Egg Tempera Updates! From Renee Guerin

 Hello, Everyone!

It has been awhile. I hope everything is going well as we all wrap up this fall semester. As I have continued in Research Methods, I have developed my literature review and proposal, and am continuing to work on refining everything for faculty to read. I had a fun time planning out my timeline, as it gave me a better sense of what needed to be done, and what I have to look forward to going into winter break and the upcoming spring semester. One of my focuses from my timeline is the planning and preparation of the egg tempera paints and substrates.

I am currently researching natural, ethically sourced pigments, and comparing them via price point and shipping timeline. One source I am leaning towards is Koo Schadler, because of their affluence in the tempera painting community today, as well as the publications they have disseminated on the internet. I am also considering things such as sourcing natural earth pigments myself locally, in order to keep with consistency of where the materials are exactly coming from. Something I need to be aware of is time constraint, and how plausible it is to source, dry, and grind all these materials by myself if I went down this route.

Finally, I have started to research a selection of tempera paintings for the recreation process. While I haven’t narrowed it down yet, what I am primarily looking for is: skill level, time constraint, additives that may be included, time period, substrate, scale, damaged or non-damaged, and further. This is a concise version of a checklist I am planning to create and use in dwindling down the potential works. Overall, everything has been going smoothly, thus far, but I am looking forward to a nice relaxing break with my dogs!

Free from Midterms and My Lit Review (For Now)

 It is far too dark outside and I miss the sun, but that's Rochester in the Fall and Winter for you!

I am back from midterms, and to keep you updated on my thesis, I have finished my lit review. Kind of. It's far from perfect, but it definitely approached good, and for something Dr. Decker says will never be or feel completely finished, that makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside.

I hung my survey flyers yesterday, and am totally not refreshing every hour to see if anyone has submitted a survey, which was a major relief and step forward for me in this project. I am also working on my thesis proposal (eek!) which is coming along much smoother than I imagined, although if my tech issues with google docs have anything to say about it, there might be a few more unseen bumps than anticipated. After the proposal, it's going to be revise, revise, revise. That lit review I mentioned? I forgot a key part that I should probably include, because having a thesis paper about visitor behavior and familiarity without mentioning the previous research done doesn't seem like a good idea if you know what I mean.

All in all, I've got a lot more writing to do to get this thesis past the good stage, and I've got a lot of waiting to do as well. Good thing I've got a bunch of sources I need to reread (and a google form to refresh)!

Yours in silly times, sleep deprivation and cat withdrawals,

Nic

Pete chilling on his heated bed (I MISS HIM SO MUCH)

Updates and you have a little over 7 days...(The Ring reference)

Who else is feeling good about their thesis and has 9 fingers? 

Never do I! 

hahaha...I know, hilarious. But in all seriousness, if you are feeling lost, tired, or like you're not doing enough, you're not the only one! These feelings are natural and in fact, normal. 

I also feel weird talking about my thesis topic on our blog, because who wants to hear it? But I guess I have to get used to it because that is what we'll be doing in...9 days with our proposal and all of next Spring :) 

My topic has expanded from the beginning of adding ramps to historic houses, to just focusing on a new walkway at the GCV&M for a more accessible time for visitors! 

I have learned way too much about pavements...and gravel...

What is something your research has you researching that you didn't expect? 

Comment below! ~ 

Exciting updates!

 

Hi! Long time no see... 

I've taken the time this past weekend to reach out to four of my friends who are passionate about Lolita fashion and also wearers of it! These are simplified, but I asked them three questions: 

1. Are you interested in being interviewed? 

2. Would you be willing to lend pieces to be put on display in the gallery?

3. Are you interested in participating in a potential fashion show?

Three have enthusiastically responded with yes, while I am still waiting to hear back from the last one. In any case, I'm very excited to have at least three participants willing to be interviewed, have their pieces put on display, and participate in a possible fashion show (which I should later discuss in more detail with Dr. Decker). 

My roommate, Alyssa, has also gladly agreed to lend her magazine to be put on display for the exhibition! 

I'm very glad this is becoming more of a collaborative process. I aimed to not only make it about the fashion, but the community and directly involving the people within it, with their permission. I am so thankful for them! They are so willing to share their different perspectives, lend pieces and art, and model for a show. 

See you next update!

- Carolyn

(Kamikaze Girls, 2004) 

 

 

 

 

Hello! Carolyn Lee

 

Hello! My name is Carolyn Lee and I am a fourth-year student in the Museum Studies major here at RIT with a minor in Literature and Media. I come from Phoenix, Arizona–my journey here was pretty much one extreme end of the weather to another, but maybe I will be able to survive any potential climate with this training, who knows!

I am currently working in the Story department for the Finger Lakes Virtual Museum Project partnering with MAGIC Spell Studios. During my time on the project, I have been learning, and am still trying to refine, the skill of researching a historical topic in depth and then trying to convey that information in a way that is educational, but still entertaining and precise. I believe this skill may aid me in my topic; a history that many are not particularly familiar with.

After wavering between two potential topic choices, I have decided to examine something I am personally interested in, the history of Lolita Fashion and its existence today. I will be enlisting the help of my fellow friends in the area who dress in Lolita, online EGL (Elegant and Gothic Lolita) communities, and my roommate Alyssa with her beautiful magazine she illustrated and wrote about the fashion. 

All of this will hopefully culminate to make an exhibition in University Gallery that conveys a meaningful experience about this fashion style originating in Japan that has caused some controversy with its name and style, invoking many misunderstandings. I aim to deconstruct and question these criticisms in my thesis. Thank you so much for reading; I'd love to hear your thoughts so far on the fashion and topic if you have any at cel9559@rit.edu :)

Below is a photo of me in my first ever coord! 

 

 

Progress Update! - Riley Mason

Hi all!

I’ve got a solid progress update to share! The first draft of my literature review is finished, and I’m already working on tweaking and improving the next version. I’ve got a good list of sources, and have gotten feedback and a handful of authors to include in my research. I’ve also started thinking about the structure of my final paper, using past theses from MUSE graduates as reference points. In terms of non-written developments, I’ve started putting together a list of contenders for the final 12-ish objects from the GCV&M’s Bruce & Susan Greene Costume Collection. A recent visit to the Wehle Gallery for the museum’s Agricultural Fair gave me the opportunity to get an in-depth look at the exhibit Becoming Gendered: Garment as Gender Artifact.

The most important part of my progress so far is that I’ll be able to create a physical exhibit as part of my thesis project! I’ll be aiming to display as many of my selected objects as safely possible, with replicas in place of those that cannot be displayed. I’ll be creating didactic labels for each object, as well as larger text panels that explore key themes of my project. I’m strongly considering an interactive element in the exhibit to connect with its modern fashion concepts, though I’ll have to do more research and brainstorming to determine what that might look like.

Once again, please do email me at ram3077@rit.edu if you have any feedback, ideas, or thoughts to share. Spooky season is also upon us, so please share any fabulous Halloween costumes you've seen with me! In the past few years I've been Cruella de Vil, Sarah Sanderson, and Lydia Deetz, and this year I’m working on an Edward Scissorhands costume.

Have a restful fall break!

Riley

Kaitlyn Troutman- My visit to the MAG

     Hello everyone! I am back to discuss my visit to the Memorial Art Gallery. In late September I went to the MAG to meet with Kerry Schauber, the museums curatorial research assistant and rights and reproduction. She has done the work to date on the provenance of the items within the Nazi-Era provenance list. When meeting with her, she pulled files on five of the thirty three items within the collection. I examined the information in these files, particularly the provenance research. I took notes on these items and paired particular attention to items that were noted by the Art Loss Register. The Art Loss Register is the world's largest online database of stolen art. The MAG submitted the items within their Nazi-Era collection to this database so further research could be done. Though items were noted for further investigation by the database, nothing definitive was resolved at the time. I would like to look more in to these pieces in particular and why the register noted them.

Image of my visit to the MAG, (one of the pieces that
 is listed on the Nazi-era Incomplete Provenance List)

    In addition to notes from the Art Loss Register, I noted the MAG's accomplishments to date on Nazi-Era provenance. The museum outlined these accomplishments within the files. This visit to the MAG increased my interest in my thesis topic. I will most definitely be returning to the MAG to explore more of their provenance files while I continue research on my own. That's all for now I hope everyone has great fall break!

Exhibit Progress and More

     These past few weeks have been a whirlwind of thesis work. While completing some background research to justify my thesis, I have also been working on the physical side of my project. I am preparing for my exhibit, which will be going up in the spring semester. Although my main purpose of the exhibit is to help justify why this archive is important to the collection I am creating, I am very excited to share my grandfather's work with the RIT community. 

    For the exhibit I have decided to split the narrative up into three sections; The Student, The Craftsman, and The Drifter. Each section represents a part of Jerrold's life and connection to the School of American Crafts at RIT. I am hoping to create a narrative that will connect the beginning and end of his career in the craft field and his story as an artist in Rochester, NY. Currently, I am in the process of finalizing the object selection for the exhibit and am hoping to represent all of the arts he participated in. His career was filled with creativity and innovation, and many have said that some of his work was ahead of its time, some pieces are relatively similar to the jewelry and sculptures we see today. 

    After I complete the object selection I plan on digitizing the objects I have selected. I really enjoy photography and am excited to practice my skills through this digitization. I also will begin preparing the text of the exhibit, along with its label copy and design. Once this is all complete I will be able to place my focus back onto my paper and get into the details about my thesis and its purpose. 

    Have a great fall break. I look forward to updating you on the progress of my thesis. If you have any questions you can contact me at ggs5178@rit.edu

    - Gabriella Smith