Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MFA

College

College of Creative Arts

Department

Painting

Committee Chair

Naijun Zhang

Committee Member

Nichole Van Beek

Committee Member

Joseph Lupo

Committee Member

Michael Sherwin

Abstract

This written document is the accompanying thesis for my Master of Fine Arts exhibition, At the Table. This document, as well as my artwork, investigates the profound impact that food has on one’s life by strengthening connections with others, upholding traditions, and cherishing memories. It also elaborates on the inspirations, research, and experimentation utilized in the process of creating the exhibition. Through an array of paintings, mixed media, and sculptural work, this exhibition is intended to depict my own personal experiences and memories in relation to food.

Although I am making autobiographical artwork, I am also trying to portray the many ways that food bonds us to one another. My work is intended to convey the notion that the acts of preparing and serving food are practices that remain consistent across all cultures. Not only does food nourish our bodies physically, but the memories that we hold when we reminisce upon cooking and eating with family or friends nourish us emotionally. The work in this exhibition aims to highlight the significance of these moments. Rooted in tradition and nostalgia, I chose to focus on my own personal experiences to determine the subject matter of these artworks which allowed me to relive these fond memories during the creation process. Ultimately, the work in this exhibition is intended to serve as visual artifacts of my own personal nostalgia for those moments in which I bonded, talked, laughed, cried, or celebrated with others over a meal. While these works are autobiographical, my hope is that the viewer will find aspects that they can also connect with personally, transporting them back to fond memories where they, too, were at the table.

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