Reflective Perspective, 2024 Cal Poly Humboldt
Reflective Perspective, Lisa Heikka-Huber
IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt
‘Reflective Perspectives’ is a personal tribute to glass. After working in glass for over 20 years creating functional sculpted objects, I decided it was time to take a break and complete my BFA in sculpture. Influenced heavily from my sculptor parents, I sought to learn their craft and focus my art practice to combine metals with hollow glass sculpture. Taking a mold from my face frozen in the expression I make while blowing glass. Each bubble represents the constant influx of ideas for glass that flowed and formed in my brain throughout the years. Each idea started out as a …
Creating An Index To Graduate Theses To Support Their Discoverability, 2024 Rhode Island School of Design
Creating An Index To Graduate Theses To Support Their Discoverability, Ellen Petraits
Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students
As a Research and Instruction Librarian, one of the most frequent questions I'm asked is how to find past theses on a particular topic or theme. There is an active thesis culture at RISD that goes beyond writing and binding a text. An exhibition is held in the graduate gallery to celebrate a curated selection of theses at the beginning of the academic year. (See Book of Thesis Books) Theses can range in format from an artist book to a loose-leaf portfolio. Many emphasize the visual and are a bridge to the student’s studio work. They may include unusual or …
Long Story Short, 2024 California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Long Story Short, Hannah M. Varghese
Graphic Communication
Long Story Short and is a vintage up-cycling art brand. Our mission is to breathe new life into vintage pieces, crafting them into modern wearable art. As the name suggests, each creation tells a story while being revitalized for today’s fashion forward community.
Fast fashion and trend cycling has been a growing problem in today’s society. Things are going ‘in’ and ‘out’ quicker than they ever have. Trend cycling usually operates on a 20-year timeline. But, today’s sped up cycle encourages people to constantly over-consume in chase of the next cool thing. It’s unsustainable and an impossible chase. With a …
The Interplay Of Hollywood's Golden Age And The Evolution Of The Jewelry Industry: A Historical And Cultural Analysis, 2024 Sotheby's Institute of Art
The Interplay Of Hollywood's Golden Age And The Evolution Of The Jewelry Industry: A Historical And Cultural Analysis, Man Luo
MA Theses
This thesis delves into the intricate interplay between Hollywood's Golden Age and the evolution of the jewelry industry, examining the dynamic relationship from three distinct angles. It first traces the historical lineage of the jewelry industry, spotlighting the American naturalization of European jewelry houses such as Mauboussin. Their involvement in Hollywood was enabled by the technological advancements within the film industry, and the creation of on-screen icons like Marlene Dietrich, collectively orchestrated the course of jewelry trends. This dynamic interplay significantly influenced the cultural and aesthetic zeitgeist during Hollywood's Golden Age. In the following section, the study delves into the …
Pearls Of Power: Navigating Empire And Kingship In The Nineteenth Century In Qing Dynasty China And Victorian England, 2024 Sotheby's Institute of Art
Pearls Of Power: Navigating Empire And Kingship In The Nineteenth Century In Qing Dynasty China And Victorian England, Jinrui Chen
MA Theses
This thesis provides an academic exploration of the socio-cultural and political connotations of pearl jewelry during the Qing Dynasty in China and the Victorian era in England. It examines the symbolic prominence of the Eastern pearl within the Qing Dynasty’s hierarchical and imperial contexts, juxtaposing this with the emotional and personal resonance of pearl jewelry in Victorian England. The study employs an array of primary Chinese sources and insightful case studies to investigate the dynamics of pearl harvesting, consumption, and perception, thereby unveiling the diverse roles pearls played in these distinct societies. This comparative approach addresses a gap in existing …
A Pursuance Of Self, 2023 East Tennessee State University
A Pursuance Of Self, Kassidy Albert
Undergraduate Honors Theses
The self portrait is a consistent aspect of art history, with many artists returning to it again and again across their lives. This project intends to explore the function of the self portrait. Through research and execution of artwork, the artist has found that the self portrait has multiple functions, including: a practice of anatomy; a display of status, skill, and likeness; an outlet for emotion; and a place for psychological confrontation. Across the life of this project, the artist completed twenty-two self portraits in a variety of styles and materials.
Hammer In, 2016 (Fa 1398), 2023 Western Kentucky University
Hammer In, 2016 (Fa 1398), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
FA Finding Aids
Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1398. Audio, photographs, and video documenting Hammer In 2016, a community event held at WKU’s Kentucky Museum in partnership with corporate sponsors, the Kentucky Folklife Program, the Kentucky Forge Council, and WKU’s Department of Folklife & Anthropology. The event celebrates the metal worker’s trade and includes demonstrations, interviews and narrative stages.
Hammer In, 2018 (Fa 1399), 2023 Western Kentucky University
Hammer In, 2018 (Fa 1399), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives
FA Finding Aids
Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 1399. Audio, photographs, and video documenting Hammer In 2018, a community event held at WKU’s Kentucky Museum in partnership with corporate sponsors, the Kentucky Folklife Program, the Kentucky Forge Council, and WKU’s Department of Folklife & Anthropology. The event celebrates the metal worker’s trade and includes demonstrations, interviews and narrative stages.
Burning Through The Shell, 2023 University of North Florida
Burning Through The Shell, Ethan Harmon
PANDION: The Osprey Journal of Research and Ideas
Artist Statement
“Burning Through the Shell” embodies the process of freeing myself from my inner turmoil. By pouring molten iron into a wooden trough, the iron burns and scorches its way through the wooden exterior, leaving behind only the remnants as it cools and frees itself from its temporary shell. This destructive yet creative act represents shedding my shell of social anxiety and insecurity, emerging stronger and more resilient. Throughout my life, I have always struggled with “coming out of my shell” and dealing with my mental health in a positive way. However, once I discovered my passion for sculpture …
Algorithmic Mirage: The Enigma Of Black Box Algorithm, 2023 Rhode Island School of Design
Algorithmic Mirage: The Enigma Of Black Box Algorithm, Brenda Li
Masters Theses
In Algorithmic Mirage, I delve into the intricate connections between black-box algorithms, perception, and control. This artist book presents a series of thought-provoking projects that expose the ways in which algorithmic distortions shape our understanding of value, relationships, and social norms. By materializing the intangible and using jewelry as a metaphor, I reveal the power dynamics that drive our interactions with technology and each other. The book unfolds through three interconnected projects, each focusing on different aspects of the relationship between black-box algorithms and human perception. The first project, Boxed Rings - Algorithmic Distortion, uses diamond rings as an entry …
Postindustrial Playbook++, 2023 Rhode Island School of Design
Postindustrial Playbook++, Maxwell Fertik
Masters Theses
There is no such thing as an undisrupted ecosystem. Every inch of the planet is impacted by industrial development and its chemical legacy has mutated the soil and water. As a response, this thesis is designed to promote abundant over extractive resources and visualize a post-industrial reality. It consists of a series of objects, writing and design research on the relationship of industry and ecosystem.
In many ways it is a playbook++, laying out possible strategies or “plays’’ for making do with what exists around us amid collapse.
Japanese knotweed (Reynoutria japonica)(ي'ڑ*), a plant that grows in the most degraded …
Making Then Meaning, 2023 Rhode Island School of Design
Making Then Meaning, Ben Denzer
Masters Theses
This is an artist talk contained within a book. It is 816 pages and 49 minutes long. Closed captions run across the spreads. A video of this talk can be watched on bendenzer.com/making-then-meaning
At RISD, I’ve been prompted to expand the scope and tools of my practice and to reflect on questions of meaning in my work.
I spend my days making things, but I’ve never really had good answers to questions of why I make the things I make, or what their meaning is. I don’t think there are simple answers to these questions.
I think meaning comes from …
Home. Objects. Transitions., 2023 Rhode Island School of Design
Home. Objects. Transitions., Fei Gao
Masters Theses
As migratory life challenges traditional understandings of "home," can domestic objects, materials, or substitutes transformed into portable art forms soothe migratory anxiety, navigate connections to home, and become alternatives to the ideal home?
This thesis is an investigation of the value of domestic objects as transitional markers of "home" and their ability to foster positive emotional connection among those whose lives are in flux migrating people. Based on British psychiatrist Donald W. Winnicott's research on "Transitional Objects" or "Transitional Phenomena" such objects not only represent "comfort objects" for infants but also foreshadow the many roles assigned by individuals throughout their …
The Common Destiny Of Living Creatures, 2023 Rhode Island School of Design
The Common Destiny Of Living Creatures, Xiaodai Huang
Masters Theses
This thesis explores the transformation of recycled materials and trash, into materials for jewelry making, and investigates the effects of human consumption on the environment. It is also concerned with ecological damage and biological harm by combining physical research methods with literature and data review. It also calls for consumers to reflect on their behavior and actively participate in the collective action of protecting the environment.
In this thesis, I collected and analyzed studies and information related to consumptive behavior, environmental pollution, and ecological damage. This includes academic papers, reports, statistics, and perspectives from professional organizations on consumption patterns, waste …
Surfacing: A (Loose) Manual On Unlayering / Stuff-Making And Hypervisibility, 2023 Rhode Island School of Design
Surfacing: A (Loose) Manual On Unlayering / Stuff-Making And Hypervisibility, Zoë Pulley
Masters Theses
This is a (loose) manual on a method I like to refer to as surfacing.
A method that synthesizes narrative through the use of surfaces such as textiles, paper, web & video to reveal the spectacularly ordinary parts of Black life within a growing design practice.
A method I (currently) practice in three (evolving) steps:
Unlayering and piecing together stuff (rememory)
Acknowledgment of ancestry through stuff-making (kin)
Consciousness of oneself and the place / time / space in which the work is being disseminated (hypervisibility)
This is a manual that profiles a (current) design practice of a Black female maker …
Physical Documentation Of Censored Incidents Liberates One From The Doubts Of Existence., 2023 Rhode Island School of Design
Physical Documentation Of Censored Incidents Liberates One From The Doubts Of Existence., Winnie Cheung
Masters Theses
Clouds are free. Hovering aimlessly, they drift with no set forms, looking down on humans high from the sky. As an artist, I explore the freedom between humans and nature, with ‘cloud’ as a carrier, and extend its definition to the perspective of Chinese society and individuals through the format of jewelry.
As both a translator and jeweler, I am acutely aware of the ongoing censorship of language and events in Mainland China. My jewelry documents a diverse range of texts in China that expose the societal constraints imposed on its people, a miserable contrast to the freely floating clouds. …
Bridging Empathy, 2023 Rhode Island School of Design
Bridging Empathy, Qianwen Lu
Masters Theses
As a jeweler, ally, and sympathetic witness to the traumatic stories of survivors, my work aims to support the process of reconstruction and reintegration for victims and the greater community. To move beyond isolation, resentment, and debilitating helplessness requires care and support. I want my jewelry to act as catalysts in the healing process by straddling both sides of the trauma-induced situation, to create greater awareness and empathy. National Coalition Against Domestic Violence shows that women are more likely to become victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or other forms of physical and psychological abuse in unhealthy emotional relationships. These …
Soul Furnace / فرن الأرواح, 2023 Rhode Island School of Design
Soul Furnace / فرن الأرواح, Isa Ghanayem
Masters Theses
“This is the good washing, this is (the washing) which separates the dirty body from the pure body. This is like silver mixed with lead, it is separated from it by this (process): one makes for it a cupel of bones, which is what is called the “head of the dog” and of which the common name is kūja-which is the crucible—and this must be made of burnt bones. One melts the silver in it, one gives it a strong fire: the cupel will absorb and receive the lead, the fire will make its subtle (part) fly away and extirpate …
Luminous Eating, 2023 Rhode Island School of Design
Luminous Eating, Ayesha Mohyuddin
Masters Theses
My work strives to reorient my gaze away from outward definitions of identity toward the complexities and nuances of experiencing the intersections of identity that comprise me and the space of home where I felt most extended. I do not want to essentialize the identifiers of Muslim, Bengali, and Tennessean, nor do I want to neglect the role memory and nostalgia play in shaping home as a place of expansion and ease. Food, cooking, and eating ground both nostalgia and identity in something physical. Through the sense of taste, I reorient myself to the inseparability of experience that cannot be …
Androgynous Figures On Etruscan Cista Handles From Praeneste, 2023 Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Androgynous Figures On Etruscan Cista Handles From Praeneste, Melanie Naples
LSU Master's Theses
Muscular women and effeminate men adorn the lids of Etruscan Cistae found in Praeneste (modern Palestrina, 23 miles southeast of Rome, Italy). Cistae (Latin plural of cista) are storage containers used by the Etruscans for women’s beauty items. This thesis focuses on the androgynous, mostly nude, figures that serve as handles and are often displayed in pairs. These pairs frequently depict a man and a woman together and androgynous qualities are usually emphasized on the female figures. Discussions of the androgynous body in the ancient world have centered around Greece and Rome. Only recently (Sandhoff 2007, 2009, 2011), scholarship has …