Interdisciplinary Arts and Media Commons^™

To Excavate An Absence, Margaret Compton

Graduate Theses

This thesis is an exploration of memory’s fluctuating aspects, utilizing natural materials and casting processes to create a sculptural body of work deeply rooted in materialized metaphor. Examining the relationship between mold and cast, part and whole, and interior and exterior, I utilize casting as a framework to understand the duality of remembering and forgetting. Memories, much like the natural landscape, are ephemeral, fading, and fracturing over time. Both external environments and internal mental landscapes share the common language of erosion, existing as present or absent, remembered or forgotten. Conestee Nature Preserve in Mauldin, South Carolina, serves as my “site” …

Girl Rot, Maddie Foss

Graduate Theses

Does individual identity curate our personal environments, or do environmental variables infiltrate the idea of selfhood? My work is a journey of questioning the origins of selfhood while simultaneously trying to understand identity through the lens of the physical world and online landscapes that influence me. Through an examination of identity work, the history of pop culture icons, and online aesthetics, my artwork is immersed in gender, sexuality, and media study conversations that help me better understand myself and others that heavily engage online. I am an interdisciplinary artist working in digital drawings, collages, and installations with my media reflecting …

Threads Of Connection: An Offering To Re-Tangle Humanity And Nature With The Patterns Of Our World, Emily Shelton

Graduate Theses

In our world there are patterns of self-similarity that serve as evidence of the interconnectedness between humankind and the rest of the natural world. They are reflected in our bodies, behaviors, and environments, both natural and manmade, and can be found throughout systems at every scale, micro through macro. These organic, linear motifs branch into smaller iterations that seem to shape our existence on this planet as we gravitate towards experiences that echo these patterns. During everyday acts like shopping in a grocery store or a crowd at a concert, we unconsciously participate in self-similar collective movements as we navigate …

Fostering Community Among Women Mountain Bikers, Samantha Wischmeyer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although women have shown growing interest in mountain biking in recent years, a disproportionate number of men and women participate, with women representing only one-third of overall riders (The National Sporting Goods Association, 2023). Many women describe feeling insecure and intimidated by what they perceive to be the traditional mountain biking culture (Bordelon & Ferreira, 2019; Carpiet, 2014; Huybers-Withers, 2015; McCormack, 2020; Nash & Moore, 2021). This research is concerned with fostering a sense of belonging and opportunities for community-building to reduce barriers of entry in mountain biking for self-identified women in Northwest Arkansas. Northwest Arkansas has a highly active …

Imagining Tomorrow Is What Creative Minds Do: Storytelling, Collaboration And Design Futuring, Jessica Miles

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

According to the 2020 Cigna US Loneliness Index Survey, 73% of Gen Z (born between 1997 and 2012) report feeling alone sometimes or always. Consequently, People who experience social isolation risk early death. Gen Z as a cohort is hyperconnected in the virtual world but socially disconnected, often relying on social apps and the internet as a creative outlet (Bakhtiari). Research shows that young adults frequently utilize these apps as a site for inspiration and brainstorming rather than searching for creative motivation in the outside world. Speculative design helps explore new perspectives and gives designers tools to support imagination and …

The Ai Effect: Rethinking Design Workflows For Enhanced Productivity And Creativity, Israel Adeleye

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning are transforming how designers work with computers. This thesis explores the developing relationship between artificial intelligence (AI) and design processes, focusing on how it impacts the creation of digital experiences. This study examines the impact of AI on design, highlighting how AI can improve efficiency and creativity alongside ethical challenges and the need to preserve human uniqueness in digital creations. It investigates AI's effects on design workflows, creativity, and the designer's evolving role through interviews, content analysis, case studies, and surveys. The aim is to understand AI's influence on designer productivity, innovation, and …

Linguistic Heritage In Digital Landscape: A Collective Memory Of Indigenous Script, Sumi Limbu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The present-day digital world reflects the historical structures of power, as evidenced by the dominant presence of specific languages in online spaces. Globalization, post-colonization, and language preferences on digital platforms also present significant dangers to indigenous languages, resulting in their gradual disappearance in both online and offline settings. The insufficient provision of typographical support and acknowledgment worsens the marginalization of indigenous languages by hindering their inclusion in digital spaces. The script plays a vital role in visual design by effectively delivering information. Language serves as the primary means of communication, which enables knowledge production. This study aims to look into …

Empower Voices, Enhance Dignity A Study On Menstrual Hygiene Management Among Internally Displaced Menstruators In Wassa Idp Camp, Abuja, Fct., Shalom Joro Yabilsu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nigeria’s humanitarian crisis has led to prolonged internal displacement, with many people forced to flee their homes due to armed conflict and communal violence. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) number in the millions and face numerous challenges that leave them vulnerable. Among those affected are menstruators, who face unique challenges related to managing menstruation in these dire circumstances. Despite significant research on various aspects of life within Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps, there remains a notable gap in addressing menstrual hygiene management (MHM) in this space. This study focuses on understanding and enhancing health literacy of MHM through a life-centered embodied …

Food Insecurity Among Women: The Data Gap And The Path Forward, Beth Dedman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Quantification frames the world in terms of hierarchies, reputation, and status, thereby making important indicators comparable, and subsequently stripping them of their context, history, and meaning. Numerical knowledge is essential, yet if it is not closely connected to more qualitative forms of knowledge, it leads to oversimplification, homogenization, and the neglect of the surrounding social structure. Feminist-based research is completely antithetical to this form of research, focusing on qualitative experiences, the effects of relationships of power, and adding the necessary context to the quantifiable information. As of yet, most research in the Northwest Arkansas region as it pertains to the …

Aspirations Incubator: 2017–2023 Final Evaluation Report, Sarah Goan, Elora Way, Emma Schwartz, Becky Wurwarg

Publications

The Rural Futures Fund launched the Aspirations Incubator in 2017 as a six-year pilot initiative aimed at supporting youth development in rural Maine by increasing resiliency, fostering connections to communities, and expanding students’ awareness of opportunities beyond their everyday environments. The program partnered with select rural youth organizations to build capacity for mentoring-based programs serving students from seventh grade through high school graduation. Guided by the Trekkers Youth Programming Principles, the initiative focused on long-term mentorship, meaningful relationship-building, and community engagement. A comprehensive multi-year evaluation conducted by the Data Innovation Project at the University of Southern Maine examined the implementation …

Automated Cinematographer For Vr Viewing Experiences, Zihan Wu

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

As the virtual reality (VR) industry continues to evolve, the question of how to effectively capture VR experiences for an audience remains a challenge. The predominant method of showcasing VR applications through first-person recordings lacks cinematic interest, failing to capture other viewpoints and the essence of the moment. Meanwhile, manually setting up cameras and editing videos requires technical expertise on behalf of the user. In this paper, we propose the use of machine learning (ML) to automatically select the most compelling predefined viewpoint in a VR environment, at any given moment. Our models, trained on actor motion and voice volume, …

Temple Of Familiars, Madeleine Grace Kelly

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

My paintings, etchings, and installation explore encounters with mystery in the natural world, especially through the flora, fauna, light, and water of the swamps around the Atchafalaya Basin. My practice explores kinship, reverence, and awe as an antidote to estrangement from the spirit of the land. I am influenced by artists and scholars engaging with the places that they inhabit and that inhabit them with a reverence and mystery of approach. My work invites viewers to engage with the memory that the water carries of our interconnectedness, and to remember that we are not separate from the natural world.

True Crime Obsession: Analyzing The Effects Of True Crime Media From The Past To The Present, Brianna Nirtaut

University Honors College

True crime media has affected the way people perceive the true crime genre from the 1500s until the present day. This thesis will first introduce the popularity of true crime media and describe the important role that true crime plays in today’s society. Historical examples of true crime depictions will be outlined in the first section to display how the true crime obsession has been prevalent for centuries and how the examples compare to present day depictions. Once the history of true crime media is understood, the ethical boundaries that should be kept by podcast hosts and documentary directors is …

Take A Hike: A Documentary Following First Time Hikers, Katherine Hopper

Honors Theses

There is a substantial body of research showing that spending time exercising in nature can improve college students' mental health. Mental illness diagnoses are on the rise, and yet many students don't seek time outside. This documentary seeks to bridge the gap between research and people's lifestyles and habits. The documentary features five first time hikers on a four mile hike. The purpose of the documentary is to show viewers the benefits of exercising outdoors. The documentary was filmed over the course of two months, with each participant hiking individually. The hope is that this documentary will encourage others to …

In A State Of Becoming, Benjamin Conley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The artist discusses his Master of Fine Arts exhibition titled, In a State of Becoming. The exhibition was on view at the Tipton Gallery in downtown Johnson City, TN from February 26 March 8, 2024. In a State of Becoming showcased three large scale paintings, five multimedia prints, two sculptural installations, and a video projection installation. Conley's thesis research and current artistic practice revolve around the interfaces, connections, and relationships of humans and animals. Conley explicitly uses language like "animal" to describe "non-human animals" in his work's context. The exhibited works focused primarily on how the artist and/or the viewer …

Away From Keyboard: Practical Applications Of Antifascism, Amber Sarelle Easley

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

My work sits uncomfortably between and across the disciplines of activism and art. This tension is typical of Socially Engaged Art: a social interaction proclaiming itself as art. I aim for these interactions to center antifascism in interrogating the complex interrelation between digital spaces and the streets outside our front doors, as antifascism is the only appropriate response to the blatant fascistic aspirations that is both digitally and physically present.

Fragments Of Forgiveness, Sarah Hayashi

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Trauma lives in the body, with or without conscious memory of the events that placed it there. To cope with the pain of trauma we might disconnect from our bodies, choosing to view ourselves as some separate entity living within the body. Disconnection offers a sense of protection by allowing compartmentalization of pain, grief, and trauma, but the harder these emotional fragments are fought, the more they demand acknowledgment.

Referencing my torso for size, I handbuild biomorphic sculptures from clay, finishing them with glaze that mimics the dewy texture of raw clay, using a palette derived from my skin tone …

Groundswell, Ursula Gullow

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The artist discusses the artwork of her Master of Fine Arts exhibition, Groundswell, held at Tipton Gallery in Johnson City, March 11 – 22, 2024. The exhibition includes wall pieces, sculpture, plaster, and ceramic objects that explore the traditional parameters of painting and its presentation.

Ideas discussed include the philosophy of history, and the origin of European art tropes such as odalisques, flowers, and birds. Framing devices, deconstructed paintings, fiber arts, ceramics, 18^th Century decorative art, plaster, the studio practice, Walter Benjamin, David Lowenthal, Gustave Courbet, Jean Honoré Fragonard, Titus Kaphar, Valerie Hegarty, and maximalism are also surveyed.

Endo/Exo, Delaney Rogers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The artist, Delaney Shae Rogers, discusses her Master of Fine Arts exhibition, Endo / Exo, held at the Tipton Gallery in downtown Johnson City, TN. The exhibition dates are from March 25th through April 5th, 2024, with a public reception held April 5th, 2024. The author provides insight into the concept behind the work in the exhibition and shares how the making process and specific materials impact the work. This body of work explores coping with grief, anxiety, and the state of the world through the process of making and communicating otherwise difficult topics through visually digestible symbolic language.

The Impact Of Testimonies On Partner Development Strategies: Mission Work In Europe, Kimberly Witte

Senior Honors Theses

This study seeks to answer how first-world missionaries can utilize research findings on the effectiveness of testimonials and apply that knowledge to partner development strategies. Research trends demonstrate that most missionaries are being sent to countries with the largest practicing Christian populations, such as those in Africa or South America, and are more likely to receive financial partnerships. Europe has a high rate of non-practicing Christians and is a cultural intersection due to the refugee crisis, leading to a need for mission work. This research will culminate in the creation of a prayer guide, highlighting testimonies of individuals impacted by …

Hello, World., Elliot Cetinski, Evan Chartock, Olivia Cross, Kiran Drew, Kaya Eller, Ben Little, Joey Nolan, Spencer Toth, Sophie Wahl-Taylor, Sadie Walker, Destiny Young, Annie Zulick

Theater and Dance Presentations

This project works to theatrically represent the current state of Artificial Intelligence (AI), as well as its benefits and drawbacks, in the style of the Living Newspaper. Originating from a Great Depression-era job program, the Living Newspaper sought to take headlines and present them onstage for a poignant and contemporary social critique. This work does the same, melding different angles of the AI debate into a single production that emphasizes the rapidly progressing state of modern AI technology and the need for humans to consider the impacts such technologies will have. Furthermore, it asks the audience to question their position …

From Field To Fashion: A Journey In Sustainable Design And Regional Understanding, Lily Turner

Individually Designed Interdepartmental Major Honors Project

As the fashion industry became globalized over the past century, it has become a major environment polluter and exposed laborers to hazardous conditions. This honors project considers sustainability in the textile industry at large and at the regional scale of the Upper Midwest. Its scholarly component offers an overview of the current textile production, details how the industry may become sustainable, and suggests practices of environmentally-conscious and ethical design. The creative component is a soil-to-soil seasonless capsule collection titled From Field View that incorporates biomimicry and interrogates the concept of place by referencing the Midwest’s flora, wool, and linen fibers.

Jsper (Just Stablediffusion Plus Easy Retraining), Adam Rusterholz, Meghan Finn, Zach Zolliecoffer, Zach Judy

ATU Scholars Symposium

JSPER is an an AI art generation Web Application that is both flexible and accessible. Our goal is to enable anyone to create and use their own customized art models, regardless of technical skill level. These models can be trained on almost anything, from a person, to an animal, to a specific object, or even style. The user only has to upload a handful of images of their subject. Then, training settings get optimized at the push of a button to match the type of subject the user is training. After training, their customized model can be used to generate …

Zephyr: The Twenty-Fourth Issue, Zephyr Faculty Advisor, Thomas Garcia, Faye Botelho, Aliyah Walker-Pasko, Paige-Marie Merrill, Madelyn Asher, Autumn Brophy, Jasmin Y. Townsend Ng

Zephyr

This is the twenty-fourth issue of Zephyr, the University of New England's journal of creative expression. Since 2000, Zephyr has published original drawings, paintings, photography, prose, and verse created by current and former members of the University community. Zephyr's Editorial Board is made up exclusively of matriculating students.

“Making The Bed”: Challenging Ideologies Of Ownership, Nonlocality, And Romanticism In The Age Of The Anthropocene, Ainsley P. Foster

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

The current Age of the Anthropocene marks a recent and rapid transition into a period in climate history that is notably defined by human impact. Modern Western sentiments of grief, frustration, and romanticism as a result of the interplay between domestic and corporate spaces seem to culminate in an overall attitude of apathy and acceptance of the Age of the Anthropocene. Various art forms collaborate to create the current conversation of the causatory and reactionary relationship that humans have with the Anthropocene, offering interpretations of how individuals and corporations view ownership of and responsibilities to the environment. There is a …

Photography, Architecture, And Environment: An Architectural Analysis Of Edward Ruscha’S 26 Gasoline Stations, Rebecca Tonguis

[Archive] Belmont University Research Symposium (BURS)

This presentation explores Edward Ruscha’s photobook 26 Gasoline Stations through an architectural lens. Specifically, it treats Ruscha’s work as historic evidence of how consumption, industry, and commodity have infiltrated all kinds of environmental contexts through architectural manifestations. Known for being the first artist’s book, 26 Gasoline Stations ambiguously exists as both fine art and documentation of everyday conditions, with the overall graphic character highlighting its perceived focus on overarching narrative. Since gasoline stations are the primary subject of each of the 26 photographs, the subject of this work is arguably architecture, suggesting that the historic relationship between mass gas consumption—or …

Exploring Narrative Strengths In Animated Storytelling, Amelia Kretzer

Honors Theses

This thesis explores tactics for effective narrative development for animation through the analyses of key works of strong animated films synthesized with literature discussing narrative frameworks. This research resulted in a shortlist of animated storytelling best practices—six principles to reflect on in the creation of effective stories for animation. Additionally, an original 2D animated short film was created utilizing the principles on the shortlist in its development as an outpouring of this research.

Earth/Unearth [On The Nature Of G-D And Creation], Macs Herdrich

Honors Projects

Inspired by creative research, EARTH/UNEARTH explores the nature of the divine and the act of creation. This triptych of poetry features poems such as “EXPERIENCE OF A TREE (AND SKY)”, “RITUAL/SENSUAL”, and “THE THING THAT DOESN’T COME FROM THINKING” as meditations on the following questions: Is there a hierarchy that exists from G-d to dirt? How does inspiration flow through the hands to creation? And in the strain of creation, how do we care for our bodies? Each section concludes with an opportunity for visual meditation and reflection.

Big Fish: A Scenic Designer’S Process, Anna K. Schwartz

Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film: Theses, Student Research, and Creative Work

This thesis presents a comprehensive exploration of the scenic design process through a case study of the production "Big Fish the Musical" at the Nebraska Repertory Theatre. Drawing on firsthand experience as the scenic designer for the production, the author delves into the multifaceted journey of conceptualizing, designing, and executing the scenic elements of the show. The thesis examines the collaborative nature of the scenic design process, highlighting the interactions between the scenic designer, director, technical team, and other creative collaborators. Key aspects explored include the initial conceptualization phase, the iterative design process, the challenges, and discoveries encountered during rehearsals …

Or To Be Eaten Alive, Christopher Williams

School of Art, Art History, and Design: Theses and Student Creative Work

“or to be eaten alive'' is a multimedia exhibition in which I merge my own coming of age story with a mythological ecology. In this work I reclaim my queer identity by communing with my past selves in a fantasy world created through the lens of Queer Ecology and Queer Eco-Futurism. The visuals in this exhibition obscure reality. They are abstractions of the landscapes I occupy—particularly the Tallgrass prairie and Ozark ecoregions. Through a speculative, fantasy world the exhibition introduces moments of adoration, death, fracturing, growth, joy, and failure. I form, draw, color and arrange the work embracing mistakes and …