Graduate Student Capstones, Projects, and Theses

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2017-2018 Graduate Student Research Journal
(2018-07) Center for Community Arts & Cultural Policy
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Grow Art: You're in Business
(2018-06-08) Navarro, Sophie
The purpose of this graphic memoir is to show how artists can create a sustainable and viable art business. This guide book offers artist entrepreneurs and designers tools that support the career of an artist. I chose the graphic style to show my work as an example of how I process my own approaches to creating and promoting my work. All illustrations are made by me.
Open Access
The New Museology in Museum Practice in China: A Case Study in Hubei Provincial Museum
(2018-06-07) Lu, Sisi
As one of the major lifelong learning possibilities outside the education system, museums have always been an important venue to the public. Throughout their long history, there has been a major shift in museology from being a collections-centered museum to a visitor-centered museum in recent years. As China develops economically, museums have become greater in number, size, and scope. However, Chinese museums might neglect the importance of the visitor experience. With a framework of new museology and models a new participatory museum, this research project attempts to understand the visitor-centered practice in China through document analysis and a case study of the Hubei Provincial Museum in Hubei, China. This study intends to understand the implementation of theory into practices and offer useful recommendations to the museum professionals in China.
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Biculturalism at Otago Museum: A Case Study
(2018-06-06) Underwood, Avery, Wailes Povelite
Otago Museum in Dunedin, New Zealand, is an institution in the beginning stages of a museum-wide shift towards biculturalism. Presently, the Museum largely operates under a western museology, and the shift to biculturalism means not only are objects and content interpreted in the traditional western style, but also with respect to the worldview and with the authority of the indigenous Māori people of New Zealand. A bicultural museum model decolonizes the museum institution by giving authority and agency back to indigenous peoples, creating a more comprehensive and inclusive museum. Approaching this research project with a framework of biculturalism and bicultural practices as detailed by Conal McCarthy in his 2011 Museums and Māori , this research intends to detail and better understand the current and future bicultural practices of Otago Museum through interviews with key staff members, observations of Otago Museum spaces, and analysis of the Museum’s documents. This research aims to provide a better understanding of the Museum’s bicultural practices and shift with the hope that the findings provide useful lessons for museums in the rest of New Zealand and the world.
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How Architectural History Can be Taught in the K-5 Classroom Using Picturebooks
(2018-06-06) Shaw, Jordyn
Architecture, and architectural history, is not typically a focus of art education in the K-5 classroom. In this study I aim to demonstrate how picturebooks can be used as a tool in the K-5 classroom to teach architectural history. This study was modeled after Sipe’s (2001) article Using Picturebooks to Teach Art History. I analysed eighty-six picturebooks based on a specific criteria, choosing books that have been: (1) published or republished in the past 20 years; (2) have a strong narrative quality in text; (3) allude to architecture and have architecture as part of the integral setting; and (4) are set at a K-5 reading level. I arranged the eighty-six books into four types: (1) Tours; (2) Building Practices/Principles; (3) Stories of Architects: Real, Child, or Animal; and (4) the Architecture of Houses and Homes. Within the Tour type, I found three subtypes called the “City Tour,” the “State/Country Tour,” and the “Cross-Country/World Tour” subtypes. I addressed each type and subtype, discussing themes that appeared. In talking about the themes and subtypes, I also address “what can be taught,” giving specific examples of how these themes and subtypes can be used in the classroom. In these sections I discuss the National Core Arts Standards (Standard, 2014) and the National English Language Arts Standards (“English Language Arts Standards,” 2018) that pertain to the subtypes and themes. Lastly I address representations of Medieval architecture in picturebooks. I address a specific time period within architectural history, and discuss what could be taught in the classroom using picturebooks as a resource. Using twelve picturebooks I looked at representations of churches; castles; other buildings; and building principles, practices, and concepts. In these sections I discuss what can be taught along with any inaccuracies and inconsistencies that appear in the picturebooks when compared to current scholarship on the subject.
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(Mis)representations of History: Displays of Difficult History in Oregon Community Museums
(2018-06-06) Engel, Isabel
In Oregon, the vast majority of community museums are history museums focusing on local history. According to the Oregon Museums Association, of the 58 museums registered with them, 52 of those museums are focused on local and regional history. These museums have largely focused on pioneer history and display how white Europeans settled the land. While this is one aspect of Oregon history, many Oregon community museums fail to display difficult histories, or history that recalls trauma, oppression and/or violence. With current museology focusing on the diversification of exhibits through the inclusion of difficult histories, there is an apparent disconnect between this research and actual practice in Oregon museums. In this research project, I critically analyze visual representations at eleven (11) Oregon community history museums through site observations, document analysis and with three (3) of the museums, through interviews of curators and/or museum directors. I argue that as important sites of history and community outreach, these museums miss opportunities to educate the public and include minorities that have largely been left out of the Oregon narrative.
Open Access
Socially Infamous: Individual and Community Culture at the Notorious Burnside Skatepark
(2018) Ellerbe, Hames
This research project involves sociocultural validation of the founding members and early participants of Burnside Skatepark. The group developed socioculturally through the creation and use of an internationally renowned Do fl Yourse{l(DIY) skatepark. Located under the east side of the Burnside Bridge in Portland, Oregon and founded in 1990, Burnside Skatepark is one of the most famous skateparks in the world, infamous for territorialism, attitude, and difficulty. On the other hand, the park has been built with dedication, devoid of city funding and approval, in an area known, in the earlier days of the park, as a crime infested, former industrial district. Through the do ii yourself creation of Burnside skatepark, came the sociocultural cultivation and development of the founding participants and skaters. Additionally, the creation of the park provided substantial influence in the sociocultural development of a number of professional skateboarders and influenced the creation of parks worldwide. By identifying the sociocultural development and cultivation of those involved with the Burnside skatepark, specifically two of the founders, and one professional skateboarder, consideration can be provided into how skateboarding, creating a space, and skate participation may lead to significant development of community, social integrity, and self-worth even in the face of substantial gentrification.
Open Access
Major American Symphony Orchestras and the Fundraising Gala
(2018-06-06) Bayouk, Alexa
Virtually every large symphony orchestra holds a fundraising gala. Formal events like these are costly in terms of both time and monetary resources, yet they yield a relatively small profit when compared to direct solicitations for funds. Nevertheless, special events serve important purposes beyond fundraising, like stewardship, networking, and prospecting, so they are worth the time and energy for most organizations. This research project looks at the galas of 10 symphony orchestras in the United States (nine of which have budgets over $20 million) and compares the use of various gala components, dollars raised, and staff perceptions. The purposes of this study are to 1) gain a better understanding of which gala elements contribute to the event’s success, 2) find other gala purposes and ways to measure a gala’s success beyond just fundraising, and 3) discover the unique ways that symphony orchestras are utilizing the gala model in comparison to non-performing arts nonprofits. This master’s project culminates in six major recommendations as well as a Symphony Orchestra Gala Planning Toolkit, which includes timelines, checklists, and evaluation forms.
Open Access
Visitor Reception in Collaborative Museum Exhibits
(2018-06) Schmith, Erin
As museums seek ways to attract wider audiences and increase their relevance to more people, collaboration with community groups has become common practice. Museums are using multiple models for these collaborations, which often include working with people whose perspective has traditionally been left out of the mainstream museum narrative. While many studies on these processes have been conducted, very few focus on visitor reception of information about the process of collaboration that went into the exhibit. Those studies that do exist show that the visiting public is unaware of this work and therefore a key opportunity to engage the public around issues of decolonization, legitimizing worldviews outside of the mainstream narrative, and democratization of museum processes is lost. This project focuses on collaboratively designed exhibits at the Portland Art Museum and is an examination of the processes involved, how the museum is communicating with visitors about their collaborations, and whether those communications are effective.
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Curatorial Activism: Turning Activism into Practices
(2018) deMontigny, Breanna
Museums are not perfect institutions-- they have a long history of marginalization of ethnicity, gender, and sexuality through “western” museological practices. With recent political upheaval, more people have been fighting for rights and recognition, and museums are put in the position of having to evaluate how they react to the changes around them. This research project is pursuing the concept of curatorial activism, as defined by Dr. Maura Reilly, in an attempt to find exhibits or displays that demonstrate museums’ increasing political activism in various sized institutions across the United States through detailed document analysis. Interviews with current museum professionals who have a history of working with marginalized groups will help to better understand institutional barriers, as well as how the role of the curator should be redefined. This research intends to provide a realistic overview of institutional change and provide a better idea of how any museum can incorporate these practices.
Open Access
Activating Place Identity: Programmatic Shifts in the Outdoor, Public Spaces of Downtown Eugene
(2018-06) Schenter, Melissa
This study examines the City of Eugene’s adoption of creative placemaking practices in an effort to positively alter the identity of its Downtown- focusing on the resultant shifts in programming methods, and on the complex role of artistic producers within it’s outdoor, public spaces. Recognizing “place identity” as existing in the combination of both tangible and intangible elements, this project applies a framework of performance theory to analyse the “mechanisms of action” which work to normalize behaviors within physical spaces, thus influencing perceptions of place. Based largely on 15, semi-structured interviews with City programmers and community arts leaders, the findings of this project focus predominantly on the concept of “activations”- an emergent style of arts programming born from the creative placemaking movement, and inspired in Eugene by the 2016 Downtown Assessment conducted by the Project for Public Spaces (PPS). Interviewees differentiated activation programming from event programming, describing the former as being more ambient, ongoing, inclusive, and as creating a greater link between the arts and city infrastructure. Importantly, activations provide more varied modes of engagement, and have the potential to more subtly influence behavior patterns over time. Through these interviews, it became apparent that current city infrastructure struggles to support artistic activities. However, Eugene has adopted strategic partnership models to work towards addressing downtown’s identity crisis, which involve intentional arts programming. Following the work of PPS, the Mayor, City Council, and leaders across various City department pulled together a diverse team of city staff to form the “Downtown Operations Team.” As a result, arts programmers voices have been brought to the table in strategic, downtown revitalization efforts, allowing them to work alongside leaders in areas such as Facilities, Transportation Options, and Planning & Development. Through these collaborations, City programmers and arts leaders have adopted a necessary sensitivity in their work, in order to complement the efforts of social services and public safety providers. The conclusion of this research argues that the City of Eugene’s shift towards activation programming is a move in the right direction. Because activations are more accessible to differing populations, and more conscious to the various entities working within these public spaces, they could be especially useful for addressing the current needs of Downtown Eugene. To sustain this type of programming, however, more flexible public spaces are needed. Additionally, because activations require strong links between artists and city infrastructure, continued strategic collaborations, such as the City’s “Downtown Operations Team”, are a necessity- with City divisions such as Cultural Services and Planning & Development acting as leading intermediaries. Ultimately, these programmatic shifts will help to introduce new levels of sociability to these spaces, and increase Downtown Eugene’s ability to act as a civic heart to the community.
Open Access
Engaging Under-Represented Communities: A Comparative Analysis of Professional Symphony Orchestras
(2018-06) Wagner-Watt, Lauren
This Master’s Research Project looked into the various ways that professional symphony orchestras are engaging with their community, specifically with under-represented populations. The paper begins with an overview of the American symphony orchestra, and clarifying why it is now needing to engage more with its community rather than only performing concerts. The research also presents various literature reviews and comparative analyses that shed light on what is currently being offered by symphony orchestras around the country, including an indepth exploration of community engagement and education programming around the country. The study then focuses on comparative case studies highlighting the programs and populations being served by the Seattle Symphony, Oregon Symphony, Eugene Symphony and the Boise Philharmonic. This project found that there is a wide variety of programming for underrepresented populations and is usually specific to the community that the symphony represents. A major focus among professional symphony orchestras is centered around diversity, equity and inclusion, with many looking to develop initiatives within the entire organization.
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Program Design of Community-Based Arts Programs that Address Public Health Issues
(2018) Dedrick, Margot
There is a growing body of research in the field of arts in health and the therapeutic benefits of using art to treat illnesses. Much of this research is evidence-based and focuses on the effects of arts-based activities in healthcare facilities. However, there is a gap in knowledge concerning programs that use art to address public health issues through participatory arts projects in a community setting. This study uses evidence-based research on the therapeutic benefits of art in healthcare settings to examine how arts methods can be used not only for healing patients in hospital settings, but to take a more holistic approach in addressing individual, community, and public health and wellbeing. This research project explores current models of programs that use art to address public health through two case studies and provides recommendations for managers of such arts programs
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The Impact of the Oregon Cultural Trust on the Statewide Cultural Policy Institutional Infrastructure
(Center for Community Arts and Cultural Policy, University of Oregon, 2018-06-12) Cummins, Joshua; Fernandez, Milton; Flinspach, Jennie; Hobbs, Brianna; Lambert, Patricia; Lee, Victoria; Rutter, Juliet D.; Sokolowski, Jes; McMullen, Bradford; Rogers, J. K.
Parallel to a similar study commissioned by the Oregon Cultural Trust in 2017-2018, the University of Oregon (UO) Arts and Administration program partnered with senior staff of the Oregon Cultural Trust and the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies on a research project investigating the impact of the Oregon Cultural Trust on the statewide cultural policy institutional infrastructure. These studies were designed to be complementary. Whereas the commissioned study was intended to be advocacy research, the UO research initiative planned a rigorous year-long academic applied research project conducted by a faculty-led team of nine graduate students. Throughout the academic year, the team investigated two main research questions supported by multiple sub-research questions. Research methods included literature review, document analysis, key informant interviews, and surveys. The main research questions were the following: 1. What is the role of the Oregon Cultural Trust within the statewide cultural ecology? 2. How does the Oregon Cultural Trust compare with other state-level cultural funding mechanisms that exist across the United States? Research findings from collective and individual research conducted throughout 2017-2018 were integrated into the full research report. The Professional Project team’s analysis led to structuring the final report in two sections: first, an introduction to the cultural policy infrastructure within the state of Oregon and the evolution of the Oregon Cultural Trust, and second, analysis of the impact of the OCT on the statewide cultural policy institutional infrastructure. The discussion of impact focuses on three areas: (1) impact on the internal infrastructure-development activities taking place within the OCT; (2) impact on select issues pertaining to cultural development across the state; and (3) economic impact.
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Repertoire Programming Decisions of Major West Coast Opera Companies in Washington, Oregon, and California
(2017-06-06) Leemon, Brittney
This graduate research project serves as a guide for emerging leaders and arts professionals in understanding the relationship between artistic programming choices of North American opera companies, and community participation in the art form. Studies and statistics echoed through a variety of media outlets over the past 10 years have recorded a significant drop in opera attendance, which many opera companies have attempted to combat with new or re-energized artistic programming. A gap in research exists between the repertoire programming process of American opera companies, and the community engagement it fosters. This study presents: a literature review of the challenges facing performing arts organizations in the United States; a comprehensive history and contemporary analysis of opera in the United States; a collective case study of the San Francisco Opera, the Portland Opera, and the Seattle Opera; a set of considerations for arts administrators using the case study findings. After collecting data from all three sites, the findings uncovered that many opera companies do not include the many functional areas of the organization to help select repertoire, but rather rely solely on the Executive Director to make the annual programming decisions. The main recommendation stemming from the findings are that more companies should work to include key staff and department heads in the repertoire programming process. By ensuring collaboration and harnessing the creativity of their arts leaders, opera has the opportunity both stay relevant in modern society and grow into an avenue for innovative and timely storytelling.
Open Access
Queer Representation and Inclusion within U.S. Museums
(2017-06-02) Schuh, Alanna
The purpose of this research capstone is to provide an overview and examination on the landscape of queer-themed art held within U.S.-based museums, and to identify methods of incorporating substantial queer-themed exhibitions within U.S.-based museums. I chose to focus my examination on the landscape by looking at the forms of representation and inclusion of queer art and artists within U.S.-based museums. Historically, the depiction of queer-themed art and artists within U.S.-based museums have been portrayed in a few specific ways. While these portrayals are important, I argue that when museums continue to portray queer-identified people in these specific ways it perpetuates stereotypes and the social construction of what is thought to be normal. This research also looks at the use of power, oppression, and socially constructed ideas of heteronormativity to inform the common queer-themed exhibitions. The discussion about the effects of power and socially constructed ideas of heteronormativity surfaced while researching the various queerthemed exhibitions due to many of the exhibitions featuring many common stereotypes and tropes. Using two literature reviews and a comparative case study, I examine and analyze various queer-related exhibitions within U.S.-based museums in their relation to representation and inclusion. This research capstone was conducted to gain a better understanding of the types of queer-themed exhibits that are commonly featured within U.S.-based museums. The research was also done to examine the impact that these common exhibition themes have on the representation of queer-identified people, and to identify possible methods for creating more substantial forms of representation and inclusion for queer art and artists.
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(re)Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Current Methods in Feminist Performance
(2017-06-03) Schwartz, Jordan
Theatre has always been a refuge for the educated woman. The women’s movement, in all its iterations, has made use of the stage. During the campaign for suffrage, this meant propaganda plays that defied the censor. In the second wave beginning in the 1960s, women adapted Augusto Boal’s techniques from Theatre of the Oppressed to bring the audience into feminist dialogues. Now, during a period of transition in third wave feminism, we are seeing these dialogues in commercial theatre. Whether it is the feminist one-liners in Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton or Lauren Gunderson, a playwright devoted to putting women’s history on the stage, becoming one of the most-produced playwrights in the United States, feminist performance has officially become big-business. This capstone intends to understand the impact of popular feminism on commercial theatre and to expand feminist performance scholarship to include the commercial theatre industry by applying pre-existing theory to contemporary productions.
Open Access
Putting the "Play" Back into Display: Interactive Exhibits in Small Museums
(2017-06-01) Stillwell, Baylie
Museums of the late 20th and into the 21st century are moving from a focus on collections to museum audiences. The result of this shift culminates in more diverse programming, as well as more inclusive exhibition design for a participatory experience. Interactive displays and technology are often utilized to encourage a more hands-on museum visit. This graduate research project lays a foundation for the historical context of exhibits and interpretation; explores museum theorist insights on visitor needs; researches the internal and external influences of exhibition development; and ultimately answers the question of how museums can develop interactive displays on a minimal budget. The purpose of the research is to offer guidance for museums to create interactive exhibits on a small budget, while including computer-based and noncomputer-based activities. The result of this research is a comprehensive list of interactive display categories and suggestions for how inexpensive and sustainable technologies can be woven into the exhibition development plan.
Open Access
The Context and Development of a Music Education Start-up with an Integrated Digital Presence
(2017-06-06) Waters, Pat
Starting a music lessons business in an increasingly digitized society provides unique challenges that merit detailed investigation. This project aims to understand these challenges and use the knowledge gained to develop a guitar-lessons business with an integrated digital presence. The processes for this project are organized into two distinct sections. The context section presents the research conducted on the topic through a literature review on the topical areas of music education, digital learning environments, emerging technologies, digital communities, and gamification. A comparative case study of two online music lessons services, Drumeo and Guitartricks, looks at the similarities and differences of each organization’s content, production and marketing strategies. Findings from the context section emphasize the importance of community, especially in the digital context, and explore how research collected from the comparative case study and literature review can be used to inform a music lessons start-up. The development section includes a business plan, marketing plan and website (www.guitarclimb.com) for a start-up guitar lessons business called Guitarclimb. Supplemental marketing materials are also included for consideration. The business plan was developed as a result of the research conducted in the context section and forecasts a three-year trajectory for the business with an anticipated launch date of summer 2017. The business plan details how Guitarclimb will connect “physical” and digital audiences to develop a community of guitar-learners across the globe.
Open Access
The Role of Collegiate Performing Arts Centers: Exploring Business Models Used to Serve and Connect the Academic and Surrounding Community
(2017-06-01) Brown, Susanna
Performing arts centers (PACs) located on college and university campuses have an opportunity to play an important role in serving and connecting the academic and surrounding community. While these venues play a valuable role in many college campuses around the country, there is very limited exploration into the mechanisms and strategies used by these venues to achieve their goals. This research project examines the history and evolution of performing arts presenters in higher education, explores the many types of collegiate PACs around the country, and investigates the business models used by one type of collegiate PACs, large public universities located in college towns, to achieve their missions. This research investigated how these venues navigate serving two distinct communities and aimed to create a foundation of literature for future investigation into collegiate PACs.