Art and Design Commons^™

Soul Soiree: How “Sunday Best” Dressing Encourages Celebration Of Self, Olufisayo Quadri

Masters Theses

Celebration is an important part of living a fulfilled life. From significant milestone events like weddings and birthdays to smaller moments of serendipity, the act of celebration is an affirmation of one’s place in the world. Across cultures, communities have used festive textiles to show an appreciation for their values and histories.

We Got This..., Julian Wellisz

Masters Theses

Working nonstop? Not sleeping enough? Feeling alone in your deadlines? Are you struggling with work-life balance?

Know that you are not alone. Since the covid-19 pandemic began reports of loneliness, mental health issues, and burnout have increased.

It’s quite possible that you are opting-in to an individualistic culture of overwork. If you go to RISD that's almost certain. This is true for students and teachers alike.

While these current systems work for some (primarily those at the tops of their respected hierarchies), for the majority of us there are better ways of being. Providing social and emotional support and creating …

Shalom, Zoe Schwartz

Masters Theses

I am a Jewish Filipina American, a hybrid of two hyper feminine archetypes: the Jewish American Princess and the Pinay Beauty Queen. Generations of assimilation, colonization and genocide taught my matriarchs to internalize the white male gaze. It was not until I looked in the mirror that I saw her. She understands the importance of performance and appearances because she knows, in a world that will not protect you, there is safety in conforming to feminine norms. She uses her knowledge of pop culture, beauty standards, humor, class symbols and social acceptability to imitate and perform desirable [white] femininity and …

Transnationals; Or, The Modern Frankenstein, Kai Ji

Masters Theses

“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.”

The title of this thesis is adapted from the title of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, and the quote above is said by the scientist in the novel. To associate the word “Frankenstein” with “transnationals” is not to refer to the transnational as the monster, but to …

World Settings, Elizabeth Meiklejohn

Masters Theses

Acoustical building materials, with their ability to absorb and diffuse sound, can reshape the character of interior spaces in profound ways. Woven textiles often perform as acoustical materials, whether by coincidence or by design; strategic use of textile structure and dimensionality can yield specific experiential qualities in homes, offices and shared spaces. The way certain materials manipulate sound can feel otherworldly, as if they break the laws of physics or the familiar parameters of one’s surroundings. The same properties can be found in emergent visual patterns and illusory lighting conditions, which provoke an investigative, deliberate way of looking.

In this …

!, Nick Larson

Masters Theses

This thesis uses the exclamation point to represent a way of thinking and working methodology. The exclamation point in mathematics represents a factorial function, an operation for determining all possible orders of a set. Colloquially, the meaning of the exclamation point relies entirely on context. Within a yellow triangle, it means caution or danger, but at the end of a sentence delivering good news, it means excitement. In the context of this thesis, the exclamation point represents enthusiastically and exhaustively reordering objects, words, and processes to highlight shifting meaning.

Other Realms, Louis Rakovich

Masters Theses

Can a system existing in rigid order be taken back to a state of malleability, a space of potential not yet actualized?

If creation reduces the infinite to produce the finite, then in the simplest sense, creation is the process of bringing something tangible, real, out of the ether—out of the primordial chaos of possibility. The technique of defamiliarization can be viewed as an agent of de-creation, the active reversal of creation, in order to make creation possible once again. As such it holds spiritual power in its own right.

In pursuit of this state of renewed potentiality, I use …

Openness, Qiwen Ju

Masters Theses

We perceive the world as flat when we close one eye. When both eyes are open, the world takes on a three-dimensional quality.

Our childhood, education, family, and environment form and bind our cognitive perspective. As the ancient Chinese proverb goes: “You can’t see Mount Tai by blinding your eyes with one leaf.” Truth is exceedingly difficult to discern. Like the obscuring leaf, there are blind spots in our vision. Prejudice is often the narrow leaf that obstructs perception, preventing us from seeing with greater dimension.

For actual comprehension, we can only see through the eyes, hearts, and minds of …

Connect: Translating Complexity Through Visual Simplification, Ilhee Park

Masters Theses

CONNECT: Translating Complexity through Visual Simplification brings complex data into concise visual systems that encourage ease of access. With a background in Human Factors Engineering, user engagement remains a central focus in my design. Whether reducing barriers to scientific information or untangling deeply complex data, design must contain intuitive concepts without the need for extended explanation. Using bold color and geometric shapes as the core design language to render pictorial narratives, this thesis maps my development as an information designer through modes of gathering, deciphering, and interpreting.

Unstumm | Augmented Voyage: A Platform For Telematic Live Performances In Augmented Reality, Unstumm Unstumm, Nicola Hein, Claudia Schmitz, Sven Hahne Hahne

Journal of Network Music and Arts

UnStumm | Augmented Voyage is curated and developed by time-based media artist Claudia Schmitz and sound artist and guitarist Nicola L. Hein. It was programmed and developed by software engineer Sven Hahne. UnStumm | Augmented Voyage is also a mobile app and server infrastructure that serves as the artistic vehicle to realize telematic live performances with artists from around the globe. It consists of video art, music, and dance in augmented reality.
Through the use of our software, the audience is able to view the video streams by video artists as 3D video sculptures and listen to the audio streams …

“Dancedemic” In A Pandemic: A New Networked Reality, Ellen Pearlman

Journal of Network Music and Arts

The Covid-19 pandemic of 2020 forced large parts of the globe and entire industries to shut down. Network connectivity became a necessary lifeline deploying a host of technologies that, while once considered experimental, were to be adopted as a vital part of just-in-time solutions-based practices. This report examines the implementation of one of these topologies in the form of an artist-built, artist-owned global network in the hopes that other small-sized organizations can benefit from these ad hoc, but successful solutions.

A Spectrum Of Online Rehearsal Applications: A Potential Means For Cultural Connection, Dana Kemack Goot, W. Scott Deal

Journal of Network Music and Arts

The current array of telematic music applications offers exceptional opportunities to transcend distance and enable networking between various cultures and communities. As a means to achieve this, network music applications require assessment through their previous implementations, installation requirements, cost, hardware requirements, and usability in order to assess their potential and to decipher improvements needed as a means of cultural connectivity. An early precursor of telematic music was an innovative concert by Paul Robeson in 1957, which circumvented political restrictions and enabled activism as it occurred, despite the U.S. State Department’s revocation of Robeson’s passport due to his left-wing tendencies and …

Telematic Immersion: Performance, Technology, And Audiovisual Work In Virtual Studies (2020) By Paulo C. Chagas, Cássia Carrascoza Bomfim

Journal of Network Music and Arts

This article discusses the concept of telematic immersion developed in partnership with composer Paulo C. Chagas. Focusing on Chagas’s work Virtual Studies (2020) for flute, live electronics, and 3D video, we reflect on different aspects of artistic creativity in the telematic environment including the use of audio and video technology and the multiple connections between musicians and apparatuses. The article discusses how the parameters of chamber music in the physical environment, such as the uniqueness of the live performance, the corporality of sound, and the visual and choreographic dimension of the performance are being transformed through the virtual setting of …

Sonic Proximities: Locating Oneself And The Others Within A “Migratory Journey”, Ximena Alarcon Diaz

Journal of Network Music and Arts

The INTIMAL App© is a mobile application that synchronously senses people’s walking rhythms in distant locations and then rhythmically sonifies these with the user’s chosen audio frequencies. Taken altogether, the perception of breathing and walking rhythms across space and time creates an embodied telepresence. At the level of content, the app has provided first-hand narrative accounts about the migration experiences of Colombian women living in Europe. These stories are meant to elicit a response from the listener, allowing for a path to be built out of new relationships that emerge between voices and sound frequencies. In the context of the …

Editorial, Sarah Weaver

Journal of Network Music and Arts

No abstract provided.

Fossils On The Floor Mosaics In The Rotunda Of The Nebraska State Capitol Second Edition, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

Robert F. Diffendal, Jr., Publications

The idea for this project arose during a field trip to the Nebraska State Capitol led by my long-time friend and colleague, Joe Hannibal, of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, during the Geological Society of America’s North-Central Section Meeting in Lincoln, Nebraska, on Saturday, April 26, 2014. One of Joe’s interests is historical buildings and their building stones. He put together a very useful guidebook to the building and its decorative stones (Hannibal, 2014) that we used on our tour.

One of the many places that we visited was the State Capitol Archives, located in the basement, where the …

Where Have All Our Women Gone? Using Art To Destigmatize And Celebrate Biblical Womanhood, Emma Catherine Ream

Masters Theses

In the 21st century, young Christian women struggle with understanding and applying practical aspects of Biblical womanhood in their day-to-day lives. Extreme views make it difficult for young women to navigate life in a way that makes sense in the cultural context of the 21st century. Young women today struggle to utilize the full range of talents and gifts that God has given them, and more importantly, they struggle to align their lives with Scripture. The lack of knowledge concerning what Biblical womanhood is, combined with confusion about how it is applied, impacts not only the women themselves, but everyone …

"A Conceptual Framework For Measuring Criminal Justice Success In Responding To Violence Against Women Act (Vawa) Crimes: Final Results And Recommendations", Sarah Goan, Kris Lugo-Graulich, Susy Hawes, Hannah Brintlinger Mph, Susan Smith Howley

Publications

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), established under the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, leads national efforts to prevent and respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking through 19 grant programs that strengthen victim services and enhance offender accountability. These programs include four formula grants distributed to states and fifteen discretionary programs for which OVW defines eligibility, goals, and deliverables. Grantees submit biannual progress reports containing quantitative and qualitative data that are later compiled into biennial Reports to Congress. While these reports effectively capture outputs such as numbers of victims served, trainings conducted, and partnerships …

Introduction, Amy C. Smith

Virginia Woolf: Selected Papers

No abstract provided.

Burt's Bees: Branding And Packaging Update, Mia Rogers

Graphic Communication

This project will focus on examining the existing brand identity, package design, and social media marketing collateral for Burt’s Bees personal care company in order to create updated versions of each. I will be re-branding the products to appeal to a wider target audience, focusing primarily on Generation Z and their consumer preferences.

My deliverables will consist of a complete brand style guide (logo variations, primary and secondary color palettes, typography, and visual collateral), updated packaging (four popular lip balm flavors, the beeswax hand salve, and two facial cleansers), and an example of a digital advertisement showcasing the new brand …

Volume 31, Table Of Contents

Virginia Woolf: Selected Papers

No abstract provided.

Confronting Contemporary Mythmaking: On Artists’ Engagements With Popular Culture, Jonathan Case

MFA in Visual Arts Theses

This paper begins by outlining an understanding of how the culture industry operates in American culture and explores ways to counter the transmission of modern mythmaking through art. As described in Roland Bathes’s Mythologies, mythmaking in the contemporary context serves to sever current systems of power and coercion from the historic processes of their creation; to naturalize the current neoliberal order and make it seem like the only way things could ever be. This sort of mythmaking is transmitted through popular culture, and many artists have responded to it through their practices. Herein I describe several different artists’ approaches, including …

Baking With Depression: An Exploration Of Crisis Response Through Dessert, Phoebe Jacques

University Honors Theses

In this paper, I discuss the conceptualization, research and execution of my cookbook, Baking with Depression, in which I explore how cooking habits reflect human behavior during times of crisis. Looking through the lens of cooking provides a unique perspective into how widespread stress can alter behaviors and outlooks. By comparing the Covid-19 pandemic and Great Depression, I make historical connections and use humor to create an engaging exploration.

The Process Of Publishing A Crow Book, Claire L. Curry

University Honors Theses

This creative thesis consists of a book on crows in urban environments and an accompanying craft essay exploring the publishing process of the book.

The crow book explores crows in urban environments, where cities offer them warmth and protection from predators. Crows are intelligent; they’re able to recognize human faces. Their diet often overlaps human food sources, which has led to historical conflict. Crows also have a strong presence in human culture. For these reasons, they thrive in cities, and this creates a complex relationship since people also have concerns regarding noise, cleanliness, and aesthetics.

The craft essay reflects on …

Branding In Motion: How Animation And Branding Intersect To Support Nonprofits In Need, Shannon M. Steed

University Honors Theses

Nonprofits often don’t receive the kind of attention needed to garner a wide audience. Especially during the pandemic when the world has largely gone online, it can be a challenge for many of these organizations to adapt to the fast-paced digital landscape. This is largely due to a lack of access to resources and modern design practices to create more community visibility. This thesis is an exploration of how thoughtful design can bring these nonprofit events a new life. I created design systems for two nonprofit events, each with a digitally-focused approach and a focus on deeply considering the audience. …

Visionaire Branding Company, Toni Joy Forsythe

Graphic Communication

It has been a goal of mine to one day launch my own branding and marketing agency, therefore this opportunity has allowed me to ideate what the agency would look like in terms of branding and business. I developed Visionaire Branding Company, a branding and marketing agency located in Central California. Creativity has always been at the forefront of my ambitions and Visionaire is a reflection of my passion for taking businesses to the next level and doing it with a vision.

Chez Henri Cookbook Redesign, Izzy Kelly

Graphic Communication

Chez Henri is a redesigned version of a cookbook that Bonnie Henry, my grandmother, has curated over the past 50 years. The original book was entitled “A Collection of Recipes From Friends and Family”, but I decided to rename it to “Chez Henri”, a phrase that was written on a sign outside of her home for almost 20 years. Bonnie Henry is an excellent cook and her recipes include many salads, soups, entrees, and dishes that most people don’t see everyday. Chez Henri contains photography that depicts these recipes, notes from the chef, and clear cut instructions that are easy …

Solutions To Accessibility In Art & Design: A Multi-Sensory Art Installation, Olivia M. Robertson

Graphic Communication

For my Senior Project, I wanted to explore possible solutions to accessibility in Art & Design while narrowing my focus specifically towards visual impairments by applying techniques commonly used in printed electronics methodology. I wanted to further showcase the impact of how designers enhance the overall user experience when they choose to center their focus on designing for accessibility.

To tackle accessibility challenges in Art & Design when it comes to visual impairments, I would have to extend Art’s visual impairments to include senses other than sight– tactile and auditory. The final product would then be an interactive art piece …

Converting Horizontal Media For Vertical Platforms, Eric A. Hernandez

Graphic Communication

Today, most media is viewed on mobile phones and seen on a vertical screen. There are very few methods for converting horizontal media into vertical media for vertical platforms. This manual shows new ways to redesign horizontal content so that it looks better on vertical displays; I imagine watching things like the Super Bowl or the The Grammys on TikTok or Instagram with a new broadcast design that is more attractive.

How Marlon T. Riggs Queered The Documentary Form, Anthony M. Sweeney

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Marlon T. Riggs’s documentary films and their paratextual elements are rooted in his intersectional identities as a Black and gay man. His activist goal of Black gay liberation was based on what he saw as deeply engrained internal and external racist and homophobic societal structures that subjugated Black queers. In this thesis, I place research from Black cultural studies, gender and sexuality studies, and film studies in conversation with one another to show how Riggs’s filmography is an example of queer form. In doing so, I attempt to redefine the focus of the scholarship on Riggs from an avant-garde filmmaker …