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Master of Fine Arts Thesis Off The Wagon? Then Go To god. Francesco Gattuso Submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirement for the degree of Master of Fine Arts, School of Art and Design Alfred-Düsseldorf Painting New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University Alfred, New York 2020 Francesco Gattuso, MFA Stefan Kürten, Thesis Advisor i Abstract Off the Wagon? Then Go To god, uses painted visuals to give a glimpse of what life looks like as a non-white person in a predominately white community. Francesco Gattuso draws upon Mediterranean folklore, customs, and mythology along with Abrahamic stories and high fantasy imagery to address issues of identity and being “other” within the United States. He utilizes mediums such as watercolor pencil and gold leaf to illustrate difficult content. Francesco Gattuso uses personal experiences, storytelling, illustration, and symbolism to address the complexities of identity, isolation, and misrepresentation. ii Acknowledgments First off I would like to pay a special thank you to my faculty here at Alfred University: Kevin Wixted, Thank you for taking me under your wing all those years ago and for being such a great professor, mentor, and at times even a paternal figure in my life. The lessons you’ve shared during many conversations over the course of many years will not be forgotten. Stephanie McMahon, You have been a constant source of tranquility throughout this whole tumultuous storm also known as Graduate School. Heidi Hahn, There has not been a single time where you have been anything other than yourself. Never afraid to speak your mind and say it how it is, you are full of a tenacity that is unmatched and unwavering. Jutta Haeckel, Thank you for distilling in me that famous German work ethic, also always having something positive to say, for picking me up off my feet and for taking me to the hospital when needed. Stefan Kürten, I truly appreciate how much you were willing to listen and learn about the complexities of American identity. For never getting defensive and always staying calm even at times I could not. To my first cohort, the Alfred/ Dusseldorf MFA in Painting inaugural class of 2020. There were many times we joked about how if we were to ever meet outside of school we would never be friends but in truth, there is not another group of people I would have chosen to travel around the world and form a family with. I will always cherish the fights, laughs, hugs, and love we have for one another. I would do anything to go back to Dusseldorf with y’all yelling at each other in the streets of Berlin, smoking in Amsterdam, finding a way out of London with only three hours of sleep, and finding ourselves in strange Parisian apartments at 4 in the mourning. I wish I could have finished with you all and we could have had the proper goodbyes we deserved: Haley, You brought vigor to the studio like no one else that seeped into all of us, forcing us to work even when thought we couldn’t. You will forever be an older sibling, stay different. Taylor, Always there to make us remember the love we had for each other. To make us laugh when we were down, and hug after we fought. I’ve known you for over 7 years at this point and I hope we know each other for 7 more. Edward, MY DUDE! Thank you so much for everything. The fights, the laughs, the food dates, the tears, the yelling, the hugging, and the difficult conversations that needed to be had. You reminded me of who I was, where I came from, and why it is imperative that we speak up, not stay iii quiet and always critique those above us, around us, and most importantly ourselves. Lauren, Thank you for helping me make my way through foreign lands. You were always there helping me find my path and myself along the way. I wouldn’t change a second of it. To my second cohort, the class of 2021 and 2022, I’m so glad I met you all and gained your input on this body of work and where it’s heading. You are all amazing and doing phenomenal. The first semester and the last will be the strangest. Have fun in Dusseldorf it’s an amazing city with so much to offer young artists. Josh, You are smarter and more creative than any computer program could ever be. I hope one day you get that life long cyborg partner you long for. Thank you for being the best consigliere you could be. Mike, Keep learning and asking questions man! Don’t stop growing. Ms. Emma, You’ve been nothing but a ray of sunshine this semester. Always there with a kind word and a big smile. Don’t stop pushing yourself and taking the work in all different directions. Nina, Your voice is powerful and holds the weight of a giant. When you speak the room becomes so silent you can hear a pin drop. Comrade Maddy, You are always ready to talk about the things others would rather leave unsaid and it is needed. Isse, Thanks for being my studio neighbor and for the long car ride talks about life, school, and the stages of life. To the Sculpture and Dimensional Studies department: Rïse Peacock, I wish we formally met sooner but extremely thankful for meeting you when I did. Your voice has been extremely influential this semester and you drove the work to places it otherwise would not have gone. Monir Madkour, Thankful to call you friend. Extremely happy about the studio visits we had through the years we’ve spent here in Alfred. Good luck with all future endeavors my friend. Felicity Machado, I don’t even know where to begin. First off without you, this paper wouldn’t exist. While being from completely different cultures our shared lived experiences are uncanny. The conversations we have had are not like any other during my time here at Alfred. Thank you for making me realize I’m not alone and there is a whole community out there outside of this one streetlight village. iv To the Electronic Integrated Arts department: Eric Souther, It was a pleasure working with you. The conversations we had will continue to open up new questions for some time to come. Leslie Rollins, My dear, dear friend Leslie. I will always cherish the lunches we shared over crappy Jet food, discussing the very framework of our perceived reality and about how everyone besides us (well sometimes even us) sucks. I will always remember the laughs we shared and will never forget that that’s what this is all about. To my Reynolds family, I love you all to a degree I cannot even put to words: Tom, You will forever be and always are my brother. You’ll be pleased to know that I have owned up to the instigating tendencies I have been known to produce. I wouldn’t have been able to get through the early years without you. Zach, Your go with the flow attitude and fuck it mentality is what is needed in this hard world. I’m excited about your wedding and to be your best man. I will always remember how you never asked why or passed judgment with the bullshit I got myself into, you just helped. Grant, Your calm demeanor and philosophical outlook on life was always there to temper my reactive decisions. I often think back to the long conversations we had late at night on 45’s patio. Mariah, You’re the gruncle I never knew I needed. The love and support you have shown me through the years we have known each other will never be forgotten. To the faculty that told me to drop out. Thank you because I needed that critique. Regardless there is a better way to relay difficult information to a nineteen-year-old. Last but not least my Mom. You’ve always been in my corner and there isn’t a doubt in my mind you will be. You’ve shown me how to go high when they go low. How to stay standing when they took my legs and how to yell out when they sniped my tongue. You are and will always be my inspiration. I love you. ….It really did take a village v Table of Contents Abstract…………………………………………………………………… i Acknowledgements……………………………………………………. ii Table of Contents……………………………………………………….. v Preface…………………………………………………………………… vi Prologue: Exiting, Traversing, Surviving………………………………..1 Off the Wagon: Death by Assimilation…………………………….... 9 Go to god I. Imposter…………………………………………………………. 18 II. The Den…………………………………………………………. 20 II. Four of Arrows………………………………………………….. 22 III. The Horns……………………………………………………….. 24 V. Voyeur………………………………………………………….. 32 Epilogue: Existing, Transforming, Thriving……………………………. 34 Bibliography………………………………………………………………. 35 vi “I should like to consider the importance of the difference in the color of our skin. From ancient times we have considered white skin more elegant, more beautiful than dark skin, and yet somehow this whiteness of ours differs from that of the white races. Taken individually there are Japanese who are whiter than Easterners and Westerners who are darker than Japanese, but their whiteness and darkness is not the same….Thus it is that when one of us goes among a group of Westerners it is like a grimy stain on a sheet of white paper. The sight offends even our own eyes and leaves none too pleasant a feeling.” --Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows, 1933 1 Prologue: Existing, Traversing, Surviving To be “other” within our society forces one to become hyper-aware of where they exist physically, emotionally, and socially in space.

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