Art and Design Commons^™

Assessment In The Visual Arts: Challenges And Possibilities, Mark Graham

Faculty Publications

Assessment in art is notoriously difficult and is probably best approached with skepticism. Artistry is notoriously difficult to assess. Yet measures of student learning in art are needed for both advocacy and art education policy. Assessments, particularly large-scale assessments, influence funding and educational policy at all levels. This article explores some of the challenges of assessment in the visual arts and critically examines the Advanced Placement Studio Art Portfolio to illustrate how a product-oriented assessment might influ-ence teaching and policy.

Postmodern And Early Modern Theology: Derrida Meets Calderón The Derridean Parergon And Painting Theory In Calderón’S El Pintor De Su Deshonra, Camilo Mejia, Matthew Ancell, Phd.

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Simone Heller-Andrist’s The Friction of the Frame ingeniously employs the Derridean parergon as a methodological approach to analyze the mechanisms involved in the reading process. In The Truth in Painting, Derrida uses the term parergon in the context of a frame in a painting. The parergon is the frame of a painting and a part of the work that is commonly disregarded but influences and manipulates the interpretation of the work. Hence the parergon presents an interaction between the canvas of a painting, and its surroundings. It is neither purely inside nor outside, but it performs and operation that acknowledges …

Michelangelo’S Rondanini Pietà: Construction, Creation, And Sculptural Meditation, Heidi Pyper, Elliott D. Wise

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I organized this research project to better understand Michelangelo’s final work and sculpture, the Rondanini Pietà, which contains an upright Jesus supported from behind by Mary (Fig. 1). Michelangelo labored on the sculpture up until the last days of his life, and it has even been suggested by John Paoletti that it was meant for the altar of his burial chapel.1The Pietà subject depicts the apocryphal moment following the Crucifixion, when Christ was removed from the cross and placed in Mary’s embrace. Devotionally, the Pietà aids spiritual contemplation and prayer.

Exploration Of The Feminist And Judaic Components In The Art Of Bracha L. Ettinger, Hannah Sandorf, Heather Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Bracha L. Ettinger is considered by many contemporary art scholars as one of the most important living artists of our day that addresses cultural trauma transferal. The child of Jewish immigrants who escaped the Lodz Ghetto, Ettinger grew in Israel, becoming interested in the wealth of different cultural and religious perspectives that thrive in the city. She eventually left Israel to pursue a PhD in psychology in France and now teaches psychoanalysis at the European Graduate School, focusing on her own theories of the Matrixial Borderspace. Because of her many influences, her art is extraordinarily complex and rich with symbolic …

The Women Of Guernica: A Compilation Of Interpretations, Heidi Herrera, Dr. Heather Belnap-Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Although there is a wealth of scholarship on Picasso’s Guernica (1937) (Fig. 1), until recently there has been a distinct lack of analyses completed through feminist methods, an approach essential to a holistic understanding of Guernica. Conducting on-site research at the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid, I focused on the women of the painting, studying preparatory drawings and works in which Picasso’s representation of women often borders on violent, painting them as monstrous and agonized. The correlation between Picasso’s previous representations of women and Guernica’s harrowing display of women and animals in pain participates within the Spanish artistic tradition in …

Painted Ladies Of Rome: The Role Of Beauty In Defining Female Excellence, Casandra Ball, Michael Pope

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Ancient Rome was a culture obsessed with excellence, and much scholarly ink has been spent identifying and elucidating the intricate matrix of ideal Roman masculinity. Meanwhile, relatively little scholarly attention has been paid to the concept of feminine excellence, or the means by which Roman women attained social or personal value. The purpose of this project was to examine the position of Roman women within greater Roman society, and to identify the standards used to typify ideal Roman womanhood. I posited that adherence to rigid beauty standards was a significant means by which Roman women could contribute symbolic and tangible …

Feminist Typology-- I Am A Feminist

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

Perspectives On Family Values: A Photographic Exploration Of Memory And Home, Stephanie Froelich, Robert Marchoian

Journal of Undergraduate Research

This ORCA grant funded phase one of a long term project documenting the lives and stories of my two sets of grandparents who live in different geographic areas of Canada. Through the guidance of my mentor, and through the opportunities he provided to meet with other artists, I was able to shoot, edit and print a set of highly curated photographs for display in a public gallery. Something I treasure about being a photographer is the opportunities it creates for me to understand the world around me. This project gave me an opportunity I may never have taken before: I …

Photo Reference Library The Creation Of A Desperately Needed Figure Drawing Reference Library For Design And Art Students, Gregory Bean, Robert Barrett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The idea for this project arose from the need to provide BYU Design and Art Students with an appropriate photo reference for life drawing. Solid drawing skills have always been the foundation for most visual arts. For hundreds of years, artists have learned those skills by spending countless hours drawing the human figure. Even during times when figurative art was overshadowed by more abstract forms, BYU continued the traditional teaching methods in order to help young artists gain the skills needed for more figurative pursuits like animation and illustration. That tradition continues today; however, unlike most art schools, BYU does …

Fading The Lines: A Photographic Essay On Bajan Religious Tolerance, Ashley Gordon, Dr. Jerry Garns

Journal of Undergraduate Research

During the summer of 2017, I traveled to the island of Barbados to better understand and accurately document two of the island’s diminishing religions: The Apostolic Spiritual Baptists and the Rastafari. I wanted to photograph the Bajan people in such a way as to display and emphasize the light and hope that their faith creates on both individual and communal levels.

The Significance Of Cloth In The Narrative Of The Life Of Christ As Represented In Dieric Bouts' "Life Of Christ Altarpiece", Mary-Margaret Mcleod Pilling

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis explores the materialistic importance of cloth in the life of Jesus Christ and relates it to the disassembled Life of Christ Altarpiece painted by the Renaissance artist Dieric Bouts. References to cloth in the scriptural accounts of Christ’s life support the claim that there is deep theological significance to fabric. The medium of each of the paintings that comprised the altarpiece is a flax linen canvas, which, combined with the references to cloth throughout the compositions, parallels these references to cloth in the scriptures. The entire artwork serves as a metaphor for the Eucharist resting on linen on …

Place-Based Practice: Landscape And Artistic Identity In An Elementary Art Classroom, Mark Graham, Molly Neves

Faculty Publications

The desert and mountains where Molly and I grew up had a profound influence on our sense of self and our artistic practice. Molly describes her experiences with connecting place to her own artistic identity and to her work as an elementary art teacher: As an elementary art specialist, I wondered if my students had similar experiences related to place. I wanted to know how elementary students might use art as a method of inquiry to explore how place contributed to their sense of identity. I also wanted to connect my artistic identity with my teaching. My experiences and understanding …

Improving Student Behavior In Art Classrooms: An Exploratory Study Of Cw-Fit Tier 1, Mark Graham, Melanie A. Nelson, Paul Caldarella, Blake D. Hansen, Leslie Williams, Howard P. Wills

Faculty Publications

Disruptive student behavior, a common concern for teachers, presents particular challenges for those who teach art. Class-Wide Function-Related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) is a multitiered intervention for implementing effective classroom management strategies aligned with schoolwide positive behavior interventions and supports. CW-FIT has proven effective in general education classrooms, with its emphasis on social skills instruction, teacher praise, group contingency, and positive reinforcement. This first study of CW-FIT implementation in elementary art classrooms examined its effects on student on-task behavior. The researchers used a single-subject (AB) design in one classroom and reversal designs (ABAB) in two classrooms. Results indicated student on-task behavior …

Making Connections: Collaborative Arts Integration Planning For Powerful Lessons, Tara L. Carpenter, Jayme Gandara

Faculty Publications

As defined by the Kennedy Center, arts integration is “an approach to teaching in which students construct and demonstrate understanding through an art form. Students engage in a creative process which connects an art form and another subject area and meets evolving objectives in both” (Silverstein & Layne, 2010, p. 1). In arts integrated lessons, students simultaneously learn content in a form of art and in another subject area. They can then demonstrate their new understanding through the art. Arts integration has been shown to improve learning for elementary students in many different studies in the last couple of decades …

Elementary Art Education, Innovation, And Darwin's Paradox, Mark Graham, Stephen Moore

Faculty Publications

Innovation and learning come together in a vibrant manner during dynamic arts education classes led by teachers who understand the importance of collaboration and student improvisation.

Relic Hunter — A Student Multidisciplinary Video Game Development Project, Sam Nielson, Seth Holladay, Justin Kunz

Journal of Undergraduate Research

We set out with the objectives to create a fully-working slice of a video game, to develop art pieces for students’ portfolio pieces, to help students develop leadership and team skills, and give our students a chance to collaboratively work out the interlocking bits of knowledge necessary for something as complicated as a game project. In addition, we hoped the project would help students develop professional relationships, and create mentoring opportunities for students on future projects. The project hit all of these objectives and even exceeded in some areas. The most important target was to have the students bring their …

Haskell Island Woodcut And Letterpress Book, Adrian Tidd, Linda Reynolds

Journal of Undergraduate Research

When the word printing is used nowadays, it generally refers to the act of sending a file via computer to a machine that sprays ink onto cheap office paper. The result of such printing is plain white paper with imagery or text laid out in a pattern of small ink dots. There is no human element or quality in this process and the result is mediocre; even if quality paper is used, there is no character in the final outcome and the ink typically rubs off with very little effort. The project I proposed was to explore older methods of …

A Portrait Of Stanley: Preserving History Through Art, Amy Clegg, Robert Barrett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

A Portrait of Stanley: Preserving History Through Art was an idea born by two of my greatest passions. My love for painting, and my love for the outdoors. By the outdoors, I mean particularly the Sawtooth Wilderness that I have grown to know and love in Stanley, Idaho. My project’s purpose was to help preserve the history of Stanley, Idaho by painting a portrait of a historical figure that would be combined in educational displays to help encourage continued appreciation and care for this beautiful region.

Looking At Concepts Of Thresholds And Talismans In Islamic Art To Create A Body Of Work, Jane Christensen, Peter Everett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

I have been interested in systems of structure and calculation and how those systems manifest visually. In Rosalind Krauss’ essay on grids, she discusses the function of a grid to “map reality,” or using the grid as a tool to explain and interpret. When I first read this I became intrigued by the idea that the abstract grid can transform information into a literal object; perhaps, explaining the unknown. I thought about the prominence of the grid and geometric systems found in visual culture. I had already been creating work dealing with concepts of structures and patterns that refer to …

Dislocation: An Exploration Of Cultural Hybridization In The Arts, Aloe Corry, Peter Everett

Journal of Undergraduate Research

My exhibition, titled Out of Order, was a series of paintings and two-dimensional artworks that explored the idea of dislocation that can occur physically, mentally, and culturally. Feelings of dislocation come most often to me as I move from a space I am comfortable in to a space that I have not yet encountered, especially when I am exposed to new ideas, images, and experience. However, one of the fastest ways for me to encounter dislocation is through travel. Because of this, I decided to create most of the works for this exhibition, Out of Order, during and after a …

My Burden, Alena Randolph, Bryon Draper

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Throughout the past year, I have been working to create a sculptural piece that conveys the conflict side of the human condition; namely the burdens we all carry. This is an ongoing project, estimated to be completed in Fall 2016. My hope is to display it in the upcoming Zion Art Competition. Afterward I hope to continue to show it to a variety of audiences in an effort to create further discussion on the subject matter.

The Medicinal Plants And The Traditions Of Nepal And Tibet: How Spiritual And Artistic Traditions Inform Our Appreciations Of The Landscape, Ellie Gillett, Mark Graham

Journal of Undergraduate Research

For my project, I traveled to Nepal with Dr. Mark Graham. I studied medicinal plants that I came in contact with as we hiked in the Everest region. I studied how these plants fit into Tibetan traditions and how they were significant to the culture of Nepal and India. The local plants I came in contact with were recorded, illustrated, and compiled. Upon returning from my travels I researched more cultural understandings and facts about the specific plants I encountered. I then compiled my book by inputting my drawings into the computer to create templates for a letterpress. After creating …

System Design To Reduce Risk Of Cranial Injury For Servicemen & Servicewomen, Stefan Leimer, David Morgan

Journal of Undergraduate Research

With over 320,000 of our troops returning home with traumatic brain injuries over the course of only six years, brain injuries among U.S. servicemen and servicewomen have become a growing concern. The purpose of this project is to assess the current risks these individuals are facing and to design solutions that provide meaningful protection.

Extensive research was conducted into the epidemiology of traumatic brain injury (abbreviated as TBI) among military personnel deployed abroad. Though the government has long had an extensive program for documenting and reporting injuries, TBI has only recently begun to be recorded and reported. In an effort …

In Arcadia, Madeline Rupard

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

painting

Canterbury Cathedral, Madeline Rupard

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

artwork

Looking Toward The Light, Abigail Remington

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.

Magyar Woman, Madeline Rupard

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

artwork

Silver Lining, Abigail Remington

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

artwork

Golden Contemplation, Abigail Remington

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

painting

Old World, Madeline Rupard

AWE (A Woman’s Experience)

No abstract provided.