WELCOME Research in Arts Scholarship Reception Office for Undergraduate Research (OUR) LIB 210 Thursday, November 10, 2016 UNIVERSIT Y OF SOUTH FLORIDA
Reception Agenda 4:00-4:15pm Research Projects Preview Viewing 4:25-4:30pm Welcome Dr. Richard S. Pollenz, Director Office for Undergraduate Research 4:35-4:40 pm Welcome Dr. Dwayne Smith, Senior Vice Provost and Dean, Office of Graduate Studies 4:40-4:45 pm Welcome Dr. Karen Frank, Assistant Dean, College of the Arts 4:45-5:00 pm My RIAS Experience Presentation of Certificates of Recognition 5:00-5:05 pm Closing Remarks Dr. Richard S. Pollenz, Director Office for Undergraduate Research 5:05-5:45 pm Research Project Viewing RIAS Scholars discuss their research projects
In the Gardens of Versailles sits the Latona Fountain that tells the story of Apollo s childhood.
Acknowledgments The OUR would like to thank Summer Art Program in Paris Director, Lou Marcus Professor Marcus has been involved with the RIAS initiative since its inception in 2012, and has graciously shared his vast knowledge of study abroad programming and artistic research. He has successfully mentored several RIAS Scholars since 2012. The OUR would also like to thank all of the 2016 faculty mentors: Esra Akin-Kivanc, Ph.D. Patrice Boyer Pamela Merrill Brekka, Ph.D. Ezra Johnson Allison Moore, Ph.D. Wallace Wilson Joo Yeon Woo The OUR is grateful to you for your excellent mentorship and support for undergraduate research. The OUR would like to acknowledge the following partners who gave their time and expertise to make this year s experience a success. USF Library Digital Media Commons Assistant Director for the USF Library Digital Learning Initiatives, Barbara Lewis and DMC Media Technologist Brittany Self USF Writing Studio Consultants Christen Bouchard Jennifer Iceton Seth Spencer
Career Day Panelists Sabrina Bartholomay B.A. Art History, USF, 2012 Research in Arts Scholar Cesar Cornejo Ph. D. Associate Professor, Sculpture and Extended Media, USF Danielle Farrar Ph. D. Candidate Coordinator, USF Writing Studio, Literature Valerie Janesick Ph. D. Professor Emerita of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, USF Heather McCleaf B.A. Art Studio USF, Creative Professional Noel Smith M.A. Curator of Latin American and Caribbean Art / Curator of Education / Director of Museum Studies Graduate Certificate Frank Gehry s Fondation Louis Vuitton building in Paris, colored by Daniel Buren, is a non-profit art museum and cultural center. Bryce Wolmeldurf RIAS Photographer DeMarra Lee OUR Graphic Designer
About the RIAS Scholarship The Research in Arts Scholarship (RIAS) represents a creative partnership between the USF Office for Undergraduate Research (OUR) and the Department of Art and Art History, which aims to foster student passion for inquiry and discovery. Two essential elements comprise the RIAS Scholarship: financial support, and comprehensive training in research skills and professional development. Under the direction of faculty mentors and OUR Program Directors, RIAS Scholars who participate in the USF School of Art and Art History s Summer Art Program in Paris develop and produce research-based art projects from idea to installation. The historic monument and also the world s largest museum, the Louvre Museum, houses many famous hellenistic sculptures like this one.
The Eiffel Tower seen from the Alexandre III bridge.
Program Overview RIAS is a two-semester initiative that involves a summer study abroad component followed by the completion of a research-based art project during the fall semester. The OUR awards up to ten scholarships each year. Scholar projects are displayed in the OUR office suite for one academic year. During the RIAS experience scholars develop critical skills necessary for graduate school or the world of work. Learning Objectives Create a research-based art project Compose a research proposal Design a research project web page Present research findings at the USF Undergraduate Research Colloquium Participate in the logistics and installation of an art exhibit Document the research process and practice the art of reflection in artist journals Participate in a professional discussion panel and learn about creative careers
RIAS Testimonials Overall, I found this to be an enlightening and highly-influential experience, both for my artwork and for my life. I believe that there are many other students who would receive just as much from this program as I did, and I hope that the OUR will continue to enhance the experiences of study abroad students in the arts. 2012 RIAS Scholar This Research in Arts Scholarship was one of the best opportunities that I have been given at my time at USF. This project allowed me the ability to more fully delve into my experience in Paris, pushing me to examine and analyze myself and my work more fully. Taking part in an undergraduate research project with my art allowed me the opportunity to push my work to cross interdisciplinary boundaries. 2013 RIAS Scholar The research initiative aided me in furthering my professional development skills, which is significant because in both academic and professional settings the ability to develop as a professional is critical. I believe that the RIAS initiative has helped me to increase my professionalism in an open working environment, and as an academic researcher. 2014 RIAS Scholar The RIAS experience has been one of growth. Growth as an artist, a student, a researcher, and overall growth as a person. It allowed me to explore my practice in a broader context of art, and follow through with qualitative work to a direct audience. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and into a place that felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable; I also found that this uncomfortable place is where I learn and grow most, and I ll chase that place throughout the rest of my art making. 2015 RIAS Scholar
Students participate in Randonnée in the countryside to Chevreuse and Port Royal.
2016 RIAS Scholars Laura Amador Jessica Brasseur Kristen Clayton Taylor Crosland Taylor Emmons Kaitlin Harrington Elizabeth Keel Jennifer Kilburn Tina Piracci Erika Schnur-Carter Peer Mentor
RIAS Scholars at Work During the Fall 2016 semester, RIAS Scholars participated in a variety of preparation workshops and seminars to assist them in the development of their research projects. Activities included a writing session at the USF Writing Studio, a Digital Media Commons(DMC) workshop and a research poster preparation workshop. RIAS Scholars also took part in a panel session with creative professionals. Above - RIAS Scholars Elizabeth Keel and Kristen Clayton refine their research questions with the help of Writing Studio Consultant Jennifer Iceton. Above - Barbara Lewis and Brittany Self explain DMC services and resources.
Above - RIAS Scholars Taylor Emmons, Jessica Brasseur and Tina Piracci receive feedback from Writing Studio Consultant Seth Spencer. Above - Barbara Lewis answers scholar questions about DMC resources.
Above & below - RIAS Scholars Jennifer Kilburn, Laura Amador, and Kaitlin Harrington discuss their web content withwriting Studio Consultant Christen Bouchard.
Above - Brittany Self discusses DMC equipment and resources. Above - RIAS Scholars Erica Schnur-Carter and Kristen Clayton explain the components of their research projects to Jennifer Iceton.
Above & below - RIAS Scholars work on their research projects in the Office for Undegraduate Research.
Laura Amador I am an international student from Barranquilla, Colombia pursuing a second bachelor s degree in studio art at the University of South Florida. This summer in Paris was one of the most amazing experiences I have had. I was able to see and learn from the history of the city and to experience it as if I was one of the locals. It sounds cliché, but everything in Paris truly is so culturally rich and inspirational that it is impossible not to fall in love with the city. One of the things that captivated my attention the most, was the street art around the city. It was more interesting to me, to see how people in Paris express their social discomfort and artistic sensitivity on the walls of historic buildings, monuments, and statues, than the landmarks themselves. But what really struck me was the defacement of ads on pharmacies, bus stops, and metro stations. These were so creative and unexpected, and they seemed more artistic and intellectual rather than simple acts of vandalism. This has inspired my research, not only to question how ad defacement can be considered an art movement, but also to question if this social behavior could be compared to a modern form of iconoclasm. In my resulting artwork I want to explore issues about the consumerist culture and how it affects our definition of identity, and to invite the audience to interact with the art piece in a way that attempts to recreate the defacement of ads in the metro stations of Paris. I am so thankful for this opportunity that has allowed me to grow as a person and as an artist and helped me explore new ideas and concepts in a way that wouldn t have been possible otherwise.
Laura Amador Project Title Adconoclasm Research Mentor Joo Yeon Woo Research Question This research project examines issues of identity and consumerism through sculptural painting.
Jessica Brasseur I am pursuing a Bachelors of Fine Arts with a concentration in drawing and will graduate in the fall of 2017. Making art both excites and scares me and it is the combination of the two that keeps me going. I have been interested in the Beat generation writers and their work for a number of years, but I was just recently exposed the Cubist art movement. Upon further research on both movements, I found that Paris acted as a sort of breeding ground for shared thoughts and creative endeavors. Although superficially unrelated, I found that the ways in which the Cubist and Beat movements dealt with similar events, namely World War I and World War II, and later on, the Cold War, were strikingly similar. Through the lens of collage, the visual and written works of these movements manifested confusion, creativity and solution. My research project examines the underlying ties of these movements and aims to understand the manifestos and goals as radical cultural shifts occurred around them. I hope to move on to study art at the graduate level after graduation. The skills, understanding and experience I have acquired through the research process and the Research in Arts Scholarship program as a whole, will no doubt aid in my personal art making process.
Jessica Brasseur in Paris Project Title Synthesis through Destruction Research Mentor Ezra Johnson Research Question This research project examines the Cubist and Beat movements through the medium of collage in an attempt to expose common themes of destruction and revolution.
Kristen Clayton During my time studying art history at the University of South Florida, I had yet to find a concentration that projected my internal interests. While abroad in Paris studying the French decorative arts, it became apparent that the basis of authentic French identity, within the realm of material culture, is the ability to transform the natural world into a visual atmosphere that transcends reality through an extensive knowledge of aesthetics. Despite the overwhelmingly beautiful manipulation of the natural world present in Paris, a mecca of culture and civilization, I felt mentally and physically displaced and in conflict with the surrounding environment. With dietary and academic connections to plant life, the city removed me from the organic natural environment. My feelings exemplified by my hair, an aspect of aesthetic identity, and the meticulously manicured French gardens representing the organization of nature and humanity resulting from societal and cultural constructions. While on a personal excursion to the Guimet, I experienced Tanabe Shouchiku III s woven bamboo installation. The installation materialized Japanese aesthetic philosophy that presents an idea of humans efficiently working in flow with the natural environment. The installation created an atmosphere of harmony and peace, an oasis of tranquility inside the city. Within the exhibit and through Japanese aesthetic philosophy, I found solace and a connection between my internal and academic identity. Through my research, I hope to communication how a reconnection with nature through art inspired by Japanese aesthetic philosophy can foster a shift in perspective and an understanding of one s self within natural culture creating a global sense of a culture based off of humanity s interconnectedness with the natural environment by asking the question, In what ways can a work of art embody issues of identity, nature, and culture through the lens of Japanese aesthetic philosophy?.
Kristen Clayton Project Title The Art of Natural Culture and Identity Research Mentors Patrice Boyer Allison Moore, Ph.D. Research Question In what ways can a work of art embody issues of identity, nature and culture through the lens of Japanese aesthetic philosophy?
Taylor Crosland Taylor Crosland is a 2017 BFA candidate concentrating in printmaking and will graduate with a minor in business administration. Crosland is an Art Director at the University s Centre Gallery, studies etching at Graphic Studio and is a production assistant for Artist and Associate Professor Bradlee Shanks. Crosland grew up a Florida native and found inspiration in nature and philosophy to drive his studio practice. In the summer of 2016, Crosland s research proposal was accepted by the Office of Undergraduate Research and continued to study and research in Paris and London during the months of June and July. Crosland found a keen interest in philosophies and phenomena in photography after having the opportunity to study with Professor Emeritus Lou Marcus. The foundation for Crosland s research initiative stems from these interests and have been applied to his area of studio specialization. Having a fascination with printmaking and philosophies within the study of photography, Crosland produced a project that would challenge the notion of a photographic print being a lesser valued work due to the lack of the artist s hand and reproducibility of work. Thus, Crosland is ultimately researching printmaking techniques aid to photography in revitalizing the integrity and ontological value of the physical photographic print. Crosland s goal for this research is to reinforce the integrity of the physical photograph by illuminating the phenomenology of how we experience photographs through photogravure. Crosland will do this by capturing photographs in Paris that are relevant to the history of photography that hold correlations to the present social condition in the city. These images will be utilized to reinforce the ontological nature that photographs appear to be losing in our mediated society.
Taylor Crosland Project Title Fluctuat Nec Mergitur Research Mentors Ezra Johnson Lou Marcus Research Question This research project invites the reader/viewer to experience photography through photogravure in an attempt to demonstrate how the integrity of the physical photograph endures within our current mediated society.
Taylor Emmons Taylor Emmons is a senior hoping to graduate in the spring of 2017 with her Bachelor of Arts in Art History and a minor in Humanities. Since transferring to USF from Valencia College in Orlando, Florida after obtaining her A.A., Taylor has focused her studies in Islamic art and architecture under the mentorship of Dr. Esra Akin-Kivanc. Over the past two semesters, Taylor s research interests have focused on the art and culture of the Mughal Empire. Taylor hopes to continue focusing her studies in Islamic art from the pre-modern era in graduate school next year. Taylor s current research project focuses on the writings and theories of Marshal McLuhan and the connections it contains to the art of photographer Anne A-R. While in Paris, Taylor visited an exhibition entitled I AM with them on display at the Institut du Monde Arabe. The exhibition displayed photographs and video footage, by A-R, of Syrian Refugees. Taylor became intrigued by the display of the photographs and the curation of space that the exhibition processed. The deliberate presentation of A-R s work became the foundation for Taylor s research. Taylor became further interested in the theories of Marshal McLuhan and in particular his essay entitled The Medium is the Message. Through her research, Taylor has found a connection between the theories and ideas proposed by McLuhan, regarding our relationship to technology, and the exhibition. Taylor s main interests lie in questioning how A-R is able to use modern technologies to fully connect the viewer to her message in a technologically saturated world. Taylor would like to thank her family and mentors for supporting her in this journey, and the Office of Undergraduate Research for providing this wonderful opportunity. She would like to give special thanks to Dr. Akin-Kivanc for her wisdom, knowledge, and perpetual faith in Taylor.
Taylor Emmons Project Title Unavoidable Connections Research Mentor Esra Akin-Kivanc, Ph.D. Research Question In what ways does the artist, Anne A-R, who creates art in the digital age, appropriate the solutions offered by McLuhan? By using her camera as an extension of herself into the world she is photographing and the purposeful arrangement of her work, in what ways does she invite the viewer to connect to her images and their intended message?
Kaitlin Harrington I am a junior majoring in art history. I am also interested in creating art and have been working with ceramics and polymer clay for many years. I spent five weeks this summer studying abroad in Paris and London. The trip to Paris greatly impacted my research project which is on the French Monarch Marie Antoinette. I have been interested in Marie Antoinette since I was in the seventh grade. While it was easy to identify Marie Antoinette as my research topic, my ideas for the project have changed over the course of this experience. My focus is now on the mutable image of Marie Antoinette as ever changing in the eyes of society. From much loved to much hated and everything in-between. The mutable nature of this figure came about in part from viewing the various images of the monarch in different museums I went to in Paris from the Louvre to the Musée des Arts Forains. My summer experience has really changed my art work I have been producing much more elaborate pieces which is clearly influenced from my time spent in Paris. More importantly, the study abroad trip has re-inspired my love for Marie Antoinette.
Kaitlin Harrington Project Title Mutable Marie Research Mentor Pam Merrill Brekka, Ph.D. Research Question This research project represents an exploration of contemporary pop culture imagery of the French monarch Marie Antoinette to demonstrate the mutable nature of how society interprets this historical figure.
Elizabeth Keel I am a junior working on my Bachelor of Fine Arts with a specialization in painting and a background of drawing and photography. I was on track towards a degree in elementary education when I took a drawing and psychology class that greatly changed my outlook on life. I decided to transfer to USF to study art and have been exploring different mediums ever since. I have treasured the freedom to play with art and have spent most of my time deconstructing my technique through abstraction. Many of the themes that occur in my work relate to women rights, the stigma of mental illness, and poverty. My research project seeks to explore how, as an artist, I can process the experience of observing and interacting with people living in poverty and turn it into statement based art for social change. My experience with poverty is fueled by my history as a substitute teacher and my desire to be an advocate for impoverished children and families. In December 2015, I went abroad and saw the regularity of homelessness on the streets of London. I decided to study in Paris so I could see more of the world and learn about how different cultures respond to poverty on their streets. Collaboration with my peers during the research process has been monumental in my growth as an artist and an individual. Studying in Paris gives me a new perspective on life and my role as a social commentator in the global community. It has inspired me to continue working towards social justice art and exploring emotionality. I intend to graduate from USF with my bachelor s and apply to graduate school for a degree in art therapy where I hope to continue my research and make an impact working with people within my community.
Elizabeth Keel Project Title The Therapeutic Process of Creativity for Social Justice Art Research Mentor Patrice Boyer Research Question This research seeks to explore how one artist uses the creative process to translate lived experience into social justice art.
Tina Piracci Tina Piracci is a senior at USF majoring in studio art and minoring in Entrepreneurship, Visualization and Design and Engineering/ Digital Fabrication. Being a mixed media sculpture artist, Piracci tends to experiment in her processes. With each new medium, her expressions develop through tedious investigations. Recently, she has been pushing the limits to a specific clay mixture s firing temperature to see what new aesthetics she can draw from the clay through the melting process. With her current research project, she is challenging ceramic s functional norm, and constructing a ceramic sculpture that is approximately 8 feet in height. Studying clay s shrinkage rates and various glazing methods, she plans to display an expression of what she calls The Beauty Rubric. Inspired by Vitruvius, the artist researched the Vitruvian rule in which he defined literal guides for beauty that are the foundation of many theories we know today, such as the Fibonacci sequence and divine geometry. One of the strict guides that is visible throughout Paris, was that of the Ionic column. Within Roman and Greek architecture, there is a preferred and now global method of designing columns, as coined by Vitruvius. Through a comprehensive breakdown of divine proportions and measurements, he has developed a beauty rubric to make beautiful pieces of architecture. Piracci agrees with Leonardo da Vinci that the Vitruvian column design is the most beautiful, and she is intrigued with his methodology of defining beauty. Though Piracci admires the Vitruvian rule, she knows no true classification of beauty exists. With her current sculpture, Piracci plans to challenge this notion of a beauty rubric by carefully creating a column that satisfies Vitruvian expectations, but then physically and sculpturally melting the clay in order to represent beauty s fluidity and ephemerality in relation to time and context.
Tina Piracci Project Title The Beauty Rubric Research Mentor Ezra Johnson Research Question This research project explores how the traditional judgment of beauty provides connotations for meaning in contemporary works through the juxtaposition between tradition and innovation.
Erika Schnur-Carter Art is the stimuli of self-awareness and is an essential part of history. In my life, the vehicle of art is moved by the lens of my camera, shaped by my photographic perception. I am interested in the human condition and our ability to use art to bring light to dismissed social concerns and demand change. Art has now become an emotional experience for me. With the photographic medium as my instrument to expose atrocities and reverse injustices, my objective is to offer viewers a new perspective on the daunting realities within our society. As a senior in my undergraduate career majoring in studio art, the research I conducted in Paris became even more crucial to me. Being immersed in a city with so much to offer culturally and historically, I focused the scope of my research on displacement and the connection it has with artistic perception. The emphasis of my research is based on the merging of photography, sculpture, and video as a means to explore this connection through reflection and artistic process. My experience studying abroad in Paris paired with the research I conducted was monumental not only in transforming my perspective on life but also in shaping my plans for the future. This escapade has elevated and greatly informed my artistic knowledge as well as liberated my process as an artist.
Erika Schnur-Carter Project Title Transcendence Research Mentor Wally Wilson Research Question How can a mixed media work of art explore issues of displacement and identity through the lens of personal reflection and the artist process?
Jennifer Kilburn Peer Mentor I will graduate from USF this December with my Bachelor of Arts in studio art. Paris study abroad and the RIAS program have been a huge part of my life for the past two years. During the summer of 2015, I went to study art history in Paris for the first time, and had the chance to participate in the RIAS program. It was a life changing experience, and helped elevate the way I study, discuss, and create art. This past summer of 2016, I was lucky enough to return to Paris to take a second course there, and I was accepted back into the RIAS program not only as a scholar, but a peer mentor. I was able to assist others in the group with their own research, and have a second chance to work on a project in Paris. I have an Associate s degree in digital art, and I ve been working as a graphic designer at a screen printing company for three years. I use the Pantone Color Matching system to pick ink colors for printing on garments, which is an industry standard method of assigning numbers to every shade of color in the spectrum. My experience in Paris and my everyday work routine got me thinking about how color matching can be applied to fine art. Parisian artists were among the first to explore color theory, so I knew their bold use of color would definitely be fun to color match. So I took a Pantone book with me to Paris, carried it every day on our museum visits, and I handpicked colors from famous works of art. I used them to build color swatches that can be downloaded by digital artists, giving them access to the exact colors that artists like Picasso, Van Gogh, and Toulouse-Lautrec used in their work. I m so honored and grateful to have had the chance to be a part of the RIAS program twice. Being among other researchers is a great feeling; there s so much passion and inspiration in such a diverse selection of topics in this group. Travel and research has had a huge impact on me, and has helped build my confidence as an artist.
Jennifer Kilburn Project Title Putting Digital Color Practice to Use in Fine Arts Education Research Mentor Ezra Johnson Research Question How can a research-based art project add new insights into how we understand, process, and teach Pantone digital color techniques?
SHARE THE EXPERIENCE All photos taken by the RIAS Scholars.
CONGRATULATIONS to the 2016 SCHOLARS
OUR Mission Promote mentored research across all disciplines by partnering with faculty and staff in all academic programs, administrative units and within the community. Assist students, faculty, staff, administrators and community leaders in establishing research experiences that are designed to enhance a student s academic progression and foster deeper immersion in the field. Elevate the research experience by providing all participants professional development and mentoring workshops, research training and publication and funding opportunities. Office for Undergraduate Research lib.usf.edu/ undergraduate-research/ (813) 974-6824 ur@ur.usf.edu Find Us UNIVERSIT Y OF SOUTH FLORIDA