Thesis
Beyond her arrival
University of Iowa
Master of Fine Arts (MFA), University of Iowa
Spring 2024
DOI: 10.25820/etd.007427
Abstract
My interest in art began with finding a source to relieve my anger. Being one of the youngest of nine siblings, I often faced difficulty during my upbringing, which led to frustration and the feeling of being misunderstood. Finding my identity was hard because everything I wore, learned, read, or owned was handed down. While most of my siblings were pursuing an interest in sports, pageants, and other school activities, I was left with little to choose from. However, art was accessible and had no additional burden on my family. The first art piece I created came about because my older brothers had broken a toy, one of those moving screen toys that play music simultaneously like a TV I could finally call my own. I fixed the toy by recreating the whole toy using a cereal box, a plastic bag, paper towel rolls, crayon tape, and some glue. This little spark of genius not only simmered the frustration I felt toward my brother but also brought an opening to my natural talent. Most of my professional art experiences involved children or working with other pursuing artists. Beyond using a brush and paint, I explored more possibilities to bring an idea to life. I have used human and synthetic hair, beading, jewelry, false flowers, printmaking, printed paper, and many forms of ephemera.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Beyond her arrival
- Creators
- Katrice Kelly
- Contributors
- T.J. Dedeaux-Norris (Advisor)Terry Conrad (Committee Member)Laurel Farrin (Committee Member)Isabel Barbuzza (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Thesis
- Degree Awarded
- Master of Fine Arts (MFA), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Art
- Date degree season
- Spring 2024
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- DOI
- 10.25820/etd.007427
- Number of pages
- vii, 21 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2024 Katrice Kelly
- Language
- English
- Date submitted
- 04/22/2024
- Description illustrations
- illustrations
- Public Abstract (ETD)
- As I explore the history of my childhood memories, I realize many past moments shaped how I digest the world. While living in Little Rock, Arkansas, inner-cultural discrimination, misinformation, and institutional racism were an everyday constant. These forms of discrimination caused a feeling of outcasting and hair dysmorphia. I used damaging chemicals to straighten my hair to fit into the standards of my peers because hair deemed beautiful, often lacking Afrocentric characteristics, meant popularity and status. I began creating sculptures to praise the hairstyles society wanted me to hate by using synthetic hair to create braided items related to my cultural history. I became fond of the materiality of the artificial aspect of the hair. I began to explore ways I could paint with other fibers, which led to the introduction of yarn by crocheting and tufting, a form of rug making, into my practice. The works are inspired by the stories of my dreams that are so bizarre and far from current reality that I would realize I was dreaming and find a way to control them. My dreams often had elements of dystopian worlds and science fiction that sometimes materialized, leading me to believe that my dreams may be prophetic.
- Academic Unit
- School of Art, Art History, and Design
- Record Identifier
- 9984647556102771
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