Fine Arts Commons^™

Exploring The Effects Of Trance States Through Ritual, Kriya Yoga, And Expressive Arts For Adults With Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Alexandra (Lexi) Faith Traub

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

struggling with substance abuse often have complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) and seek altered states beyond the mundane via substances. What if expressive art therapies and ancient spiritual practices creating trance states could meet this need to alter states, while healing CPTSD symptoms by developing self-awareness, affect regulation, and reprogramming the subconscious mind through imaginal realm parts work? This capstone thesis explores this using yogic philosophy, shamanic drumming, Himalayan singing bowls, aboriginal grief rituals, and expressive art therapies rooted in transcendental theater, bilateral stimulation, and natural materials like clay therapy. A methodology combining ancient wisdom, arts, and modern psychological theory …

Glue Gun Stories: Public Art Educators’ Perceptions Of Trauma And Its Impact On Their Pedagogy And Praxis, Alicia Gray

Educational Studies Dissertations

Public School visual arts educators play a vital role in implementing trauma-sensitive practices within schools. Through a collaborative arts-based research design the researcher worked alongside four public school visual art educators to portray their knowledge, beliefs, and values surrounding trauma while also gaining a nuanced and in depth understanding of how perceptions of trauma influence their pedagogy and praxis. Data collection methods included interviews, focus groups, participant and research observations, photo documentation, and art-based data. Participants viewed trauma as chronic adverse events that lead to maladaptive responses within students. They felt these responses had widespread impacts on the entire school …

The Diorama Of Coexistence Hypnagogia: The Liminal Space Between Dream And Reality, Yunseok Song

Master's Theses

The “Diorama of Coexistence” explores the imagined spaces where humans and animals share the same environments, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. This year-long photographic project is inspired by my Christian faith and the Genesis creation narrative, where the world was originally harmonious and unspoiled. Through my work, I aim to reimagine the natural world, not as it is, but as it could be a place where animals and humans coexist peacefully.

In researching human development and its impact on nature, I found that animals are often confined to spaces like zoo, far from their natural habitats. This led …

K(Now) W(Here), Yulin Yuan

Masters Theses, 2020-current

“How does one discover solace and belonging within these layered narratives?”

In mythology, narratives were once created to answer the incomprehensible questions of an era. These narratives unveil half-truths, customs, and convictions. K(now) W(here) is based on the experience of the artist who is Chinese and immigrated to South Africa at a young age; she elaborates the story about assimilation, authenticity, tales of her ancestral roots, and, most often, myths of identity.

The artist used narratives from Chinese mythology, collaged physically and metaphorically using tangible objects from other’s homes in combination with photography, digital media, and domestic items and assemblage …

[W]Hole: Journey To Fullness, Joni P. Gordon

MFA in Visual Art

My work raises critical questions about Black history, race, gender, beauty, and privilege. My practice also highlights the intersectionality of colorism and racism. I use materials such as cardboard rectangles with handwritten words, brown paper, doors defaced by scratches, fire, printed images, newspaper, and projected photographs to ask and answer those questions. I also use Work and Travel documents, broom and brush bristle, mop fiber, towels, and audio recordings of oral histories to exhibit invisible scars wrought by racist actions as physical and material manifestations.

My practice began after experiencing racial discrimination for the first time on a US work …

Glittered Realities, Dramatic Bodies: Abject, Camp, And Empathy, Grace Otten

Theses - ALL

Glittered Realities, Dramatic Bodies: Abject, Camp, and Empathy explores the roles of disgust, social performance, and compassion within my art practice. This essay examines empathetic aesthetics as a tool for strengthening the relationship between the artist and the viewer, while also delving into the repulsiveness of abject art and the performative elements of Camp. Through thematic sections focusing on sculpture and video performance art, Glittered Realities, Dramatic Bodies: Abject, Camp, and Empathy illustrates how bodily experience and identity exploration contends that understanding human vulnerability and the interplay between abjection, theatricality, and empathy enriches both an art practice and worldview.

Nomadic Culture And The Pre-Islamic Era Of Turkic Civilizations: A Study Of Shamanism, Lifestyle, And A Modern Societal Reinterpretation, Atagun Ilhan

Theses - ALL

This thesis serves as an exploration of my cultural heritage during the pre-Islamic era of the Turks. I find this topic particularly significant because the pre-Islamic era often receives little attention in Turkey's cultural discourse, and there are even efforts to erase this era, largely influenced by the indoctrination policies of Islamic-driven Turkish governments. My aim is to delve into the cultural, religious, and diverse modes of living of the pre-Islamic nomadic Turkic people who inhabited Eastern Asia. The investigation begins by elucidating Nomadism within its geographical context. Furthermore, it delves into cultural and religious aspects such as shamanism, temples, …

Selling Water To A Fish: Study Of The Visual Narrative In Tourism Advertising, Ziwei Aletta Ren

Theses - ALL

In the new era dominated by visual culture, the realm of tourism increasingly relies on artistic tales to brand and market destinations. The power of storytelling, intertwined with art, can invite viewers to create psychological and emotional connections with corners of the world yet unexplored. This thesis explores the profound role of visual narratives in tourism advertising, revealing how they forge emotional and psychological connections between viewers and unexplored places. From the historical roots of advertising in ancient civilizations to the modern digital age, visual narratives have evolved to meet the changing desires of travelers, emphasizing authenticity and immersive experiences. …

Visualizing The First Visit To The Red Cliff Structural Analysis, Jinning Wang

Theses - ALL

This article explores how individuals can achieve spiritual freedom in the face of adversity and the twists of fate, drawing inspiration from the famous ancient Chinese poet Su Shi's First Visit to the Red Cliff. The thesis will work in two directions: first, from a philosophical and Buddhist perspective, it analyzes Su Shi's path to self-redemption during the creation of First Visit to the Red Cliff. Second, it combines my own experiences and dialogue with Su Shi in my artworks. The thesis takes both Su Shi's and my perspectives, using Su Shi's challenges in his life as a starting point …

Frightened Birds: An Exploration Of Insecurity And Its Artistic Expression, Chenyu Wang

Theses - ALL

This thesis aims to examine the root causes of human insecurity and to explore how to live with insecurity, both theoretically and visually. The nature of insecurity is further explored by analyzing it in a philosophical sense and making an analogy with Albert Camus’ understanding of “absurdity.” As a universal feeling, insecurity has enormous potential to be explored as an artistic topic. Creating and thinking from this feeling can trigger the audience’s emotional resonance and inspire more thinking in response. Insecurity is about meaning, about human longing and expectation, about the absurdity that one cannot escape. By analyzing insecurity, one …

Love Or Control? Analyzing Emotional Expression Within East Asian Family Through Artworks, Wenyi Qian

Theses - ALL

The author's own spirited and unconventional childhood defied societal norms, challenging conventional expectations for a young girl. In the name of love, their parents endeavored to guide them towards a more reserved and compliant path. Drawing from these personal experiences, this research aims to unravel the intricate fabric of emotional expression within East Asian families and its profound impact on familial relationships and individual psychological well-being through the lens of artistic works. These themes of love and control frequently surface in the creations of East Asian artists, providing a unique perspective to deepen our understanding of the complex emotional dynamics …

Positionings, Carolyn Grace Crowley

Theses - ALL

This thesis relates to my experiences as a queer woman, who was raised Catholic, grappling with my place in contemporary womanhood and how this confluence informed my work as a visual artist. Applying the visual styles and aesthetics of depictions of saints, expressionist and baroque painting to create a modern reflection on my femininity through painting and performance. This paper first explores my background, the meaning of my paintings, then how their meaning informed my technical and formal choices. Finally, it ends with a reflection on what I learned about myself and culture as a whole, asking the questions “Will …

Bridging The Gap: Neglect And Misunderstanding In Mother-Daughter Relationships, Yuhui Zheng

Theses - ALL

This thesis examines the conflicts between mothers and daughters within the Chinese cultural background. First, it states the domestic and social factors that impact the dynamic of maternal relationships with daughters in China. Then, by analyzing artworks like Everything Everywhere All at Once and Turning Red, it sheds light on how mother-daughter conflicts are represented in the plot and how filmmakers conceive such films to showcase mother-daughter relationships artistically. Finally, the thesis concludes by combining the above research with my own experiences, culminating in a visual thesis about a mother-daughter pair’s journey from conflict to reconciliation. The dissertation provides an …

Analysis Of Dilemmas And Self-Expression In The Highly Sensitive Person, Zixiao Song

Theses - ALL

This thesis primarily analyzes the definition of the highly sensitive person (HSP), the psychological issues this personality trait may cause, and coping mechanisms. It explores the experiences and challenges of HSPs, as described by psychologists and authors with extensive research in this field, such as Dr. Aron, to explore the inner world and coping mechanisms of highly sensitive individuals. Subsequently, through analyzing classic films and picture books such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower and All Too Much for Oliver, I observed how certain characters display the behavioral traits and psychological activities of HSPs from an artistic perspective. Finally, …

Under The Lychee Tree: A Journey To Resurrect, Reanimate, And Reflect One’S History, Jasmine Veronica Whitmore

Theses - ALL

In this paper, Under The Lychee Tree: A Journey to Resurrect, Reflect, and Reanimate One’s History, I discuss the history of my relationship with my mother in regard to my artistic practice. This paper is divided into chapters that discuss my influences and the work I’ve made about myself and my mother in relation to the themes of resurrection, reanimation, reflection, care, and memory. I use photography, video, installation, and our family archive to articulate these ideas.

6847 Miles, Ze Tian

Theses - ALL

In this paper, 6847 Miles, I discuss how my time in graduate school and developing my artistic practice has led me to my thesis project. The paper is divided into chapters that discuss how I gradually made my work about myself and my family in relation to themes of self-discovery, self-reconstruction, and acceptance of the fragility and contradiction of familial love. I use photography and video to articulate these themes and my vulnerability.

Master Of None: Living, Thinking And Co-Creating With Unruly Frigid Bodies, Greeshma Chenni Veettil

Theses - ALL

This thesis explores the primary modes of my artistic practice, which involve paying attention to bodily sensations, posing questions about the ordinary, and engaging in purposeful drifts of inquiry. Through a loose assemblage of practices centered around ice, static photographs, and my own brown body, I delve into the vitality and transgressions inherent in these seemingly inert beings. My work draws upon feminist scholarship on embodiment and employs affective engagement as a methodology for unlearning. Disparate accounts are considered through a polyamorous engagement with diverse disciplines. In doing so, I underscore the importance of unbound curiosity over linearly connected deductions …

Consumer Spaces, Objects, And Bodies, Olivia Dovorany

Theses - ALL

Consumer Spaces, Objects, and Bodies is an exploration of consumerism and a study of objects, delving into the different marketplaces and products designed to influence our behavior. Using methods of collecting and image making, I question the relationship to my own consumption and challenge how I am programmed to respond as a consumer.

The Girls: Queering The Family Archive, Kathleen Warren

Theses - ALL

My research and artistic practice explore how queerness can offer a liberatory framework for confronting intergenerational cycles of grief that reinforce the dual closets of emotional and sexual repression. Rooted in my own family’s history of traumatic loss, I explore the dialectics of memory and identity in my project The Girls. I explore how closeting operates in families and archives through several theoretical frameworks, with perspectives from Marianne Hirsch, bell hooks, and Michael Foucault’s History of Sexuality. By investigating the gendered roles imposed by the traditional family gaze, religion, and shame, the text examines how photography, archives, and performance can …

Tethered, Robert Zumwalt

Theses - ALL

Tethered explores the relationship I have built between music, the natural world, and the objects I make. Current ruminations as well as memories that influence my work are shared along with the techniques developed for this expression. In my ceramic practice, I work through multiple series simultaneously, often transitioning between projects, sometimes seemingly disparate. This writing mirrors that exploratory process, cautious not to arrive at any conclusions, as such definitive answers are not the artist’s responsibility. These things of my constructed world, these illusions that enable my actions, are examined as both obstacles and tools for connecting to the viewer.

Dead Woman Walking: Articulating Historical Violence Toward The Femme Through Visual Art And Cultural Experience, Angelica Elizabeth Starcovic

Theses - ALL

Individual identity formation is a crucial tool in my artistic practice. I rely on articulating my experiences as femme to reclaim and denounce the signifiers of femininity invented and perverted by patriarchy. Using historical survey of instances and explorations of fear and violence through art and visual culture, my works reckon with how archaic gender beliefs still entrench themselves in our contemporary worldviews and their psychological results. The deconstructions of these facades uncover the violence and fear ingrained in feminine identity inflicted through bodily control in culture. Here I argue for her humanity against the abject violence culture and media …

A Space Without Time, Grace C. Kerr

Theses - ALL

When I was a child, I grew up in a world without time – I was able to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. But, as I grew older, my life became dominated by the clock. Later in my life, I was introduced to Buddhism, and through the development of the practice of meditation, I was able to regain a sense of timelessness. A short time later, when visiting natural caves, I discovered timelessness in these spaces. The random structure, the tunnels, and the surface textures inspired me to invoke the idea of caves as a metaphor for my …

Not Quite, But Not Quite Not, Markus Denil

Theses - ALL

Through this MFA thesis I embark on an exploratory voyage, not to find solid ground, but rather an exploration at sea, where the tides and currents of masculinity, transmasculinity, place finding, and self-identification ebb and flow. This expedition is less a search for answers and more an odyssey of asking questions that inevitably beget even more questions. Through a series of multimedia works, including sculptures, installations, and drawings, I begin to tease out the dissonant relationship between the trans narrative and conventional understandings of time and space. Time moves differently here.

Revelations Of Mary Shelley: Death, Immortality, And The Creator-Creature Relationship In Frankenstein, Yuqing Liu

Theses - ALL

This thesis aims to explore the cultural, and societal backgrounds, and interpersonal relationships that influenced Mary Shelley in crafting Frankenstein, and to understand how these elements are mirrored in the novel. It endeavors to examine the linkage between the intentions that authors embed within their works and the realm of reality. Analyzing Shelley's inspirations and motives through the prism of her social context and personal connections, this thesis delves into the Romantic and Gothic literary traits manifested in Frankenstein. Through this inquiry, a creative work inspired by Frankenstein was developed, intending to serve as a vessel for reflection on philosophical …

Mental Health Problems Of The Firstborn Children In China, Jianye Zou

Theses - ALL

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the negative psychological impact that first-born children experience when facing the impending arrival of younger siblings in their families and the factors of these problems in China. In addition, this thesis helps the children prepare for the process of fitting in the new family structure via relevant artworks. Based on the unique situation, such as the only-child policy and culture of Chinese society, this thesis analyzes the factors affecting first-born children during the transition from being an only child to having siblings during the arrival of a second child within the family. …

Discarded And Forgotten, Declan J. Yert

Theses - ALL

This thesis serves as written documentation of the processes, outcomes, and the conceptual nature of my sculptural practice. I consider and question our set definitions towards the natural world and human-built environments. Using emerging lexicons that serve as a starting point for defining instances of synthetic materials merging with organic ecosystems, I draw from locations, scientific research, individual observations, and human-built environments that have produced or influenced the objects and materials I use in my everyday life and art practice. Vocabulary and language surrounding the excess of objects and materials in natural environments are interrogated and subverted to reflect acts …

Becoming And Unbecoming "Girl:" Understanding A Gendered Life Through Lessons Learned As A "Horse Girl", Katie Stone

Theses - ALL

This thesis dissects the experience of gender in public and private spaces utilizing lessons gathered as a “horse girl.” The concept and experience of being “woman” is navigated through various value systems drawn from Indigenous philosophies, government treaties, the queer experience, the history of the cowboy, familial story-telling, and personal life accounts. The Americanized, Western worldview of gender is analyzed and critiqued. This research discusses the implications the era of “Manifest Destiny” had on the colonization of land, bodies, and ultimately the contemporary idea of identity. I employ the cowboy as a vessel for translating these histories and identities. Our …

We Came From The Sea, L. Alexis St. John

CGU MFA Theses

This paper contains a summary of the thesis exhibition, including an artist statement, exhibition flyer, images of the artwork with descriptions, and images of the gallery. The descriptions of the images are excerpted from the exhibition program, and include artwork titles in a constructed language called Ponder.

Queerform/Ing, Matthew Solon-Lee Weimer

Art Theses and Dissertations

My artwork is situated within and around vessels and the Queer Homoerotic World and explores sexuality as a Demisexual within them. This is accomplished through the two processes of my creation, Minivague and Queerform/ing: balancing sexual tension and explicit expression, while subverting traditional norms and stereotypes with queerness to distance oneself from stereotypical Gay Art. Altering/emphasizing makes the artwork more romantic, lighter, whimsical, softer, and tender than the figure/s and the situations actually are. The process is also emphasizing what one sees or wants to be seen. The Pink Boy becomes a celebration of intimacy of any form. I discuss …

Fragmented Bodies, Lauren Careese Alexander

Art Theses and Dissertations

Through Memory Webs and fragmented ceramic vessels, I express what it feels like to grow up living in a biracial body. I utilize mixed media to emulate a mixed-race experience. My Memory Webs are fashioned by painting on scraps of canvas and attaching them with crocheted wire and ribbon to speak to how my memory has impacted my identity. My fragmented ceramic vessels are cut up and stitched back together to represent disjointedness and un-belonging. All of my work is contextualized through the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and what the Monster may represent for people of color. I also …