Art, Art History and Design, School of
First Advisor
Peter Pinnell
Committee Members
Katie Anania, Aaron Sutherlen, Sophie Isaak
Date of this Version
4-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Citation
A thesis presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts
Major: Art
Under the supervision of Professor Peter Pinnell
Lincoln, Nebraska, April 2025
Abstract
For the Birds is a homogenous material exhibition of porcelain pottery that explores the relationships between, expectations of, and roles placed upon women and pottery. Using traditional craft processes, still life imagery, and the language and limits of porcelain, I create arrangements that expose the viewers assumptions of both subjects. Pottery- pitchers, cups, and vases—is a product of anthropocentrism and anthropomorphism and can be entirely taken for granted- their role is assumed and unquestionable—to serve. The language and expectations of these objects are the medium I build with.
The title of the show, For the Birds, is both a dedication to women—so often compared to birds—and a nod to the familiar phrase of dismissal. My intention for the exhibition is to give the viewer an experience not unlike the unfolding of a meal. Throughout the exhibition, the arrangements draw on the familiarity of domestic space—bedside tables, a sideboard, a dining table with chairs, a curio cabinet—all displaying porcelain treasures who are both host and guest, dazzling in the warm light. However, save for the faux-wood curio cabinet, the furniture has been stripped, and sanded, and left raw to render them incomplete—unusable. The compositions, scale, and surfaces of both pottery and wood furniture becomes beguiling once the viewer has been seated.
Advisor: Peter Pinnell
Included in
American Material Culture Commons, Ancient, Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque Art and Architecture Commons, Art Practice Commons, Ceramic Arts Commons, Classical Archaeology and Art History Commons, Contemporary Art Commons, Fine Arts Commons, Illustration Commons, Interactive Arts Commons, Interior Design Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Other History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, Painting Commons, Poetry Commons, Sculpture Commons, Women's History Commons, Women's Studies Commons
Comments
Copyright 2025, Charlotte L. Middleton. Used by permission