Date of Award
Summer 2021
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
Art
First Advisor
Leanne Cambric
Second Advisor
Gretchen Jaknowski
Third Advisor
Dr. Rebecca Siefert
Abstract
The concept that I explore in my thesis is the idea of marking moments in time by mental “snapshots” of events that are indelibly ingrained on the mind and can be theatrically portrayed through ceramics. That these moments birth opportunities to create a narrative between the artist and material, the art and the viewer, and between the works of art themselves was the impetus for the work, while also exploring what lies beneath the making and what might live beyond the exhibition. COVID-19 created, by necessity, a “slowing down” of time – and magnification of moments that one might otherwise speed through and thus go unnoticed because of the pace of contemporary life. This event gave room for breath that would otherwise not have been allowed. Part of the motivation for looking at this direction for a body of work was the concept that a personal journey and the rhythms of life include moments that are sometimes sacred – and that the lines are blurred between the sacred and the secular – and are often marked by celebration or ceremony. Glaze chemistry research was also a critical part of this thesis, with the development of new glazes being pivotal to the process of creating work for this exhibition.
Recommended Citation
Burk, Deborah, "between. beneath. beyond... A Visual Drama in Five Acts" (2021). Art Theses. 5.
https://opus.govst.edu/theses_art/5