Year of Award
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Degree Name
Art
Other Degree Name/Area of Focus
Ceramic Sculpture
Department or School/College
School of Visual and Media Arts
Committee Chair
Trey Hill
Committee Co-chair
Valerie Hedquist
Commitee Members
Trey Hill, Valerie Hedquist, Cathryn Mallory, Brandon Reintjes
Keywords
Fine Art, Sculpture, Ceramics, Abstract, Biomorphic, Formalism
Subject Categories
Ceramic Arts | Painting | Sculpture
Abstract
In this thesis paper, I will outline the journey I’ve taken throughout my graduate studies at the University of Montana and how it has culminated in my thesis exhibition, Tenaciously Curious. I’ll begin with an Introduction that speaks to the importance of finding ways to connect to nature, and the benefits we gain by recognizing our bodies as extensions of the organic world.
In the following section, Influences, Theory and Lineage, I’ll explore the themes that drive my research, highlight artists who have influenced my work, and discuss why this inquiry feels vital within our contemporary moment.
In the section titled Exhibition, I’ll describe how Tenaciously Curious functioned as a whole to represent curiosity and wonder, while also spotlighting individual pieces that follow a set of self-imposed rules and constraints.
Finally, I will reflect on my journey through graduate school and consider how this research might live on as a sustainable artistic practice that, in its own small way, contributes to making the world a little better.
Recommended Citation
Taylor, Joe Mark, "Tenaciously Curious" (2025). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12511.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12511
Included in
© Copyright 2025 Joe Mark Taylor