ILC

This contract is a cumulative senior thesis project, a year of intense study of multicultural arts and religion to tie together the past years of study in design, ornamentation, fine art, and fine craft. It will blend previous undergraduate work into a final scholastic pilgrimage. This is a quest to refine skills while diving into the unknown, and will focus primarily on religious belief, myth, & folklore, cultural aesthetic & human ornamentation, art (specifically metal), reuse & sharing of ideas and influences, and will also feature a sub-focus in food, language, and clothing. Questions to be answered include: How are beliefs and rites of passage made tangible by symbolic objects and ornaments? How do cultures vary in their ritual ornamentation, and how do they share similarities? Ornamentation is one important aspect of humanity in which we all share a common thread – all cultures have practiced it, yet it has varied greatly. How have some cultures evolved from others, both in religious belief, and in aesthetic ritual? “Ritual Ornamentation” may include jewelry, tools, crowns, magical items, or utilitarian items used symbolically for religious ceremony or folkloric tradition. Overall design will be viewed in the lens of art history. Additional cultural study of food, folklore, language, and clothing will be documented, to give context and deeper understanding to my art studies. During the first quarter, I will be studying in silversmithing, culture, and food in Southeast Asia. The second and third, I will be studying language, as well as the trade and evolution of design, symbolism, and religion between West Africa, and the Caribbean and Southern United States.