Off-campus UMass Amherst users: To download campus access theses, please use the following link to log into our proxy server with your UMass Amherst user name and password.

Non-UMass Amherst users: Please talk to your librarian about requesting this thesis through interlibrary loan.

Theses that have an embargo placed on them will not be available to anyone until the embargo expires.

Access Type

Open Access

Document Type

thesis

Degree Program

Art

Degree Type

Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A.)

Year Degree Awarded

2009

Month Degree Awarded

May

Keywords

Installation, Documentation, Memory, Time, Loss

Abstract

In an effort to process my grief associated with the death of my grandmother, I created a series of drawings, documenting my daily life in Massachusetts. This body of work constitutes my thesis. In total, I made one thousand and sixty one drawings, each undergoing a series of identical, repeated processes, which represent the number of days lived there. The simplicity, detail and sheer volume of drawings in the installation chronicles a relatable story through complex means. Creating the drawings was a methodical act of remembrance, the practice allowing quiet reflection on each day and its respective history. This body of work inhabits and portrays a space between experience and memory. It was a cathartic, private practice, which permits viewers only to witness the outcome, the installation; the legacy of time spent. Creating the work was a meditative, tactile way of both marking and processing time; time spent mourning the loss of my grandmother, accessing memories, and healing.

DOI

https://doi.org/10.7275/840389

First Advisor

Susan E. Jahoda

Included in

Art Practice Commons

COinS