Abstract

Using floriography within my own work, I captured the essence of human emotion and used its familiarity to bring mental health issues to the foreground of conversation. The parallels of hidden emotion and social discordance between the Victorian era and the 21st Century inspired my introspective research into "invisible" illnesses: health issues that affect both the mind and the body, respectively. Utilizing knowledge in mixed media, as well as traditional metalsmithing techniques, these ideas manifested into a series of wearable art and sculpture with the intention of prompting in-depth discussions on mental health stigmas. Without compromising the ambiguity of floriography, I have fabricated a collection of semi-abstract flower forms to provide a tangible representation of different states of mental health.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Wearable art--Themes, motives; Artist-designed jewelry--Themes, motives; Art metal-work--Themes, motives; Soft sculpture--Themes, motives; Flower language; Flowers in art; Mental illness in art

Publication Date

5-14-2021

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Metals and Jewelry Design (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

School for American Crafts (CAD)

Advisor

Leonard Urso

Advisor/Committee Member

Joseph Baschnagel

Advisor/Committee Member

John Aäsp

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

Plan Codes

METAL-MFA

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