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open access

Abstract Moments of Art Found in the Ordinary

Description: This paper is an experiment using digital video to locate and identify the abstract in everyday life and nature. The abstract moment occurs when the image that is captured by video loses its connection with the original context, allowing the images to be viewed in an entirely new way. The abstract moment is initiated by a transformative instant, that instant in which perception is altered and the viewer sees the intended content of composition of light and sound. The project contains four digit… more
Date: December 2002
Creator: Kraft, Stuart
open access

Activating Space within the Object and the Site

Description: I look at the world as a sculptor, examining physical constructs and implied meanings. My current research developed from my earlier studies of “containment” or, more specifically, “encapsulation,” creating visual, often physical, boundaries around selected content. Encapsulation confers a more active role than “containment”, a process rather than a result. This idea speaks to the issues of form, and asks the viewer to question the outside “shape of the form” in relation to the inside shape and… more
Date: May 2001
Creator: Provence, Dana Noel

Art Criticism and the Gendering of Lee Bontecou's Art, ca. 1959 - 1964

Description: This thesis identifies and analyzes gendering in the art writing devoted to Lee Bontecou's metal and canvas sculptures made from the 1959 - 1964. Through a careful reading of reviews and articles written about Bontecou's constructions, this thesis reconstructs the context of the art world in the United States at mid-century and investigates how cultural expectations regarding gender directed the reception of Bontecou's art, beginning in 1959 and continuing through mid-1960s. Incorporating a des… more
Access: Restricted to the UNT Community Members at a UNT Libraries Location.
Date: December 2005
Creator: Estrada-Berg, Victoria
open access

Art Museum Resources and Teacher Use.

Description: I proposed that both Bruner's (1963) idea of the spiral curriculum and Yenawine's (1992) theories of teaching for visual literacy in the museum set the stage for significant learning for students when used together. If school teachers lay a foundation of knowledge about a museum object, especially through museum resources, then the student may transform and apply this 'prior knowledge' (explicit memories from the classroom) while on the museum visit tour. When docents utilize Yenawine's (1992) … more
Date: May 2006
Creator: Eggemeyer, Valerie
open access

Art or Craft?

Description: I chose to exhibit sculpture and classical style vessels together to encourage discussion about whether ceramics should be considered a fine art medium. I was interested in experimenting with different forms and textures in order to see which combination would captivate the viewing audience the longest. I found that massive textural sculptural forms held the attention of the viewer more so than did the classical smooth surfaced vessels.
Date: May 2004
Creator: Snelson, Jason
open access

Beads on a String: Extended Portraits

Description: When I was first introduced to photography, I was mainly drawn to landscape imagery. I enjoyed being a solitary spectator. Over time, inclusions of figurative elements became more and more apparent in my work. I purposefully began to incorporate a figure into my landscapes, ascribing to it a certain nostalgia and a sense of isolation I was experiencing on many levels at that time. Before long, I felt disconnected from these images because of their ambiguity and generalization. I found myself cr… more
Date: December 2004
Creator: Kolčavová, Gabriela
open access

The Categorization and Use of Three Dimensional Computer Generated Special Effects in Film

Description: There has been a growing trend in the film industry in the use of three dimensional computer generated images (3D CGI) for special effects. With the popularity of this relatively new medium comes the need for new terminology. This exploration developed a general system of classification for 3D CGI effects for use in film. This system was based on a study of various writings about the significant films, which employ 3D CGI effects. A three-group system of classification system was developed. The… more
Date: May 2000
Creator: Johnson, Charlie
open access

Ceramics Without Clay: An Exploration into Potential

Description: Investigating the behavior, function and appearance of ceramic materials has proven an enduring point of interest throughout my education. In learning about the vast range of the earth-yielded materials and their physical manifestations in states ranging from wet to dry to fired, I have found myself excited and challenged to seek out ways to expand their presentation. My attention has been repeatedly drawn to the class of ceramic materials that frequently get classified as “glaze ingredients.” … more
Date: May 2001
Creator: Hart, Christopher David
open access

Colorful Diary

Description: Chapter I describes how my works are grounded in a Chinese point of view, based on sociological and anthropological approaches as defined in my work. The questions in my Statement of Problem deal with how I use "imbalance" in my works, yet still find a way to make acceptable compositions to better tell my stories. I relate how my work constitutes a positive act or event in an evolving world culture. Chapter II discusses the work I focused around the questions posed in Chapter I. Chapter III exp… more
Date: May 2004
Creator: Wang, Nanfei
open access

A Comparison of Texas Pre-service Teacher Education Programs in Art and the 1999 National Art Education Association's Standards for Art Teacher Preparation

Description: Texas programs in pre-service art teacher preparation vary little. Since 1970, the National Art Education Association (NAEA) has created voluntary standards in hopes of decreasing variability among programs. In 1999, the NAEA published Standards for Art Teacher Preparation, outlining 20 content areas that art pre-service programs should provide their students. To obtain information on the implementation and the extent to which these 20 standards are being implemented, a questionnaire was sent t… more
Date: May 2002
Creator: Breitenstein, Gary
open access

Complementary Dualities: The Significance of East/West Architectural Difference in Paquimé

Description: This thesis provides the first formal and phenomenological analysis of the architecture in Paquimé, otherwise known as Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico. The eastern and western halves of the city are divided by a stone wall and reservoirs. The monuments on the east are rectilinear, puddled adobe structures used primarily for domestic and manufacturing purposes. The buildings on the west, on the other hand, are open earth mounds lined in stone for public displays. This thesis analyzes each build… more
Date: August 2005
Creator: Hughes, Delain
open access

The Creation of Modern Fashions through the Merging of Eastern and Western culture: Spring Message

Description: I have always believed the design of clothes should not try to conceal the naked body but should act as a catalyst that reveals the existence and strength of the individual. Spring Message includes three phases, Spring Message, Mystification, and My Paradise to reflect my three life experiences. Spring Message is an attempt to express my thoughts and ideas though designs in fashion, which were derived from the ancient beliefs, traditions, and western influence I have experienced. Through my i… more
Date: May 2003
Creator: Cui, Yan
open access

Critical Cultural Consciousness in the Classroom Through an Art-Centered Curricular Unit, "Respect and Homage."

Description: The purpose of this study was to describe the implementation, structure, content and outcome of an art-centered unit developed for 5th grade students. This unit was designed to be an example/model of specific tools and procedures that teachers can use in the art and general classroom to promote critical cultural consciousness, which is the ability to analyze both the covert and overt elements of a culture with the purpose of developing a holistic viewpoint that values the cultural heritages of … more
Date: August 2004
Creator: Kuster, Deborah A.
open access

Critical Theory and Preservice Art Education: One Art Teacher Educator's Journey of Equipping Art Teachers for Inclusion.

Description: This qualitative action research study examines how critical theory defined and guided my practice as an art teacher educator while I provided inclusion training for seven preservice art teachers during their student teaching. Sources of data included a personal journal, the inclusion curriculum I created for the preservice teachers and questionnaires and interviews. Primary findings indicated that critical theory had a substantive impact on the evolving development of my teaching philosophy, i… more
Date: May 2008
Creator: Allison, Amanda
open access

Crystalline Surface Challenge

Description: Ever since I became interested in the world of ceramics, crystalline glazes have been the most fascinating and challenging to me. Even though crystalline glazes are the most difficult and elusive to potters, their spectacular results (when done right) keep me coming back. Over the last year I have developed a crystalline glaze that yields consistent and excellent results. During this period, I have worked with these glazes in the traditional manor, being that they are only applied to smooth por… more
Date: May 2004
Creator: Rostagno, Nicholas
open access

Dallas as Region: Mark Lemmon's Gothic Revival Highland Park Presbyterian Church

Description: Informed by the methodology utilized in Peter Williams's Houses of God: Region, Religion, and Architecture in the United States (1997), the thesis examines Mark Lemmon's Gothic Revival design for the Highland Park Presbyterian Church (1941) with special attention to the denomination and social class of the congregation and the architectural style of the church. Beginning with the notion that Lemmon's church is more complex than an expression of the Southern cultural region defined by Williams, … more
Date: August 2004
Creator: Bagley, Julie Arens

Dialogue: An Exhibition of Ceramic Sculpture

Description: I want the viewers of my work to participate with me in a common experience. How I choose to communicate an experience in the work is intended to effect the viewer's level of understanding and participation. Toward this end, an exploration of nontraditional self-portraiture involving the viewer in a relationship with the artist will be used to maintain the visual dialogue imparted through the work. Utilization of recognizable symbols and icons within the work is meant to increase the clarity of… more
Access: Restricted to UNT Community Members. Login required if off-campus.
Date: May 2000
Creator: Freeland, Charles

Discovering the Parameters of a Successful Piece: While Developing a Body of Work that Represents My Passion for Clay and My Enthusiasm for Life

Description: Chapter I describes the purpose of the project, which was to develop a body of work that exhibits all that I am at this point in time. The questions I presented to myself were the following: 1. A successful piece is defined by what parameters? 2. What visual qualities indicate my passion for clay and my enthusiasm for life? Chapter II lists and explains the five parameters of a successful piece, which are composition, firing, mark making, color contrast, and movement. Furthermore there is an ex… more
Access: Restricted to UNT Community Members. Login required if off-campus.
Date: December 2002
Creator: Lichman, Brenda C.
open access

Distant Proximity: Mapping Presence and Absence

Description: Chapter I presents my background as an artist born and raised in Romania, and describes my artwork in connection with my interests and experiences. Maps and traditional Romanian art are important sources of influence. The questions in the statement of problem deal with the way ideas, references to various elements, and installation impact the artwork. Chapter II discusses the installation at the Dallas Visual Art Center, the creative process, and how the artwork addressed the questions in the… more
Date: May 2002
Creator: Mitroi, Tudor
open access

"Documenting" East Texas: Spirit of Place in the Photography of Keith Carter

Description: This thesis examines similarities in photographs made by the contemporary photographer Keith Carter and photographers active with the Farm Security Administration during the 1930s. Stylistically and in function, works by Carter and these photographers comment on social and cultural values of a region. This thesis demonstrates that many of Carter's black and white photographs continue, contribute to, and expand traditions in American documentary photography established in the 1930s. These tradit… more
Date: August 2000
Creator: Lutz, Cullen Clark
open access

The Effect of Constructivist Learning Environments on Student Learning in an Undergraduate Art Appreciation Course.

Description: The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of constructivist methods on student learning in an undergraduate art appreciation class. Three constructivist learning activities were designed and implemented in an undergraduate art appreciation course for non-art majors at Mississippi College. Through these constructivist learning activities, students were involved in their learning throughout the semester in realistic art roles in which they worked as curators, Web page designers, an… more
Date: August 2006
Creator: Busbea, Stephanie Dickson
open access

De-Emphasize Direct Presence

Description: The following paper reveals some aspects of my thoughts about art. The works discussed are featured in my M.F.A. exhibition. All works are mainly based on the ideas of absence, self-reference and utilization in art practice, even though each piece approaches the subject from differing angles. My dissatisfaction with preconceived notions in the contemporary art, rooted in art history, has shifted my focus from concerns of the direct, physical presence of artworks to the indirect or indecisive el… more
Date: August 2004
Creator: Chen, Xinpeng
open access

Enigmatic Realms

Description: The use of copper in my work has opened up an entirely new conceptual and esthetic world. I have expanded my vocabulary of visual imagery based on the nature of how copper reacts with fire. The organic beauty harmonizes so gracefully with the manufactured material. This new material has certainly opened up a refreshing platform on which to further develop my ideas.
Date: December 2003
Creator: Malik, Irum
open access

Eplucher Les Oignons (Peeling the Onions)

Description: My creative intent is to connect with viewers at an emotional level. My chosen metaphor is “Peeling the Onion.” The implication of the metaphor is that understanding is achieved after one looks below the surface and views the underlying “layers.” The challenge is to find images that are personally interesting and also connect with the viewer. At times the creative process proceeds in linear manner and at other times it seems to take on a life of its own. During my search for a balance between t… more
Date: December 2002
Creator: Wester, Judith C.
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