Interdisciplinary Arts and Media Commons^™

Darkness Seen By Candlelight: Painting To Discover Feeling, Shelby Feltoon

Master of Fine Arts in Visual Arts

This thesis discusses the ways that a phenomenological experience can translate itself through the medium of painting. This translation evokes deep feelings through physical considerations of materiality, light, context, distance, and time. Through a series of intimate and abstracted oil paintings created in thin layers, the work conveys an interdependent relationship between light and darkness. This project draws from research on art movements like Suprematism, Minimalism, and Expressionism, as well as larger practices and philosophies about photography and the sublime. The body of work draws direct reference to Junichiro Tanazaki’s essay In Praise of Shadows. Ultimately, the work described …

The Image Falls Apart, Alexa N. Curran

Masters Theses

The Image Falls Apart is a phenomenological account of my collision with Rogier van der Weyden’s The Descent from the Cross (ca. 1435). In an ever-expanding landscape of visual stimuli, how do we make sense of images that are an encounter with the sacred? Of what use to a modern viewer is an altarpiece of the late medieval period that, in its miraculous rendering of each of its human figures, reflects the impending iconophobia of the Protestant Reformation? And what does falling have to do with it? With careful attention to the assembly of bodies in space, this multidisciplinary project, …

Artistic Embodiment: The Role Of Art-Based Research In Communicating Disability Experiences, Juliana Scheopner

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Visual art has immense potential to communicate complex experiences of disability. As a disabled artist, I am interested in how disability has been portrayed in artwork, particularly in how other disabled artists choose to represent their lived experiences. Through art-based research, this study explores how disabled artists have used portraiture to depict their disability. Selected art includes work from Frida Kahlo, Deborah Padfield, Persimmon Blackbridge, and the author. Following an analysis of literature, selected artworks, and salient disability scholarship, emergent themes were identified. The focus on the complexity of disability experiences demonstrated the importance of considering a wide range of …

Notes On Rhythm, Maya Lee-Parritz

Theses and Dissertations

Line meets impulse, association meets sign. I weave the eye towards the smudge and sublime—a fractal lineage flowing through the brush, my body, space itself. I walk toward reality in serial successions, allowing what is fragmentary to move me, to cohere in shards, murky and strange inside of me. My body is a repository of images, of broken rhythms and dissonant ideologies. All of these flow and stutter onto the surface, dripping and blurring over each other. Through all of this, I always try to make something whole, perfect, and true.

Science, Fiction, James Nick Peelor

Theses and Dissertations

Science, Fiction is about death, mental health, UFOs, and having a mutifaceted art practice rooted in a DIY ethos.

Desert Ghost, Jessica Downs

All Theses

This thesis explores the relationship between landscape, memory, and the body through handmade paper installations inspired by the deserts of southwestern Utah. Drawing from personal experience of place and the loss of a childhood home, the work considers how environments are internalized and persist as shifting, sensory impressions rather than fixed geographies. The desert becomes a generative site for examining presence, transformation, and the passage of time, both geologic and personal.

I use handmade paper and installation to translate my experience of place into physical form. Paper serves as both material and metaphor; its fibers, textures, and muted tones emulate …

Home: Transforming A Public Arts Grant Into A Community Project, Scarlett G. Baily

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Home is a 2,535 ft² site-specific mural in San Diego’s Liberty Station that reconnects the site’s military history with Kumeyaay Indigenous heritage and maritime culture. Through depictions of native flora and fauna, the work foregrounds overlooked origin stories and ecological knowledge of Point Loma. Developed through deep community collaboration, including Kumeyaay advisors and over 100 local participants, the mural fosters shared authorship and cultural continuity. It invites viewers to engage with alternative histories while supporting language revitalization and environmental awareness.

Exploring Innovative Display Of Painting Through Creating A Dual-Sided Suspended Piece, Erin K. Tichota

SACAD: Scholarly Activities

For this project, I aimed to expand upon my existent painting skills and learn new methods through unconventional techniques for display. My concept of this piece was to convey the sinking and stagnant feeling of being in a rut of depression. The ropes are meant to convey a web of thoughts that the subject is trapped in, while they are sinking deeper in their bed. The dual sided aspect of this project is meant to further emphasize the concept through creating a sense of  duality and permanence.

William Albright's Whistler (1834-1903): Three Nocturnes: "Why The Hell . . . Should Anyone Listen To This?!", R. Douglas Reed

Music & Musical Performance: An International Journal

The article explores William Albright's Whistler (1834-1903): Three Nocturnes (1989) through historical context, musical analysis, performance practice, and the composer's essay on the relationship between his composition and Whistler's paintings. Commentary by composer Sydney Hodkinson gives information about the 1960s new music scene in Ann Arbor (the ONCE Group, The Grate Society) composition study with Ross Lee Finney.

Sensory Constellations, Madaline K. Gardner

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis situates neurodiversity within the field of fine arts by integrating disability studies, institutional critique, and material practices in painting and printmaking. Through visual analysis and studio-based research, the project examines how tactile engagement, color relationships, and repetitive mark-making can articulate embodied experiences of neurodivergence. It challenges dominant institutional frameworks that pathologize neurodivergent behaviors by reframing stimming as a generative and communicative practice. The resulting body of work includes both image-making and the creation of tactile objects designed to facilitate sensory interaction. The thesis proposes alternative ways of understanding artistic practice and accessibility within art institutions.

Intersections Of Art And Medicine, Lina Adwer

EMET Projects

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Relationship Between Noun Classes And Plant Folk Taxonomy In Chasu Language Of Kilimanjaro Region In Tanzania, Peter Rabson Mziray

Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences

The current study investigates the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu (G 22). The study focuses on two objectives: the first objective is to describe the plant folk taxonomy in Chasu and the second objective is to determine the relationship between noun classes and plant folk taxonomy in Chasu. Data were collected from rural villages in Same and Mwanga districts by using free listing, field interviews (jungle-walk-and-identify), and written texts containing Chasu plant names. The findings reveal that Chasu folk taxonomy reflects different ethnobotanical categories; including a unique beginner which is mmea/mimea ‘plant(s)’, and three life …

The Art Of Movement, Payton Hedderman

Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato

I wanted to do this project for my Interdisciplinary Studies Capstone to showcase some of my skills and to articulate what I want to do with my degree. I want to go into Medical Illustration, and I want to make science easier for people to learn. To do this I want to take complicated subjects and remake them into simpler terms. For my capstone, I decided to take anatomy of the arm, leg, and abdominal organs and draw them on professional women athletes. I thought that expressing this anatomy in less of a clinical way is one strategy to make …

Cartography, Botany, And Violence In The Codex Rodriguez-MondragóN, Maria Davison

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines how Sandy Rodriguez deploys the visual language of the Florentine Codex and other sixteenth-century Mesoamerican sources to examine the persisting effects of colonialism on people and land in Mexico-U.S. borderlands in Codex Rodriguez-Mondragón (2017-present), her ongoing series of maps, botanical illustrations, and landscape paintings.

Veils Of The Unseen, Shinwoo Song

Art Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores the dynamic interplay between consciousness and unconsciousness and how this relationship influences visual language in my art practice. My research investigates how unconscious impulses and conscious choices intersect in the creative process, shaping artistic expression and viewer interpretation. I examine how visual art can serve as a medium through which hidden emotional and psychological states, such as memory, desire, and internal conflict, emerge and take form. Rooted in the practice of automatism and influenced by Surrealist strategies, my work engages with theories by Jacques Lacan, particularly his notion of the gaze, and Gilles Deleuze’s concepts of extraction …

How Much Touch Can The Paper Withstand?, Aldrin Regina Valdez

Theses and Dissertations

Between embodiment and disembodiment, Aldrin Regina Valdez’s works on paper map histories of care, violence, and mourning, both personal and collective. They ask: how much touch can the paper withstand?

The Function Of Art, Magdalen O. M. Pickering

Theses and Dissertations

With the help of machines and the powers of perception, Magdalen Pickering introduces logic to strange and fantastical subjects. The Function of Art explores a hybrid of techniques in painting, screenprinting, and computer generated imagery as Magdalen attempts to use generative printing to obscure art historical consciousness. The installation crosses into virtual reality; reframing textiles, landscapes, and the gallery space through a metaphysical lens.

Folds, Bayan Abukiwan

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis uses the fold as an orienting metaphor and material gesture to linger on the minor details of intimacy that are severed by occupation and political violence. Through painting, drawing and ceramics, the work traces the more implicit modes of dehumanization—particularly in relation to Palestine—while engaging the domestic as a site of quiet and complexity. Influenced by artists like Jennifer Packer and Beatriz González, the practice embraces slowness, touch, and opacity to fold the viewer into a haptic encounter with the work.

A Limit That Recedes, Chloe Wilcox

Theses and Dissertations

In "A Limit that Recedes", I discuss my art practice in terms of accumulation and techniques of reproduction, such as casting, printing, and repetitive actions. I contextualize my work among artists such as H.C. Westermann, Isa Genzken, and Paul Thek. The work featured in this thesis explores ideas of aspiration, longing, and failure, and explores themes of the fraught relationship of the human and nature.

Volume 36 Issue 2

NEBO: A Literary Journal

The Fall 2023 issue of Nebo: A Literary Journal (Volume 45, Issue 1) marks a significant moment in the journal’s history—it is the first full semester back on campus without interruption since the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. This issue symbolizes a fresh beginning, a renewed appreciation for storytelling, and a commitment to fostering creativity in a post-pandemic world. Centered around the theme "The Power of the Painted Word," this edition embraces literature as both an art form and a force of expression. Featuring poetry, fiction, and essays from a dynamic selection of voices, this edition highlights resilience, artistic rebirth, and the …

Volume 36 Issue 1

NEBO: A Literary Journal

The Spring 2023 issue of Nebo: A Literary Journal (Volume 36, Issue 1) embodies the theme "Glimmer in the Gloom", capturing a balance between darkness and hope through poetry, fiction, and essays. The editorial team, led by Alexis Calhoun, curated a collection that explores resilience, personal transformation, and the search for meaning in difficult times. With deeply introspective pieces and a strong emphasis on the power of storytelling, this issue invites readers to find light even in challenging moments. The diverse contributors offer perspectives on personal struggles, self-discovery, and the beauty of human connection, making this edition both timely …

Volume 35 Issue 2

NEBO: A Literary Journal

The Fall 2022 issue of Nebo: A Literary Journal (Volume 43, Issue 1) is a powerful testament to the journal’s ongoing mission to uplift diverse voices and perspectives. Under the editorial leadership of Kai Beck, this edition prioritizes the inclusion of underrepresented communities, featuring works from LGBTQ+ writers, first-generation immigrants, incarcerated individuals, and veterans. Through poetry, fiction, and essays, contributors explore themes of identity, personal growth, and societal change. Each piece in this issue reflects a commitment to storytelling as a tool for understanding and transformation. The result is a deeply resonant collection that invites readers into a wide array …

Volume 34 Issue 2

NEBO: A Literary Journal

The Spring 2021 issue of Nebo: A Literary Journal (Volume 40, Issue 2) showcases an eclectic mix of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, emphasizing a broad spectrum of literary voices and styles. Under the editorship of Camden Burris, this issue strives for inclusivity, featuring works that explore identity, artistic exploration, and resilience. Themes of self-discovery, human connection, and transformation emerge across the collection, offering readers a compelling and varied literary experience. Through vivid storytelling and poetic introspection, the issue embodies the journal’s commitment to contemporary literature while embracing both traditional and experimental narratives.

Volume 34 Issue 1

NEBO: A Literary Journal

The Fall 2020 issue of Nebo: A Literary Journal (Volume 39, Issue 1) emerges from a period of immense global and national upheaval. Featuring poetry, fiction, and essays from a diverse range of contributors, this issue reflects on themes of change, resilience, and the human experience during a historic year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, social justice movements, and political uncertainty. Some works directly engage with these events, offering personal insights from inside the prison system, reflections on racial injustice, and meditations on isolation and connection. Others explore universal themes of love, loss, and the passage of time, reinforcing the …

Volume 33 Issue 2

NEBO: A Literary Journal

This issue of Nebo: A Literary Journal, published in Spring 2020, is a speculative-themed edition, exploring science fiction, fantasy, horror, and literary surrealism. The issue, archived as Volume 33, Issue 2, corresponds to the print edition labeled Volume 38, Issue 2. Due to necessary metadata adjustments in the digital archiving process, some volume and issue numbers in the online collection may not match those printed in the original journals.

Editor Chad Hall, in his editorial preface, discusses the meaning of "speculative" in literature—how it allows for imaginative world-building and boundary-pushing creativity …

Volume 33 Issue 1

NEBO: A Literary Journal

This issue of Nebo: A Literary Journal, published in Fall 2019, presents a diverse selection of poetry and fiction, focusing on identity, artistic expression, and the transformative power of storytelling. The issue, archived as Volume 33, Issue 1, corresponds to the print edition labeled Volume 38, Issue 1. Due to necessary metadata adjustments in the digital archiving process, some volume and issue numbers in the online collection may not match those printed in the original journals.

Editor Sydney Austin, in her editorial preface, reflects on the idea of literature as art rather …

Volume 32 Issue 2

NEBO: A Literary Journal

This issue of Nebo: A Literary Journal, published in Spring 2019, presents a diverse selection of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, unified by the theme “Untold Stories.” The issue, archived as Volume 32, Issue 2, corresponds to the print edition labeled Volume 37, Issue 2. Due to necessary metadata adjustments in the digital archiving process, some volume and issue numbers in the online collection may not match those printed in the original journals.

Editor Alex Farrier, in their editorial preface, reflects on their personal connection with Nebo, describing how their journey from student …

Volume 32 Issue 1

NEBO: A Literary Journal

This issue of Nebo: A Literary Journal, published in Fall 2018, explores the theme of "Time and Space," a concept that editor Miranda Holman selected to highlight the interconnectedness of literature and lived experience. Through poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction, the issue delves into how writers capture fleeting moments, explore the boundaries of time, and demand space for self-expression.

The issue, archived as Volume 32, Issue 1, corresponds to the print edition labeled Volume 37, Issue 1. Due to necessary metadata adjustments in the digital archiving process, some volume and issue numbers in the …

Volume 31 Issue 2

NEBO: A Literary Journal

This issue of Nebo: A Literary Journal, published in Spring 2018, is particularly notable for an unusual numbering error—while the print version is Volume 36, Issue 2, the cover mistakenly reads "Volume 36, Number 32". This discrepancy further underscores the complexities of archiving Nebo's historical record, a challenge addressed throughout this archival project.

Editor Rebekah Lawler, in her farewell editorial preface, reflects on her three years at Arkansas Tech University, emphasizing the transformative power of literature and the unifying themes of nature and human nature. The issue’s theme, nature …

Volume 31 Issue 1

NEBO: A Literary Journal

This issue of Nebo: A Literary Journal, published in Fall 2017, presents a thought-provoking collection of poetry, fiction, and creative non-fiction that examines themes of multicultural identity, artistic expression, and societal "isms"—prejudices, ideologies, and cultural perceptions that shape human interactions. The issue, archived as Volume 31, Issue 1, corresponds to the print edition labeled Volume 36, Issue 1. Due to necessary metadata adjustments in the digital archiving process, some volume and issue numbers in the online collection may not match those printed in the original journals.

Editor John ToShawn Jarrett, in his editorial preface …