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This thesis support paper is the trajectory of my search to uncover what constitutes an aesthetic for my current practice and to unpack what I think the work is about. In this paper I trace the development of my process, identify primary aesthetic preferences, elucidate inspirations, and finally present several interpretations of the work. I came into the MFA program with the intention of moving my practice in animation to an art form that was non-linear and free of a flat projection screen and story arc. Working with materials is important to me and I also wanted to find a way to integrate time-based media with material art forms. What I discovered early in the MFA program is that making this shift in my practice involved understanding how object art generates meaning differently than the animated film does. In the Thesis Exhibition I take ordinary household objects, disrupt them so they are unfamiliar then project animated video of other ordinary objects made strange onto them. The illogical objects and their juxtaposition generates a tension – a cognitive stretching – that gives rise to various readings of the work. Perceptually engaged, I am immersed in a cognitive puzzle trying to make sense of the paradoxes I am experiencing and bring them to a resolution. It continues to astound me to what degree the household objects that I make strange can generate sensation, feeling, and meaning through the amalgam of their motion, gesture, and form, through the way in which they are situated in space and the way in which they relate to one another.

Reckoning is a body of sculptural work that explores the emotional resonance contained within memory through a combination of personal ephemera and handcrafted objects. The physical presence of this work underscores the importance of its materiality, in both the handmade and collected objects, in emphasizing their ability to conjure a memory. Reckoning evokes the intangible emotions and overwhelming sensations that accompany the act of remembering, and an inability to forget. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.F.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

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Arcana is a series of interactive sound sculptures. Relying heavily on found and repurposed materials gathered in the Southern Illinois region, I will highlight the properties of objects associated with modes of performance. Natural materials, salvaged instruments, and sports equipment will be used to harness the tonal qualities of these found and assembled objects. This project was inspired by the writings and works of Harry Partch, Carl G. Jung, Benjamin Patterson, Robert Raucschenberg, Matthew Barney, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Timothy Morton.

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I create wooden and metal sculptures that are abstractions of old memories that examine, celebrate, and embody my rural culture, upbringing, and heritage. I aim to honor my family's memory and keep their passion for craft alive through working with the tools that have been passed down from them. When I find myself struggling in life I always look to my personal history to find answers. I am reminded of my family's rural and military backgrounds and of the tradespeople from my family: carpenters, blacksmiths, farmers, and soldiers. Through their chosen trades and tools, generations from my family were able to create order and meaning in their own lives. Now that I have inherited their tools, I use them to create art that helps me make sense of my life and world. I learned to use the woodworking and metalworking tools that were passed down to me by family members from current and prior generations. I use these utilitarian tools to create sculptures that serve as honest representations of myself and my family. I also learned that the work I create does not have to be a literal representation of my memories. Rather, through the process of using tools passed down to me from family members, the memories are inherent in my actions and transferred into my work products. These are among the primary observations that underlie the artifacts and achievements that emerged during my graduate studies and will shape the frame of this paper.

The repetitive nature of my work allows me to divide the tactile experience of the creative process into a contemplative state. Repetition causes the body to move automatically, less aware of its surroundings; the recurrent contact of the hand with the form causes them to merge systematically. This is the point where the sculpture for me becomes conceptually complete. It is this harmonious balance between material and the physical process that I wish to reveal to the viewer.

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