Moments of Metanoia Mariah Anne Pickett Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected]
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Louisiana State University LSU Digital Commons LSU Master's Theses Graduate School 6-6-2018 Moments of Metanoia Mariah Anne Pickett Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses Part of the Fiber, Textile, and Weaving Arts Commons, and the Printmaking Commons Recommended Citation Pickett, Mariah Anne, "Moments of Metanoia" (2018). LSU Master's Theses. 4740. https://digitalcommons.lsu.edu/gradschool_theses/4740 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at LSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in LSU Master's Theses by an authorized graduate school editor of LSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MOMENTS OF METANOIA A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in The College of Art and Design by Mariah A. Pickett B.F.A., Bowling Green State University, 2014 August 2018 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My Thesis Committee: Mikey thank you for accepting the task of serving as my chair and your boundless tolerance for my perpetual inability to do things on time. Thank you even more for insisting that my audience does want to see the “Miah” in my work; that viewers do want to connect with the artist; and for pushing me to be vulnerable enough to reach for these relationships. Leslie, your excitement for printmaking and genuine interest in the development of my work for the past three years has been a gift which I appreciate so much. Dr. Stannard, one million thanks for welcoming me into the TAM department and opening my eyes to the wonderful world of apparel design and textile art. I have not a clue what I would be making if this had never happened. Kelli, I have so much gratitude and respect for you and your artistic process. Thank you for “adopting” me as my committee chair my second semester and continuing to work with me during the summer after. My mentors: Rick, the discussions you facilitated in our reading seminar in the Fall of 2016 will never leave me. It was you (and my thoughtful classmates) who reminded me of the immeasurable worth of human connection in an increasingly isolating world. Anna Kenar, Janet Ballweg, and Blake Sanders—without your voices in my formative years there would be no “Moments of Metanoia”. Anna, you showed me that timidity imposes the strictest limitations on creation. There is no room for fear of experimentation (or pushing your mark-making) in the pursuit of printmaking. Janet, I never expected much from myself until you expected more. I can’t emphasize enough how much I appreciate the freedom you gave me to come to this realization on my own. Blake, your integrity (as a printmaker and as a human) is in and of itself an inspiration. But without your gentle reminders to “Keep your head down” and to, above all, ii WORK, I would have lost sight of my goals years ago. Furthermore, you can’t ask for a better mentor—it is a rare and special instructor who will gladly facilitate and join in on all-nighters with the ever-energetic and mercurial print kids. We all had so much fun with you and I think I speak for all of us when I say that nights like those gave us the sense of community that we needed. Thank you to all of you. My friends: Dustin, your eternal optimism is the biggest gift you have to offer, and that’s saying a lot because you are also insanely talented. I am so grateful to you and your good-natured positivity. The privilege of watching you grow as a printmaker, artist, and as a human has been a joy—another gift of which I am appreciative. Kelly and Trav, you two have been a very necessary source of comfort the past couple years. Thank you for being my Midwest away from the Midwest. To have you guys to commiserate with has been my mental health’s salvation. I can’t imagine doing this without you. Trav, you deserve some sort of supporting artist award. Kel, I praise all of the higher powers I had a printmaking partner to go through the terrors of thesis with. Thank you so much for being in the same place at the same time and for being such a cool lady. The rest of the print grads, Carlie and David we share a bond that can never be broken. The print grads that relocate and reconfigure a shop together stay together. Clare, you narrowly escaped hell on earth, you lucky devil. Seeing your faces daily has been one of my few sources of happiness down the home stretch. Elizabeth, I really found a kindred spirit in your offbeat humor and that was awesome. Masy (and Joe), thank you for being my Louisiana locals and introducing me to the cool stuff y’all do down here. Also, for sharing my love for hip-hop/rap and being a true source for friendship. I will be eternally grateful for your willingness to offer any possible support and assistance in times of need. MC and Winks for providing so much love iii and encouragement from afar, thank you. I don’t deserve friends like you, but I sure am glad you think I do. My family: how I owe everything I am to every one of you. Thank you, thank you, thank you for being a top notch support team. A lifetime of thesis acknowledgments could only just begin to illuminate the gratitude I have for you guys. Dad and Danielle, Tyr, Grant, Lynn Brenneman, the Rywalskis, the Buchholzes, the Herricks, I love you all. Hannah, I imagine it isn’t uncommon for people to spend their entire lives searching for a ride or die friend like you. You are my joy, my laughter, my comfort, my confidence. Thank you for your advice, loyalty, and spirit uplifting pep talks. Mama, this is all for you as is everything good I ever do. For raising me to have even a modicum of the strength and intelligence that you have; for being an ideal example of independence, of integrity, of patience, of humility; for teaching me the true value of education and family; for instilling me with an unceasing desire for more knowledge, more understanding; for the positive aspects of my person which could have only come from you; for all of this, I will gladly spend forever in your gratitude. And I will never stop trying to make you proud. Thank you for always reminding me that I need to try to love and respect myself more and that the fulfillment of basic human needs is, actually, important. Forever and ever, I lava you. iv And my Eternal Muse—thank you. You are Electricity. You are Gravity. You are Magnetism. You are the Storm—before which there is nothing and after which there is nothing. You are every Butterfly and the rhythm of all the world’s wings fluttering like heartbeats. You are the entire Universe in one body. You are reality and fantasy and limitless in every dimension. You are the Beginning, the End, and the profound intermediate. Your existence is my inspiration. Endlessly. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgments………...............................................................................................................ii List of Figures……........................................................................................................................vii Abstract…….................................................................................................................................viii Introduction……..............................................................................................................................1 Primordiality: Greek Mythology as the Original Expression of the Human Condition.....................5 Mythological Moments of Metanoia................................................................................................8 The Marriage of Persephone................................................................................................8 Atlas, The Enduring............................................................................................................10 The Anxiety of Orpheus......................................................................................................12 Endymion Succumbing.......................................................................................................15 Clytia, In Bloom.................................................................................................................17 Material Longings: The Aesthetics of Collage...............................................................................19 The Process of Constructing Moments of Metanoia: A Brief Inquiry.............................................21 Bibliography..................................................................................................................................23 Appendix: Exhibition Images.........................................................................................................24 Vita.................................................................................................................................................29 vi LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Detail of The Marriage of Persephone (Floral Symbols)...................................................7 Figure 2: The Marriage of Persephone.............................................................................................8 Figure 3: Atlas, The Enduring.........................................................................................................11 Figure 4: The Anxiety of Orpheus...................................................................................................14