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Visual Arts Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2014 2014.

A Maoli-Based Art Education: Ku'u Mau Kuamo'o 'Ōlelo , Raquel Malia Andrus

Accumulation of Divine Service , Blaine Lee Atwood

Caroline Murat: Powerful Patron of Napoleonic France and Italy , Brittany Dahlin

.(In|Out)sider$ , Jarel M. Harwood

Mariko Mori's Sartorial Transcendence: Fashioned Identities, Denied Bodies, and Healing, 1993-2001 , Jacqueline Rose Hibner

Parallel and Allegory , Kody Keller

Fallen Womanhood and Modernity in Ivan Kramskoi's Unknown Woman (1883) , Trenton B. Olsen

Conscience and Context in Eastman Johnson's The Lord Is My Shepherd , Amanda Melanie Slater

The War That Does Not Leave Us: Memory of the American Civil War and the Photographs of Alexander Gardner , Katie Janae White

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Women and the Wiener Werkstätte: The Centrality of Women and the Applied Arts in Early Twentieth-Century Vienna , Caitlin J. Perkins Bahr

Cutting Into Relief , Matthew L. Bass

Mask, Mannequin, and the Modern Woman: Surrealism and the Fashion Photographs of George Hoyningen-Huene , Hillary Anne Carman

The End of All Learning , Maddison Carole Colvin

Civitas: A Game-Based Approach to AP Art History , Anna Davis

What Crawls Beneath , Brent L. Gneiting

Blame Me for Your Bad Grade: Autonomy in the Basic Digital Photography Classroom as a Means to Combat Poor Student Performance , Erin Collette Johnson

Evolving Art in Junior High , Randal Charles Marsh

All Animals Will Get Along in Heaven , Camila Nagata

It Will Always Be My Tree: An A/r/tographic Study of Place and Identity in an Elementary School Classroom , Molly Robertson Neves

Zofia Stryjeńska: Women in the Warsaw Town Square. Our Lady, Peasant Mother, Pagan Goddess , Katelyn McKenzie Sheffield

Using Contemporary Art to Guide Curriculum Design:A Contemporary Jewelry Workshop , Kathryn C. Smurthwaite

Documenting the Dissin's Guest House: Esther Bubley's Exploration of Jewish-American Identity, 1942-43 , Vriean Diether Taggart

Blooming Vines, Pregnant Mothers, Religious Jewelry: Gendered Rosary Devotion in Early Modern Europe , Rachel Anne Wise

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Rembrandt van Rijn's Jewish Bride : Depicting Female Power in the Dutch Republic Through the Notion of Nation Building , Nan T. Atwood

Portraits , Nicholas J. Bontorno

Where There Is Design , Elizabeth A. Crowe

George Dibble and the Struggle for Modern Art in Utah , Sarah Dibble

Mapping Creativity: An A/r/tographic Look at the Artistic Process of High School Students , Bart Andrus Francis

Joseph as Father in Guido Reni's St. Joseph Images , Alec Teresa Gardner

Student Autonomy: A Case Study of Intrinsic Motivation in the Art Classroom , Downi Griner

Aha'aina , Tali Alisa Hafoka

Fashionable Art , Lacey Kay

Effluvia and Aporia , Emily Ann Melander

Interactive Web Technology in the Art Classroom: Problems and Possibilities , Marie Lynne Aitken Oxborrow

Visual Storybooks: Connecting the Lives of Students to Core Knowledge , Keven Dell Proud

German Nationalism and the Allegorical Female in Karl Friedrich Schinkel's The Hall of Stars , Allison Slingting

The Influence of the Roman Atrium-House's Architecture and Use of Space in Engendering the Power and Independence of the Materfamilias , Anne Elizabeth Stott

The Narrative Inquiry Museum:An Exploration of the Relationship between Narrative and Art Museum Education , Angela Ames West

Theses/Dissertations from 2011 2011

The Portable Art Gallery: Facilitating Student Autonomy and Ownership through Exhibiting Artwork , Jethro D. Gillespie

The Movement Of An Object Through A Field Creates A Complex Situation , Jared Scott Greenleaf

Alice Brill's Sao Paulo Photographs: A Cross-Cultural Reading , Danielle Jean Hurd

A Comparative Case Study: Investigation of a Certified Elementary Art Specialist Teaching Elementary Art vs. a Non-Art Certified Teacher Teaching Elementary Art , Jordan Jensen

A Core Knowledge Based Curriculum Designed to Help Seventh and Eighth Graders Maintain Artistic Confidence , Debbie Ann Labrum

Traces of Existence , Jayna Brown Quinn

Female Spectators in the July Monarchy and Henry Scheffer's Entrée de Jeanne d’Arc à Orléans , Kalisha Roberts

Without End , Amy M. Royer

Classroom Community: Questions of Apathy and Autonomy in a High School Jewelry Class , Samuel E. Steadman

Preparing Young Children to Respond to Art in the Museum , Nancy L. Stewart

DAY JAW BOO, a re-collection , Rachel VanWagoner

The Tornado Tree: Drawing on Stories and Storybooks , Toni A. Wood

Theses/Dissertations from 2010 2010

IGolf: Contemporary Sculptures Exhibition 2009 , King Lun Kisslan Chan

24 Hour Portraits , Lee R. Cowan

Fabricating Womanhood , Emily Fox

Earth Forms , Janelle Marie Tullis Mock

Peregrinations , Sallie Clinton Poet

Leland F. Prince's Earth Divers , Leland Fred Prince

Theses/Dissertations from 2009 2009

Ascents and Descents: Personal Pilgrimage in Hieronymus Bosch's The Haywain , Alison Daines

Beyond the Walls: The Easter Processional on the Exterior Frescos of Moldavian Monastery Churches , Mollie Elizabeth McVey

Beauty, Ugliness, and Meaning: A Study of Difficult Beauty , Christine Anne Palmer

Lantern's Diary , Wei Zhong Tan

Text and Tapestry: "The Lady and the Unicorn," Christine de Pizan and the le Vistes , Shelley Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2008 2008

A Call for Liberation: Aleijadinho's 'Prophets' as Capoeiristas , Monica Jayne Bowen

Secondhand Chinoiserie and the Confucian Revolutionary: Colonial America's Decorative Arts "After the Chinese Taste" , Kiersten Claire Davis

Dairy Culture: Industry, Nature and Liminality in the Eighteenth-Century English Ornamental Dairy , Ashlee Whitaker

Theses/Dissertations from 2007 2007

Navajo Baskets and the American Indian Voice: Searching for the Contemporary Native American in the Trading Post, the Natural History Museum, and the Fine Art Museum , Laura Paulsen Howe

And there were green tiles on the ceiling , Jean Catherine Richardson

Four Greco-Roman Era Temples of Near Eastern Fertility Goddesses: An Analysis of Architectural Tradition , K. Michelle Wimber

Theses/Dissertations from 2006 2006

The Portrait of Citizen Jean-Baptiste Belley, Ex-Representative of the Colonies by Anne-Louis Girodet Trioson: Hybridity, History Painting, and the Grand Tour , Megan Marie Collins

Fix , Kathryn Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2005 2005

Ideals and Realities , Pamela Bowman

Accountability for the Implementation of Secondary Visual Arts Standards in Utah and Queensland , John K. Derby

The Artistic and Architectural Patronage of Countess Urraca of Santa María de Cañas: A Powerful Aristocrat, Abbess, and Advocate , Julia Alice Jardine McMullin

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Home > FACULTIES > Visual Arts > VISUALARTS-ETD

Visual Arts Theses and Dissertations

This collection contains theses and dissertations from the Department of Visual Arts, collected from the Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

sweeping the forest floor of frequencies , Maria A. Kouznetsova

Achy Awfulness , Rylee J. Rumble

Nonstop Digital Flickerings; , Sam Wagter

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Credulous Escapism , Brianne C. Casey

At Dusk , Michelle Paterok

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Marvelous Monsters , Thomas Bourque

On Ground , Matthew Brown

Pharmakon: From Body to Being , Jérôme Y. C. Conquy

The Other Neighbour of El Otro Lado , Anahi Gonzalez Teran

Neoliberalism, Institutionalism, and Art , Declan Hoy

Strings of Sound and Sense: Towards a Feminine Sonic , Ellen N. Moffat

Cyber Souls and Second Selves , Yas Nikpour Khoshgrudi

The No No-Exit Closet: An Alternative to No-Exit Pathways , Faith I. Patrick

Fleet: Nuances of Time and Ephemera , Rebecca Sutherland

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

The Hell of a Boiling Red , George Kubresli

still, unfolding , Ramolen Mencero Laruan

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Spanning , Mary Katherine Carder-Thompson

The Medieval Genesis of a Mythology of Painting , Colin Dorward

Philosophical Archeology in Theoretical and Artistic Practice , Ido Govrin

Bone Meal , Johnathan Onyschuk

Inventory , Lydia Elvira Santia

Collaborative Listening and Cultural Difference in Contemporary Art , Santiago Ulises Unda Lara

Absence and Proximity , Zhizi Wang

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Then Again, Maybe I Won't , Claire Bartleman

and where is the body? , Tyler Durbano

Next to a River: Mobility, Mapping, and Hand Embroidery , Sharmistha Kar

Interfaces of Nearness: Documentary Photography and the Representation of Technology , Mark Kasumovic

Buffer , Graham Macaulay

The English Landscapes in the Seventeenth Century , Helen Parkinson

SuperNova: Performing Race, Hybridity and Expanding the Geographical Imagination , Raheleh Saneie

Slower Than Time Itself , Matthew S. Trueman

Skim , Joy Wong

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

Gardening at Arm's Length , Paul Chartrand

Lesser Than Greater Than Equal To: The Art Design Paradox , Charles Lee Franklin Harris

Skin Portraiture: Embodied Representations in Contemporary Art , Heidi Kellett

Midheaven , Samantha R. Noseworthy

Drum Voice , Quinn J. Smallboy

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Beyond the Look of Representation: Defamiliarization, Décor, and the Latin Feel , Juanita Lee Garcia

Emphatic Tension , Mina Moosavipour

Symbiotic: The Human Body and Constructs of Nature , Simone Sciascetti

Thin Skin , Jason Stovall

On Coming and Going , Quintin Teszeri

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

Crowdsourcing , Sherry A. Czekus

From Dust to Dust , Lynette M. de Montreuil

Hand-Eye , Michael S. Pszczonak

Abstraction And Libidinal Nationalism In The Works Of John Boyle And Diana Thorneycroft , Matthew Purvis

Tangled Hair: Uncertain Fluid Identity , Niloufar Salimi

Liminal Space: Representations Of Modern Urbanity , Matthew Tarini

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

Creative Interventions and Urban Revitalization , Nicole C. Borland

What Lies Behind: Speculations on the Real and the Willful , Barbara Hobot

Turning to see otherwise , Jennifer L. Martin

Come Together: An Exploration of Contemporary Participatory Art Practices , Karly A. McIntosh

A Photographic Ontology: Being Haunted Within The Blue Hour And Expanding Field , Colin E. Miner

Matters of Airing , Tegan Moore

Liquidation , Amanda A. Oppedisano

Just As It Should Be: Painting and the Discipline of Everyday Life , Jared R. Peters

Clyfford Still in the 1930s: The Formative Years of a Leading Abstract Expressionist , Emma Richan

From 'Means to Ends': Labour As Art Practice , Gabriella Solti

Across Boundaries , Diana A. Yoo

Theses/Dissertations from 2013 2013

Following the Turn: Mapping as Material Art Practice , Kyla Christine Brown

Queer(ing) Politics and Practices: Contemporary Art in Homonationalist Times , Cierra A. Webster

Some Theoretical Models for a Critical Art Practice , Giles Whitaker

Lines of Necessity , Thea A. Yabut

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

Out of Order: Thinking Through Robin Collyer, Discontent and Affirmation (1973-1985) , Kevin A. Rodgers

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©1878 - 2016 Western University

Keywords: art education; spontaneity; performance

The declining value of visual art practices and the rise of value-free art in Australia

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• Art history, theory and criticism not elsewhere classified
• Visual arts not elsewhere classified

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• Open access
• Published: 31 October 2017

The visual essay and the place of artistic research in the humanities

• Remco Roes 1 &
• Kris Pint 1  

Palgrave Communications volume  3 , Article number:  8 ( 2017 ) Cite this article

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• Archaeology
• Cultural and media studies

What could be the place of artistic research in current contemporary scholarship in the humanities? The following essay addresses this question while using as a case study a collaborative artistic project undertaken by two artists, Remco Roes (Belgium) and Alis Garlick (Australia). We argue that the recent integration of arts into academia requires a hybrid discourse, which has to be distinguished both from the artwork itself and from more conventional forms of academic research. This hybrid discourse explores the whole continuum of possible ways to address our existential relationship with the environment: ranging from aesthetic, multi-sensorial, associative, affective, spatial and visual modes of ‘knowledge’ to more discursive, analytical, contextualised ones. Here, we set out to defend the visual essay as a useful tool to explore the non-conceptual, yet meaningful bodily aspects of human culture, both in the still developing field of artistic research and in more established fields of research. It is a genre that enables us to articulate this knowledge, as a transformative process of meaning-making, supplementing other modes of inquiry in the humanities.

Introduction

In Being Alive: Essays on Movement, Knowledge and Description (2011), Tim Ingold defines anthropology as ‘a sustained and disciplined inquiry into the conditions and potentials of human life’ (Ingold, 2011 , p. 9). For Ingold, artistic practice plays a crucial part in this inquiry. He considers art not merely as a potential object of historical, sociological or ethnographic research, but also as a valuable form of anthropological inquiry itself, providing supplementary methods to understand what it is ‘to be human’.

In a similar vein, Mark Johnson’s The meaning of the body: aesthetics of human understanding (2007) offers a revaluation of art ‘as an essential mode of human engagement with and understanding of the world’ (Johnson, 2007 , p. 10). Johnson argues that art is a useful epistemological instrument because of its ability to intensify the ordinary experience of our environment. Images Footnote 1 are the expression of our on-going, complex relation with an inner and outer environment. In the process of making images of our environment, different bodily experiences, like affects, emotions, feelings and movements are mobilised in the creation of meaning. As Johnson argues, this happens in every process of meaning-making, which is always based on ‘deep-seated bodily sources of human meaning that go beyond the merely conceptual and propositional’ (Ibid., p. 11). The specificity of art simply resides in the fact that it actively engages with those non-conceptual, non-propositional forms of ‘making sense’ of our environment. Art is thus able to take into account (and to explore) many other different meaningful aspects of our human relationship with the environment and thus provide us with a supplementary form of knowledge. Hence Ingold’s remark in the introduction of Making: anthropology, archaeology, art and architecture (2013): ‘Could certain practices of art, for example, suggest new ways of doing anthropology? If there are similarities between the ways in which artists and anthropologists study the world, then could we not regard the artwork as a result of something like an anthropological study, rather than as an object of such study? […] could works of art not be regarded as forms of anthropology, albeit ‘written’ in non-verbal media?’ (Ingold, 2013 , p. 8, italics in original).

And yet we would hesitate to unreservedly answer yes to these rhetorical questions. For instance, it is true that one can consider the works of Francis Bacon as an anthropological study of violence and fear, or the works of John Cage as a study in indeterminacy and chance. But while they can indeed be seen as explorations of the ‘conditions and potentials of human life’, the artworks themselves do not make this knowledge explicit. What is lacking here is the logos of anthropology, logos in the sense of discourse, a line of reasoning. Therefore, while we agree with Ingold and Johnson, the problem remains how to explicate and communicate the knowledge that is contained within works of art, how to make it discursive ? How to articulate artistic practice as an alternative, yet valid form of scholarly research?

Here, we believe that a clear distinction between art and artistic research is necessary. The artistic imaginary is a reaction to the environment in which the artist finds himself: this reaction does not have to be conscious and deliberate. The artist has every right to shrug his shoulders when he is asked for the ‘meaning’ of his work, to provide a ‘discourse’. He can simply reply: ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I do not want to know’, as a refusal to engage with the step of articulating what his work might be exploring. Likewise, the beholder or the reader of a work of art does not need to learn from it to appreciate it. No doubt, he may have gained some understanding about ‘human existence’ after reading a novel or visiting an exhibition, but without the need to spell out this knowledge or to further explore it.

In contrast, artistic research as a specific, inquisitive mode of dealing with the environment requires an explicit articulation of what is at stake, the formulation of a specific problem that determines the focus of the research. ‘Problem’ is used here in the neutral, etymological sense of the word: something ‘thrown forward’, a ‘hindrance, obstacle’ (cf. probleima , Liddell-Scott’s Greek-English Lexicon). A body-in-an-environment finds something thrown before him or her, an issue that grabs the attention. A problem is something that urges us to explore a field of experiences, the ‘potentials of human life’ that are opened up by a work of art. It is often only retroactively, during a second, reflective phase of the artistic research, that a formulation of a problem becomes possible, by a selection of elements that strikes one as meaningful (again, in the sense Johnson defines meaningful, thus including bodily perceptions, movements, affects, feelings as meaningful elements of human understanding of reality). This process opens up, to borrow a term used by Aby Warburg, a ‘Denkraum’ (cf. Gombrich, 1986 , p. 224): it creates a critical distance from the environment, including the environment of the artwork itself: this ‘space for thought’ allows one to consciously explore a specific problem. Consciously here does not equal cerebral: the problem is explored not only in its intellectual, but also in its sensual and emotional, affective aspects. It is projected along different lines in this virtual Denkraum , lines that cross and influence each other: an existential line turns into a line of form and composition; a conceptual line merges into a narrative line, a technical line echoes an autobiographical line. There is no strict hierarchy in the different ‘emanations’ of a problem. These are just different lines contained within the work that interact with each other, and the problem can ‘move’ from one line to another, develop and transform itself along these lines, comparable perhaps to the way a melody develops itself when it is transposed to a different musical scale, a different musical instrument, or even to a different musical genre. But, however, abstract or technical one formulates a problem, following Johnson we argue that a problem is always a translation of a basic existential problem, emerging from a specific environment. We fully agree with Johnson when he argues that ‘philosophy becomes relevant to human life only by reconnecting with, and grounding itself in, bodily dimensions of human meaning and value. Philosophy needs a visceral connection to lived experience’ (Johnson, 2007 , p. 263). The same goes for artistic research. It too finds its relevance in the ‘visceral connection’ with a specific body, a specific situation.

Words are one way of disclosing this lived experience, but within the context of an artistic practice one can hardly ignore the potential for images to provide us with an equally valuable account. In fact, they may even prove most suited to establish the kind of space that comes close to this multi-threaded, embodied Denkraum . In order to illustrate this, we would like to present a case study, a short visual ‘essay’ (however, since the scope of four spreads offers only limited space, it is better to consider it as the image-equivalent of a short research note).

Case study: step by step reading of a visual essay

The images (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) form a short visual essay based on a collaborative artistic project 'Exercises of the man (v)' that Remco Roes and Alis Garlick realised for the Situation Symposium at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology in Melbourne in 2014. One of the conceptual premises of the project was the communication of two physical ‘sites’ through digital media. Roes—located in Belgium—would communicate with Garlick—in Australia—about an installation that was to be realised at the physical location of the exhibition in Melbourne. Their attempts to communicate (about) the site were conducted via e-mail messages, Skype-chats and video conversations. The focus of these conversations increasingly distanced itself from the empty exhibition space of the Design Hub and instead came to include coincidental spaces (and objects) that happened to be close at hand during the 3-month working period leading up to the exhibition. The focus of the project thus shifted from attempting to communicate a particular space towards attempting to communicate the more general experience of being in(side) a space. The project led to the production of a series of small in-situ installations, a large series of video’s and images, a book with a selection of these images as well as texts from the conversations, and the final exhibition in which artefacts that were found during the collaborative process were exhibited. A step by step reading of the visual argument contained within images of this project illustrates how a visual essay can function as a tool for disclosing/articulating/communicating the kind of embodied thinking that occurs within an artistic practice or practice-based research.

Figure 1 shows (albeit in reduced form) a field of photographs and video stills that summarises the project without emphasising any particular aspect. Each of the Figs. 2 – 5 isolate different parts of this same field in an attempt to construct/disclose a form of visual argument (that was already contained within the work). In the final part of this essay we will provide an illustration of how such visual sequences can be possibly ‘read’.

First image of the visual essay. Remco Roes and Alis Garlick, as copyright holders, permit the publication of this image under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Second image of the visual essay. Remco Roes and Alis Garlick, as copyright holders, permit the publication of this image under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Third image of the visual essay. Remco Roes and Alis Garlick, as copyright holders, permit the publication of this image under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Fourth image of the visual essay. Remco Roes and Alis Garlick, as copyright holders, permit the publication of this image under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Fifth image of the visual essay. Remco Roes and Alis Garlick, as copyright holders, permit the publication of this image under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Figure 1 is a remnant of the first step that was taken in the creation of the series of images: significant, meaningful elements in the work of art are brought together. At first, we quite simply start by looking at what is represented in the pictures, and how they are presented to us. This act of looking almost inevitably turns these images into a sequence, an argument. Conditioned by the dominant linearity of writing, including images (for instance in a comic book) one ‘reads’ the images from left to right, one goes from the first spread to the last. Just like one could say that a musical theme or a plot ‘develops’, the series of images seem to ‘develop’ the problem, gradually revealing its complexity. The dominance of this viewing code is not to be ignored, but is of course supplemented by the more ‘holistic’ nature of visual perception (cf. the notion of ‘Gestalt’ in the psychology of perception). So unlike a ‘classic’ argumentation, the discursive sequence is traversed by resonance, by non-linearity, by correspondences between elements both in a single image and between the images in their specific positioning within the essay. These correspondences reveal the synaesthetic nature of every process of meaning-making: ‘The meaning of something is its relations, actual and potential, to other qualities, things, events, and experiences. In pragmatist lingo, the meaning of something is a matter of how it connects to what has gone before and what it entails for present or future experiences and actions’ (Johnson, 2007 , p. 265). The images operate in a similar way, by bringing together different actions, affects, feelings and perceptions into a complex constellation of meaningful elements that parallel each other and create a field of resonance. These connections occur between different elements that ‘disturb’ the logical linearity of the discourse, for instance by the repetition of a specific element (the blue/yellow opposition, or the repetition of a specific diagonal angle).

Confronted with these images, we are now able to delineate more precisely the problem they express. In a generic sense we could formulate it as follows: how to communicate with someone who does not share my existential space, but is nonetheless visually and acoustically present? What are the implications of the kind of technology that makes such communication possible, for the first time in human history? How does it influence our perception and experience of space, of materiality, of presence?

Artistic research into this problem explores the different ways of meaning-making that this new existential space offers, revealing the different conditions and possibilities of this new spatiality. But it has to be stressed that this exploration of the problem happens on different lines, ranging from the kinaesthetic perception to the emotional and affective response to these spaces and images. It would, thus, be wrong to reduce these experiences to a conceptual framework. In their actions, Roes and Garlick do not ‘make a statement’: they quite simply experiment with what their bodies can do in such a hybrid space, ‘wandering’ in this field of meaningful experiences, this Denkraum , that is ‘opened up’: which meaningful clusters of sensations, affects, feelings, spatial and kinaesthetic qualities emerge in such a specific existential space?

In what follows, we want to focus on some of these meaningful clusters. As such, these comments are not part of the visual essay itself. One could compare them to ‘reading remarks’, a short elaboration on what strikes one as relevant. These comments also do not try to ‘crack the code’ of the visual material, as if they were merely a visual and/or spatial rebus to be solved once and for all (‘ x stands for y’ ). They rather attempt to engage in a dialogue with the images, a dialogue that of course does not claim to be definitive or exhaustive.

The constellation itself generates a sense of ‘lacking’: we see that there are two characters intensely collaborating and interacting with each other, while never sharing the same space. They are performing, or watching the other perform: drawing a line (imaginary or physically), pulling, wrapping, unpacking, watching, framing, balancing. The small arrangements, constructions or compositions that are made as a result of these activities are all very fragile, shaky and their purpose remains unclear. Interaction with the other occurs only virtually, based on the manipulation of small objects and fragments, located in different places. One of the few materials that eventually gets physically exported to the other side, is a kind of large plastic cover. Again, one should not ‘read’ the picture of Roes with this plastic wrapped around his head as an expression, a ‘symbol’ of individual isolation, of being wrapped up in something. It is simply the experience of a head that disappears (as a head appears and disappears on a computer screen when it gets disconnected), and the experience of a head that is covered up: does it feel like choking, or does it provide a sense of shelter, protection?

A different ‘line’ operates simultaneously in the same image: that of a man standing on a double grid: the grid of the wet street tiles and an alternative, oblique grid of colourful yellow elements, a grid which is clearly temporal, as only the grid of the tiles will remain. These images are contrasted with the (obviously staged) moment when the plastic arrives at ‘the other side’: the claustrophobia is now replaced with the openness of the horizon, the presence of an open seascape: it gives a synaesthetic sense of a fresh breeze that seems lacking in the other images.

In this case, the contrast between the different spaces is very clear, but in other images we also see an effort to unite these different spaces. The problem can now be reformulated, as it moves to another line: how to demarcate a shared space that is both actual and virtual (with a ribbon, the positioning of a computer screen?), how to communicate with each other, not only with words or body language, but also with small artefacts, ‘meaningless’ junk? What is the ‘common ground’ on which to walk, to exchange things—connecting, lining up with the other? And here, the layout of the images (into a spread) adds an extra dimension to the original work of art. The relation between the different bodies does now not only take place in different spaces, but also in different fields of representation: there is the space of the spread, the photographed space and in the photographs, the other space opened up by the computer screen, and the interaction between these levels. We see this in the Fig. 3 where Garlick’s legs are projected on the floor, framed by two plastic beakers: her black legging echoing with the shadows of a chair or a tripod. This visual ‘rhyme’ within the image reveals how a virtual presence interferes with what is present.

The problem, which can be expressed in this fundamental opposition between presence/absence, also resonates with other recurring oppositions that rhythmically structure these images. The images are filled with blue/yellow elements: blue lines of tape, a blue plexi form, yellow traces of paint, yellow objects that are used in the video’s, but the two tones are also conjured up by the white balance difference between daylight and artificial light. The blue/yellow opposition, in turn, connects with other meaningful oppositions, like—obviously—male/female, or the same oppositional set of clothes: black trousers/white shirt, grey scale images versus full colour, or the shadow and the bright sunlight, which finds itself in another opposition with the cold electric light of a computer screen (this of course also refers to the different time zones, another crucial aspect of digital communication: we do not only not share the same place, we also do not share the same time).

Yet the images also invite us to explore certain formal and compositional elements that keep recurring. The second image, for example, emphasises the importance placed in the project upon the connecting of lines, literally of lining up. Within this image the direction and angle of these lines is ‘explained’ by the presence of the two bodies, the makers with their roles of tape in hand. But upon re-reading the other spreads through this lens of ‘connecting lines’ we see that this compositional element starts to attain its own visual logic. Where the lines in image 2 are literally used as devices to connect two (visual) realities, they free themselves from this restricted context in the other images and show us the influence of circumstance and context in allowing for the successful establishing of such a connection.

In Fig. 3 , for instance, we see a collection of lines that have been isolated from the direct context of live communication. The way two parts of a line are manually aligned (in the split-screens in image 2) mirrors the way the images find their position on the page. However, we also see how the visual grammar of these lines of tape is expanded upon: barrier tape that demarcates a working area meets the curve of a small copper fragment on the floor of an installation, a crack in the wall follows the slanted angle of an assembled object, existing marks on the floor—as well as lines in the architecture—come into play. The photographs widen the scale and angle at which the line operates: the line becomes a conceptual form that is no longer merely material tape but also an immaterial graphical element that explores its own argument.

Figure 4 provides us with a pivotal point in this respect: the cables of the mouse, computer and charger introduce a certain fluidity and uncontrolled motion. Similarly, the erratic markings on the paper show that an author is only ever partially in control. The cracked line in the floor is the first line that is created by a negative space, by an absence. This resonates with the black-stained edges of the laser-cut objects, laid out on the desktop. This fourth image thus seems to transform the manifestation of the line yet again; from a simple connecting device into an instrument that is able to cut out shapes, a path that delineates a cut, as opposed to establishing a connection. The circle held up in image 4 is a perfect circular cut. This resonates with the laser-cut objects we see just above it on the desk, but also with the virtual cuts made in the Photoshop image on the right. We can clearly see how a circular cut remains present on the characteristic grey-white chessboard that is virtual emptiness. It is evident that these elements have more than just an aesthetic function in a visual argumentation. They are an integral part of the meaning-making process. They ‘transpose’ on a different level, i.e., the formal and compositional level, the central problem of absence and presence: it is the graphic form of the ‘cut’, as well as the act of cutting itself, that turns one into the other.

Concluding remarks

As we have already argued, within the frame of this comment piece, the scope of the visual essay we present here is inevitably limited. It should be considered as a small exercise in a specific genre of thinking and communicating with images that requires further development. Nonetheless, we hope to have demonstrated the potentialities of the visual essay as a form of meaning-making that allows the articulation of a form of embodied knowledge that supplements other modes of inquiry in the humanities. In this particular case, it allows for the integration of other meaningful, embodied and existential aspects of digital communication, unlikely to be ‘detected’ as such by an (auto)ethnographic, psychological or sociological framework.

The visual essay is an invitation to other researchers in the arts to create their own kind of visual essays in order to address their own work of art or that of others: they can consider their artistic research as a valuable contribution to the exploration of human existence that lies at the core of the humanities. But perhaps it can also inspire scholars in more ‘classical’ domains to introduce artistic research methods to their toolbox, as a way of taking into account the non-conceptual, yet meaningful bodily aspects of human life and human artefacts, this ‘visceral connection to lived experience’, as Johnson puts it.

Obviously, a visual essay runs the risk of being ‘shot by both sides’: artists may scorn the loss of artistic autonomy and ‘exploitation’ of the work of art in the service of scholarship, while academic scholars may be wary of the lack of conceptual and methodological clarity inherent in these artistic forms of embodied, synaesthetic meaning. The visual essay is indeed a bastard genre, the unlawful love (or perhaps more honestly: love/hate) child of academia and the arts. But precisely this hybrid, impure nature of the visual essay allows it to explore unknown ‘conditions and potentials of human life’, precisely because it combines imagination and knowledge. And while this combination may sound like an oxymoron within a scientific, positivistic paradigm, it may in fact indicate the revival, in a new context, of a very ancient alliance. Or as Giorgio Agamben formulates it in Infancy and history: on the destruction of experience (2007 [1978]): ‘Nothing can convey the extent of the change that has taken place in the meaning of experience so much as the resulting reversal of the status of the imagination. For Antiquity, the imagination, which is now expunged from knowledge as ‘unreal’, was the supreme medium of knowledge. As the intermediary between the senses and the intellect, enabling, in phantasy, the union between the sensible form and the potential intellect, it occupies in ancient and medieval culture exactly the same role that our culture assigns to experience. Far from being something unreal, the mundus imaginabilis has its full reality between the mundus sensibilis and the mundus intellegibilis , and is, indeed, the condition of their communication—that is to say, of knowledge’ (Agamben, 2007 , p. 27, italics in original).

And it is precisely this exploration of the mundus imaginabilis that should inspire us to understand artistic research as a valuable form of scholarship in the humanities.

We consider images as a broad category consisting of artefacts of the imagination, the creation of expressive ‘forms’. Images are thus not limited to visual images. For instance, the imagery used in a poem or novel, metaphors in philosophical treatises (‘image-thoughts’), actual sculptures or the imaginary space created by a performance or installation can also be considered as images, just like soundscapes, scenography, architecture.

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Roes, R., Pint, K. The visual essay and the place of artistic research in the humanities. Palgrave Commun 3 , 8 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-017-0004-5

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DOI : https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-017-0004-5

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Marco Ranjan Deyasi - Collecting & Colonialism at Eldon House: Theories of Collecting, Tourism, and the British Empire, as they relate to the Harris Collection at Eldon House, London, Ontario, Canada. (2000) Joanna Eve Schreyer - Balance of Wealth: An Economic Interpretation of a Gdansk Triptych. (2000) Dennis M. P. Zimmer - Painting as Property: An examination of the Various Influences that Transformed the collections of Édouard de Rothschild and Paul Rosenberg. (2000)  Peter Johnathan Bates - The Canadian Corporate Art Collection: The Hidden Museum. (1999) Jennifer A. Cottrill - Fortuitous Encounters. (1999) Barbara Edwards - Toronto Art: A History of Connectedness, 1970-98. (1999)  Melinda Ellison - Images of Venus in Epithalamic Art of the Italian Renaissance, 1460-1540. (1999) C. Brent Epp - Architecture and Urban Culturation in Vienna. (1999) Christine A. Sprengler - Imag(in)ing the Fifties. (1999) Claire Sykes - August Sander and the Task of the Photographer. (1999)  Catherine Ann Thomas - Trans: Intersections of Art, Life and the Art Gallery. (1999) Kimberly Anne Wahl - The Machine in Early Twentieth-Century Art. (1999) Marci Hatch - The Value of Forgeries: A Meaningful Tool of Art. (1998) Jennifer Paparao - Installation Art: Towards a Questioning of Boundaries. (1998) Joel Robinson - An Architecture of Soul-Modernity, Libeskind and the Spiritual. (1997)

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UKnowledge > College of Fine Arts > Art and Visual Studies > Theses & Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations--Art and Visual Studies

This collection was known as Theses and Dissertations--Art before July 1, 2012.

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

ART EDUCATION IN MEDICAL EDUCATION: BENEFITS AND CHALLENGES , Sara K. Brown

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

THE TRUST-BASED CLASSROOM: AN ANALYSIS OF CURRENT TRENDS IN SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL LEARNING AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW TRUST-BASED APPROACH TO ART EDUCATION , Ellen Prasse

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

Sketch-Plan Book: A Teacher’s Planning Resource for the Secondary Classroom , Katherine M. Avra

IN BLACK AND WHITE: RICHMOND’S MONUMENT AVENUE RECONTEXTUALIZED THROUGH THE PHOTOGRAPHIC ARCHIVE , Charlsa Anne Hensley

Photography, Visual Culture, and the (Re)Definition/Queering of the Male Gaze , David Nicholas Martin

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

FROM PRACTICE TO PERFORMANCE: THE IMPORTANCE OF BALLET IN DEGAS’S DANCER PAINTING PROCESS , Whitney LeeAnn Hill

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

PROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION: THE VALUE OF MEANINGFUL CONVERSATION FOR THE STUDIO ART EDUCATOR , Christopher L. Bryant

FROM BLUES TO THE NY DOLLS: THE ROLLING STONES AND PERFORMANCE OF AUTHENTICITY , Mariia Spirina

HAYASHI YASUO AND YAGI KAZUO IN POSTWAR JAPANESE CERAMICS: THE EFFECTS OF INTRAMURAL POLITICS AND RIVALRY FOR RANK ON A CERAMIC ARTIST’S CAREER , Marilyn Rose Swan

Theses/Dissertations from 2016 2016

Reimagining Needed Funding for Elementary Art Programs in Fayette County Public Schools , Lori M. Barnett

A Study on Student Learning in Higher Education: Art Exhibition Motivation , Olivia M. Lussi

Theses/Dissertations from 2015 2015

The Truth of Night in the Italian Baroque , Renee J. Lindsey

Theses/Dissertations from 2014 2014

FROM GEOLOGY TO ART HISTORY: CERAMIST ALEXANDRE BRONGNIART’S OVERLOOKED CONTRIBUTION TO THE DEVELOPING SCIENCE OF ART HISTORY IN THE EARLY NINETEENTH CENTURY , Julia A. Carr-Trebelhorn

The Image of Antinoös: Sexy Boy or Elder God? , Ashlee R. Chilton

LEARNING TO RETELL STORIES THROUGH COMPARATIVE TEACHING: WRITING AND DRAWING , Rachel L. Lindle

Edward Steichen and Hollywood Glamour , Alisa Reynolds

Looking to the Future, Selling the Past: Churchill Weavers Marketing Strategies in the 1950s , Cassandra White-Fredette

USING VIDEO BASED INSTRUCTION TO TEACH ART TO STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER , Anthony W. Woodruff

Theses/Dissertations from 2012 2012

FROM CELLULOID REALITIES TO BINARY DREAMSCAPES: CINEMA AND PERCEPTUAL EXPERIENCE IN THE AGE OF DIGITAL IMMERSION , Edwin Lloyd McGuy Lohmeyer

APPLYING SPECIFIC ARTS ACTIVITIES TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE AND DEMENTIA , Ann Christianson Tietyen

Theses from 2011 2011

PRAGMATIC MODERNISM: PROJECT [ PROJEKT ] AND POLISH DESIGN, 1956-1970 , Mikolaj Czerwinski

DEFYING THE MODERNIST CANON: MIKHAIL LARIONOV’S ARTISTIC EXPERIENCE BEYOND THE CANVAS , Ella Hans

THE ART OF NOTHINGNESS: DADA, TAOISM, AND ZEN , Erin Megan Lochmann

CONSTRUCTING THE REAL: THE NEW PHOTOGRAPHY OF CREWDSON, GURSKY AND WALL , Melissa A. Schwartz

Theses from 2007 2007

FROM EXCEPTION TO NORM: DEACCESSIONING IN LATE TWENTIETH CENTURY AMERICAN ART MUSEUMS , Julianna Shubinski

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PhD Thesis: 'Analysing the Performance Art Process through the Forces of Fragmentation and Union: An Offer'

In this practice-led thesis, I argue that the powerful potential of performance art lies in the dynamic character of its process, evolving according to forces of fragmentation and union; this leads those involved in a performance to experience reconfiguration in their perceptions, thoughts, and emotions. By examining the dynamics occurring during the unfolding of a piece, exploring the essence of its “happening”, I aim to offer a deeper understanding of how performance art engages with the world. I do so by investigating some key moments of the processes of five artworks in combination with scholarship encompassing various research fields such as phenomenology, continental philosophy, avant-gardes history, art history, performance studies, place and space studies. The works are 'The Foreigner' and 'Mapping the Sound', which I realised for this doctoral project, Marina Abramovic's 'The House with the Ocean View', Ana Mendieta's 'Silueta Series', and Mike Parr's 'Daydream Island'.

Related Papers

Angela Viora

In this practice-led thesis, I argue that the powerful potential of performance art lies in the dynamic character of its process, evolving according to forces of fragmentation and union; this leads those involved in a performance to experience reconfiguration in their perceptions, thoughts, and emotions. By examining the dynamics occurring during the unfolding of a piece, exploring the essence of its “happening”, I aim to offer a deeper understanding of how performance art engages with the world. I do so by investigating some key moments of the processes of five artworks in combination with scholarship encompassing various research fields.

Andrea Pagnes (VestAndPage)

To look at Performance art privileging an anthropoetic approach means also to focus on what is the actual evidence contained in the term ‘performance art’. Instead of hazarding poignant definitions that, thus seductive, as a pure product of the mind, in many cases they end to be just sentences and definitions per se, to continue considering this practice ‘open’ as much as possible, as all art ought to be, is what counts the most. As a matter of fact, definitions are always perilous somehow, as they may confine and devaluate in a square grid a practice (here specifically the practice of Performance art), which instead is in constant evolution and permutation, often enigmatic, which today is clearly contaminated by interdisciplinary modes, multiplicity of strategies, tactics, and a large variety of techniques.

Charlie R Rawson

The environmental question is of the most debated issues of our time. As the philosopher Bannon says, a possible solution to this problem lies in rethinking the Western idea of space, especially nature, which is based on mastery. (Bannon, 2012) This paper presents the Heideggerian concept of “dwelling” (Heidegger, 1971) in opposition to “mastering” as a starting point for the development of a new relationship between humans and the surrounding environment based on the acknowledgment of all its elements, humans and non-humans, seen as active parts involved in a dynamic totality (Latour, 2004; Bennet, 2009). The present paper aims to show how it is possible to learn to dwell through Performance Art, in particular site specific and long durational performances, according to a performative methodology based on specific criteria. Ana Mendieta's "Siluetas" will be presented as a performative example of dwelling, because of its ability to build direct and deep connections with places by going beyond hierarchy and fixed ideas about space and nature.

Alicja Khatchikian

Constantly resisting time and space, performance is an art that historically spotlights the artist within a certain spatial and temporal frame (the here-and-now), in relation to an audience and a specific political, social and cultural context. By allowing the artist to be its first spectator and searching for a simultaneous exchange between performer and spectator, performance art proposes conditions of socialisation that challenge normative structures of power and spectatorship. Starting from an understanding of the artists as researchers working perceptually, reflexively and also qualitatively, this thesis explores the field of performance art and focuses on their relation to the artwork as intimate, subjective, and transformative. The core of my ethnographic fieldwork was developed between October and December 2014 within the frame of two international festivals based in Northern Italy (Turin and Venice) dedicated to the practice of performance art — torinoPERFORMANCEART and the Venice International Performance Art Week. A highly ethnographic, reflexive and subjective approach is combined with a diversified theoretical frame of reference. Phenomenology and embodiment as points of philosophical departure provide the necessary threshold to overcome the dualistic Cartesian subject widely questioned in performance art: a holistic approach to performance as a series of dialogical, relational, and transformative processes thus allows for deeper investigation on its practice and alternative understandings of its documentation. Contemporary art theories further expand the discussion of performance and tackle some of its critical points and enduring ambivalences. Intending to make a contribution to the already existing efforts of those anthropologists working at the crossroads between art and anthropology, as well as to welcome fruitful dialogues with the artists it engages, the attempt is to trespass fixed positions and binary pathways of thought by exploring the potentials of experience, its continuities and transformations that creatively involve and intersect ethnographies and artistic researches.

Performance Research

Elizabeth A Stinson

New York-based Uruguayan performer and choreographer luciana achugar’s visual for OTRO TEATRO is a photograph--a decimated theater in a beautifully dismal state of disrepair. The phrase repeated throughout the performance at New York Live Arts in the fall of 2014--“un dia voy hacer otra distinsta” (one day there will be a different one). Hanging from pipes and banging on the bare enclosing walls like an Epicurean pleasure taken to the atomist Lucretian extremes of indestructible destruction, clusters collide and substances push past the limits of use to the meta-constituents to animate something else. Post-performance, dancer Ralph Lemon verbally riffs on achugar’s practice of “doing pleasure” and wonders out loud about what might be beyond the obvious coupling of pleasure and destruction. This provocation engages Jane Bennett’s work to argue that this performance as a whole is a reminder that there does not need to be a use value for a performance. It can do something more than imagine or represent an imaginary, but actually enact (a score of) the impossible, what, one thought, could only be imagined. In fact, achugar’s own desire to counter consumption clearly points to the performance space itself as a substantive body-in-ruin anticipating a different kind of non-binary arousal and consumption. The concept of a body-in-ruin points to another “performance” by Jairo Cuesta (working with James Slowiak) during Jerzy Grotowski’s last summer at the University of California, Irvine in the dry chaparral hills.

James G Barrett

My premise in this essay is that performance art has a vocabulary and exists in sets of contexts. Just as poetry or painting have a common set of expressive features, techniques and contexts which are of course in a state of flux, developing and changing, often in response to innovation or external influences from human culture. I set myself the task of proposing some of the elements that make performance art what it is today. From this systemization I propose a distinction between spectacle and ritual within performance art as a means of developing the art form further.

Performance Paradigm

Erin Brannigan , H. Mathews

This issue of Performance Paradigm, focusing on “Performance, Choreography and the Gallery,” takes the 2016 Biennale of Sydney (BoS20) as a starting point. The Biennale featured scores of performances that ranged across of a variety of genres (one-to-one, live art, theatre, dance, opera, installations, walks, talks, and tours) and a variety of sites (libraries, galleries, post-industrial halls, inner city streets, and harbour islands). The Biennale’s artistic director Stephanie Rosenthal and two of her ‘curatorial attachés’, Adrian Heathfield and André Lepecki, have been working at this intersection for years, along with curators such as Pierre Bal Blanc, Catherine Wood and Mathieu Copeland. So too have scholars such as Claire Bishop (2012; 2014), Shannon Jackson (2011), Amelia Jones (1998; 2012) and Susan Bennett (2009). We will not attempt a survey of that field here, suffice to say that the research presented in what follows refers to much of this seminal work. This collection of articles and artist pages seeks to engage with the performance dimension of a sprawling, international art event and related work outside the Biennale, along with the associated field of literature. The articles proceed primarily through female case studies such as Alex Martinis Roe, Shelley Lasica, Noa Eshkol, The Brown Council, Mette Edvardsen and Julie-Anne Long, and link the work of such artists to major themes circulating in this field. Of the many themes covered in this writing—including practice, choreography, labour, ethics, discipline, collaboration, visuality, power, spectatorship—we choose materiality, attention, agency, sensation and instability to frame this introduction.

Anthropology Today

Kathryn Lichti-Harriman

New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences

New Trends and Issues Proceedings on Humanities and Social Sciences (PROSOC)

The break between object and image was added to the perception of reality and truth which changed with the Internet, social networks and the like in the 1990s. The possibilities that technology provides completed the effort of the postmodernist discourse in art to destroy tradition. All values are being reconstructed. While art is rapidly being digitised, Performance Art has taken its places in art's agenda. In this article, performance art will be elaborated and analysed with a focus on ceramic art. Performance art is the life itself, it is not repetitive, and it is what happens presently. It communes with the audience. As the object of art that exists at the moment, it cannot be bought, sold or moved. It is a way of transmitting the artist's ideas in an unusual, striking and unmediated way that is different from the traditional art forms. In the performances, it is mostly seen that breaking traditional forms, using the clay in raw form rather than firing it, reflecting the plasticity of the clay and revitalising it are used as assets. Performance art is a model of rebellion against the era in which we are imprisoned in mass communication and distanced from reality under the image bombardment. It is necessary to see the performance art as an experiment or suggestion, as the object of art which exists presently, rather than as a show to meet expectations.

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• Volume 11, Issue 6
• Evidence for the effects of viewing visual artworks on stress outcomes: a scoping review
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• http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6667-6076 Mikaela Law ,
• Nikita Karulkar ,
• http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3626-9100 Elizabeth Broadbent
• Psychological Medicine , The University of Auckland , Auckland , New Zealand
• Correspondence to Dr Elizabeth Broadbent; e.broadbent{at}auckland.ac.nz

Objective To review the existing evidence on the effects of viewing visual artworks on stress outcomes and outline any gaps in the research.

Design A scoping review was conducted based on the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews. Two independent reviewers performed the screening and data extraction.

Data sources Medline, Embase, APA PsycINFO, Cochrane CENTRAL, Scopus, Google Scholar, Google, ProQuest Theses and Dissertations Database, APA PsycExtra and Opengrey.eu were searched in May 2020.

Eligibility criteria Studies were included if they investigated the effects of viewing at least one visual artwork on at least one stress outcome measure. Studies involving active engagement with art, review papers or qualitative studies were excluded. There were no limits in terms of year of publication, contexts or population types; however, only studies published in the English language were considered.

Data extraction and synthesis Information extracted from manuscripts included: study methodologies, population and setting characteristics, details of the artwork interventions and key findings.

Results 14 primary studies were identified, with heterogeneous study designs, methodologies and artwork interventions. Many studies lacked important methodological details and only four studies were randomised controlled trials. 13 of the 14 studies on self-reported stress reported reductions after viewing artworks, and all of the four studies that examined systolic blood pressure reported reductions. Fewer studies examined heart rate, heart rate variability, cortisol, respiration or other physiological outcomes.

Conclusions There is promising evidence for effects of viewing artwork on reducing stress. Moderating factors may include setting, individual characteristics, artwork content and viewing instructions. More robust research, using more standardised methods and randomised controlled trial designs, is needed.

Registration details A protocol for this review is registered with the Open Science Framework (osf.io/gq5d8).

• complementary medicine
• mental health
• social medicine

Data availability statement

Data sharing not applicable as no datasets generated and/or analysed for this study. No data are available.

This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See:  http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ .

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-043549

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Strengths and limitations of this study

A comprehensive scoping review was conducted using a broad and inclusive search strategy and a large variety of databases were searched.

The reviewers independently followed a structured and prepublished protocol for searching, screening and extracting data which followed the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology for scoping reviews and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines.

Only studies published in the English language were included, possibly resulting in articles of other languages being missed.

Slight deviations in the original protocol were performed in order to make the data screening more feasible.

Introduction

A number of studies and reviews have suggested that participation in the arts is beneficial for health. 1–4 Because of this, many healthcare and workplace settings offer art programmes, including art therapy, music and visual art displays, to reduce stress and improve well-being for staff, patients and customers. 5 However, there is little evidence that these programmes have the desired effects and there is a need for a high-quality evidence base for art-based interventions. 1 4

Engagement with arts can be divided into active and passive participation. Active participation involves making, creating or teaching arts. 2 6 This includes art therapy (where an art therapist directs the creation of artworks to achieve a particular goal and foster improved mental health and well-being), as well as other arts-based interventions that are not goal driven and do not require a trained professional. 7 In contrast passive participation involves behaviours such as observing, viewing, listening and watching art. 2 6 Passive viewing of artworks has the advantages of being an easy, low-cost and non-invasive intervention. This scoping review focused on the effects of passively viewing visual artworks and therefore excluded research pertaining to the active participation in arts.

There is some evidence that viewing artworks as an intervention is beneficial; however, this evidence is not of uniformly high quality, is rarely critical, and is sparse, with many important theoretical and evidential gaps. As well as this, most of the evidence comes from anecdotes, descriptions and personal experiences, rather than empirical research. 8 9 Although many settings have been used within this research, including healthcare, art museums and laboratories, there is a paucity of evidence to demonstrate whether these settings affect outcomes differently. Demographics may be important moderators as ethnicity, gender and age may influence preferences for certain types of artworks. However, rigorous research has yet to be conducted examining the influence of settings and populations.

Due to these limitations, it is important to review the existing evidence and identify any research gaps that need to be addressed. As the evidence base is small and heterogeneous, a systematic review could not be accurately completed and would be too restrictive, so instead a scoping review was conducted. The results can be used to direct future research to fill these gaps before a full systematic review can be completed.

There is no universally accepted definition of artworks as this construct has been inconsistent and debated. For the purpose of this review, artwork was defined as two-dimensional artistic works made primarily for their aesthetics, rather than any functional purpose. This definition was created from working definitions of visual and fine arts used in previous research. 10 11 Based on this definition, this review included studies on paintings, drawings and prints and excluded studies on sculpture, films, interior design or architecture. Photographs were only included if they depicted artworks, as it was deemed too difficult to determine the difference between ‘artistic’ photography and ‘non-artistic’ photography based on the definition of artworks provided for this review. Digital artworks were included.

Viewing artworks is a form of visual environmental enrichment and is theorised to be stress-reducing through positive distraction. 8 12 To explore this theory, the review focused on the effects of viewing visual artworks on stress outcomes. Both psychological and physiological stress outcomes were included.

Objective and research questions

The aim of this scoping review was to systematically identify the current evidence available on the effects of viewing visual artworks on stress outcome measures and identify research and knowledge gaps to aid future research. The following research question was formulated: what research has been conducted on the effects of viewing visual artworks on stress outcomes in any populations and settings?

Several secondary questions were developed to map the available evidence:

What populations and settings were studied?

What study methodologies were used?

What stress outcomes were measured?

What type and content of artworks were viewed?

What was the duration of the artwork viewing and how many artworks were viewed?

Did the studies show changes in the stress outcomes?

A preliminary search for previous reviews on this topic was conducted on Google Scholar, Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Evidence Synthesis and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews prior to creating the protocol.

A scoping review protocol was developed based on the JBI methodology for scoping reviews 13 and using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews.

Eligibility criteria

Studies had to meet the following inclusion criteria; be a primary study where participants passively viewed at least one visual artwork as an intervention, including viewing paintings, drawings, prints, digital artwork or photographs of artworks, and measured at least one stress outcome measure (physiological or psychological indices). Measures of anxiety or mood were not considered as direct measures of stress and therefore fell out of the scope of this review. Unpublished research, including working papers, theses/dissertations and conference proceedings were included if they were identified by the search.

Studies were excluded if participants had active engagement in the arts (eg, studies on art therapy or the production/creation of art), the study investigated the effects of interior design, architecture, sculpture, films or photography not depicting artworks, and review papers, including systematic reviews, scoping reviews and meta-analyses.

As per the scoping review objectives, there were no restrictions in terms of populations, contexts, dates of publication or study designs. However, during the screening phase, it was decided to exclude qualitative studies as these studies did not have clear stress outcomes, which was a key inclusion criterion. Only studies published in the English language were considered.

Search strategy

To identify potentially relevant studies, the following electronic databases were systematically searched; Medline, Embase, APA PsycINFO, Cochrane CENTRAL, Scopus and Google Scholar (first 30 pages), with the help of a subject librarian. The search string combined a set of artwork and stress terms within each set with ‘OR’ and between the two sets with ‘AND.’ The search was first conducted using an extended list of search terms from the registered protocol; however, this search strategy resulted in a large number of irrelevant articles. Therefore, in the final search, some of the more ambiguous search terms were removed to refine the search further. For example, the term ‘drawing’ was removed as this could refer both to artistic drawings and ‘drawing’ blood. The final search strategies for two example databases are presented in table 1 .

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Example search strategy syntax for databases

The grey literature was searched using the same search terms to identify any unpublished studies. Grey literature databases searched included; Google (limited to the first 20 pages), ProQuest theses and dissertations database, APA PsycExtra and Opengrey.eu.

A search was then conducted by hand of the reference lists of relevant identified articles. Lastly, the ‘cited by’ feature of Google Scholar was used to see if any of the relevant studies had been cited by undetected articles. All extracted references from these searches were imported to RefWorks and all duplicates removed. The final search was executed on 27 May 2020. The number of studies identified by the search strategy is shown in figure 1 .

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PRISMA-ScR flow diagram of the study selection process. PRISMA-ScR, Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews.

Screening and study selection

Screening of the studies identified by the search strategy was conducted by two independent reviewers using a two-staged approach using the programme Covidence ( www.covidence.org ). Due to the high volume and large number of unrelated studies identified, one author initially screened the titles and removed any irrelevant studies, before the first stage. In the first stage of screening, two reviewers independently screened the abstracts for the eligibility criteria. If a study’s eligibility was judged to be uncertain, the article was included in the second stage. In the second stage, two reviewers screened the full texts of the studies to determine final inclusion or exclusion based on the eligibility criteria. The two stages were conducted by the reviewers independently, with the results of each stage discussed. Any disagreements related to eligibility of an article were discussed and agreement was reached. The two reviewers had overall 86% agreement. The number of included and excluded studies at each stage of the screening procedure is shown in figure 1 , with reasons for exclusion.

Data extraction and analysis

Data were extracted from each included study into a charting form by the two reviewers independently. This charting form was developed in accordance with the review questions. It included; publication details (ie, title, year, authors), methodology (ie, aims, design, population characteristics, setting, outcomes, study registration, power analyses, comparator groups, randomisation and blinding), artwork details (ie, type and content of artwork, duration of artwork viewing, number of artworks) and key findings related to scoping review questions.

The charting form was iteratively refined during the extraction process to ensure all useful information was extracted. The charting form was first independently pilot tested by the two reviewers on a random sample of four studies. The reviewers discussed this process and amended the charting form by adding a column about the artwork viewing directives given to the participants. Data extraction was then completed for the remaining studies independently by the two reviewers and any inconsistencies were discussed. This extracted data are reported in tabular and descriptive text format to answer the review questions.

Patient and public involvement

Patients and the public were not involved in any phase of this review.

As shown in figure 1 , the search strategy resulted in 3882 texts, which were screened for eligibility. After the initial title and abstract screening, the full text was retrieved for 53 articles and examined against the eligibility criteria. During this process, three theses were found to have matching published journal articles and therefore were excluded as duplicates. The remaining excluded articles did not meet the eligibility criteria. This screening narrowed the studies down to 14 articles for inclusion.

The design and key findings related to the stress outcomes of each study are briefly detailed in table 2 , with specific details regarding the secondary review questions provided in table 3 . All 14 articles were primary studies published as journal articles. Apart from the duplicate theses mentioned above, no grey literature met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. The studies’ publication dates ranged from 1972 to 2020. Eight studies came from Europe, 9 14–20 four from the USA 10 21–23 and one each from Australia 24 and New Zealand. 25

Summaries of the studies’ designs and key stress outcome findings

Overview of studies included in the review

Summary of study methodologies

The 14 studies had very different designs and methodologies (see table 3 ). Only nine studies used a between groups design. 9 10 14 16 17 20 22 23 25 Another four used a within groups design, where measures were compared previewing to postviewing the artworks, with no comparator groups. 15 18 19 24 The final study used a cross-sectional design, measuring stress-reduction at one time point. 21

Of the nine between groups designs, six used a no artwork control group as a comparator, 9 10 17 20 22 23 and one used scrambled versions of the artworks. 25 Krauss et al 16 gave different viewing directives to each group and de Jong 14 had groups with different art experience levels. Four of these between groups studies were considered randomised controlled trials (RCTs). 9 10 16 20

Six studies were conducted in an art gallery or museum, 15–19 24 three in a laboratory, 14 22 25 four in hospital rooms or hospital public spaces 9 10 21 23 and one in senior citizens’ apartments. 20 These settings represent a mix of both naturalistic settings with high ecological validity and laboratory settings with high experimental control.

Populations

The majority of studies investigated healthy participants in the form of students, 14 17 22 office workers 15 or the general public. 16 18 19 25 Other research used patient populations known to have high stress levels. Four studies investigated hospitalised patients, 9 21 with two being paediatric samples. 10 23 Lastly, D’Cunha et al 24 investigated people living with dementia and Wikström et al , 20 elderly women.

There is little research on whether population type affects stress reactions. Very few studies compared demographic factors, with the following exceptions. de Jong 14 found that having different art experience affected outcomes. Three studies found significant differences between the stress-reducing effects of viewing artwork between males and females. 10 15 22 Lastly, one study compared results across different health conditions, but found similar results between groups. 21

Nine studies explored only physiological stress measures, 14 16 19 20 23–25 three explored only psychological stress measures 9 21 22 and the remaining two explored both. 10 15 The psychological stress measures included; the Cox Mackay Stress Arousal checklist, 26 a stress adjective checklist, 27 Likert scales, and a distress thermometer. 28 The physiological measures were mainly cardiovascular, including blood pressure, heart rate and skin conductance, which were measured in eight studies. Salivary biomarkers were measured in three studies 15 24 25 including cortisol, alpha-amylase and interlukin-6. Respiration was measured in two studies. 10 14

Registration details

None of the studies were preregistered.

Sample sizes ranged from 27 to 826 participants; however, only two studies conducted a power analysis to determine their sample size. Krauss et al ’s 16 power analysis gave a required sample size of at least 68, and a final sample of 75 was recruited. The power analysis in McCabe et al 9 gave 200 participants and a sample of 199 were recruited; however, only 164 were included in the analyses. The other 12 studies did not provide a power analysis. Law et al 25 was a pilot study, and was not expected to conduct a power analysis to determine sample size. Therefore, it is difficult to determine if all studies were adequately powered.

Randomisation

All nine between-groups studies reported randomisation of participants to groups. However, the method of randomisation was not stated in many studies. Only four studies 9 10 16 20 were RCTs.

For most studies, it was difficult to blind the participants, because in most cases participants were explicitly asked to view particular artworks, and therefore both the researcher and participants were aware of which artworks they were viewing. However, two studies did successfully blind the study as both the researchers/nurses collecting the stress measures and the participants themselves were not explicitly made aware of the presence (or absence) of the artworks. 23 25

Summary of the artwork interventions

Types of artworks.

Ten studies used physical artworks. Most were original paintings, however, one study used posters depicting artworks 22 and another used a window mural. 23 Another three studies used digital reproductions of artworks. Two used slideshows of digital images, 14 25 whereas the third used the Open Window, which digitally projected artworks. 9 The last study directly compared physical artworks with their digital reproductions. 18 This study did not find any differences between the types of artwork, indicating that digital reproductions may be just as stress-reducing as physical artworks.

Content of artworks

The content ranged from representational nature images, to complex abstract artworks. Five studies provided an assortment of artwork content in one exhibition 15 17 21 24 and therefore it could not be determined whether content was influential. Two studies investigated the effects of abstract artwork but did not compare these to another artwork type. 16 18 Another study 14 compared the physiological effects of artworks rated to be ‘ugly’ or ‘beautiful.’ Although the exact content of the artwork was not described, this study did find that participants had higher skin conductance and respiration rates while viewing the ‘beautiful’ paintings, compared with the ‘ugly’ paintings, demonstrating that the aesthetic content of the artwork may influence their effects.

Another four studies investigated the effects of viewing nature artworks. Two studies found that self-reported stress was lower when viewing nature artworks compared with abstract artworks. 10 22 One study found that different aspects of nature might have stronger effects; a forest mural resulted in larger blood pressure decreases than an aquatic mural. 23 Nature content may also affect biological indicators of stress responses; cortisol levels decreased faster after a stressor in people viewing scrambled versions of nature artworks, compared with the original nature artworks. 25

The remaining two studies 9 20 did not report on the content of the artwork, and therefore, cannot be categorised.

Duration of artwork viewing

Nine studies reported the duration participants spent looking at the artwork (see table 3 ). This ranged from 2 min to over 48 hours. No study investigated whether changing the duration of exposure to artworks affected stress outcomes.

Quantity of artworks

Most of the studies did not specify the exact number of artworks viewed. Of those studies that did specify a number, it ranged from one artwork to over 5300 in one exhibition. Half of the studies had participants view a collection of artworks as an exhibition or art programme. Only two studies showed each participant one artwork and both were in paediatric hospital rooms. 10 23 The other experimental studies ranged from viewing 4 to 26 artworks in one sitting, with the exact numbers provided in table 3 .

Viewing directives

Five studies explicitly mentioned the viewing directives given to participants. The researchers from two experimental studies told participants to attentively look at and explore each artwork, 14 18 whereas the researcher in another study asked visitors to explore the art gallery in any way they pleased. 15 The remaining two studies asked participants to discuss and describe each artwork to the group during art programmes. 20 24 One of these studies 24 had a trained art educator facilitating the discussions, whereas the other 20 had a lead researcher, with no specified training.

Summary of key findings

All but one of the studies that measured self-reported stress found a significant decrease after viewing artwork, 10 15 21 22 with the final study showing no significant changes. 9 A consistent decrease in systolic blood pressure was also found across the four studies measuring blood pressure. 10 17 20 23 Skin conductance and skin conductance variability both increased while viewing artworks. 14 16 19 The results for heart rate were mostly consistent. Two of the three studies that measured heart rate found that viewing artworks decreased heart rate. 19 23 The other study found that viewing beautiful paintings increased heart rate for students trained in fine arts and decreased heart rate for other participants. 14

The cortisol and respiration results were less consistent. An art gallery visit decreased salivary cortisol levels 15 ; however, a 6-week art intervention for people living with dementia increased waking cortisol levels. 24 Lastly, after a stressor, salivary cortisol decreased faster in those viewing scrambled images, compared with those viewing landscapes. 25 Viewing beautiful paintings lead to an increase in respiration rates in a healthy sample. 14 Whereas nature artworks in a hospital room decreased respiration rates in children. 10 These studies all had different samples, settings and artworks which may have accounted for these mixed findings. Lastly both alpha-amylase 25 and interleukin- 6 24 were each only measured in one study and showed no significant changes.

This scoping review aimed to identify the available evidence on the effects of viewing visual artworks on stress outcomes and identify gaps in the research. The 14 included studies demonstrate that research in this area is growing, with 10 studies being published in the last 10 years. There are a number of limitations to research in this area, including a paucity of RCTs, and heterogeneous methodologies and interventions. This scoping review was able to comprehensively identify the relevant research and descriptively present some evidence to address the research questions outlined in the introduction and identify gaps for future research, as detailed below.

Overall, the preliminary findings from the included studies support the claim that viewing artworks can reduce stress, in particular self-reported stress and systolic blood pressure. These preliminary quantitative results support qualitative research showing that viewing artworks provides positive distraction from a hospital environment and lowers self-reported stress. 9 12 29 The findings indicated that digital artworks can have similar stress-reducing effects to physical artworks, thus increasing the avenues available for viewers. Artwork interventions can therefore be transposed onto computers, televisions, phones and tablets, as a portable, cheap and easy intervention for stress-reduction.

Together the preliminary evidence suggest that the provision of artworks could reduce stress. However, mixed findings combined with a lack of homologous methodologies mean that more rigorous research is needed. Future research needs to employ stronger methods including: adequate comparator groups, power analyses to ensure sufficient sample sizes, clearly defined randomisation procedures and preregistration. If we examine the results from just the four RCTs, the evidence is even less conclusive. More detail on these studies and their findings are provided in table 2 ; however, only one of the four RCTs showed significant effects for their main hypotheses. Wikström et al 20 found a significant decrease in systolic blood pressure after an art intervention. In contrast, McCabe et al 9 found no significant effects on distress measures, and Eisen et al 10 only found significant effects when subgroup analyses of age were conducted. Lastly, Krauss et al 16 did find significant decreases in physiological stress when viewing artworks compared with baseline; however, they found no significant differences between the viewing directives provided, which was their main hypothesis. Therefore, more RCTs still need to be conducted on this topic for clearer conclusions to be made.

The differences between the studies suggest important moderating factors, one of which is setting. The museum context may add to the effects of viewing artwork, as museum related factors may lead to greater appreciation of artwork. 30 In addition, viewing artwork in a museum usually involves walking, which has its own stress-reducing effects. 31 Laboratory studies remove some of these contextual factors and may provide more specific evidence for the effects of viewing artworks, but they have lower ecological validity. The hospital room is an important setting as patients are often confined to their room for long time periods and rooms are often deprived of environmental enrichment. Artwork could act as visual stimulation to positively distract patients from their stress, pain and medical conditions, and therefore it is suggested that artwork is placed in hospital rooms and waiting rooms. Artwork could also have stress-reducing benefits in other settings such as waiting rooms and workplaces, which are often related to high stress. More research in these settings should be conducted.

Other possible moderating factors include individual characteristics, although little research has investigated these. Gender differences were found in two of the included studies, with a trend towards females experiencing greater stress-reduction in response to nature artworks. 10 22 One small survey found that African Americans and Caucasians have similar preferences for nature artworks 32 ; however, no study has investigated whether culture affects the stress-reducing effects of artworks. Given the diversity in cultures, demographics and individual preferences for artwork, it may be over simplistic to suggest that all individuals experience artwork the same way. 33

The findings indicate that the content and aesthetic qualities of artwork are also important considerations. Although mixed, the studies generally indicated that nature, especially greenery, may be the most stress-reducing. This is consistent with research demonstrating that nature artwork is most preferred by adults 34 and children. 10 There are two main theories as to why viewing nature is beneficial for humans. The evolutionary theory proposes that because humans evolved in a natural environment, nature is processed more efficiently and we are predisposed to experience restoration. 35 On the other hand, the attention restoration theory posits that nature can counteract the mental fatigue caused by stress and therefore reduce cognitive strain. 36 Thus, these two theories point to nature artwork as having the greatest stress reducing effects, as demonstrated in this review. In contrast, abstract artworks can be seen as challenging, ambiguous and unclear for viewers, leading to increased stress. 30 37 This is supported by the emotional congruence theory which posits that stressed people are likely to project their negative experiences and emotions onto ambiguous environmental surroundings, including artworks. 5 Other artwork content could be provocative and emotionally inappropriate for certain situations, eliciting anger and dislike. For example, a study by Ho et al 33 found that certain provocative artworks elicited feelings of loneliness and hopelessness in viewers, suggesting artwork must be chosen carefully, with particular emphasis on the provision of nature artworks.

The mixed findings suggest that under some conditions, viewing artwork may be physiologically relaxing, whereas under other conditions viewing artwork may be physiologically stimulating. The direction of these effects may not only depend on the content of the artwork, but also the context and viewers’ stress levels. Regardless of the direction of effects on physiology, lower self-reported stress may result.

Although this review focused on the stress-reducing effects of viewing artwork, it may also be important to investigate the stimulating aspects of artwork. For certain populations, such as people living with dementia, visual stimulation and enrichment through artworks could improve other aspects of health, such as cognitive function. 24 As discussed above, visual stimulation and enrichment may also be important to provide positive distraction from negative experiences. Three studies showed an increase in physiological stress. 14 24 25 This increased stimulation may be related to the content of the artworks (‘beautiful’ vs ‘ugly’ paintings, 14 or landscapes vs scrambled images 25 ) or the types of populations involved (people living with dementia 24 and art students 14 ). Therefore, the provision of stimulating artworks may be appropriate for certain situations, including for people living with dementia.

Choice may be another important variable. This is especially pertinent in settings where people have little control. Art Carts have been used in hospitals to allow patients to choose which artworks to view during their stay to give them a sense of control over their environment. 29 Two studies in this review 9 20 gave participants a choice of artwork, however research is yet to investigate whether the element of choice affects stress outcomes.

Directives given to viewers may influence the way participants view artworks and therefore moderate the artworks’ stress-reducing effects. Wikström 38 previously discussed the importance of creating an art-dialogue when viewing and discussing artworks in order to improve engagement, understanding and empowerment. Other research 33 demonstrated that the descriptions given to viewers about artwork could be influential, and therefore this may be an important element for studies to include. However, few studies reported the directives given. It is important for future research to report what directives were provided and investigate whether this is influential.

Finally, it is difficult to determine the dose-response relationship of artwork viewing. There was little consistency in the number of artworks shown to each participant, and no study investigated whether the quantity of artworks or viewing durations mattered. Therefore, future research could investigate the best artwork viewing duration and number of works.

Limitations

This review is limited by only including articles published in the English language. Articles in other languages could have been missed. The review deviated slightly from the original protocol. Due to the large number of irrelevant articles identified using the original search strategy, the search terms were narrowed and the original title screening was only conducted by one reviewer. These deviations were required to make the search and screening more feasible. This review did not include anxiety or mood measures or studies using qualitative methodology, as these outcomes were considered outside the scope of the review.

Conclusions

This scoping review summarised the relevant research that investigated viewing visual artworks on stress outcomes. Fourteen studies met the eligibility criteria, with extracted results showing consistent reductions in self-reported stress and systolic blood pressure, but mixed effects on other physiological outcomes. However, there were only four RCTs, and there was high heterogeneity in research methodologies. Setting, individual characteristics, artwork content and viewing instructions may be important moderating factors. More robust research is recommended that uses standardised interventions, validated assessment methods and RCT designs, to investigate the effects of viewing visual art on stress outcomes.

Ethics statements

Patient consent for publication.

Not required.

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Contributors ML and EB conceptualised the project and designed the scoping review protocol. ML performed the search strategy. ML and NK performed the study screening and data extraction. ML wrote the manuscript. EB and NK edited the manuscript. All authors approved the final manuscript. ML and EB made the revisions to the manuscript.

Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

Competing interests None declared.

Patient and public involvement Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

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Supporting Students’ Key Competences In Visual Art Classes: The Benefits Of Planning

This paper highlights the role of an art teacher in shaping the overall learning process and potential in supporting not only students’ artistic skills, but also skills to thrive in a contemporary world. The aim of this study is to develop and implement strategies that support students’ key competences in basic school visual art classes and to provide opportunities for students to be engaged with visual art in a more meaningful way. A preliminary questionnaire with 77 of Estonian basic school second level art teachers revealed that teachers support key competences rather implicitly and view these as a natural part of lessons that do not need extra planning. Basing on the action research cycle conducted with two 5th grade classes, we argue that explicit key competence support provides a more meaningful interaction between the teacher and students, and that planning plays a vital role in materialising key competences in the teaching. Keywords: Key competences visual art basic school study unit planning

Introduction

Researchers dealing with questions of art education have faced a difficult dilemma of whether to emphasize art education as a possibility to develop skills that serve learning in other subjects or to focus on art and its intrinsic values. Using art in education for instrumental purposes has been largely criticized and many art educators hold the notion of art for art's sake ("l'art pour l'art") in great regard ( Biesta, 2017 ; Bresler, 1995 ; Smilan, 2016 ). The discussion of the purpose of art education has also been sparked by the rising tendency towards assessment-based education ( Smilan, 2016 ) as also a turn towards looking beyond the basic skills and focusing more on the skills needed to thrive in a contemporary world ( Nickerson, Perkins & Smith, 2014 ; Perkins, 2014 ). This change affects the teachers’ role in the classroom as well as the study content and teaching methods. Smilan ( 2016 ) describes situations where art teachers feel they must learn or re-learn skill sets that they have previously perceived as outside the art discipline to keep up with the district or school requirements. Smilan and Miraglia ( 2009 ) encourage art teachers to embrace the possibility of discovering new pathways to support students’ knowledge acquisition and to purposefully engage students in learning through the arts.

Elliot Eisner ( 2002 ) has distinguished four types of arts integration in the school environment:

Using visual art to support a better understanding of different time periods and cultures:

Comparing visual arts principles with other disciplines;

Creative problem solving that involves combining knowledge from different disciplines;

Following the principle of relevance to student’s life. This approach follows the goal to integrate a variety of academic areas in order to enhance meaning making through authentic connections.

Intentional key competence support has the possibility to have tendencies from all four categories. Within this research we will link key competence support mostly with the fourth category, as this approach expresses the need to evoke students at an individual level and seeks to make the connections between different subject areas more transparent. Perkins ( 2014 ) also includes 21 st century skills, which share the main body with key competences reflected in the educational policies, such as the European Parliament and the Council Recommendations on Key Competences for Lifelong Learning ( 2006 ) in his framework of six beyonds that reflect the trends spotted in the educational systems around the world. Perkins ( 2014 ) calls educators to strive towards learning situations in the classroom that are what he calls lifeworthy, in other words likely to matter to the lives of the learners.

This research strives to show the framework of key competences as means of bringing out the value of artistic endeavour. Therefore, creating a common vocabulary to discuss the benefits of learning visual arts, as well as seeing the common goals that come above of the subject specific level. Key competences were included in the Estonian National Curriculum (both in basic school and high school documents, hereafter referred to as National Curriculum) from 2011 and have been refined and complemented in 2014. From 2014 there are eight different competences listed as key competences in different Estonian policies – such as the National Curriculum and the Estonian Lifelong Learning Strategy 2020. In these eight competences eight recommendations from the European Parliament can be clearly recognized. This is illustrated with Table 1 .

In some cases, the competences are followed word by word and others are pinpointed through different words. For example, in the EU framework, the cultural awareness is linked with expression and social with civic competence. In the Estonian framework these approaches are divided and phrased a little differently – as value, social and self-management competency. In this article we will elaborate more on the competences that this research focuses on in the research methods and findings chapters.

Morris (1991) points out that “an active attitude towards art has to be learned, while it is not just about the student’s attitude towards art, but also the teacher’s attitude, the status of the subject in school, and the social attitude towards art in general” (ibid., pp.684–685). This notion expresses the need for art teachers to open up about their understandings and opinions of a given question, in this case the topic of supporting students’ key competences in art classes.

Teachers are guided to support students’ key competence in every subject ( Kikas & Toomela, 2015 ). However, Estonian school teachers have expressed hesitation towards the concept of key competences and expect guidelines for supporting students' key competences in different subject areas ( Aus, Malleus & Kikas 2016 ). An enquiry with 388 Estonian school employees ( Aus, Malleus & Kikas 2016 ) showed that they judge their own knowledge in key competences mainly as average and they expressed a need for guidance and practical examples in supporting students’ key competences in different subject areas. Research also shows that Estonian art teachers feel hesitant about explaining the meaning of learning skills and ways how they support these in art lessons ( Arov & Jõgi, 2017 ) pointing to the need of understanding the challenges that teachers experience.

In Estonia in the first stage of basic school art is taught mostly by class teachers. The second stage of basic school is when the change between the class teacher and art teacher takes place. In some cases, also the teachers of craft and technology teach art at this level. The first and second stage of basic school is equivalent also with the term middle school in other countries. Middle school level is viewed as the most critical period to integrate these 21st century dispositions to art education, while this is the period in student development where they seek opportunities for purposeful investigation, collaborative interaction and unique interpretations ( Smilan, 2016 ). These are the skills that are viewed as integral for math, science and language classes, but are also as foundational to studiobased learning ( Hetland et al, 2014 ; Smilan, 2004 ).

The age between 9 to 12 is, according to Lowenfeld and Brittain ( 1987 ), called the gang age as the children discover that they are members of the society, they discover the society of their peers and anticipate independence from adult domination. Children realize that one can do more in a group than alone ( Lowenfeld & Brittain, 1987 ). Therefore, supporting the ability to work in a group, organizing the work process and establishing group work habits is especially necessary in this period. This is also the period when children begin to develop an understanding of themselves as individuals and their abilities. This may also evoke a critical stance towards self and others. Helping children to form a positive self-concept is essential for establishing attitudes of growth to facilitate learning ( Lowenfeld & Brittain, 1987 ). A longitude study in social competence development showed that the growing ability to share and understand others’ thoughts and feelings during adolescence are reflected also decades later in self-reported social competences ( Allemand, Steiger, & Fend, 2015 ). Since this is the period of rising self-awareness and a quest for purposeful interactions for the students, our aim was set for intentional planning and implementing of key competence support in art classes.

Problem Statement

As previous studies in Estonian teacher comprehension of key competences have shown a hesitation towards supporting key competences in different subject fields, it is important to start the investigation of the key competence supporting strategies from the art teachers’ point of view in order to form a precise focus for the implementation phase of the study.

Research Questions

The overarching research question is “how to meaningfully plan and implement key competency support in basic school visual art classes?”

Purpose of the Study

The aim of this study was to plan and implement strategies that support students’ key competences in basic school visual art classes in order to provide opportunities for students to be engaged with visual art in a meaningful way.

In order to reach the aim, specific objectives were created:

Determining how art teachers plan and implement key competence support in their work, based on teachers’ experiences.

Identifying the key aspects of explicit key competence support in art classes.

Research Methods

Pedagogical action research approach was chosen, since the research question stems from a practical need to develop the teaching of key competences in line with Estonian National Curriculum ( 2014 ), to identify the challenges that art teachers experience, and based on those experiences develop ways in which key competences may be more effectively taught. The goal is to empower the students’ learning, improve teaching practice and to share the findings and strategies with other art teachers facing the same situation to contribute to their understandings ( Löfsröm, 2011 ; McNiff & Whitehead, 2011 ; Norton, 2009 ).

To identify what the educational reality is regarding Estonian art teachers’ notions and opinions about supporting students’ key competences in art classes, it was necessary to begin by conducting a background survey. The aim of the background survey was to provide argumentation and focus for subsequent implementation and evaluation in a visual arts class. The second stage of the basic school was chosen as the focus point, as this is the period where we could possibly bring out a multitude of opinions from teachers with different educational background.

Preliminary questionnaire

A web-based questionnaire was designed and a stratified random sampling method was used to contact as many teachers as possible. The questionnaire was sent out to every basic school headmaster for distributing to the teachers that teach art at the second level of basic school. A total of 478 school heads were contacted. We do not have a way of knowing how many heads of schools forwarded the survey to the teachers. 77 answers were received from the teachers. The questionnaire consisted of eleven questions, both closed-ended and open-ended questions that directed teachers to open up about their attitudes and understandings about supporting key competences in art classes, their planning methods and classroom activities that support different key competences.

The data from the survey was analyzed with the NVivo program, which was used to form themes and codes of qualitative data. The statements were looked at individually and categorised into themes. Possible interconnections of different themes were also identified.

Action research cycle

The action research cycles were conducted by the first author of the paper and the second and third author served as critical friends to the first author. The role of a critical friend was to balance the factor of teacher-researchers’ subjectivity and to give a second opinion to the work ( cf. McNiff & Whitehead, 2011 ). This paper presents the first cycle of an ongoing action research. The first cycle was implemented within a full course of 35 academic hours of art lessons, which were held with two sets of 5th grade classes, altogether 48 students.

The cycle focused on three different key competences listed in the National Curriculum ( 2014 ). Social competence, entrepreneurial competence and self-management competence were chosen for the first cycle. The permission of the school head to conduct the research was asked. Parents for the selected classed were asked for informed consent for their child’s participation in the research. Also, permission to publish student artworks as a representation of the research was collected from the parents. This was done in the opt-in method to make sure that the parent had got the information and given his/her consent. Participation in the research was voluntary. The research does not constitute medical research and consequently does not require ethics review in the Estonian context. Qualitative data, such as reflections from the research diary, classroom action recordings, student artwork and art journal entries, were collected. In Table 2 . different data collection types, collection methods and operational aspects for the first cycle are shown.

Data collected from the classroom were prepared for analysing by transcribing the field notes and grouping the data collected from student artworks and art journals into thematic groups, based on assignments and competences it reflected. A general sense of the material was formed and analysed during the process as well as after each study cycle. This was followed by the coding and forming of major and minor themes. Also, possible interconnections between different themes were looked for.

The findings of this paper are divided into two sub-chapters as they entail two different research questions and the preliminary questionnaire serves as an input for the following action research part of the study.

Art teachers’ experiences of teaching key competences

The sense of constant change that teachers have reported to feel ( Smilan, 2016 ; Smilan & Miraglia, 2009 ) is also apparent in the answers to teacher survey. The two following statements illustrate the whirlwind of choices and responsibilities that the teachers face:

“The educational system is changing constantly, and someone somewhere always seems to be smarter than the subject teacher.”

“It is difficult that such a large part is left for the teacher to invent. There is a shortage of teaching materials. Sometimes inventing is fun, but it just takes so much time.”

The question that reflected the teachers’ attitudes towards implementing key competence support in practice the most was the question of how teachers take key competences into consideration during the planning of their teaching. The most common view (N= 26) was that supporting key competences is such a natural part of art education that the teachers do not feel a need to concentrate on planning the integration of competences in lesson planning. Therefore, they have recognized situations where key competences have emerged during the learning process and valued these occasions, but this notion is received in hindsight and not through an intentional process. A group of teachers, who are mostly those who answered that “key competences come as a natural part” (N=16) also express that supporting key competences is so much rooted in choosing the overall teaching approach and in alternating the learning methods. This leads to the teachers’ viewpoint that they are supporting key competences even when they have not thought of it explicitly. Another subgroup of teachers (N=13) see themselves supporting students’ key competences implicitly in most cases and find that the connection between subject specific skills and competences are to be made in the moment, during the lesson. This was recognized as the place when it could be determined what kind of general skills, knowledge or attitudes are being supported in the lesson.

There was also a set of teachers (N=13) who expressed that supporting students’ key competences should be done through integration with other subjects as it is strongly insisted on from the heads of schools. Only nine individuals stated explicitly that they do not factor key competences in during the lesson planning in any way at all. On eight occasions teachers gave such vague answers that it was not possible to determine their view on the teaching of key competences. The vagueness may be an indication that the notion of key competences is obscure to these teachers.

In a few cases, teachers (N=7) who expressed that they explicitly focus on supporting key competences and factor key competences in during lesson planning, also stated that they usually choose one or two key competences to focus upon and remain focused on the same competences. Value competence, and social and digital competences were mentioned the most. This kind of approach can lead teachers to come up with their own take of art education, where they focus on their prior knowledge and competences that they value the most. The following quotations reflect how these teachers support a certain set of key competences more intentionally than others:

“I do take all of the key competences into consideration in some way, some more than others. Some come more naturally to artistic practice, some to students’ self-reflection and some in evaluations. I have mostly planned activities around the cultural and value competence and social competence. These are very much related to different cultural occasions, folk traditions and social questions. Also, digital competence is being supported when the activity demands something extra than the use of a personal device.”

“I do not integrate all of the competences intentionally, but I have explicitly supported social and self-management competences in my lessons, as I see that students struggle with these the most.”

The popularity of certain key competences may be associated with the conciseness of the description of these competences in the national curriculum and other supporting documents providing teachers a better understanding and more confidence to implement these competences. Regarding competences with a more complex description and an intertwined nature, such as self-management competence and learning to learn competence for example, could evoke a more hesitant expression from the teachers. Some teachers could also lack the vocabulary and skill necessary for formulating a view of their contribution to each competence. The number of answers (N=8) that gave vague answers may indicate a lack in confidence in how to support key competence. This notion is also supported by previous research in Estonian teacher awareness about key competences ( Aus, Malleus & Kikas, 2016 ), which shows that the teachers’ understanding of each competence substantially.

Based on the results of the survey an explicit focus on planning to support students’ key competences was set to the action research cycle. Three from eight key competences stated in the National Curriculum ( 2014 ) were chosen for the cycle. Social competence, entrepreneurial competence and self-management competence were first chosen as the literature ( Allemand, Steiger, & Fend, 2015 ; Lowenfeld & Brittain, 1987 ; Smilan, 2016 ; Wang, 2009 ) showed a good connection with age specific developmental aspects of the 5th grade students. The planning started before the school year and entailed working with literature and discussions with the critical friends.

Social competence consists of knowledge and skills required to interact and relate with others effectively and satisfactorily ( Salavera, Usán & Jarie, 2017 ). The National Curriculum ( 2014 ) describes social competence as “the ability to become self-actualized, to function as an aware and conscientious citizen and to support the democratic development of society; to know and follow values and standards in society and the rules of various environments; to engage in cooperation with other people; to accept interpersonal differences and take them into account in interacting with people”. In this cycle cooperation skills and interpersonal differences, in particular, were taken into focus. Research has shown that promoting autonomy, class discussions, and teachers’ emotional support contributes to better social competence as well as helps to avert behavioural problems and support positive school adjustment ( Wang, 2009 ). Therefore, support on students’ autonomous decision-making and regular discussions were planned as an integral part of the students’ learning process.

According to the definition and recommendations provided by the European Commission ( 2018 ), entrepreneurial competence is the ability of an individual to translate ideas into practice and the ability to plan and manage projects, which include creativity, innovation, sense of initiative and risk-taking. The National Curriculum ( 2014 ) also accentuates the importance of setting one’s own goals, to show responsibility for results and to react flexibly in terms of change. Jůvová, Čech and Duda ( 2017 ) stress that these crucial skills are teachable and should be integrated into educational subjects at all levels, starting from the primary level. Teachers are advised to take the role of a counsellor and activity coordinator. Activities are meant to support students’ autonomy and teamwork, responsibility, self-reflection and the ability to flexibly respond to problems ( Jůvová, Čech & Duda, 2017 ). This led to the decision to include an individual project based on the individual art goal to the learning process. Also, self-reflective assignments and time-management support were intentionally planned to the study units, for example, in the students’ process planning as a landscape task (Figure 2 .).

A certain overlapping can be recognized with the entrepreneurial competence and self-management competence, as self-management techniques include self-monitoring, self-recording, self-evaluation, goal setting, and self-reinforcement ( Mooney et al. 2005 ). Jones and Davenport ( 1996 ) highlighted the process journal as a core instructional practice that helps to retain self-regulative behaviours in art studies. A process journal (also called portfolio) is a purposeful collection of student work that exhibits students’ effort, progress and self-reflection ( Paulson, Paulson & Meyer, 1991 ). Getting a variety of feedback, from the teacher as well as from fellow students is also important for supporting the ability to evaluate oneself ( Jones & Davenport, 1996 ). From this, a decision to use art journals was made. This allows not only to collect the work, but also encourage students to plan and evaluate their progress. A principle of integrating the possibilities for the students to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses in the journals and to talk about it was identified as one of the key aspects of supporting self-management.

For children, visual art is not only the representation of objects, but also the expression of understandings and feelings about the objects. Children at the age between nine and twelve are beginning to deal with abstract concepts, such as emotions and relationships between people and objects. They also form a more complex representation of space. This is illustrated by moving away from a single base line, which usually is the bottom of the paper, to the use of a plane and beginning to deal with questions of three-dimensional representation and interrelationships between objects. Prior to this age children have little understanding of maps, as two-dimensional configurations and cartographic symbols are hard to read for children before the age of eleven or twelve. To support this sense of map comprehension and spatial awareness, assignments in creating their own maps are suggested as beneficial. ( Lowenfeld & Brittain, 1987 ; Vygotsky, 2004 ) This resulted in the plan to use a landscape as a reoccurring topic of art class.

The pre-planning phase resulted in four larger study units that would take up the whole art course of the year, but also allow flexibility and changes within the process. Table 3 . reflects the process and the focus points of the planning phase, as well as the main themes for the four study units that emanate from the competence descriptions ( cf. National Curriculum for the basic school, 2014 ) and the supporting strategies.

Based on the main foci that emanated from the abovementioned theoretical sources, five principles were formed to create a basis for supporting students’ collaboration skills, entrepreneurial competence and self-management skills and carrying out the lessons. These were:

Providing a possibility for the student to set an individual goal in art and carry it out.

Providing room for discussions and choice between methods and art materials.

Providing a possibility for working on a similar task individually and collaboratively (in this case the landscape).

Having a possibility to self-evaluate oneself regularly through different methods (such as a questionnaire, personal art journal, discussion, grading oneself, giving feedback for the future etc).

Talking as explicitly as possible about the different competences and aims for the lessons and with the teacher taking the role of a supporter and activity coordinator.

The physical space of the art classroom was set up differently from an auditorium-type classroom setting that the students were used to. The art classroom was set up for work in groups of four and the art materials were laced on open shelves for the students to use. This enabled the students to move around more freely and to access the materials they needed. Students’ artworks were exhibited on the walls and discussions could be held in front of the works. Therefore, the classroom setting supported the objectives of the study process.

Working with individual art journals was new for the students, as was the possibility to set a larger individual goal in art. The students appeared to embrace the opportunity to work on their journals. The journals could be kept in school or taken home and in many cases the journal became a place where the students also sketched in their spare time. Figure 1 . shows examples of students work done as an addition to the lesson assignments in their art journals. These works reflect their interests, emotions and show signs of self-encouragement.

Collecting the planning, sketching and in few cases also the final artworks in the journal provided the students from an entrepreneurial competence aspect the possibility to plan and determine their own progress in art. Giving the planning process an artistic outlet, in this case using a landscape format to plan their way towards the individual goal in art, was also a new idea for the students, but was well received. Figure 2 . shows a part of the individual art goal planning process from four different art journals. This assignment guided students to split a bigger process towards the goal into smaller steps and to reflect upon the difficulties that could emerge from the process, as well as different sources that could help and support them in their work. Setting a more specific goal than “ I just want to learn how to draw! ” was hard for some students at first, but with the help of questions such as “ What does a nice drawing for you look like? ” and “ From what could you tell that someone can draw? ” they also reached a more specific goal. It was also important to stress to the students that sketching is a way of practice and making mistakes is a normal part of learning.

Figure 3 . shows four student artworks on the assignment “My personal city map”. From the representational aspects the task challenges students’ map comprehension skill and dealt with the question of how to express distances and interrelationships between objects ( Lowenfeld & Brittain, 1987 ; Vygotsky, 2004 ). In case of the self-management competence, the learning unit gave students the opportunity to, first, think of the places that are meaningful for them personally and the places that they visit the most. Therefore, providing an opportunity to analyse what the places are where they spend their days and which places have influenced them the most. From the social competence aspect, the personal city map task sparked a lively exchange of meaningful places between desk mates. This was not in any way disturbing to the task, but rather vivified the students’ scope and bond with each other. In the progress of the course, a growing exchange of opinions and experiences between the classmates emerged.

A stronger sense of authorship and personal connection was apparent by the end of the study cycle. Figure 4 . illustrates artworks that were the result of the work with an individual art goal. The students’ goals varied from the wish to master different art materials to expressing individual interests or combining different art media. A change towards a deeper self-reflection and independents was recognized by the teacher-researcher, which reflected a meaningful connection with the art process and self-discovery. In the beginning of the course, questions that sought information could be heard from the students, for example the question “ Can I make the grass purple? ” and a surprising relief when free choice was given to the students. The search for confirmation subsided considerably by the end of the course. Self-reflection could be recognized in student remarks such as “ This was too difficult of a goal for me and I had to change it a little. ” and “ Using art journals helped me plan my steps and see my progress in art. ” Likewise, a growth in self-assurance when talking about their work in front of the classroom could be detected in the course of time.

The process was mostly focused on two-dimensional artworks, even though a few groups chose to explore also the possibilities of a three-dimensional landscape. As a point for improvement, students could be guided to take even more risks and have courage to explore different art materials and media. Since this is an ongoing action research, in the following cycles more focus is directed towards having choice as an integral part of the lessons and supporting students to analyse their risk-taking in art.

The intention to support key competence had an impact in directing the planning and overall objectives and methods of the learning process. Social competence was supported by promoting autonomy and regular class discussions about the work and the process. The role of the teacher-researcher was more of a supportive bystander and a coach, providing the students with an opportunity to take the lead in their learning and make more decisions. Art journals were used to support the entrepreneurial competence through giving the means to organize one’s work and process remarks in one place. An individual goal setting assignment was designed to give even more ownership to the learner and enable them to plan a larger artistic process. Self-management was supported through the task of investigating one’s emotions and ways of expression. Integrating the possibilities for the students to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses in the journals was a means to support self-reflection. The regular discussions gave an opportunity to express worries and accomplishment, providing the students with an emotional outlet as well as a means for feedback.

Key competences have had a place in the Estonian National Curriculum from the beginning of this decade (2011). Teachers are guided to support students’ key competence in every subject ( Kikas & Toomela, 2015 ). However, Estonian school teachers have expressed the need for guidelines in supporting students' key competences in different subject areas ( Aus, Malleus & Kikas 2016 ). This research concludes that Estonian art teachers mostly support students’ key competences implicitly and view key competence support as something that happens without the need for intentional planning. The tendency to deal with key competences based on one’s own choosing was also detected. More work on clarifying the sub-skills of each competence and how these can be manifested in different subjects is needed, in order to give teachers the courage to recognize and express the actions that they take in supporting students' key competences in their classrooms.

This led to the intention to conduct an action research in order to determine planning strategies for intentional key competence support in art classes. Social competence, entrepreneurial competence and self-management competence were chosen as foci in two 5th grade art classes during one school year. Social competence was supported through enabling students’ autonomous decision-making, possibilities for group work and regular classroom discussions. Entrepreneurial competence was attended to by including an individual project based on the individual art goal in the learning process. Also, self-reflective assignments and time-management support were intentionally planned into the study units. Self-management and entrepreneurial skills were supported by providing students with individual art journals. The journals helped not only to collect the work, but also encouraged students to plan and evaluate their progress. A principle of integrating the possibilities for the students to reflect on their strengths and weaknesses in the journals and to talk about it was identified as one of the key aspects of supporting self-management. Expressing the aims and objectives on supporting students’ key competences and open discussions on that is also integral to the key competence support. These strategies led students to express authorship and meaningful connection with their artworks. Even more, the communication between the students and the teacher moved from students looking for confirmation from the teacher towards self-analysing one’s learning in art.

The present study has some limitations. One of the limitations is the low response rate of the teacher survey. Therefore, the data from the survey was used as an indication for the action research, rather than a true reflection of Estonian art teachers views and strategies for key competence support. A second methodological weakness is the reliance on the teacher-researchers’ observational data without video recordings or an external observer. Video data would have allowed second raters to assess the emergence of key competences among students in process. This study was limited to specific key competences. In subsequent cycles of the action research, other key competences will be explored.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank all the teachers who participated in the questionnaire and the students involved in the action research.

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Arov, H., Vahter, E., & Löfström, E. (2019). Supporting Students’ Key Competences In Visual Art Classes: The Benefits Of Planning. In Z. Bekirogullari, M. Y. Minas, & R. X. Thambusamy (Eds.), ICEEPSY 2018: Education and Educational Psychology, vol 53. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences (pp. 285-299). Future Academy. https://doi.org/10.15405/epsbs.2019.01.27

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Public Celebration: 2024 MFA in Visual Art Thesis Exhibition

Join the Kemper Art Museum in celebrating the opening of the summer exhibition.

Slingshot: 2024 MFA in Visual Art Thesis Exhibition features thesis projects by the MFA in Visual Art candidates in the 2024 graduating class of the Sam Fox School’s Graduate School of Art. MFA candidates explore a range of artistic practices and mediums, including collage, drawing, painting, sculpture, and photography. Through their respective works individual MFA candidates explore a variety of themes such as the body, identity, the built environment, and technology, among others.    The 2024 MFA in Visual Art candidates are Emily Elhoffer, Jordan Geiger, Joni P. Gordon, Mad Green, Sophia Hatzikos, Micah Mickles, Sarah Moon, Samantha Neu, and Lynne Smith. 

The public opening will follow the MFA candidate artist talks at 4 pm. Events are free, but registration is required. Register here .

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School of Visual Arts Annual BFA Thesis Exhibitions Celebrate Works by 33 BFA Seniors

Mason Burns (CFA’24), a soon-to-be graduate of the College of Fine Arts School of Visual Arts BFA painting program, touching up one of his pieces ahead of the 2024 BFA thesis exhibitions.

Shows featuring painting, graphic design, sculpture, and printmaking are on view through May 11

This article was originally published in BU Today on May 2, 2024. By Sophie Yarin. Photo by Jackie Ricciardi.

Last month, BU School of Visual Arts graduate students were celebrated in a series of MFA thesis exhibitions. Now, the 33 graduating seniors in the College of Fine Arts Class of 2024 have a chance to showcase their work. This year’s two BFA thesis exhibitions comprise student work from four undergrad programs: painting, sculpture, printmaking, and graphic design. On view at the Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery are works by painting, sculpture, and printmaking students, while graphic design theses are across the street at the 808 Gallery. 

It’s a big year for CFA: the college is celebrating its 70th birthday— founded as the School of Fine and Applied Arts in 1954 —and last month, the School of Visual Arts celebrated its first graduating classes in the new visual narrative and print media and photography master’s programs. This year, there’s also an all-new undergrad program that will see its first cohort of students walk at this year’s Commencement: the  BA program in art .

The BFA thesis exhibitions are free and open to the public. As with the  2024 MFA thesis shows , we’ve compiled a sneak peek of works from each program for a preview of what’s in store for visitors. The captivating artworks, revealing both the depth and diversity of the talent at work in the undergraduate programs, are on view through May 11.

BA Program in Art

Launched in fall 2021, this program combines traditional studio arts curricula with a special focus on liberal arts research—with an eye to galleries, libraries, archives, and museums as rich repositories of information. Four students graduate this year.

The BA Program in Art capstone projects are at Gallery 5, 855 Commonwealth Ave., through Saturday, May 11. Hours: weekdays from 7 am to 8:30 pm and weekends from 9 am to 8:30 pm.

Grounded in rigorous studio practice, the School of Visual Arts undergrad painting program sets high expectations for its BFA students. After completing the school’s interdisciplinary  Foundation Program , where students from all majors concentrate on the fundamentals of drawing, painting, sculpture, and art history, student-painters are encouraged to explore their individual passions in media from oils to woodwork to bookmaking.

This year’s nine BFA painting seniors represent a mélange of artistic styles and scope—works range from traditional portraiture to fish-eyed trompe l’oeil to stylized cartoonism and beyond.

Ryan Dempsey,  Road to Nowhere VII . Oil on panel.

Hannah Roderick,  A Little Blush Will Fix This!  Acrylic and colored pencil on masonite and matte board.

Mason Burns,  Things from Her Collection #1; Things from Her Collection #2 . Diptych, acrylic on panel.

Consider the highly composed works by Mason Burns (CFA’24) : perfectly arranged still lifes featuring objects—shells, feathers, pine cones, dried sea urchins—gifted to the artist by his photographer grandmother. His practice is inspired by hers—centering on the natural world, freezing it in time, his paintings serving as a visual diary.

Ryan Dempsey (CFA’24) also trains his focus on the natural world, but chooses to use natural landscapes—and, more specifically, natural light—as a juxtaposition to the harsh “blue light” of digital devices we’ve all become accustomed to. The result, a combination of printmaking and painting, evokes the lingering afterimages caused by flashes of violent light.

For her acrylic and colored pencil works, Hannan Roderick (CFA’25) uses an intuitive approach. Inspired by her own emotions and the workings of her subconsciousness, her paintings read like snatches of awareness (a glance, a reflection in a spoon, fish in a fish tank) that return, distorted and uncanny, in dreams. 

The BFA Painting Thesis Exhibition is at the Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery, 855 Commonwealth Ave., through Saturday, May 11. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm. 

Undergrads in the sculpture program meet in intimate groups, allowing them to work more closely with faculty and one another, as well as with visiting artists. The curriculum focuses equally on technique, experimentation, and developing a unique visual language and point of view for each artist. 

This year, Bader Baroudy (CAS’24, CFA’24) is the sole graduating sculpture major. His method is directly influenced by a musician’s process of creation, derived from “a variety of musical artists’ lyrical world-buildings and sound palettes, dressed in a plethora of symbolic references emerging from mythological, theological, and biological sources,” he writes in his thesis statement.

Bader Baroudy,  RiiiDE!. Plastic rocking horse, plaster, acrylic paint, liquid glass (resin), steel, brass wire, string.

Baroudy’s installations are perhaps more directly reminiscent of films, given his use of evocative, cinematic set elements like pink LEDs, a repurposed hobbyhorse, and stark, weatherbeaten wood. And in fact, many of his sculptures incorporate short films. 

The BFA Sculpture Thesis Exhibition is at the Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery, 855 Commonwealth Ave., through Saturday, May 11. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm.

Printmaking

From etching to woodcut to silkscreen to cyanotype, there are endless ways for contemporary printmakers to express themselves, and the BFA printmaking program offers a variety of media for undergraduate students to explore. Conscious of opportunities to engage in interdisciplinary practice, the curriculum offers young artists the freedom to incorporate digital art, painting, sculpture, and more into their work. 

The two students in this year’s graduating BFA printmaking program capture the breadth of technical disciplines that the art form is known for, all while also showcasing their foundational talents in painting and drawing. 

Do Won Suh,  Leaf Inside Pt. 2: What you don’t SEE . Monotype and hand drawing.

Angela Pistilli,  Job Well Done . Airbrush aquatint etching on Rives BFK. 

Dowon Suh (CFA’24) views her art as something of an alchemical process that allows her to transform internal turmoil and self-criticism into moments of hope. The fantastical creatures she creates and manipulates through etching and monotype are manifestations of these strong emotions.

Angela Pistilli (CFA’24) , a double major in printmaking and painting, is also fascinated with characterization, but her focus is tightly trained on the female form. Much of her work is a reflection of her passion for weightlifting. Pistilli’s women are gender-defying, muscle-bound nudes engaged in traditionally masculine pastimes like chopping wood and hunting, each confronting the viewer with a confident swagger. “In this carefully constructed world,” she writes in her thesis statement, “women always win.”

The BFA Printmaking Thesis Exhibition is at the Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery, 855 Commonwealth Ave., through Saturday, May 11. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm.

Graphic Design

Graphic design undergraduates concentrate their work in four key areas: design for social impact, community-focused design, the portrayal and exploration of social phenomena, and the intersection of technology and graphic design.

“Our shared passion for the transformative potential of graphic design binds our individual explorations together,” writes  Mary Yang , a CFA assistant professor of art, graphic design, and thesis advisor for the 21 graduating students in the BFA graphic design program. “While our design approaches differ, we find convergence in our shared experience of design as a lens for critique, culture, and connection.”

Drew Demeterio,  Kabilin: The Filipino Arts Collective, 2024. Digital media.

Artist Drew Demeterio (CFA’24) uses her graphic design practice to probe the inconsistency between her Filipino background and American upbringing. Perceiving a dearth of Asian, and particularly Filipino, practices in contemporary design, Demeterio founded Kabilin, a Filipino arts collective, as part of her thesis. As with many of her designs, the logo melds Filipino visual influences with her own aesthetic ideals.

Vincent Liu,  Longevity . Hoodie.

Sophie Jurion, spread from  Visions and Perceptions . Risograph zine.

Sophie Jurion (CFA’24, COM’24) was inspired by the book  Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design , by former Microsoft graphic designer Kat Holmes, to create a thesis that explores life with one of the world’s most common disabilities: vision impairment. Incorporating elements like Braille, alternative text, and screen readers into her work, Jurion alters the interactive relationship between the work and the viewer, and prods the experience of seeing in playful and unexpected ways.

Vincent Liu (CFA’24) moved from China to New Jersey as a child, but writes in his thesis statement that he didn’t feel comfortable with his cultural identity until college. His thesis, incorporating typography and graphic prints, is a candid look at his motivations for “caring about my culture after a long period of neglect,” he writes. “My projects utilize a methodology…[derived from] the traditional Chinese mind-set of building something new rooted in the past.” 

The BFA Graphic Design Thesis Exhibition is at the 808 Gallery, 808 Commonwealth Ave., through Saturday, May 11. Hours: Tuesday through Saturday, 11 am to 5 pm. 

Opening receptions will be held at the 808 Gallery and the Faye G., Jo, and James Stone Gallery on Friday, May 3, from 6 to 8 pm.

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Bachelor of Fine Arts Thesis Exhibition

Spring 2024

Emily Conklin

American, born, Eagle, Colorado, 2001

Life’s a Treat , 2024 Ceramic

This collection of ceramic sculptures is deeply connected to my childhood and the relationships I had with sweets. Objects in which we consume, such as food, are often ephemeral. The memories we associate with these objects live within our memories for a lifetime.

The way in which a memory is formed, is not exact to what actually happened. Imagination abstracts the memory. Certain details are forgotten and others are remembered meticulously. Our imaginations allow us to exaggerate or personify features based on their importance. I am interested in the relationship between memory and imagination. Where do they overlap?

In exploring that relationship I engage in self reflection and memory association. I recreate significant desserts from my childhood that relate to important people, places and events from my life.

Memories, however, will eventually be forgotten. Through sculpture I aim to give these impermanent objects a place to exist outside of the subconscious.  What can the process of sculpture, embellishment, and vitrification lend to these temporary moments? Could it be just what they need to live forever?

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Slingshot: 2024 MFA in Visual Art Thesis Exhibition

Slingshot: 2024 MFA in Visual Art Thesis Exhibition features thesis projects by the Master of Fine Arts in Visual Art candidates in the 2024 graduating class of the Graduate School of Art in Washington University’s Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts.

The exhibition title holds a variety of associations for the candidates, including references to childhood and play, gravity, movement, tension, and release. The artists explore such themes as the body, identity, the built environment, and technology through a range of aesthetic practices and mediums that include collage, drawing, painting, sculpture, and photography.

The 2024 MFA in Visual Art candidates are Emily Elhoffer, Jordan Geiger, Joni P. Gordon, Mad Green, Sophia Hatzikos, Micah Mickles, Sarah Moon, Samantha Neu, and Lynne Smith.

The exhibition is organized by Leslie Markle, curator for public art at the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum.

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229 episodes

Join *Detlef Schlich* , a visionary visual artist and ritual designer, as he navigates the complex intersections of art, science, and human consciousness. Based in West Cork and celebrated for his essays on shamanism, art, and digital culture, Detlef uses his expertise in performance, photography, painting, sound, installations, and film to explore creative processes with a diverse array of guests. *ArTEEtude* now expands its exploration to include art history and the scientific disciplines that touch upon art, such as psychology and neuroscience, bringing a deeper understanding of how art impacts and reflects our cognitive functions. Episodes also delve into a wider range of musical expressions, connecting melodies to the creative spirit. Each week, we not only promote and explore groundbreaking works but also engage directly with our listeners through *Q&A sessions* , where curiosity leads the dialogue. We dissect philosophical quirks, celebrate the minute yet significant details of the artistic endeavor, and connect deeply with the rhythms that drive creativity. In an era dominated by brief digital interactions, *ArTEEtude* offers an intimate portal to the vast ocean of the creative mind, inviting listeners to a journey where art meets science, and questions find answers. Join us as we uncover the layers of creativity and thought that define and sustain the artistic community. ** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ArTEEtude: Unveiling the Spectrum of Art, Culture and Mind. West Cork´s Art and Culture Podcast by Detlef Schlich‪.‬ Detlef Schlich

• 5.0 • 2 Ratings
• MAY 12, 2024

#ArTEEtude 229: Detlef Schlich discovers the psychological Impact of Ritual Art"

Today, we take a step further into the mind itself. We’re diving deep into the latest research in psychology to understand how ritual art isn't just something we observe—it's something that fundamentally influences and transforms us! Follow the links below to watch Ritual PerformanceWorld Saving: Art - A Social Performance by Detlef Schlich and Friends 2012/13https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4nCQpskf2c&t=38sCamera: Owen Kelly, Alex Reissdorfer, Mick EileThe Magic Forest Keeper: Thomas WiegandtThe firestarter: Pim WijnmaalenThe colour thrower: Corina ThorntonThe drag queens: Suzanne, David and JensThe instinctor: Detlef SchlichDetlef Schlich & Corina Thornton in a visual essay about the human condition in times of transhumanism.The Last Human - Part 2 - Transcending Realityhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL8pa-wL27Y The Last Human - Part 3 - Mystical Engineershttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQM9iJ85QcM ‘Transodin's Tragedy' is a Film installation/artistic performance, exploring the emerging phenomenon of transhumanism in our digital age. Transodin represents a mythical character and a contemporary manifestation of transhumanism. He embodies the symbiotic relationship between human experience and technology. Boundaries between human beings and technology are lost in the 21. Century. Transodin's journey invites you to explore this fatalistic relationship in which humans are losing their spirituality, this journey is a triptych, where Transodin bears witness to the birth of a Transhuman. Transodin – Detlef Schlich The first Transhuman - Corina Thornton Transodin´s Tragedy Part II - The Fall of Humanismhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnX9LZOwKnc Transodin´s Tragedy Part III - The Acceptance of Fatalismhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvdZqjkxjxE WEBSITE LINKS Detlef SchlichInstagram Detlef Schlich ArTEEtude I love West Cork Artists Facebook Detlef Schlich I love West Cork Artists Group ArTEEtude YouTube Channels visual Podcast ArTEEtude Cute Alien TV official Website ArTEEtude Detlef Schlich Det Design Tribal Loop Download here for free Detlef Schlich´s Essay about the Cause and Effect of Shamanism, Art and Digital Culture https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303749640_Shamanism_Art_and_Digital_Culture_Cause_and_Effect Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/arteetude-a-podcast-with-artists-by-detlef-schlich/donations

• MAY 5, 2024

#ArTEEtude 228: Detlef Schlich explains the cultural significance and transformative power of ritual art across civilizations.

🎧 Dive into ArTEEtude Podcast Episode 228: Explore how ritual art shapes our cultural identity and personal expression. Link in bio! 🌐👆 #ArTEEtudePodcast🔥 Inspired by the incredible works of Detlef Schlich and the late Corina Thornton, this episode is a journey through time and art. #RitualArt #ArtHistoryFollow the links below to see some cherished moments with Corina.World Saving: Art - A Social Performance by Detlef Schlich and Friends 2012/13https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4nCQpskf2c&t=38sCamera: Owen Kelly, Alex Reissdorfer, Mick EileThe Magic Forest Keeper: Thomas WiegandtThe firestarter: Pim WijnmaalenThe colour thrower: Corina ThorntonThe drag queens: Suzanne, David and JensThe instinctor: Detlef SchlichDetlef Schlich & Corina Thornton in a visual essay about the human condition in times of transhumanism.The Last Human - Part 2 - Transcending Realityhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL8pa-wL27Y The Last Human - Part 3 - Mystical Engineershttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQM9iJ85QcM ‘Transodin's Tragedy' is a Film installation/artistic performance, exploring the emerging phenomenon of transhumanism in our digital age. Transodin represents a mythical character and a contemporary manifestation of transhumanism. He embodies the symbiotic relationship between human experience and technology. Boundaries between human beings and technology are lost in the 21. Century. Transodin's journey invites you to explore this fatalistic relationship in which humans are losing their spirituality, this journey is a triptych, where Transodin bears witness to the birth of a Transhuman. Transodin – Detlef Schlich The first Transhuman - Corina Thornton Transodin´s Tragedy Part II - The Fall of Humanismhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnX9LZOwKnc Transodin´s Tragedy Part III - The Acceptance of Fatalismhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvdZqjkxjxE WEBSITE LINKS Detlef SchlichInstagram Detlef Schlich ArTEEtude I love West Cork Artists Facebook Detlef Schlich I love West Cork Artists Group ArTEEtude YouTube Channels visual Podcast ArTEEtude Cute Alien TV official Website ArTEEtude Detlef Schlich Det Design Tribal Loop Download here for free Detlef Schlich´s Essay about the Cause and Effect of Shamanism, Art and Digital Culture https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303749640_Shamanism_Art_and_Digital_Culture_Cause_and_Effect Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/arteetude-a-podcast-with-artists-by-detlef-schlich/donations

• APR 28, 2024

#Arteetude 227: 🌟 "Shared Visions, Enduring Memories: My Creative Journey with Corina Thornton" 🌟

In this week's episode of "ArTEEtude," titled "Shared Visions, Enduring Memories: My Creative Journey with Corina Thornton," I open up about the irreplaceable loss of my dear friend and collaborator, Corina. We've shared countless moments where her vision and passion for art profoundly influenced not just the works we created but also enriched my personal life and perspective. R.I.P.Corina. Up to the Sky. Up into the Universe! Corina was not just a fellow artist; she was a beacon of inspiration in our community, always pushing the boundaries of creativity and companionship. I've poured my heart into this episode, sharing stories that I hold dear, and celebrating the legacy of a remarkable soul whose life was a testament to the transformative power of art. Follow the links below to see some cherished moments with Corina.World Saving: Art - A Social Performance by Detlef Schlich and Friends 2012/13https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4nCQpskf2c&t=38sCamera: Owen Kelly, Alex Reissdorfer, Mick EileThe Magic Forest Keeper: Thomas WiegandtThe firestarter: Pim WijnmaalenThe colour thrower: Corina ThorntonThe drag queens: Suzanne, David and JensThe instinctor: Detlef SchlichDetlef Schlich & Corina Thornton in a visual essay about the human condition in times of transhumanism.The Last Human - Part 2 - Transcending Realityhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL8pa-wL27Y The Last Human - Part 3 - Mystical Engineershttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQM9iJ85QcM ‘Transodin's Tragedy' is a Film installation/artistic performance, exploring the emerging phenomenon of transhumanism in our digital age. Transodin represents a mythical character and a contemporary manifestation of transhumanism. He embodies the symbiotic relationship between human experience and technology. Boundaries between human beings and technology are lost in the 21. Century. Transodin's journey invites you to explore this fatalistic relationship in which humans are losing their spirituality, this journey is a triptych, where Transodin bears witness to the birth of a Transhuman. Transodin – Detlef Schlich The first Transhuman - Corina Thornton Transodin´s Tragedy Part II - The Fall of Humanismhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnX9LZOwKnc Transodin´s Tragedy Part III - The Acceptance of Fatalismhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvdZqjkxjxE WEBSITE LINKS Detlef SchlichInstagram Detlef Schlich ArTEEtude I love West Cork Artists Facebook Detlef Schlich I love West Cork Artists Group ArTEEtude YouTube Channels visual Podcast ArTEEtude Cute Alien TV official Website ArTEEtude Detlef Schlich Det Design Tribal Loop Download here for free Detlef Schlich´s Essay about the Cause and Effect of Shamanism, Art and Digital Culture https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303749640_Shamanism_Art_and_Digital_Culture_Cause_and_Effect Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/arteetude-a-podcast-with-artists-by-detlef-schlich/donations

• APR 21, 2024

#Arteetude 226: Detlef Schlich explores how art offers a refuge and acts as a powerful conduit for expressing and processing our deepest emotions.

In this week’s episode of ArTEEtude, join Detlef Schlich as he delves into a deeply personal topic: finding solace in art during times of personal turmoil. Episode 226 explores how art offers a refuge and acts as a powerful conduit for expressing and processing our deepest emotions. From poignant stories to practical tips on engaging with art for emotional healing, this episode is a heart-to-heart on the transformative power of creativity. Tune in to reflect, heal, and connect through art. Link in bio! 🌐 #ArTEEtudePodcast #ArtHeals #CreativeJourney #PodcastLife🎨 Calling all artists and art lovers! Have you ever found comfort in creativity during challenging times? Share your stories and how art has been a sanctuary for you. Let’s inspire and support each other in our creative journeys! 🖌️👩‍🎨 #ArtCommunity #CreativeHealing #ArTEEtudeDetlef Schlich is a podcaster, visual artist, filmmaker, ritual designer, and media archaeologist based in West Cork. He is recognized for his seminal work, including a scholarly examination of the intersections between shamanism, art, and digital culture, as well as his acclaimed video installation, Transodin's Tragedy. He primarily works in performance, photography, painting, sound, installations, and film. In his work, he reflects on the human condition and uses the digital shaman's methodology as an alter ego to create artwork. His media archaeology is a conceptual and practical exercise in uncovering the unique aesthetic, cultural and political aspects of media in culture. WEBSITE LINKS Detlef SchlichInstagram Detlef Schlich ArTEEtude I love West Cork Artists Facebook Detlef Schlich I love West Cork Artists Group ArTEEtude YouTube Channels visual Podcast ArTEEtude Cute Alien TV official Website ArTEEtude Detlef Schlich Det Design Tribal Loop Download here for free Detlef Schlich´s Essay about the Cause and Effect of Shamanism, Art and Digital Culture https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303749640_Shamanism_Art_and_Digital_Culture_Cause_and_Effect Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/arteetude-a-podcast-with-artists-by-detlef-schlich/donations

• APR 14, 2024

#Arteetude 225: Detlef Schlich continues engaging with Julia Melzer and delves deeper into Julia's experiences with sobriety, her vibrant life on tour, and the broader implications of punk rock as both a music genre and a cultural movement. At the end w

In episode 225 of the ArTEEtude podcast, Detlef Schlich continues engaging with Julia Melzer, building on the themes introduced in the previous episode. This instalment delves deeper into Julia's experiences with sobriety, her vibrant life on tour, and the broader implications of punk rock as both a music genre and a cultural movement. Julia shares anecdotes from her recent tours in England and Germany, highlighting the camaraderie and challenges of touring with her band, Erection, in their beloved band bus, VALVY. She reflects on the unique energy of performing sober on stage, emphasizing the heightened connection to music and the audience this brings. The discussion then shifts to the punk rock scene's evolution and its enduring spirit in England. Julia and Detlef explore punk's role in fostering social commentary and activism, particularly within the feminist movement. They discuss how punk influences contemporary culture, touching upon its impact on fashion, attitude, and art beyond music. Listeners are treated to insights into Julia's personal inspirations and the significance of punk rock in expressing social and political themes through her music. The episode closes with listener questions, offering Julia's perspectives on the differences between the punk scenes in Germany and England, the impact of punk on the younger generation, and the fusion of punk ethos with personal and musical identity. Linktree Julia Melzerhttps://linktr.ee/Erection.band?fbclid=IwAR1rLm9fJNJ7m18BGuKy7s6cdqzf70CtOB2uGOe5GYw7rtlLT1KZVbs_Gjw Julia MelzerFacebook https://www.facebook.com/julia.s.melzer Instagram https://www.instagram.com/erection_band Detlef Schlich is a podcaster, visual artist, filmmaker, ritual designer, and media archaeologist based in West Cork. He is recognized for his seminal work, including a scholarly examination of the intersections between shamanism, art, and digital culture, as well as his acclaimed video installation, Transodin's Tragedy. He primarily works in performance, photography, painting, sound, installations, and film. In his work, he reflects on the human condition and uses the digital shaman's methodology as an alter ego to create artwork. His media archaeology is a conceptual and practical exercise in uncovering the unique aesthetic, cultural and political aspects of media in culture. WEBSITE LINKS Detlef SchlichInstagram Detlef Schlich ArTEEtude I love West Cork Artists Facebook Detlef Schlich I love West Cork Artists Group ArTEEtude YouTube Channels visual Podcast ArTEEtude Cute Alien TV official Website ArTEEtude Detlef Schlich Det Design Tribal Loop Download here for free Detlef Schlich´s Essay about the Cause and Effect of Shamanism, Art and Digital Culture https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303749640_Shamanism_Art_and_Digital_Culture_Cause_and_Effect Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/arteetude-a-podcast-with-artists-by-detlef-schlich/donations

• APR 7, 2024

#Arteetude 224: Detlef Schlich engages in a captivating conversation with the return guest, Julia Melzer, an energetic singer in the punk rock band, shares insights into her journey and her personal and creative growth. At the end we listen to a song by

In episode 224 of the ArTEEtude podcast, host Detlef Schlich engages in a captivating conversation with the return guest, Julia Melser. Julia, an energetic singer in the punk rock band called Erection, shares insights into her journey, reflecting on the fast pace of life, the impact of aging on perception of time, and her personal and creative growth. The discussion delves into Julia's experiences with ADHD, her remarkable achievement of over 660 days of sobriety, and the therapeutic nature of songwriting during emotional highs and lows. Her music, influenced by the '80s punk scene, serves as a medium for expressing darker themes and personal struggles, offering a form of self-therapy. Julia also discusses her involvement in education, working with immigrant children aged 13 to 15, helping them integrate and learn the German language. This role highlights her commitment to social issues and her desire to make a positive impact on the world. The episode touches on the challenges of staying sober in the punk scene, the transformative power of music, and the unique energy and connection Julia feels while performing without the influence of alcohol. The conversation concludes with plans for a follow-up episode to address listener questions and continue exploring Julia's multifaceted life and career. Linktree Julia Melzerhttps://linktr.ee/Erection.band?fbclid=IwAR1rLm9fJNJ7m18BGuKy7s6cdqzf70CtOB2uGOe5GYw7rtlLT1KZVbs_Gjw Julia MelzerFacebook https://www.facebook.com/julia.s.melzer Instagram https://www.instagram.com/erection_band Detlef Schlich is a podcaster, visual artist, filmmaker, ritual designer, and media archaeologist based in West Cork. He is recognized for his seminal work, including a scholarly examination of the intersections between shamanism, art, and digital culture, as well as his acclaimed video installation, Transodin's Tragedy. He primarily works in performance, photography, painting, sound, installations, and film. In his work, he reflects on the human condition and uses the digital shaman's methodology as an alter ego to create artwork. His media archaeology is a conceptual and practical exercise in uncovering the unique aesthetic, cultural and political aspects of media in culture.WEBSITE LINKS Detlef SchlichInstagram Detlef Schlich ArTEEtude I love West Cork Artists Facebook Detlef Schlich I love West Cork Artists Group ArTEEtude YouTube Channels visual Podcast ArTEEtude Cute Alien TV official Website ArTEEtude Detlef Schlich Det Design Tribal Loop Download here for free Detlef Schlich´s Essay about the Cause and Effect of Shamanism, Art and Digital Culture https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303749640_Shamanism_Art_and_Digital_Culture_Cause_and_Effect Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/arteetude-a-podcast-with-artists-by-detlef-schlich/donations

• All rights reserved by Detlef Schlich ©2020

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Thesis Exhibition

Friday, May 10, 2024 - 6 p.m. ET

Appropriate for: All Audiences Dow Center for Visual Arts FREE, no tickets required

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2024 Congressional Art Competition CA-05 Winners

Each spring the  Congressional Institute sponsors a nationwide high school visual art competition  to recognize and encourage artistic talent in the nation and in each congressional district.

The winning entry from each congressional district across the United States is displayed for one year in the Cannon Tunnel of the U.S. Capitol.

Instead of selecting a specific theme for the 2024 contest, Congressman McClintock was seeking patriotic artwork befitting display in the U.S. Capitol for the 5th Congressional District.

The Winners:

First Place Winner: Fritzia Aguilera ,  " Patriotic View " Union Mine High School Art Teacher: Chelsey Collins

Second Place: Mary Andrews ,  " In Honor of Lewis Millett " Union Mine High School Art Teacher: Chelsey Collins

Co-Third Place (Tie): Rachel Raetz ,  " Letter to my Country " Ponderosa High School Art Teacher: Angelina Rejino of Art Creatures Fine Art

Co-Third Place (Tie): Anna Watson ,  " Bouquet of America " Oak Ridge High School Art Teacher: Quinn Linkhart

Honorable Mention: Meredith Grotto ,  " Braiding Hair " Bret Harte High School Art Teacher: Mark Waelty

Honorable Mention: Stella McDaniel ,  " Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness " Joseph A. Gregori High School Art Teacher: John Miller

Honorable Mention: Tristan Russell ( 2023 Congressional Art Competition Winner),  " Liberty’s Gaze " Oak Ridge High School Art Teacher: Angelina Rejino of Art Creatures Fine Art

Honorable Mention: Mason Feldman ,  " Because of the Brave" Oak Ridge High School Art Teacher: Quinn Linkhart