Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Every Rock Has A Soul, Karen Yung

MFA in Visual Art

My studio practice focuses on the Asian American diaspora and the feelings of displacement that arise from being away from one’s homeland. This paper traces the beginning of my journey to find a way to make art that observes and applies Buddhist philosophies, practices and acknowledges the intrinsic energy found in all things. I create sculptures inspired by the qi of rocks to explore my ongoing struggles with my bicultural identity. Through the continuous pouring of wax and plaster that create stalagmites on to domestic objects, I imbue positive qi into my artworks to pass on to whoever seeks it. …

Azul, Amarillo, Rojo, Jorge Rios Morales

MFA in Visual Art

My most recent body of work was produced out of the pleasure of exploring pure formal and processual painting. In this text—divided by sections titled like a traditional opera to highlight the mise-en-scene quality of my artwork—the reader will find clues about the context, inspirations, and desires that led to my current practice, such as my ambivalent condition as an immigrant, my exposure to post-conceptual abstraction embodied in Christopher Wool’s provocative oeuvre, and my interest in offering the viewer the experience of what I call “an aesthetic interrogation.” l have privileged in this thesis my own voice and character with …

Du Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, And Creative Works, Caitlyn Aldersea, Justin Bravo, Sam Allen, Anna Block, Connor Block, Emma Buechler, Maria De Los Angeles Bustillos, Arianna Carlson, William Christensen, Olivia Kachulis, Noah Craver, Kate Dillon, Muskan Fatima, Angel Fernandes, Emma Finch, Colleen Cassidy, Amy Fishman, Andrea Francis, Stacia Fritz, Simran Gill, Emma Gries, Rylie Hansen, Shannon Powers, Jacqueline Martinez, Zachary Harker, Ashley Hasty, Mykaela Tanino-Springsteen, Kathleen Hopps, Adelaide Kerenick, Colin Kleckner, Ci Koehring, Elijah Kruger, Braden Krumholz, Maddie Leake, Lyneé Alves, Seraphina Loukas, Yatzari Lozano Vazquez, Haley Maki, Emily Martinez, Sierra Mckinney, Audrey Mitchell, Kipling Newman, Audrey Ng, Megan Lucyshyn, Andrew Nguyen, Stevie Ostman, Casandra Pearson, Alexandra Penney, Julia Gielczynski, Tyler Ball, Anna Rini, Christina Rorres, Simon Ruland, Helayna Schafer, Emma Sellers, Sarah Schuller, Claire Shaver, Kevin Summers, Isabella Shaw, Madison Sinar, Claudia Pena, Apshara Siwakoti, Carter Sorensen, Madi Sousa, Anna Sparling, Alexandra Revier, Brandon Thierry, Dylan Tyree, Maggie Williams, Lauren Wols

DU Undergraduate Research Journal Archive

DU Undergraduate Showcase: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Works

The Exile's War, Stephen Edwards Arnold

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

In Gaelwyn, the village of a thousand stories, Katchan receives a powerful ruby and an ancient technique called writing hidden by his grandmother, Maggaline. Jealous of the power Katchan has, the village Elder seeks to destroy him. After escaping the Elder, Katchan must leave his home and traverse a dangerous and mysterious wasteland that will lead him directly into an ancient conflict that lost a powerful empire to the sands of time.

Elsewhere: In Defense Of Daydreaming, Alex Braden

MFA in Visual Art

Much like music, organic life is an absurd, improbable, and serendipitous instance. I set circular, electric, acoustic, and magnetic forces in motion and allow them to coalesce freely in the hopes of synthesizing unexpected moments of beauty, connection, and harmony.

Sursum Corda As A Call For Repentance And Faith, Sebastian Grünbaum

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

This article examines Chemnitz's understanding and interpretation of the Sursum Corda in his work the Lord’s Supper. Chemnitz’s theological adversaries had been claiming that the Sursum Corda was evidence that the early church did not believe that the true body and blood were on the altar. They argued that the believer had to go up to the Lord (who sits on the right side of the Father) in faith and eat mere bread in this faith.3 Chemnitz aimed to correct this understanding by showing that the Fathers did not understand the Sursum Corda in this way but rather as an …

Perils Of The Heroine: The Historic Role Of Woman In Comics, Britain Bray

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

Now more than ever the comics industry is welcoming diversity in its creators and stories, but with its historically misogynistic past, what legacy are creators inheriting? This essay seeks to explore that history, delving into the various eras of American Comics and how sexism shaped them. From the earliest heroines of the 40s, the ground-breaking feminist indie comics of the 70s, and the rampant female sexualization of the 90s, examples of brilliance and drudgery will be investigated in order to gain a better understanding of how comics became what they are today.

It's A Match: Shaadi.Com, Tinder, And The Fantasy Of Frictionless-Ness, Purvi Rajpuria

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

In this essay I carry out case studies of Shaadi.com and Tinder to unpack the cultural principles underlying the apps that shape our interpersonal relationships today. I demonstrate that these apps are grounded in a fantasy of frictionless-ness, or the desire to shield the self from discomfort caused by external factors, and argue that this is a fraught cultural ideal. My analysis reveals that a fantasy of frictionless-ness gives birth to a cultural landscape of rampant subjectivity and tepid morality, which hampers our ability to form deep and meaningful connections with each other. Recognising the flaws of such a fantasy, …

Prosthetic Traveling Companions, Carrie Keasler

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This essay explores the potential for narrative art (film, literature, comics) to be a transformative experience in the life of the consumer (viewer, reader) through a sensuous, embodied interaction with that work of narrative art. Drawing from film, narrative and comics theory as well as primary sources, I show that there is potential for consumers to engage in reading and viewing in an embodied way that allows them to take on these experiences as new memories, highlighting the ability of art to engage our senses in a manner that is similar to everyday lived experiences. In contrast with some theories …

My Kinship With The Trees, C. Daniela Shapiro

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This paper explores facets of patriarchy affecting women and the natural world. The paper suggests a cultivation of allyship and relationality between women and nature due to a shared experience of objectification within patriarchy. The separation of women from nature through origin stories, science, religion, language, and advertisement will be discussed. Examples from the graphic memoir Running without Moving are employed to emphasize this philosophy, including first person accounts.

Monster Planet Bounty Hunter, Arthur Santoro

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

In this paper I will be discussing my personal interest in games and art as well as my experience and process working on my original board game: Monster Planet Bounty Hunter. I will also discuss my visual influences, how I approach making games and why I think games are an important form of art.

Carefree Black Girl: Trope Or Treasure?, Erin Williams

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

Abstract: The writing below is an experimental study on the idea of the “Carefree Black Girl,” a term coined in 2017 to define a way of life for Black women to emulate, focused on self-care and self-love. I write about its popularity and meaning, with parallels to my own life and mental health in order to define if this term is actually an attainable state of being or is more of an aspiration. I also paralleled the marriage of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, conducted an independent poll with a small circle of Black, female contacts to learn about their knowledge …

The Dark House And Its Inhabitants, Emily Bielski

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

From the inception of the genre, Gothic horror has been fixated on the domestic space in distress. This essay explores domestic archetypes and roles of the Gothic novel, serving as a “tour of the house”, analyzing the iconography of the dark castle, and how it externalizes and exacerbates the fears and behaviors of its inhabitants. The power dynamic of the household is starkly divided by the expectations and authority of masculine and feminine figures. In turn the “house” becomes a vehicle for the anxieties of the inhabitants—both experienced and inflicted—regarding gender, sexuality, isolation, and abuse. Exploration of the visual and …

Ambivalent Images, Beloved Objects: Building Bridges Between Picture Books And The Tangible World, Danielle Ridolfi

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

"Ambivalent Images, Beloved Objects" examines how pedagogical theories prioritizing objects and direct sensory experiences in early childhood can be applied to the creation of picture book illustrations. In doing so, it positions picture books as educational tools, and advocates for the importance of using them not to recreate nature, but to connect readers with the tangible world of natural and human-made objects that our digital-driven culture eclipses. It strives towards a unifying pedagogical and aesthetic philosophy that accomplishes what illustrator Eric Carle characterizes as a bridge between the tactile world of objects and the world represented in illustrations.

This exploration …

Legends Of Light: Crafting Middle Grade Fantasy In The Tradition Of Catholic Philosophy And Medieval Visual Culture, Bernadette Lamb

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This essay promotes the writing and illustrating of middle grade literature that mirrors the wonder-inducing experiences of leafing through an illuminated manuscript and stepping into a Gothic cathedral. An examination of Catholic medieval visual culture moves into a discussion on its underlying philosophy and theology, which are profoundly centered on relational healing and the dignity of the human person. Christian writers including St. Pope John Paul II, C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Josef Pieper, Madeline L’Engle, Dr. Bob Schuchts, Makoto Fujimura, and Andrew Peterson inform an exploration of mercy, forgiveness, and love as self-gift in the context of illustration and storytelling …

Proceed With Caution: Fashion And The Case For Media Literacy, Stephanie Silva

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This essay shows how one can further one’s media literacy by examining episodes of fashion as a cultural phenomenon and not an insular art practice. These episodes include Martin Margiela’s tabi boot and cultural appreciation; a Björk album cover and its potential yellowface; and the Rick Owens Spring 2014 show and the question of who gets to profit from representation in high fashion. This essay also confronts the role the Internet plays in educating the masses about fashion, both as a tool and as a distraction, and questions how a platform like Diet Prada affects fashion culture. Finally, this essay …

Shambles & Crowley: Autobiographical Fiction In Four Panels, Shumyle Haider

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This paper explores the development of Shambles & Crowley, a collection of autobiographical fiction comic strips featuring Shambles, a burnt-out boy, Crowley, a loudmouthed crow, Franz Kafka, a silent companion, Saadat Manto, a prankster, and God, an overbearing authority figure. Drawing inspiration from comic strips such as Peanuts by Charles Schulz, Calvin & Hobbes by Will Waterson, and shows such as Louie by Louis C.K, and Mr. Robot by Sam Esmail, the stories explore the inner conflicts of Shambles, which are induced by struggles with love, loneliness, depression, and faith.

Personal Narratives & Their Unique Personalities, Aayesha Ejaz

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This essay uncovers the motives behind memoir-writing, and explores the idea that it can serve as a gift—offering the audience some consolation by sharing one’s personal and emotional experiences. Since memoir-writing is an act of generosity, the essay also endorses the principle of crafting these narratives with love and one’s being—hands, voice, and other tangible ingredients. It focuses primarily on explicit storytelling through music, picture books, comics, et al. It also looks at some relevant terms like catharsis, misfit, vulnerability, and rigid gender roles in our world (school and society). On the whole, the essay encourages finding an outlet for …

Mothering As Feminism, Meera Patel

MFA in Illustration & Visual Culture

This critical essay proposes the concept of mothering-as-feminism, with the intention of interrogating American ideals of mothering and caregiving. Reforming the way we view mothering, as it relates to feminism, requires a re-evaluation of the American role of women and mothers—and how they are portrayed (and therefore seen and understood), valued, and supported. Focusing on the evolution of feminist theory throughout the past 70 years, as well as personal and secondary experiences, I demonstrate how political and social change occurs generationally and is dependent on the education of our children. Ultimately, I show the important role children’s literature plays …

Queering Up For Battle, Alex Davis

MFA in Visual Art

In this text, I explore the potential for interwar European art to serve as a catalyst for the contemporary Queer rights movement. Drawing on the works of Remy Jungerman, LJ Roberts, michá cardenas, and Joar Nango, alongside the insights of Queer theorists Lisa Duggan and José Esteban Muñoz, I analyze my own artwork and the way I remix elements of both Russian Constructivism and Queer culture.

Amidst the current proliferation of anti-Queer violence and legislation, I highlight the importance of safeguarding Queer spaces and communities. To this end, I collect Queer objects and organize them into an arsenal of triangular …

Dear Sycamore, Anna Schenker

MFA in Visual Art

I create paintings, sculptures, and rubbings to pay tribute to the earthly beings found within my immediate surroundings. I use indexical processes that stain, trace, and record to preserve a moment in time. The process of rubbing is a tactile and meticulous activity of excavation. It is an imprint of what was once there, a mapping of attentive contact. The works are dependent upon the physicality of the host as I engage directly with the plants, seeds, weather, and trees that surround me. The rubbing’s flatness actively constructs a new reality; a liminal space hovers between the impression and the …

Forget Us Not, Jamie Harris

MFA in Visual Art

I create because I mourn, to seek comfort in the knowing and sharing of Suppressed Histories, and to find joy in the rediscovering of lost stories. I create the vessel, which for me is akin to the human body. A form containing memories, wisdom, a soul, and a space for transportation between plains. I paint to capture moments in times of joy and sorrow. To make memoriam, I pay homage to past, present, and future.

Extracted Entities And Their Images As Spectres, Seulki Seo

MFA in Visual Art

In this paper, I propose the concept of “Extracted Entity” as a means of postcolonial and technocolonial analysis through the lens of Othering. Extracted Entity, which is a term I coined in 2019, refers to an entity that has been involuntarily removed from its place of origin and relocated elsewhere, either through force or chance. By tracing the trajectory of Extracted Entity’s migration, I explore the role of art and technology to demonstrate how the concept could be a clue to overcome Othering.

Land | Lineage, Allena Marie Brazier

MFA in Visual Art

Land | Lineage is an in-depth text of my thoughts and tha artistic choices I make within my work. In my thesis I use tha concept of Black Ecology to understand art rooted in tha relationship between race and geography. Black culture and city spaces in proximity to natural landscapes, or edgelands, reveal tha social and physical conditions of a place where these two worlds collide and form distinct characteristics of site, sound, and human interaction.

My research also focuses on tha theory of place-based works to reconceptualize the lost stories and complexities of city trauma and joy within my …

Haptic Preservation Of Cultural Ephemera: An Extended Reality Solution Using Stereoscopic Experience Replication For Victorian Parlor Culture, Paige Sandheinrich, James Hutson

Student Scholarship

This study presents a solution to the problem of interacting with, while simultaneously preserving, fragile cultural heritage, such as Victorian parlor culture artifacts, which are essential cultural heritage items but at risk of damage and deterioration. The proposed multi-sensory experience uses extended reality (XR) technology, head-mounted displays (HMD) and haptic feedback via haptic gloves, providing an immersive experience that allows people to interact with these artifacts in a virtual environment. By replicating the experience of a Victorian parlor, this study provides a glimpse into the past and provides valuable resources for researchers. The proposed solution not only provides access to …

"The Second Side" A Historic Retelling Of African American Life In Iberia Parish, Louisiana, Breighlynn Polk

Master of Arts in American Studies Capstones

In 1834, new living quarters emerged in the Main Street District of New Iberia for the Weeks family, who were prominent white sugar cane planters that owned a fully operating plantation twenty-five miles away. With their sixteen-room home sited twenty feet above the banks of the bayou, the Weeks family earned the reputation of flamboyant community members whose wealth was accumulated through the exploitation of enslaved African Americans. However, the ability to savor riches generated through the institution of slavery was short lived as the Union Army’s strategy of “Total War” threatened the prosperity of slave-owning families in the South. …

Catechism Service, Jaron Melin

Grapho : Concordia Seminary Student Journal

This service is organized in a simple manner for any congregation to use. Pastors and congregations are encouraged to use and adapt it for their worship. It was made brief to be printed as a worship-bulletin onto both sides of a single sheet of paper. Any part can be expanded to include more of the Small Catechism for further instruction and formation (e.g. questions and answers). Furthermore, Phillip Magness has put the Small Catechism to music which could be incorporated into this service so that people can learn the catechism by heart to music even in the midst of worship.

A Dream Come True: More Than 50 Years After Black Students Demanded Faculty And Student Leadership Roles At The University Of Mississippi, Students Of Color Are Still Grappling With What It Means To Be Included., Kaylynn Steen

Honors Theses

This thesis tells the story of University of Mississippi alumna Treasure Fisher’s journey in the organization Column’s Society, an organization known as the hosts and hostess of the University of Mississippi. Throughout Fisher’s story, historical moments from the university’s complex relationship with its Black students are weaved through in an attempt to provide context for some of the lingering racial issues at the university today. Fisher’s story, these historical moments, and other anecdotal experiences from current and former Black students, faculty, and staff at the university challenges the reader to examine what representation does, and maybe should, mean to this …

Wronged Women: A Foray Into The Wronged Woman's Mind, Suzanna Poole

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

This capstone is about the wronged woman and how she is the the hated woman, the lonely woman, or the crazy woman. I have been a wronged woman and know countless women in my life that have been wronged in some sort of way; either by a lover, a friend, family, or even herself. This project was created to put a spotlight on these various women. My research covered various mental illnesses that occured after a woman was wronged and the ways these can affect women. I wrote four short screenplays about various women at different ages in their lives: …

Ensleyedits: Creating A Style Resource For Professional Writers, Ensley Fraschillo

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

This capstone explores the creation of a resource that helps professional writers keep up with ever-changing style practices and understand the implications of different stylistic and mechanical choices. Examining the history of style guides, analyzing the content of existing style references through the lens of prescriptivism and descriptivism, and assessing the gaps of current online style resources demonstrate how a new online style resource hosted on Instagram, EnsleyEdits, can meet this need for professional writers. Research on current social media, accessibility, and design practices demonstrate how content on the EnsleyEdits account can succeed on Instagram, and the results of …