Being absent from things or places for a period of time, we try to connect by revisiting our memories. There is always a vivid remembrance of certain objects or surroundings, but when we try to connect them, the truth in our mind deviates from the reality. The disintegration of the memories and the morphing of our imagination create a different reality in our minds that we begin to believe, considering that the truth becomes almost completely abstracted and obscured as time passes.

The method for creating my art is a matter of experimental process, manipulation of photographic elements, and time spent. I am a photographer in a digital age that does not use a camera. My moment of creativity occurs without the snap of a shutter, but relies on my understanding and control of the chemical components of photography. My work deconstructs the notion of duplication commonly found in photography. The procedure can be repeated but the results are variable. The process of creating my work often results in a multitude of prints, but the pieces that I select as art capture a number of instinctive characteristics which convey an emotion or message to me. When I present my photographs I offer the viewer an experience--an opportunity to see the work through my mind's eye as it makes sense to me. It is within this open dialogue that the work is complete: part process, part intuitive participation.

My work deals with the subconscious pairing of colors from an instinctively chosen color palette into molded forms. My emotions drive these pairings. As I visualize these different emotions, I ask the viewer to formulate their own perceptions and connections (both physical and emotional) in relation to my own. This allows the viewer to explore the emotional twists and turns of my imagination by their own unique associations in correspondence. Painting allows me to visualize the inner depth of my imagination. My work becomes concrete through the subconscious pairing of colors and shapes and evolves with viewer interaction.

Stemming from a lack of scholarship on minor plague saints, this study focuses on the saints that were invoked against the plague but did not receive the honorary title of plague patron. Patron saints are believed to transcend geographic limitations and are charged as the sole reliever of a human aliment or worry. Modern scholarship focuses on St. Sebastian and St. Roch, the two universal plague saints, but neglects other important saints invoked during the late Medieval and early Renaissance periods. After analyzing the reasons why St. Sebastian and St. Roch became the primary plague saints I noticed that other "minor" saints fell directly in line with the particular plague associations of either Sebastian or Roch. I categorized these saints as "second-tier" saints. This categorization, however, did not cover all the saints that periodically reoccurred in plague-themed artwork, I grouped them into one more category: the "third-tier" plague saints. This tier encompasses the saints that were invoked against the plague but do not have a direct association to the arrow and healing patterns seen in Sts. Sebastian and Roch iconographies. This thesis is highly interdisciplinary; literature, art, and history accounts were all used to determine plague saint status and grouping, but art was my foundation. I examined important works of art directly associated with the plague and noted which saints appeared multiple times. The results from that assessment spurred further hagiographic and literary study. It was clear that these saints had multivarient connections to the plague. This study into the lives of the saints reaffirms their placement in the artistic and religious history of the pestilential epidemic of the Medieval and early Renaissance periods.

This thesis aims to explore the c.7,500 exhibition curated by Lucy Lippard as a culminating point for Lippard's activism in the arts, and more specifically, women's representation in conceptualism. Understanding Lippard's political involvement within the arts and the networks established before c.7,500 further illuminates the activist approach of an all-women's art show. Throughout Lippard's career, she has advanced the exposure of women artists through her curatorial endeavors and written criticism. Her Numbers series is continuously referenced today though little documentation of each show has been easily accessible. By looking at ephemeral artifacts and artworks from c.7,500 I aim to establish a collective analysis of the show in relation to second-wave feminism while simultaneously highlighting the significance of women in conceptualism. The unique nature of c.7,500 is best understood through the experimental index cards used to curate and organize the exhibition. Analyzing select physical items from the exhibition highlights both the material elements in the show while also lending women artists perspective on an array of topics such as labor, domesticity, land, space, and time. The synthesizing of activism, art, curation, and writing are exemplified in c.7,500 which consisted of artists from a variety of statuses. Lippard's main objective in her practice was to expose the works of underrepresented artists and through this analysis, I aim to do the same. Discussing selected artworks from the exhibition I connect feminist activism and ideology to the experiences and concerns of women artists creating conceptual artworks in the 1970s.

Just like other artistic disciplines, animators are tasked with bringing characters to life through movement, whether for personal or professional motives. Games are a diverse field that sees a wide range of animation needs, but there lie consistent threads that lead to the success of a video games movements aesthetically and functionally. For aspiring animators there remains one consistent question: what does it mean and entail to create animation in the highly competitive game industry? This culminating experience paper aims to discuss the similarities and differences between student and professional work to highlight the importance and what it entails to work within creative restraints to create quality gameplay animation on demand. By analyzing animations, game development, and personal experience animating in different roles and scenarios, this paper seeks to highlight studio workflows, challenges, and steps to see to the success of an animation while adhering to quality and creative standards.

For my capstone project, I made a short animated film. In this film, we follow the journey of a young writer facing the pressures of a project deadline. As she sits in her home office, the character struggles to concentrate on her work amid some distractions. From the outside noises filtering through the window to the persistent drip of water in the bathroom and a bug buzzing around her face, a series of obstacles disrupt her focus. The writer wants to eliminate each obstacle, actively working to create an ideal environment conducive to productivity. As she successfully tackles each issue, she gets a sense of accomplishment. However, just when it seems like victory is within reach, an unforeseen challenge emerges. The story invites us to reflect on the unpredictable nature of life and the importance of adapting to unforeseen circumstances. In this paper, I document my journey of creating my short animation, discussing the process and workflow I used, highlighting the challenges, and difficulties that I encountered along the way. And I will also talk about why I wanted to make a short film and what inspired me.

In this dynamic digital landscape, the marriage of motion design and branding has emerged as a powerful tool for businesses looking to captivate and connect with their audiences. Motion design, with its ability to breathe life into static visuals through animation, sound, and interactivity, has become an integral component of modern branding strategies. This paper delves into the author’s approach on creating relationships between a brand and consumer through motion design, exploring techniques used by the industry leaders and implementing them on a creative project.

For the last five years, East Tennessee State University’s Department of Digital Media has partnered with the East Tennessee Children’s Hospital in downtown Knoxville to create a collection of training modules for their nursing staff. Dozens of students have devoted thousands of hours both inside and outside of the department’s various production courses to build the eleven modules currently in use today. However, development has not been without its hurdles, particularly in moving from one project to the next. Poor documentation and miscommunications compounded with faults in the projects’ design philosophies to repeatedly delay production. While each deliverable was playable by the end of the given semesters, there were often bugs and other quality issues left unaddressed. Luckily, graduate assistants and interns were brought on to help direct students in class, and to finish the projects on off-semesters. As one of those graduate assistants, I’ve had the pleasure of working alongside Stephanie Nicely, our project manager and hospital liaison to build on the works of past developers, assist in managing the development of current projects, and lay groundwork for future growth.

As escalating bandwidths and technologies expand the World Wide Web, media-rich web design offers new opportunities for scholarly discussion and presentation. A collaborative effort between a videographer, a web programmer, faculty members, and graduate and undergraduate students, F olkvine produced websites representative of four Florida artists while rethinking online scholarship. Appointed lead web designer, the culmination of my research rests in my designs profiling the lives and work of four Florida artists: the painter and farmer, Ruby C. Williams, the Hawaiian quilter, Ginger LaVoie, the clown shoemakers, Wayne and Marty Scott, and the late circus historian, clown, and miniature circus creator, Diamond Jim Parker. Exploring the various perspectives from which we could virtually exhibit the artists, we chose to create the sites as a reflection and extension of the artists' lives and work. In order to fulfill this goal, I attempted to act as a neutral conduit through which the artists' aesthetics could pass into the digital realm. As an artist myself, I consider how I approached this channeling and how it in turn affected my aesthetic notions according to three major themes in digital art: virtual identity, space, and home.