stage, Christy Leake

Theses and Dissertations

My thesis explores the process involved in adapting Sheri Reynolds' novel, Bitterroot Landing, into a stage play. During the adaptation process I faced numerous challenges, including structural issues, expanding or changing dialogue, omitting or melding scenes and characters, and dealing with the serious themes of incest and sexual abuse. This thesis describes these challenges and the steps I took to overcome them.


Everyday Haunting, Thomas John Condon Jr. Jan 2006

Everyday Haunting, Thomas John Condon Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

This document outlines a journey of self-exploration, discovery, construction and destruction. It is a story of learning, a testament to impermanence, and a proposal for possibility. The words and work contained in this document are exclusive to the thoughts and actions of one man that hopes to share with others.


Ancient West Mexican Sculpture: A Formal And Stylistic Analysis Of Eleven Figures In The Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts, Crista Anne Pack Jan 2006

Ancient West Mexican Sculpture: A Formal And Stylistic Analysis Of Eleven Figures In The Virginia Museum Of Fine Arts, Crista Anne Pack

Theses and Dissertations

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA) has in its collection eleven ancient West Mexican ceramic sculptures. Given that the VMFA's West Mexican Ceramic figure collection has not been included in any extensive study, this thesis serves to provide a critical analysis of these figures through a formal and stylistic approach. These analyses are preceded by a brief history of the West Mexican cultures and highlight the artistic similarities and differences between each region. The primary regions under discussion are Colima, Nayarit, and Jalisco which correspond to modern geopolitical boundaries. Primary sources for these discussions are the figures themselves, while …


Sphere Of Influence, Benjamin Andrew Jones Jan 2006

Sphere Of Influence, Benjamin Andrew Jones

Theses and Dissertations

The following thesis titled SPHERE OF INFLUENCE is about development. I discuss my efforts to develop as an artist addressing observation and awareness of the self and our surroundings. I will discuss how this relates to my approach with materials and process and will explain not only what the sculpture titled SPHERE OF INFLUENCE has come to represent for me, but also the reactions of viewers during the temporary installation of the SPHERE OF INFLUENCE at the Anderson Gallery at Virginia Commonwealth University from May 5th 2006 through May 14th, 2006. I will explain the SPHERE OF INFLENCE'S function as …


Cultural Stereotypes: From Dracula's Myth To Contemporary Diasporic Productions, Ileana F. Popa Jan 2006

Cultural Stereotypes: From Dracula's Myth To Contemporary Diasporic Productions, Ileana F. Popa

Theses and Dissertations

This study is focused on a highly topical theme, which belongs to the pluralist practice of cultural studies, and aims at investigating a remarkable phenomenon of identity-shaping and cross-cultural exchange. Starting from an analysis of Dracula as the epitomized image of the Balkans (and of Romania, more specifically) abroad, this paper provides a comprehensive historical and (con)textual analysis of the myth, enlarged to incorporate it into the fictions of exile and to draw the reader's attention to the "demonic" dimension of the Balkan area in general, and the Romanian area in particular. The first chapter provides a theoretical overview meant …


From Below Table Mesa, Cynthia Grier Lotze Jan 2006

From Below Table Mesa, Cynthia Grier Lotze

Theses and Dissertations

I lived in Boulder, Colorado longenough, and I dreamed low-resolutiondreams, sharp only at eyes and slow movinghands.Kate's hair was a cloud of insurrectionon the tarmac, then I would watch the hoursmelt off the wings of her plane as eachstate became not-Tennessee, not-Kansas.I wanted to meet her in the air; Icould will this without a plane, with sadness,with need, I would enter the plane in flightand I would say, "Kate, take me home," and shewould turn the plane around. Everythingwould become not-Colorado, not thisstaticky dream, hard breath miles up from the sea.


A Postcard, Or Something Like It, Derek Cote Jan 2006

A Postcard, Or Something Like It, Derek Cote

Theses and Dissertations

Postcards highlight the most invigorating, awesome and memorable aspects of events and places. They serve as mementos to be shared or as a testament to experience, proof that "I was here." While postcards were most widely used at the turn of the 20th century, they are quickly being outmoded by the immediacy of technology. Thanks to digital photography and the world wide web, sharing memories is something that happens almost as quickly as the original event is experienced. The history and function of postcards are not the topics that I will address in this essay. Rather, I will look at …


A Shift In Perspective, Andrew Patrick Ilnicki Jan 2006

A Shift In Perspective, Andrew Patrick Ilnicki

Theses and Dissertations

Responsible design practice should include environmental advocacy and a focus on community — subjects often lacking in design education. My creative project is the result of investigations into how designers integrate nature into their design process. By increasing their awareness for communal and environmental advocacy at the undergraduate level, students can develop responsible design practices at the beginning of their career. The result is the student's accumulation of integrity.