The nature of art held by archives, known collectively as “documentary art,” exists across Canada, but what is meant by documentary art has not been discussed. In this thesis, both theoretical and practical definitions and their application to the collections will be explored. This will be done by examining three broad dimensions: the limited theoretical writing that tries to define art in archives; the broader base of art theory over the past centuries as well as writings about art within the Canadian context; and the historical evolution, practices, and personal ideas of archivists who work with art, and comparing these to the ideas and understanding about documentary art held by professionals in the art gallery world.

<p> The introduction of Japanese art and culture to the Western world prompted a powerful response from an entire generation of artists, writers, and musicians, including a gifted American artist named Bertha Lum. Lum travelled to Japan in the early 1900s to train with Japanese masters in the design, cutting, and printing of woodblock prints. Lum was a passionate exponent of <i> Japonisme,</i> and a study of her work illuminates how this phenomenon manifested itself in American art and culture.</p><p> In cultural and artistic terms, <i>Japonisme</i> emerged as a selective interpretation of Asian culture, a conveniently constructed image that reinforced the ideals of many at the turn of the last century. For graphic artists like Lum, the example of Japanese art provided leverage against the weight of European classicism, championed the role of the decorative arts, exemplified exquisite handcraft, and epitomized an art of natural beauty and grace.</p>

'Galore' is a series of drawings that celebrate the urge to reproduce and multiply ‘beauty’. Working from a collection of appropriated photographs, I have produced a suite of small-scale ballpoint pen drawings that explore issues of desire and mortality through the rendered idealization and categorization of beautiful male types. This work is framed within a theoretical discussion of productive desire and the question of beauty as motivation to copy. Metaphorical associations of the cut flower with the disembodied human head are also examined in relation to the vanitas genre of art.

The nature of art held by archives, known collectively as “documentary art,” exists across Canada, but what is meant by documentary art has not been discussed. In this thesis, both theoretical and practical definitions and their application to the collections will be explored. This will be done by examining three broad dimensions: the limited theoretical writing that tries to define art in archives; the broader base of art theory over the past centuries as well as writings about art within the Canadian context; and the historical evolution, practices, and personal ideas of archivists who work with art, and comparing these to the ideas and understanding about documentary art held by professionals in the art gallery world.

Thesis (MVisualArts)--University of South Australia, 2002.

My research proposes an analytical engagement with the central functions of Phantasmagoria and the Wunderkammer, namely atmosphere and display. My paper is divided into six chapters; Chapter one proposes spectatorship as a common thread linking the Phantasmagoria to the Wunderkammer and offers an overview of the similarities and disparities between the two. Chapters two, three and four focus on constructs, definitions and implications of Gothicity within the context of Phantasmagoria, Horror films and contemporary art. Aligning my studio-based practice with contemporary artists' who engage with aspects of the Gothic spectacle. Chapter five contemplates the Wunderkammer in terms of its history and precursive archival practices. Chapter six offers an analysis of specific contemporary artists' attraction to archaic modes of display and provides a theoretical platform for my own conceptual engagement. The objective of my research has been to collate reference material aligned to various modes of historic and theoretical enquiry, thereupon concluding my studies in the 'staging' of Phantom in the Comer an immersive multi-media installation.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.F.A.),Fine Arts--University of Central Oklahoma, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 69-72).

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Rochester Institute of Technology. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 31).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2006. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references.