Art and Design Commons^™

Artistic Representation And Self Esteem, Brianna Davis

Honors College Theses

Dependent upon the constructs of the perception of self and the viewpoint of others, humans base the value of their self esteem on outer perspectives rather than internal ones. For this thesis in particular, the outer perspective to be examined is representation in the field of the arts. This thesis project explores the process of self esteem, artistic representation in the arts, how one affects the other, a history of the correlation between the two, and ways to inform and educate the masses with the tools necessary to advance representation in the arts thus raising the self esteem of its …

Bibliography, Print Culture, And What To Do With Comics In A Rare Books Library, Michael C. Weisenburg

Faculty and Staff Publications

Comic books are among the rare books of the future. In fact, some comic books are scarcer and more valuable than many of the “old books” that fill special collections stacks. This essay proposes to answer the questions of “What do we do with comics in an academic library?” by analyzing comics as a popular phenomenon that is deeply rooted in book history and the developing print culture of the past 100 years. Using the traditional methods of bibliographic analysis, we might better situate comics within the mission of academic libraries as we work to foster learning, discovery, and inclusivity …

Seam/Seem; Exploring Material, Craft And Embodiment Through Textile Sculpture, Heather Baumbach

MFA in Visual Arts Theses

I will argue that transforming textile materials from their origin as planate fiber, and manipulating shape and form through the employment of traditional craft techniques creates soft sculptures imbued with references to the human body. By highlighting the connections between the poetics of textiles and those of skin and the body, I examine themes of feminism, domesticity and labor encouraging speculation about intimacy, fragility, and embodiment.

Continuing, Shauna Le Ann Smith

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Taking something whole, breaking it apart, and making it into another form of wholeness is the essence of both papermaking and grief. The papermaking process involves separation, maceration, and forming of new life; the grieving process involves a similar evolution. Creating this body of work has been a pursuit of continuation—a part of me forming new life. Using papermaking processes, I create work that is visually quiet. The details are only noticeable through sustained attention and close proximity. The quiet visual qualities are intended to create a viewing experience that is meditative and slow. The lack of details of the …

Exploring Growth, Integration, & Play Working In Clay: Finding Pathways To Healing And Hope, Dana A. Bridges

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

I find therapeutic qualities in all the aspects of my studio practice and haptic experience: from the grounding sensory experience of clay, the quiet meditative motions of creating and constructing, acceptance or repair of mistakes, and the integration of failures which may occur. Specifically, I channel my experience to explore the themes of growth, integration, and play. By exploring these themes in the quiet and safety of my clay-studio, I engage in the opportunity to investigate these themes on a formal, practical, and personal level. I create the forms by hand or on the potter’s wheel. After constructing the forms, …

Insulin Is My Fuel, Jean Paul Vivas

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The assertion that moments of play empower individuals to find balance amidst the tension of creation and destruction is a central tenet of my artistic philosophy. Through the expressive medium of painting, I have discovered that playfulness can serve as a responsive process that facilitates a flexible approach to coping with the complexities of identity, ideology, and morality. This fertile ground for creativity has become a means of defining a sense of life that is informed by my ongoing struggles with a diabetic medical condition. As my body's dependency on insulin necessitates a constant movement between the frustrations of daily …

Us Buyers’ Behavior Towards Social Sustainable Certificates, Mehnaz Fatima Monamy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Growing awareness of the fashion industry's environmental footprint in terms of water and chemical use, carbon emissions, textile waste, energy usage, and water pollution has focused international attention on sustainability issues in apparel industries. To showcase their commitment to sustainability, many fashion companies turn to certifications and accreditations from third-party organizations. These certifications and accreditations not only help improve a company's performance and marketability but also give them an advantage over their competitors. US textile buyers are also becoming more selective in their purchasing decisions, looking for high-quality products that are produced in a sustainable and socially responsible manner. This …

Swimming Lessons: Exploring And Embracing The Graphic Memoir, Sophia Donati

Honors Theses

My thesis is both creative and analytical, delving into the graphic memoir genre and its components. My own graphic memoir is at the heart of this piece: Swimming Lessons, which I wrote and drew over the past four years. The first and main piece of my thesis is the 122-page completed draft of Swimming Lessons which details three significant parts of my life centering on my relationship with swimming. Following my graphic memoir is the analytical reflective essay which details the graphic memoir by situating Swimming Lessons in conversation with other prevalent texts in the genre. This piece centers on …

Unexpected Wins: Curating Comics And Teaching Manga From The Dark Horse Comics Collection, Elsa Loftis, Jon Holt

Library Faculty and Staff Publications and Presentations

A familiar staple of entertainment for a wide variety of readers, the comic book has not always held a regular place in the academic library. Concerning themselves with collecting more traditional expressions of scholarship, libraries have not historically dedicated much of their acquisitions budgets to this area. Therefore, the comic book or graphic novel was largely relegated to someone’s personal collection and would more likely be found on the shelves of a comic book store than the shelves of a university library.

Fast-forward to the present day, where library collections more commonly provide access to comic books, either in regular …

New Frontiers In Technology: Can Traditional Intellectual Property Rights Laws Be Adapted And Applied To Nfts?, Mariyah S. Wakhariya

Catholic University Journal of Law and Technology

A decade ago, ‘NFTs’ were rarely heard of or known to anyone, unless they worked in or kept up with the tech world. However, they are not new - they have been around for almost two decades. Their popularity has grown over the past few years. ‘NFT’ stands for ‘non-fungible token’. An NFT is a digital file with a unique identity that is verified on a blockchain and is therefore not interchangeable - i.e., a kind of crypto asset, like an authentication certificate for digital artifacts. In theory, NFTs can represent almost any real or intangible property. These days, it …

Site, Sight, Swipe, Prada Marfa: A Case Study In Public Art, Cultural Tourism, And Image-Based Social Media Engagement, Ha'ani Joy Hogan

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

Through a case study of Prada Marfa, a site-specific public art sculpture located in West Texas, this dissertation examines the connection of public art, cultural tourism, and image-based social media engagement. Little scholarship that combines all three areas of study exists. To fill this gap, this study incorporates five methods of research to determine how one public art sculpture's existence can contribute to its surrounding community by prompting economic activity and influencing the way that community is seen through a public lens. The five methods encompass a historical analysis of news articles about The City of Marfa and Prada …

Activist-Casual Game Design: Iterating Serious Games Through Research-Creation, Daniel J. King

Graduate Thesis and Dissertation 2023-2024

How can activists and scholars design serious game projects that attract and engage people, that are inviting for many types of players, and that empower players to create positive change? My hypothesis was that the Activist-Casual Game Design Framework I published in 2021 could facilitate this work. I took a design-based research approach to answer my research question by way of demonstration and self-reflection through a creative case study of the production of an activist-casual game called Climate Somnia. Chapter 1 explains the literature review and synthesis behind the creation of the original framework, and Chapter 2 reviews the …

Uncoverings: The Research Papers Of The American Quilt Study Group - Volume 44 (2023), Joanna E. Evans, Lenna Demarco, Kathy Metelica Cray, Susan Price Miller, Katy Williams-O'Donnell, Marsha Macdowell, Berkley Sorrells, Marsha Music, Terry Tickhill Terrell

Uncoverings Journal

Preface by Joanna E. Evans

Cherry Tree and Birds Quilt Tracing the Roots of a Pattern by Lenna DeMarco

"Playthings by the Yard" Cut and Sew Doll and Toy Panels of the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries by Kathleen Metelica Cray

Amana Calico and Amana Quilts by Susan Price Miller

The 1697 Coverlet Tracing the Origin of an Early Patchwork Coverlet by Katy Williams-O'Donnell

The History and Meaning of an Inscribed Quilt from an African American Community in Detroit, Michigan by Marsha MacDowell, Berkley Sorrells, and Marsha Music

Peacock among the Ruins: The Evolution of a Textile Design by …

Warmth Of The Sun, Drake M. Gerber

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Warmth of the Sun, is a reflection on personal experiences I’ve had in the landscape while living in the Northwest. This curated experience is an attempt to capture my sincerity towards a place and hold onto that feeling. I intend to share faded memories of personal experiences through enigmatic sculptures to make the viewer look a bit closer at these objects and see the landscape in a new way. This paper explores thoughts on the idea of place, material, process, contemporary influences, and the experiences that inspired this body of work.

Calvin And Virginia Jackson Kiah Papers, Zach S. Henderson Library Special Collections

Finding Aids

This collection consists of the personal and professional papers of Calvin and Virginia Jackson Kiah, spanning 1871 to 1999, with a focus on 1949-1989. It includes correspondence, teaching materials, artist files, photographs, newspaper clippings, and related documents. Of particular note are records of Virginia Jackson Kiah's work founding and managing both the Kiah House Museum in Savannah, Georgia, and the Lillie Carroll Jackson Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. The collection also focuses on materials supporting the museums' missions, such as Virginia Jackson Kiah’s drafts of a book on African American art contributions. The collection also contains documents relating to Calvin Kiah's …

Crafting Community: A Ceramics Center, Nadia Mechboukh

Theses and Dissertations

For artisans, being part of a community can facilitate engaging with the public. Networking and collaborating with peers are vital for building meaningful relationships that can lead to mutual inspiration and learning opportunities. By strengthening the connection between society and various forms of craft, we can weave invisible threads that link the stories that craft tells with the time and place in which they were created. Pottery is a craft that has existed for thousands of years. Ceramics and clay have carried the history of communities and their ways of living through centuries and have been used as identifiers of …

Designing For Circularity: Sustainable Pathways For Australian Fashion Small To Medium Enterprises, Lisa Westover Piller

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Purpose: Australians consume twice the global average of textiles and are deeply engaged in a linear take/make/waste fashion model. Furthermore the Australian fashion sector has some unique supply chain complications of geographical distances, sparse population and fragmentation in processing and manufacturing. This research aims to examine how Australian fashion small to medium enterprises (SMEs) are overcoming these challenges to run fashion businesses built around core principles of product stewardship (PS) and circularity.

Design/methodology/approach: SMEs make up 88% of the Australian apparel manufacturing sector. This qualitative exploratory study included in-depth interviews with three Australian fashion SMEs engaged in circular design practice, …

Life Landmarks, Brian S. Morgenlander

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The research pertaining to my thesis shares the exploration of my identity that is manifested through the process of making ceramic sculptures. These sculptures are informed from the better part of a decade I spent traveling around the world which coincided with dealing with family issues. In both, my travels and time at home I continuously relied on others and in turn became stressed about things that I had no influence over. I highlight certain aspects of these experiences through my artwork as a way for me to channel the frustrations and ambiguities from these memories that are etched in …

Found And Fabricated, Molly S. Davis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

My MFA written thesis addresses work completed and shown in a thesis exhibition at West Virginia University as well as significant influences to my studio process. While my stated focus is sculpture, the work presented in the exhibition consisted of three sculptural pieces and two sets of prints. This thesis, along with the supporting exhibition, addresses my investigations into the physical properties and tendencies of materials and how that information can guide and inform a work of art. Physical characteristics of the materials such as color, texture, shape, and weight are emphasized and guide the creation of the works in …

Calliope, Georgia Southern University

Calliope Magazine

Volume 41

The Metanarratives Of The Fourth Industrial Revolution And The Collective Cognitive Dissonance Of Metamodernist Discursive Formation, John R. Lewis

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

My artworks explore the impacts of the technology of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, which began in the early 21^st Century, upon global society and the human psyche. My works are instantiated by multi-year research in the areas of social psychology, cognitive dissonance, computer evolution and artificial intelligence. My body of work portrays a cautionary sensibility regards new technologies such as robotics, quantum supercomputing, Artificial Intelligence, commercial space travel and nanotechnology. In addition, my artwork attempts to increase awareness of the phenomenon of cognitive dissonance.

The perceptions and cognitions of artistic viewers relate directly to the psychological phenomenon of cognitive …

Conceal Reveal, Jacquelyn A. Bolton

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

My work is rooted in the human condition expressed through the materiality of textile and fiber arts and its connection to spirituality. The human condition, as I understand it, is the state of being a person complete with a mind, body, and spirit. This includes all the experiences a person encounters in life—birth, growth, aging, conflict, love, loss, grief, injury, relationships, trauma, rejection, joy, acceptance, and so on. The human condition answers the question: What does it mean to be a person? We are in flux. This ever-changing aspect of “being” is captured in the inherent qualities that are found …

"‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‏‏‎ ‎‎", Stephen Harmon

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

My work tries to perplex the viewer to acknowledge themselves in the act of seeing. In order to perplex them, I use ambiguous reference to figure and space using multiple perspectives, vantage points, gaze, marks, mediums, and, more recently, light and site specificity to establish liminal relationships and experiences. Liminality is a kind of in-betweenness, being on the threshold of places or states of being. My experiences in and studies of the Jewish Diaspora have been my path towards understanding liminality, but liminality is not unique to diaspora or to the Jewish experience and my work does not attempt to …

Expanses, Austin J. Buchanan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This document will explain the nature of Austin Buchanan. This will go over the ideas, process, the executions, and the theories of my artwork. Explaining the ideas of space within, on, and around (outside), the picture plane.

The work included focuses on how a manipulated 2D surface evokes an experiential reaction. This manipulation enhances the actual experiences of real space that happens once someone becomes an observer of a 2D artwork and the conceptual idea of window space. This work challenges the ideas of the traditional picture plane illusion and the Flatbed surface or “Flatness” by expanding the picture plane …

Lights And Shadows - 2023, University Of North Alabama

Lights and Shadows

Art and Literature Magazine

Library Instruction Lesson Plan For Faf101 And Haf90, Ian Mcdermott

Open Educational Resources

This lesson plan is used for library instruction sessions for two First Year Seminar courses: HAF90 and FAF101. Both sources are for students studying fine and performing arts. This lesson plan focuses on two topics relevant to fine and performing arts students. One, closely looking at and interpreting a work of art. Two, finding information about that work of art using the Library and the Web. Additionally, students will explore information about careers in the arts.

Dance In Art, Michaela S. Lantrip

Visual Studies | Senior Theses

Dance in art can be seen in paintings created by artists such as Edgar Degas (1834-1917), Pierre Auguste-Renoir (1841-1919), Henri Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), William Blake (1757-1827), John Singer Sargent (1856-1925), and Henri Matisse (1869-1954). Edgar Degas was a French Impressionist artist who was known for his work of arts featuring ballerinas. Pierre Auguste-Renoir was also a French Impressionist artist like Degas, but he was more so known for his real-life scenario paintings. Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, a French artist was known for his Art Nouveau and Post-Impressionist style. Toulouse-Lautrec illustrated some posters and paintings on Moulin Rouge. William Blake was an English poet, …

Waiting To Exhale, Abigail H. Ogle

Theses and Dissertations

We breathe as a measure of time, it keeps us alive, and fabricates the pattern of our lives. We are punctuated by “snarls,” “glitches,” or moments of irregularity – of trying to catch one's breath, having it taken away, or gasping for it. It is the punctuation of sighs, huffs, sniffs, scoffs, screams, and deep intakes that appear as glitches in the breathing system.

In our daily rhythm of breathing, the presence of the glitch, defined as potentiality, can create space for something unexpected or new to arise. Using the wind from fans and approximately 1,260 square feet of silk, …

Nuff Love: From Me To You, Katherine S. Thompson

Theses and Dissertations

The thesis exhibition, Nuff Love: From Me to You, explores the profound impact of diasporic memory on identity within the family structure, particularly for those who were born after immigration. This unpacking of memories is achieved through photographs, collages, and installations that reveal the distant and absent attributes that reside within the home. As a second-generation American of Afro-Jamaican descent, this thesis navigates how the dual identity becomes too complex and is never allowed to exist in a binary state. The constant state of in-betweenness between both cultures led to further questioning of selfhood beyond the Caribbean identity maintained by …

Normal Editions Workshop Newsletter, 2022-23, Wonsook Kim School Of Art And Design

Normal Editions Workshop Newsletter

Annual newsletter for the Normal Editions Workshop, School of Art, Illinois State University.