Sweet is the Work

Authors

• Allie M. Wheeler, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Sophie Isaak

Committee Members

Francisco Souto, Karen Kunc, Santiago Cal, Wendy Katz, Dana Fritz

Date of this Version

3-2026

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 Sophie Isaak 

Lincoln, Nebraska, March 2026

Comments

Copyright 2026, Allie M. Wheeler. Used by permission

Abstract

Sweet is the Work is a collection of collagraph prints, collages, and sculptural artworks created through a dialogue between surface textures, colors, and imagery, sourced from personal experiences and the home environment that nurtured them. My artwork functions as a visual journal of my memories of living on a family farm in Delta, Utah, in an engaged religious lifestyle. Daily life at home was filled with responsibilities, from sweeping the floor to tending crops and livestock. Tasks like preserving food were guided less by necessity than by tradition. A history of family record keeping inspires my process of documentation. Each preserved memory of home in my art is a testimony to my values and beliefs.

Each print unites both the domestic, or the inside, and the landscape, or the outside, reflecting the equal value I place on both. The drawings depict accumulations of mundane objects to represent the unseen and constant tasks necessary to maintain this lifestyle. These objects also preserve the small, often unnoticed details in which memories reside.

Printmaking on paper, the primary medium, emphasizes personal documentation and record-keeping. Each plate becomes a record, and every impression of the plate is recorded on paper. The visual elements, whether literal or abstract, pull from an archive of personal artifacts encountered from past and present. Often practical, these items reflect qualities and histories of their origins beyond their purely functional nature. Through the hands-on process of constructing each piece, I preserve and carry forward feelings, memories, and traditions gathered from various dimensions of home. The perfectionist craft in the artwork serves as evidence of respect for my values and past experiences. The artistic preservation of these memories and values becomes both a reflection of lived experience and a lasting revision of the meaning of home.

Advisor: Sophie Isaak