Master's Theses

Document Type

Thesis - campus only access

Date of Award

Spring 1997

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Art

Advisor

Linda Gangstrom

Abstract

The study of art history in graduate school exercises constant influence on my work and reinforced my desire to travel and experience various aspects of nature and culture. A major influence apparent in the works exhibited results from my residence in Hawaii where the natural elements of fire, water, earth and air are magnified and revered. The Hawaiians evolve methods of worship which mystically link heaven and earth by the belief that all of nature and the material world is animated by living spiritual ancestors or “Aumakua”. These spirits appear in the form of plants, animals, humans, cosmic forces, wind, mountains, and the sea. They relate to them as family or kin, offering assistance in the tasks of daily assistance. The idea of objects created of spirit and matter is central to the practice of sculpture. Hans and Shulamith Kreitler state, “Sculpture has often been regarded as an art which represents both concretely and symbolically the magic-laden combination of spirit and matter, meaning and material, which lies at the base of all culture”.

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Rights

© 1997 Meg R. Coulter

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