Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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Description
How do you convey what’s interesting and important to you as an artist in a digital world of constantly shifting attentions? For many young creatives, the answer is original characters, or OCs. An OC is a character that an artist creates for personal enjoyment, whether based on an already existing story or world, or completely from their own imagination.
As creations made for purely personal interests, OCs are an excellent elevator pitch to talk one creative to another, opening up opportunities for connection in a world where communication is at our fingertips but personal connection is increasingly harder to make. OCs encourage meaningful interaction by offering themselves as muses, avatars, and story pieces, and so much more, where artists can have their characters interact with other creatives through many different avenues such as art-making, table top games, or word of mouth.
In this thesis, I explore the worlds and aesthetics of many creators and their original characters through qualitative research and collaborative art-making. I begin with a short survey of my creative peers, asking general questions about their characters and thoughts on OCs, then move to sketching characters from various creators. I focus my research to a group of seven core creators and their characters, whom I interview and work closely with in order to create a series of seven final paintings of their original characters.
As creations made for purely personal interests, OCs are an excellent elevator pitch to talk one creative to another, opening up opportunities for connection in a world where communication is at our fingertips but personal connection is increasingly harder to make. OCs encourage meaningful interaction by offering themselves as muses, avatars, and story pieces, and so much more, where artists can have their characters interact with other creatives through many different avenues such as art-making, table top games, or word of mouth.
In this thesis, I explore the worlds and aesthetics of many creators and their original characters through qualitative research and collaborative art-making. I begin with a short survey of my creative peers, asking general questions about their characters and thoughts on OCs, then move to sketching characters from various creators. I focus my research to a group of seven core creators and their characters, whom I interview and work closely with in order to create a series of seven final paintings of their original characters.
ContributorsCote, Jacqueline (Author) / Button, Melissa M (Thesis director) / Dove-Viebahn, Aviva (Committee member) / School of Art (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The original version of Helix, the one I pitched when first deciding to make a video game
for my thesis, is an action-platformer, with the intent of metroidvania-style progression
and an interconnected world map.
The current version of Helix is a turn based role-playing game, with the intent of roguelike
gameplay and a dark fantasy theme. We will first be exploring the challenges that came
with programming my own game - not quite from scratch, but also without a prebuilt
engine - then transition into game design and how Helix has evolved from its original form
to what we see today.
for my thesis, is an action-platformer, with the intent of metroidvania-style progression
and an interconnected world map.
The current version of Helix is a turn based role-playing game, with the intent of roguelike
gameplay and a dark fantasy theme. We will first be exploring the challenges that came
with programming my own game - not quite from scratch, but also without a prebuilt
engine - then transition into game design and how Helix has evolved from its original form
to what we see today.
ContributorsDiscipulo, Isaiah K (Author) / Meuth, Ryan (Thesis director) / Kobayashi, Yoshihiro (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
When I first began thinking about what to do my honors thesis on during junior year, I knew that I wanted to do something creative. While I had successfully written a plethora of research papers and such throughout college, I knew that, were I to try to make my thesis entirely research based, I would not be able to be passionate about it. This thesis is what is going to be left for other Barrett students, current and future, to look at. I do not want to work on something that I would not be passionate about knowing that other people would see it and maybe even look at it when trying to find inspiration for their own theses. In order to accomplish this, I knew working on a creative project as my thesis was my best option. I would be passionate about what I was working on, and it would also allow me to work on something that did not just feel like more schoolwork. In other words, I would not get as “burnt out” working on my thesis if it were something that I enjoyed working on, rather than something that felt tedious.
ContributorsPrieve, Connor Taylor (Author) / Schmidt, Peter (Thesis director) / Ison, Tara (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The role of the artist is to push their field forward. Painting, an ancient
traditional practice, is constantly challenged by new ideas, technologies, societal
currents, and people. I believe it is my role to continue this tradition and introduce
my interpretation of the disciple that is painting.
In this series titled “What Our Bountiful Mother Earth Has Given Us”, I
explore topics of materiality, sacrifice, and the relationship between artists, laborers,
and the Earth. I began this investigation with an adoration for fruit- the signal of a
successful harvest, the budding of fertile land. To capture this organic abundance, I
decided to use the actual pulp of the fruit to depict it. The sacrificial act of using the
flesh of the fruit created an artifact that strives to be, in the end, greater than the
sum of its’ parts. At its’ core, painting is the alchemy of combining natural elements.
To do so, I began by sourcing as much of my chosen fruit as possible,
specifically choosing fruits that require the labor of migrant farm workers in
California. I experimented with using tools such as a blender or food processor to
crush the fruit, but ultimately decided that using my hands and feet to pulverize the
fruit to a paintable pulp allowed me to experience being a component in the process.
Next, I reduced the liquid content by boiling it down to concentrated medium,
adding salt as a preservative measure. Testing out heavy canvases and thin
starched cottons, I eventually chose the lightest fabric I could find, cheesecloth, to
allow the medium to carry the weight of the piece, rather than the support. I
suspended this fabric between two easels and began painting my pulp concoction
onto both sides in multiple layers, allowing it to dry in between. I repeated this
process multiple times until the cloth became stiff and only a small amount of light
could filter through it. I began the same process using another fruit, until I had all
three completed.
traditional practice, is constantly challenged by new ideas, technologies, societal
currents, and people. I believe it is my role to continue this tradition and introduce
my interpretation of the disciple that is painting.
In this series titled “What Our Bountiful Mother Earth Has Given Us”, I
explore topics of materiality, sacrifice, and the relationship between artists, laborers,
and the Earth. I began this investigation with an adoration for fruit- the signal of a
successful harvest, the budding of fertile land. To capture this organic abundance, I
decided to use the actual pulp of the fruit to depict it. The sacrificial act of using the
flesh of the fruit created an artifact that strives to be, in the end, greater than the
sum of its’ parts. At its’ core, painting is the alchemy of combining natural elements.
To do so, I began by sourcing as much of my chosen fruit as possible,
specifically choosing fruits that require the labor of migrant farm workers in
California. I experimented with using tools such as a blender or food processor to
crush the fruit, but ultimately decided that using my hands and feet to pulverize the
fruit to a paintable pulp allowed me to experience being a component in the process.
Next, I reduced the liquid content by boiling it down to concentrated medium,
adding salt as a preservative measure. Testing out heavy canvases and thin
starched cottons, I eventually chose the lightest fabric I could find, cheesecloth, to
allow the medium to carry the weight of the piece, rather than the support. I
suspended this fabric between two easels and began painting my pulp concoction
onto both sides in multiple layers, allowing it to dry in between. I repeated this
process multiple times until the cloth became stiff and only a small amount of light
could filter through it. I began the same process using another fruit, until I had all
three completed.
ContributorsFraga, Mckenna A (Author) / Schoebel, Henry (Thesis director) / Susan, Beiner (Committee member) / School of Art (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Accessible STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) education is imperative in creating the future innovators of the world. This business proposal is for a K-8 STEAM Museum to be built in the Novus Innovation Corridor on Arizona State University (ASU)’s Tempe campus. The museum will host dynamic spaces that are constantly growing and evolving as exhibits are built by interdisciplinary capstone student groups- creating an internal capstone project pipeline. The intention of the museum is to create an interactive environment that fosters curiosity and creativity while acting as supplemental learning material to Arizona K-8 curriculum. The space intends to serve the greater Phoenix area community and will cater to underrepresented audiences through the development of accessible education rooted in equality and inclusivity.
ContributorsPeters, Abigail J (Author) / McCarville, Daniel R. (Thesis director) / Juarez, Joseph (Committee member) / Industrial, Systems & Operations Engineering Prgm (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
As digital cameras have become more popular over the las two decades film cameras have started to fade into obscurity. Film cameras are now common items at thrift stores as people are getting rid of them to buy more modern cameras. Some of these cameras have undeveloped canisters of film in them that their owners forgot about. For my Honors Thesis I plan to make a photo book comprised of photographs from these undeveloped rolls of film I find.
So far, I have found three rolls of film that were able to be developed. Some of the rolls I have found were blank or too damaged to be developed. I will continue to search for more as I do this project. My goal is to have eight to ten complete rolls by the time I begin making my book.
Developing the pictures is always a surprise. They had remained undeveloped for years until I found them. I never know what will be on the roll. I always have so many questions when I see the pictures for the first time after they are developed. I wonder who took the pictures, where/when they were taken, how they ended up in a thrift store and how subjects would feel about the pictures today. I would like to be able to answer all of these questions, but I know it would be difficult to track down the people in the photos.
Even though the photos are of strangers they seem to still have a sense of nostalgia for me. They remind me of my memories from the era they were taken in. This connection is one of the bases I want to use for my presentation of the photos. One idea I have is to sequence these pictures from least clear to most clear, starting with pictures that can barely be comprehended. I think this would accurately represent memories in my own life. Many of my early memories are more blurred and less coherent but the more recent memories are much clearer. Sequencing will be an important tool for conveying my intended message. There are also many other tools I can use in post processing; however, I want to try to keep the photos as original as possible. There are some ways I could explore manipulating the photos without changing their original unedited look. Some ways I could do this are cropping, resizing and narrative. I will continue to explore these tools as I progress through this project.
So far, I have found three rolls of film that were able to be developed. Some of the rolls I have found were blank or too damaged to be developed. I will continue to search for more as I do this project. My goal is to have eight to ten complete rolls by the time I begin making my book.
Developing the pictures is always a surprise. They had remained undeveloped for years until I found them. I never know what will be on the roll. I always have so many questions when I see the pictures for the first time after they are developed. I wonder who took the pictures, where/when they were taken, how they ended up in a thrift store and how subjects would feel about the pictures today. I would like to be able to answer all of these questions, but I know it would be difficult to track down the people in the photos.
Even though the photos are of strangers they seem to still have a sense of nostalgia for me. They remind me of my memories from the era they were taken in. This connection is one of the bases I want to use for my presentation of the photos. One idea I have is to sequence these pictures from least clear to most clear, starting with pictures that can barely be comprehended. I think this would accurately represent memories in my own life. Many of my early memories are more blurred and less coherent but the more recent memories are much clearer. Sequencing will be an important tool for conveying my intended message. There are also many other tools I can use in post processing; however, I want to try to keep the photos as original as possible. There are some ways I could explore manipulating the photos without changing their original unedited look. Some ways I could do this are cropping, resizing and narrative. I will continue to explore these tools as I progress through this project.
ContributorsBeauchamp, Aaron F (Author) / Anand, Julie (Thesis director) / Bonfiglio, Thomas (Committee member) / Department of Supply Chain Management (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
The goal of this thesis was to create a theory of change for an annual Multicultural Arts Camp (MAC) that offers youth with trauma histories opportunities to cultivate protective factors associated with resilience. MAC is designed to promote four primary protective outcomes among its participants: (1) safety, (2) self-expression, (3) skill-building and (4) self-efficacy through exploration of various multicultural art forms and connecting with caring adults. The theory of change was informed by my observations during my experience as a MAC volunteer and my review of academic literature to better define and understand how various factors involved in the MAC program are linked to resilience processes. Arts programming can provide opportunities for youth who have experienced trauma to feel safe enough to engage in self-expression and build corresponding skills that promote feelings of self-efficacy. Building these protective factors thereby strengthens children’s capacity for resilience. Accordingly, the theory of change articulates program activities and processes that promote these outcomes among participating youth. Program directors may draw on the theory of change for strategic planning and evaluation efforts assessing the program’s processes and corresponding impact.
ContributorsJanss, Alena Lilia (Author) / Sechler, Casey (Thesis director) / Foster, Stacie (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Introduction: The Eye to Eye mentorship program is a national program in which college or high school students with learning differences mentor middle school students with learning differences. There are 68 Eye to Eye programs around the country, but little research has been done on their effectiveness and how to improve it. We conducted and evaluated one program site at Arizona State University and implemented this mentorship program for the first time during 2019. We hypothesized the Eye to Eye mentorship program that paired college students who have learning differences with middle school students who have similar learning differences would improve the outcomes and socio-behavior skills of both mentors and mentees.
Methods: The Eye to Eye mentorship program assessed involved mentors and mentees who completed 12 in-person art sessions out of the normal 20 in-person sessions. The first main assessment was the BLD (Breger Learning Difference) Feedback Survey addressing one’s experience in the Eye to Eye program and which were completed at the end of the mentorship program and filled out by mentors, mentees, and mentees parents (one parent for each mentee). A total of 12 mentors, 6 mentees, and 6 mentee parents were included in the feedback survey final analysis. The second main assessments were the pre and post Behavior Assessment System for Child, Third Edition (BASC-3) provided to mentors, mentees, and mentees parents (one parent for each mentee). A total of 10 mentors, 5 mentees, and 5 mentee parents were included in pre and post BASC-3 final analysis. Fall 2019 (pre) and Spring 2020 (post) optional interviews involved 5 mentors and 3 mentees who showed interest and were comfortable participating with additional release forms.
Results: The program was generally positively rated in the feedback survey by mentors, mentees, and mentee parents. The highest responses for mentors, mentees, and mentee parents all incorporated average ratings of 4.0 or higher (out of 5.0) for perceived understanding of socio-emotional skills after Eye to Eye, experience in Eye to Eye, how having a mentor or mentee made them feel, and perceived change in self-awareness. All three groups reported fairly high ratings of improved self-awareness of 4.0/5.0 or above. No negative ratings were provided by any participants and the lowest response was no change. The BASC-3 evaluation found statistically significant improvement in mentors’ anxiety and atypicality and mentees’ sense of inadequacy.
Discussion: The Eye to Eye program was popular and well-rated despite only involving 12 in- person one-hour art sessions. The mentors, mentees, and mentee parents felt positive about the Eye to Eye program when answering the feedback survey. Some suggestions are made on how to improve this program to better enhance someone with learning differences future ability to succeed. Future research is needed to assess the true impact due to the COVID-19 epidemic and other limitations.
Methods: The Eye to Eye mentorship program assessed involved mentors and mentees who completed 12 in-person art sessions out of the normal 20 in-person sessions. The first main assessment was the BLD (Breger Learning Difference) Feedback Survey addressing one’s experience in the Eye to Eye program and which were completed at the end of the mentorship program and filled out by mentors, mentees, and mentees parents (one parent for each mentee). A total of 12 mentors, 6 mentees, and 6 mentee parents were included in the feedback survey final analysis. The second main assessments were the pre and post Behavior Assessment System for Child, Third Edition (BASC-3) provided to mentors, mentees, and mentees parents (one parent for each mentee). A total of 10 mentors, 5 mentees, and 5 mentee parents were included in pre and post BASC-3 final analysis. Fall 2019 (pre) and Spring 2020 (post) optional interviews involved 5 mentors and 3 mentees who showed interest and were comfortable participating with additional release forms.
Results: The program was generally positively rated in the feedback survey by mentors, mentees, and mentee parents. The highest responses for mentors, mentees, and mentee parents all incorporated average ratings of 4.0 or higher (out of 5.0) for perceived understanding of socio-emotional skills after Eye to Eye, experience in Eye to Eye, how having a mentor or mentee made them feel, and perceived change in self-awareness. All three groups reported fairly high ratings of improved self-awareness of 4.0/5.0 or above. No negative ratings were provided by any participants and the lowest response was no change. The BASC-3 evaluation found statistically significant improvement in mentors’ anxiety and atypicality and mentees’ sense of inadequacy.
Discussion: The Eye to Eye program was popular and well-rated despite only involving 12 in- person one-hour art sessions. The mentors, mentees, and mentee parents felt positive about the Eye to Eye program when answering the feedback survey. Some suggestions are made on how to improve this program to better enhance someone with learning differences future ability to succeed. Future research is needed to assess the true impact due to the COVID-19 epidemic and other limitations.
ContributorsBreger, Chloe Levana (Author) / Adams, James (Thesis director) / Harris, Pamela (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Our audio-visual installation explores human development through internal conflicts as theorized by psychologist Erik Erikson. Erikson’s theory breaks down development into eight stages, each one with a unique internal conflict as its cornerstone. These stages will be expressed in our installation through different animation styles and accompanying songs. Originally these were planned to be projected on all four walls of an enclosed room; however, due to the COVID-19 situation, the installation was moved to a VR video that can be experienced virtually instead. These different styles and songs will uniquely represent each of the stages essential to psychosocial development, while the dynamic use of space through the projection of varied visuals in all directions will immerse audience members in the diverse experience of dealing with internal conflict. This unique installation will invite audience members to understand the internal nature of conflicts, and the similar conflicts we will all experience as we mature, inspiring them to participate in self-reflection, looking within themselves rather than on external factors as they develop throughout their lifetimes.
ContributorsXu, Gina (Co-author) / Chan, Yvonna (Co-author) / Conner, Jennifer (Co-author) / Pinholster, Jacob (Thesis director) / Fette, Donald (Committee member) / Arts, Media and Engineering Sch T (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
This thesis explores the introduction of Virgil Ortiz’s traditional Cochiti pueblo ceramic techniques and iconic imagery into the world of contemporary atmospheric high fired ceramics. Virgil is a multidimensional artist who has been working in ceramics since the age of 12, practicing the traditional hand building and decoration methods of his ancestral pueblo (1 traditional work) . In recent years, Virgil has begun to explore the use of modern materials and firing techniques in order to further his work and break into the contemporary ceramics community (2 modern materials). Virgil’s style is very figurative, sculpting human and human-like figures, and illustrating large vessels in the Cochiti traditional style, while incorporating his own characters, story lines and social commentaries.
Virgil and I met in 2019 while Virgil was performing a ceramics demo at the ASU Ceramics facilities. We collaborated on Virgil’s first line of completely handmade functional wares for his collaborative show at the ReVOlt gallery for Indian Market, Santa Fe 2019. In 2020, Virgil came to ASU as a visiting artist faculty and began work on larger pieces using more sculptural clays and exploring internal support structures under the guidance of myself and artist Ben Jackel. Seeing this large work and the opportunity to build on this, renowned art critic and appraiser Peter Held brought myself and Virgil to Reitz Ranch Center for Ceramic Arts, the former studio and home of Don Reitz. Don was an American master, building huge vessels and sculptures and firing them in salt, soda and wood kilns built on his property. He built a particularly larger Anagama style kiln, deemed the Reitz-agama, which measures 60in tall and 30 feet deep, specifically to be able to wood fire his massive wares. Don’s work is visceral and emotional, made with a heavy hand and minimally glazed, allowing for the buildup of wood ash and salt from the atmospheric firings to complete their surfaces. The ranch still holds all of his kilns, and hundreds of his pieces from years of success and failures. The owner of the ranch Sheryl Leigh-Devault, and Don’s former assistant Ben Roti, invited Virgil and I up to work at the ranch any time we wanted during this visit, and due to the closures of ASU studios and a desire to push our work together further than we ever had before, we orchestrated a week visit. This week visit developed into two weeks, and had since developed further into a one and a half month short term quarantine residency.
Virgil and I met in 2019 while Virgil was performing a ceramics demo at the ASU Ceramics facilities. We collaborated on Virgil’s first line of completely handmade functional wares for his collaborative show at the ReVOlt gallery for Indian Market, Santa Fe 2019. In 2020, Virgil came to ASU as a visiting artist faculty and began work on larger pieces using more sculptural clays and exploring internal support structures under the guidance of myself and artist Ben Jackel. Seeing this large work and the opportunity to build on this, renowned art critic and appraiser Peter Held brought myself and Virgil to Reitz Ranch Center for Ceramic Arts, the former studio and home of Don Reitz. Don was an American master, building huge vessels and sculptures and firing them in salt, soda and wood kilns built on his property. He built a particularly larger Anagama style kiln, deemed the Reitz-agama, which measures 60in tall and 30 feet deep, specifically to be able to wood fire his massive wares. Don’s work is visceral and emotional, made with a heavy hand and minimally glazed, allowing for the buildup of wood ash and salt from the atmospheric firings to complete their surfaces. The ranch still holds all of his kilns, and hundreds of his pieces from years of success and failures. The owner of the ranch Sheryl Leigh-Devault, and Don’s former assistant Ben Roti, invited Virgil and I up to work at the ranch any time we wanted during this visit, and due to the closures of ASU studios and a desire to push our work together further than we ever had before, we orchestrated a week visit. This week visit developed into two weeks, and had since developed further into a one and a half month short term quarantine residency.
ContributorsSmith, Andrew Walton Lee (Author) / Chung, Samuel (Thesis director) / Ortiz, Virgil (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / School of Art (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05