Arts - Buffalo State College

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Arts
Richard Wagner. Building on musicological studies of this era, as
well as score analysis, I argue that this view is too black and white.
A progressive composer is considered a great innovator in the
realm of musical language. Specifically in the final movement of
this symphony, Brahms’s love and knowledge of Bach and Viennese
classical composers is apparent through elements of baroque and
classical influences in his work. Though quite different in technique
than Wagner, Brahms is progressive in his own way. Intricate motives
and textures create a chamber-music quality in this movement. An
innovative structural form, rich harmonic language, artfully spun
themes and use of the technique known as ‘developing variation’
is also present. Through musical examples and commentary, I will
demonstrate how Brahms is able to stylistically combine both old
and new.
Presentation Type and Session: Poster III
The Dramatic Side of Wedding Dances:
The Sicilian Tarantella
Paul Loweecey, MUS 440W: Ethnomusicology
Faculty Mentor: Professor Carolyn Guzski, Music
The Tarantella is a common dance in Italian weddings. With its
iconic melody it is one of the most famous songs to ever come out
of Italy’s pop culture scene. Like the many different regions of Italy,
the song has many different variations, as well as the dance. Like the
Jewish song Hava Nagila everyone joins in this dance. I will research
this through books, JSTOR, audio examples, and aural history
from family members. In Tarantella, men and women trade dance
partners quite often. The women all hold tambourines as they dance
to the band’s rendition. While each region has different variations
of the song and dance, each variation defines its region of origin.
The basis of the dance was believed to stop a person, who was bitten
by a tarantula or wolf spider, from dying, the frenzied dancing was
to prevent hysteria from the poisonous bite of the spider. While this
has been proven false, the dance has lasted throughout the years,
and has become the song that man people associate as “Italian”
music. My poster will show pictures of the dance and have a short
transcription of the melody and, the traditions and dance moves that
correlate with the music from the Sicilian region. My goal is to give
the reader a broader understanding of Italian music that isn’t viewed
as classical.
Presentation Type and Session: Poster IV
Explorations In Soft Furnishings
Kelly Caruso, Wood/Furniture and Erin Curry, Fibers
Faculty Mentor: Professor Sunhwa Kim, Design
This project began with our interest in merging two traditional
crafts: textile design and furniture design. We sought to create an
opportunity to learn and explore a facet of design that was not
taught as part of our individual programs. Our inspiration grew
from the collaborative ideals set forth in the Bauhaus school, where
students were encouraged to explore non-traditional methods
of design and construction. Considering these 20th century
modernist aesthetics, we aspired to combine those qualities with our
contemporary styles. The design process began with preliminary
sketches of three furniture pieces and corresponding upholstery
pattern designs. The collection includes a chair, a loveseat and an
ottoman with coordinating upholstery fabric in three-color ways.
Creating models and effective color ways brought us to our final
designs. We researched upholstery techniques and utilized them to
apply the pattern designs with traditional woodworking methods.
Working closely from the conceptualization to the actual realization
of each individual piece was integral to the success of this project.
Our goal, as designers, is for our work to be viewed not only as
objects of decoration, but also with an emphasis on functionality.
Together, textiles and wood achieve a greater awareness of beauty
and function.
Presentation Type and Session: Poster I
Exploring the Human Body
Ian Carr, FAR 343: Advanced Sculpture
Faculty Mentor: Professor Elena Lourenco Sculpture
The way our bodies are constructed fascinates me, which is
why I have chosen it to be my main focus of study in the art world.
Being inspired by the great masters of the renaissance, I aspire to
understand the human body as well as my materials as they did. I
intend to achieve this deep understanding of how the human body
functions by exploring its forms via sculptural studies. These studies
will be very tedious and thorough, forcing myself to learn how we
look and move as humans. After creating various body sections in
different scales and materials, I will construct a dramatic pose, to
life scale. I will begin by working from the inside out, first creating
a welded armature or skeleton in steel re-bar. After this I will build
and carve the interior structure in plaster. This step is crucial to
understanding the layers of muscles, organs, and joints. Each area
will have high detail that is where the most learning of the body will
occur. The final thin layer will be applied with an oil-based clay. This
material has high workability and will grant me the time needed
to finish the piece to a realistic look. This “skin layer” will contain
high detail while still giving hints of the defining information that
lies beneath. I hope that those who view my work will be reminded
of traditional figurative work, but also share my passion for
understanding how complex and beautiful the human body can be.
Presentation Type and Session: Poster III
Fabrication of Glass Cabochons
Stephanie Kahn, HON 400: All College Honors Colloquium
Faculty Mentors: Professor Stephen Saracino, Design and Professor
Andrea Guiati, Director, All College Honors Program
The research conducted explains the process of creating hand
made glass cabochons. It resulted in a deep understanding of a