Art Practice Commons^™

Some Assembly Required, Tanner Maxey

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The dead do not carry their memory. We do. But when memory becomes the only way we can continue to hold on to our loved ones, how do we derive meaning from the fragments when memory begins to fade? Some Assembly Required examines loss as a condition in which meaning is no longer stable, but must be constructed from what remains. Through an interdisciplinary practice that combines ceramics, textiles, and installation, this work explores how domestic objects—once associated with care, function, and familiarity—can be transformed into fragile, unusable forms that persist as evidence of what has been lost. These objects …

Till Death Does Us Part: An Analysis Of Influences And Ideas Behind The Exhibition, Milo F. Rippe

Honors College Theses

“Till Death Does Us Part,” is a ceramic work created by Milo Rippe in the fall of 2025. The installation includes fifteen faceless figures, ten organ-inspired plates, and one big central figure. Also featured are three homemade stains and two homemade glazes. The figures are hand-built from slabs, combined to form a single piece. The plates were also cut from slabs, and then hand-rolled rims were added to each shape with slip. Stains and glazes are made by methodically measuring out each ingredient on a triple-beam scale, combining all ingredients with water, and running the mixture through a strainer to …

A Community Affair: An Exploration Of The Queer Community, Nightlife, Performance Art And Their Adjacent Qualities, Tatiana M. Castro

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the importance and roll of community in queer artwork, such as drag and burlesque and retroactively also all the work that I create. This paper aims to express this importance by exploring my personal relationship with building community. By interviewing performers selected through a customized-for-savannah voting process, I allowed the community to directly influence my thesis, as well as directly referencing photos of the hands of community members as a continued motif used throughout my work to represent community. This culminated in a two night thesis performance and installation  exhibition that explored performance and how its environment …

Spieltrieb, Edward F. Newcomb

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates the creative and pedagogical intersections of nostalgia, play, and neurodivergent experience through a mixed-media studio practice. Grounded in Friedrich Schiller’s concept of Spieltrieb—the human drive to play as a balance between sensual and rational impulses—this work explores how childhood memory, instinct, and impulsive mark making inform both artistic production and art education.

Drawing on theoretical frameworks by Susan Sontag and John Berger, the work resists overinterpretation in favor of sensory immediacy, inviting viewers into direct, embodied encounters with material form. Sontag’s critique of mimetic representation and Berger’s analysis of reproducibility and context inform a practice that …

Untalented: What Is The Role Of “Talent” In Art Class?, Sean Bianchi

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

The concept of talent in art education is widely accepted yet rarely challenged or questioned. This essay critically examines the construction of artistic talent perceptions, the sociohistorical roots of the term itself, and the implications of what talent does for art education. This speculative essay problematizes talent as a persuasive force over art students and art teachers alike, criticizes the accessibility of art to the naïve and art enthusiast alike, as well as the consequences of talent constructs over the future of artistic instruction within public education. Utilizing an aesthetic framework, I explore what the role of talent in art …

Ni De Aqui, Nor There. Pero As The In-Between, Vanessa Franquez

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores first-generation Mexican American identity as a lived experience of translation and survival. Drawing from Judith Butler, Gloria Anzaldúa, and Jack Burnham, the work frames identity as performative, embodied, and shaped by overlapping cultural systems. Insects function as models of adaptation, camouflage, and defense, paralleling survival strategies such as code-switching and cultural hybridity. Through sculptural processes including tufting, felting, sewing, layering, and the inscription of Spanglish text, repetition and puncture become material metaphors for pressure, repair, and resilience. Language operates as both subject and substance, resisting grammatical purity in favor of hybridity. The work ultimately positions the in-between …

"Spectrum", Mackinzey H. Critzer

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

These body of works explores themes centered around ASD/Autism Spectrum Disorder, including symptoms involved, my personal views/experiences of it, social issues, and other related topics. My work consists of various mediums, digital pieces/prints and physical installations that involve bright color tones, human/humanoid figures, and various symbols.

Theopoetics Prothesis: An Exploration In Faith And Form, Elise Aleman, Elise Aleman

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

My work is rooted in the biblical definition of faith: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Like the Bible’s layered complexity—its patterns, metaphors, and cultural references—faith is not merely intellectual but an active trust in what is unseen. It transcends knowledge, anchoring itself in conviction and hope. This intersection of theology and lived experience is at the core of my practice.

Theopoetics—a framework that fuses theology and artistic expression—shapes my approach, allowing faith to be embodied through form rather than merely explained. Two seemingly distinct bodies of work—one centered …

Mark & Gesture, William E. Pugh

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This paper explores the development of my painting and printmaking practice through the lens of process, artistic influence, and creative community. At the heart of my work is a dedication to mark-making in printmaking and painting as gesture and authorship and as a visual language shaped by process, scale, layering, and texture. My work is influenced by artists such as Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Wayne Thiebaud, and Peter Max, as well as by my personal history with music. The paper reflects on how process, interdisciplinary influence, and artistic dialogue shape a practice rooted in both personal exploration and discovery.

Guanacos De Corazón, Ana Marcela Sinnett

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the intersections of indigeneity, mestizaje, and decolonial aesthetics through a mixed-media art practice rooted in Salvadoran history and identity. Drawing on ancestral traditions such as indigo dyeing and backstrap weaving, Guanacos de Corazón investigates how materiality, folklore, and handcraft function as forms of visual resistance, meaning art that disrupts dominant narratives, critiques systems of power, and reclaims erased cultural memory.

Through formal analysis, historical context, and interviews with Salvadoran artists, this thesis challenges ideas of mestizaje that promote cultural and ethnic superiority and contribute to the erasure of ancestral beliefs.

How do we rescue ancestral traditions that …

Neo Retro: Rapid Prototyping And The Evolving Role Of Artistic Practice, Robert D. Miller

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

My art is always executed with a timeline in mind. I am influenced by a world as it exists in the distance past, the recent past, the present (with all its multifaceted complexities), and the near future (as it applies to my legacy after I'm gone), as well as the distance future. Time and space – to me - are all part of a grand narrative. The art that I create is an indexical gesture of my creative processes and these creative processes are reflected in the imagery that I create as well as the materials I use for my …

Sana Sana: Unlearning Generational Expectation Through Performance, Jalen R. Ash

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

My work is an exploration of identity as a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, Person of Color) body traversing through the generational histories of my family and the struggle of cultural loss to our assimilation of Whiteness. Through the multi-faceted medium of performance, my work uses physical and mental spaces of self and technology to understand how the body functions as a screen. Our bodies house projections of generational expectations that have trickled down from the past into the present. These projections shape our own unique identities along with the personal experiences we gather as we move through the various spaces of …

Aging Under Erasure, Pamela H. Reynolds

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Aging is a multifaceted journey that is different for everyone. It is a fluid process; there is no one predictable moment or age when a particular experience takes place. For that reason, the series “Aging Under Erasure” encompasses a myriad of subjects to emphasize and illustrate the diversity and complexity of the process. My work visualizes the feelings, observations, and realities of aging in an attempt to create understanding, alter perceptions, and contemplate the universality of change. The works are inspired by personal experience, dialogical practice, and academic research. Using paper and/or traditional and unusual mosaic materials and techniques, the …

Blank Spaces: An Exploration Of Memory And Nostalgia Through Mixed Media, Julianna V. Tillman

Honors College Theses

Blank Spaces explores the way childhood nostalgia manifests in the physical world through the creation of mixed media pieces. The experimentation with different mediums in my work, such as painting, ceramics, and animation, is emblematic of childhood creative play. These mixed media artworks showcase how memories recalled from the past can influence our interpretation of the present. The familial connection to family and culture, represented through manipulated old family photographs and imaginary renderings of stories, blends representational imagery with fantasy; my art examines the movement of those memories in the “blank spaces” of the mind. The thesis adds to the …

Inequality In Renaissance Art; A Study Into The Lack Of Female Representation, Kaitlyn Anderson

Honors College Theses

This paper explores how female biblical figures were under-represented during the Renaissance period. It explores possible reasonings, consequences, and then takes a physical exploration into the renaissance style through newly created artworks. It also explores in greater detail, two specific female biblical figures, their multifaceted stories, and their previous portrayals. Lastly homage is paid to the female artists throughout history who have been working to level the playing field in the art-world.

Perplexions: Perceptions, Plexi And Prose, Amy B. Nelson

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

An understanding of our world is unique to each individual and their experiences. While experiences are often shared, we all process them according to our own schema. Through exploration into the multiple facets of plexiglass, my work examines trauma, loss and its lasting effect on a person's memory of the past, present and perception of the future. These experiences can cause an abrupt shift in personal schema and reshape one’s perception of the world. Through the combination of visual and linguistic stimuli, my trauma-informed work can be a catalyst for my viewers to discuss what they are experiencing and why. …

Drink Up: A Study Of The Food-Safe Quality Of Ceramics Glazes With The Addition Of Rutile, Morgan A. Baldinelli

Honors College Theses

Food-safe ceramic glazes can be altered with additives and become harmful to the user of the ceramic ware. Rutile is a frequently used material added to glazes to create variegation in glazes, but it is commonly known to cause defects in the glaze that can be unsafe for food. This experiment is conducted to determine if rutile can be added to food-safe glazes and still retain their food-safe status. A food-safe glaze is a shiny, thin coating that does not leach chemicals or has an excess of colorants; common food-safe glazes are white liners and clear glazes as they have …

Écorché Figures In Mannerism As Influenced By The Reemergence Of Systematic Human Dissection, Megan Tanner

Honors College Theses

During the sixteenth century, many individuals became fascinated by the human form, which led to an increase in artistic and scientific focus on these subjects. Artistic interest in the human body resulted in a close relationship between artists and anatomists during the time, and the societal acceptance to public demonstrations of dissections, including flaying, was often converged with Mannerist ideals. It is historically evident that écorché figures during Mannerism were based on these, as well as torture methods during the time. As these demonstrations became more common throughout the sixteenth century, they began to be monitored in order to ensure …

Ex-Tensions: Material Entanglement And Intensities, Zohreh Galdizadeh Garmeh

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis is an exploration of the intrinsic capacity of matter and material formations and utilization of art as a mode of inquiry. Ex-tensions: Material Entanglement and Intensities investigates the animism and vibrancy of objects and the hidden interplay between materials and intensities that flow through and around within the spaces that confine us. In this body of work, all forms of material configurations are understood as animated and agential and as different representations of the same substance that are only formally diverse.

Get Teens Talking: A Hands-On Approach To Sel Through The Arts, Gina H. Moore, Gina H. Moore

National Youth Advocacy & Resilience Conference

Explore the power of art to give tweens and teens a vehicle for healthy self-expression and life skills that can take them from risk to resilience. Interact and connect in this hands-on session that demonstrates engaging activities to create a sense of community within groups. Exercise your creativity and leave with unique artwork and a written guide to facilitate the activities in your programs.

Visual Feast, Makaili J. Taylor

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This body of work, Visual Feast, explores the infatuation we have with sweets. Throughout my thesis, I discuss how this universal shared experience contributes to the art world, explaining how our culture today has turned a simple requirement to survive into a source of entertainment. I use my work to show the absurdity of our desires to overindulge, and the ways we fetishize food. By creating a visual feast for the viewers, my goal is to challenge perceptions of what is acceptable and what is absurd.

Patterns Of Identity, Tameka S. Phillips

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

People interpret and categorize visual cues not only to create a concept of an identity. We assume who a person is, and what their personality is like, based on these visual cues that are in turn plagued with established norms and biases that can connect or divide. Cultural norms, such as gender, sexuality, race, or political standing can be further expressed visually through textile patterns, motifs, and color. Even so, the many cultural signifiers serve only as clues to a person’s identity that encompasses many different cultural aspects, despite common practice to relate to only one. Through my textile statues, …

Plausible Expositions With Possible Expeditions, Nikolaus D. James

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Influenced by video games and cinema, in this body of work, Plausible Expositions with Possible Expeditions, I use objects to create scenarios that suggest a narrative. The scenes are then photographed and displayed through cathode-ray tube televisions and viewers use their own knowledge and ideas about the objects to create that narrative. Each of these objects has is own data set, and the most common have a universal data set—information surrounding the object that is widely recognized, much like how a crowbar is commonly associated with crime. Similar to playing a video game, an algorithm is used when viewing my …

The Impact Of Patronage On Contemporary Visual Arts, Emily Coats

Honors College Theses

Patronage is vital to the art world and the success and notoriety of its artists. From straightforward patronage during the Renaissance of the Medici Family, the independent artists of modernism, to contemporary crowdfunding, it is important to note the changes in the art world throughout history to truly understand how artists and patrons have grown and continue to evolve in our contemporary society. Considering how patronage has changed and adapted throughout history and understanding the influence it has, not only allows a deeper understanding of the art world but also the world’s culture.

The A.H. Kotz Unnatural History Exhibit, Marian R. Trainor

Honors College Theses

An exploration in two parts into the development of a narrative through manufactured evidence designed specifically to encourage the suspense of disbelief. The physical work exists within a faux anthropological museum exhibition focused around a human whose history and existence is entirely fabricated. The structural work is the layers of historical and practical research used to develop the suggestion of reality. The exhibit contains samples of the research, artifacts, and specimens collected by the deceased naturalist August Hermann Kotz, along with his falsified history. The second part consists of an overview of the research process and techniques needed to successfully …

The Classical Versus The Grotesque Body In Edith Wharton's Fiction, Joshua T. Temples

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In her landmark works The House of Mirth (1905), The Custom of the Country (1913), and The Age of Innocence (1920), Edith Wharton responds to earlier depictions of the classical, pure Victorian and Edwardian woman. Wharton's "inconvenient" women overturn popular stereotypes. Subsequently, they are barred from their social groups, but they are independent, unlike the complicit and obedient women of the classical body, most of whom ascribe to the trope of the "Angel in the House." The grotesque seeks to undercut the unrealistic expectations enforced by the classical through its embodiment of progression and humanity, and Wharton is drawn to …

Irrational Aggregates, Courtney N. Ryan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis paper examines the work included in my Master of Fine Arts thesis exhibition entitled Irrational Aggregates. The goal of this work is to facilitate a dialogue between our natural environment and the excessive consumer-based environments in which we live. Combining a variety of ceramic techniques including hand building, wheel throwing, and casting these sculptures appear to be grown from, and even taken over by nature itself.

Often drawing inspiration from my personal narrative, that of consistent upheaval, relocation, and adjustment to new places, my work can appear both grounded and in a state of motion. I believe …

Mindful Escapism, Kench Weathers

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This thesis examines the art work included in Kench Weathers’ MFA thesis exhibition. This work explores major themes such as the sacred, contemplation, optical illusion and paradox. The installations involve multiple three-dimensional geometric shapes that are formed with steel tubing (welded together). These works have various inspiration; both contemporary secular and sacred and are influenced by sacred paradox, both visual and ideological. The mixture of the two-dimensional with the three-dimensional creates multistable perception within the viewer. The work introduces visual and perceptual distortions of depth and dimensionality. These forms are nonrepresentational but act as a catalyst for the viewer. I …

Resilience, Glenda Militano

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

ABSTRACT

My objective for creating this body of work is to explore the complexity and beauty of the human brain. What inspired these works is my research on cognitive psychology and neuroscience. Cognitive psychology involves the study of internal mental processes, while neuroscience deals with nerves and nervous tissue that relate to behavior and learning. Neuroscience is where psychology meets biology. The series of paintings in Resilience, were created with the intent to connect these two fields of study, while charting my exploration and discoveries found linked with science and psychology. The brain and its components are portrayed in …

Considering Perspectives, Cynthia Epps

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This body of work, Considering Perspectives, explores the ideas of perspective, not only in terms of spatial perspective in art, but also regarding how our vantage point and presumptions affect how we feel about certain subjects. The subjects of my work are spaces or objects often overlooked or considered mundane. When we approach a work of art, we typically do so with a multitude of presuppositions that influence our response. Often, we are not even aware of this. By splicing together multiple perspectives I use my work to create awareness that there may be more than one way not …