The neoclassical art movement exemplified the ideals formulated by German scholar and antiquarian Johan Winckelmann by portraying heroes who exhibited self-sacrifice, honor and duty to the state. Almost inevitably both painters and their subjects were male. However, at the same time female artists were depicting classical heroines in a similar fashion. Angelica Kauffman, a Swiss born artist, was able to combine Winckelmanns thoughts with Enlightenment ideals of the eighteenth century regarding women. When examined in tandem, her numerous canvases which portray Cornelia, Mother of the Gracchi and Penelope, Wife of Odysseus illustrate Enlightenment ideals. The character of Cornelia, exemplifies independence, the importance of education for women, and womens ever increasing dedication to their children and motherhood. Penelope also shows independence and the necessity of education, but her character focuses more on women as respectful and respected wives within the marital sphere. By creating paintings that exhibited these notions, Kauffman portrayed her own Enlightenment leanings.

Surviving in poverty in an urban environment is hard work. Fear of not having basic needs creates desperation, and not being able to improve upon these conditions can test ones patience and faith in others. The simple routine of daily life can be monumental. Small achievements can be huge moments for some and irrelevant to others. One learns to appreciate and hate what one has. Urban Monuments comes from a struggle to understand what painting is to me and the relationship it has with this idea. Working hard to better ones self or ones situation is a noble cause but it is by no means a guarantee. These urban monuments commemorate the struggle to survive in an unforgiving environment.

My thesis exhibition investigates concepts of memory and memorial. These are fueled by feelings of yearning, longing, and nostalgia. We allow memories to linger. I believe we try to strengthen these memories, encase them and tuck them away deep in our minds. These memories create in our psyche psychological memorials. Like physical memorials, our memories too deteriorate and crumble over time. We fill in the gaps to the point where it is unknown just how true these memories are. At times I think that mine are now idealized and idyllic then they really were. The paintings in my exhibit are physical manifestations of my own psychological memorials. The geometry of thought echoes the geometry of the room. With that quote in mind, my works are abstracted from three components found in the traditional Japanese home. The three components are the tokonoma, the shoji screen, and the landscape.

The circle is a primary shape, a closed curve that divides a plane into two regions: an interior and an exterior. This exploration has allowed me to place what I like inside the circle and then use that piece to complete a composition. In graphic design, the circle is not only a ring, a disc or a sphere; it is also the fifteenth letter of the Roman alphabet. O is not only a letter, but a vowel that is the same shape in upper and lower case. It can also be a number. Beyond its ability to participate in statistics and phrases, it is a symbol used in countless icons appearing solid, hollow or spherical. The O represents everything round from karma to coins, and planets to peace. Each composition in this exhibit is created with circles and titled with them. Evolve, Grow, Erode, Chaos, Order, Vowel, Consonant and Word were all created in the spirit of the circular theme using a word containing the letter o. Flat colors, gradients, rings and detailed illustrations finally rest on paper after being transferred from sketchbook to screen and pixels to paper.¬ I am satisfied with this exploration on a unique level as a designer who has the opportunity to reflect my art in my design.

My work is a culmination of my studies of graphic design methods and principles, including the extensive research I have completed on Louisiana and the city of New Orleans. I created a large-scale poster series of information graphics that explores the main cultural characteristics and statistics of the parishes in Louisiana of which I was raised. The series contains two types of graphics, a website, and a QR code system. A QR code is a matrix barcode that is readable by QR scanners, mobile phones with cameras, and smartphones. The QR codes I created link the viewer to specific websites related to the information on display. The placement of the QR codes brings in a useable application to the design. The two types of graphics consist of one being purely illustrative and the other based off-of statistics and graphs. The illustrations contain iconographic designs that focus on the main attractions and cultural icons of the city, while the other information systems are based on statistics such as the parishs population, income, sales, and land area. I focused on the three main parishes where I was raised for the statistical infographics. They were all based on the same information so that they are easily comparable to one another. The system I developed is large in scale, filled with visual abstractions, and allows for communication between the diagram and the audience. It is very important to me that my audience can visually enjoy my work and has the opportunity to interact with it as well. I have created graphic visual representations of data that present complex information rapidly and clearly. My work has allowed me to cross language barriers and inform viewers on the history of Louisiana.

Layered Recollections is an installation of functional pottery that evokes feelings of nostalgia and longing associated with the home environment. I am interested in creating memories through the use of pottery. It is my intention to make work that creates happiness in the users lives and brings joy to everyday routines through floral imagery. Each installation in the exhibition references an area in the home.

Architecture has many different contexts and meanings, but regardless of time and place, buildings act as a physical container of memory. This body of work explores the use of large facades as residue of a personal memory and uses physical deterioration to parallel the distortion of memory as a result of time and emotion. The work makes use of warping and tearing of materials and is created through the combination of large-scale relief prints, drawing, sewing, and the cutting away of materials. The exhibition includes an installation of fabric-based prints, a series of wall-based altered paper prints, and several artist books. The resulting series of works reminds the viewer of places of retreat and privacy while also sharing personal emotions, creating a visual collection of echoes and artifacts of memory and experience.

This document seeks to establish a contemporary record of the nineteenth-century masonry fortifications of the Third System whose continued existence in Southeastern Louisiana is in peril. Designed and implemented in the years following the invasion of Washington, D.C. during the War of 1812 by Napoleon Bonapartes chief engineer, Louisianas coastal forts represent the pinnacle of European, pre-modern-warfare military architecture. With their obsolescence secured by advances in technology in the mid to late nineteenth century, each was abandoned or decommissioned following the American Civil War. These historic constructed spaces that are each uniquely adapted to the land they occupy have never been formally or comprehensively photographed, though they have existed in varying states of ruin and decay for well over a century. Continued hurricane damage, neglect, lack of funding and public disinterest contribute to their impending non-existence. The series Danger Shelter Opportunity endeavors to preserve the physical appearance of these places and the nature of their entropy through photography.

Tombs serve as opportunities for individuals to be remembered in specific ways long after their death. A funerary monument offers valuable insight into the self-representation of individuals within society in any period of time. Naples is well known for its elaborate tomb architecture from the Angevin period (1266-1446). The inclination of the Angevin rulers to recruit foreign artists for their projects, and indeed the funerary monuments themselves, served as models for centuries after Angevin rule. In particular, the Carafa family, a powerful member of Naples nobility, adopted styles and design elements from the monuments of the Angevins for their own tombs while working during the later period of Aragonese rule (1442-1501). <p>Through an analysis of the tombs of Malizia, Diomede, Francesco, and Cardinal Oliviero Carafa, it is clear that all of the tombs are interconnected through a network of patrons and artists, who were linked by a web of common artistic concepts. Northern-born artists who were frequently employed by the royal house designed and built these four Carafa monuments. A system of visual connections of foreign styles and design led contemporary Neapolitan viewers to connect the power of the Carafa family to their relationship with the monarchy. By utilizing funerary monuments to suggest their connection to the kings of southern Italy, the Carafas not only committed themselves to the power and prosperity of the ruling house in the eyes of contemporary viewers, but also in the eyes of those who would view their tombs centuries afterward.

Playschool is heavily influenced by my tactile way of learning. Each sculpture is a visual way of communicating my story. Traditionally, words are the primary tools used in learning and communication. However, from a very early age I discovered that my auditory--]--]processing disability and dyslexia made expressing ideas through words and the written language very difficult. It was a challenge for me to understand how words fit together to make compete sentences, and I struggled throughout my education to find a successful means of communicating my thoughts and ideas about the world around me. What came naturally to me however was the ability to see and understand how the parts of an object like a clock or a toy for example assembled to make it work. I was attracted to the physicality of the materials and the mechanics that held them together. As a result, learning, for me, evolved into a visceral rather than an intellectual experience. My work is my voice communicated through the tools and materials that have become my primary language. My process is driven by the idea of play as a visual and tactile form of learning. My high regard for process, material, and craftsmanship is exhibited through every piece I create. A past surrounded by hardworking craftsmen and laborers has also greatly impacted the imagery I use. I appreciate the personal aspect of using hand tools to create something intimate and also feel the considerable power that comes with working heavy equipment. These two ideas are at the forefront of my mind while I create--]using many hand tools to construct something that often mimics heavy machinery. Many of my skills have been acquired from working with people of various trades and this greatly influences my studio practice. This hands--]on type of education has played a vital role in influencing the type of work I create. The construction I have encountered daily for the last year and a half, on the South end of LSUfs football stadium has motivated many of my current works. My sculptures were drawn from the perpetual transition that happens on the construction site and the endless lines that appear in the scaffolding equipment and rebar--]concrete supports. This three--]dimensional line quality is translated into my work constantly with the stacking and layering of square wooden dowels and steel square stock. I use the density and structure of the lines alongside the kinetic aspect to draw my viewer in for a closer look and give the viewer a tactile way to view the nature of my work.