Abstract

This thesis examines the collective psychological aftermath of de-industrialization in a rust belt city, processed through perspectives of nostalgia and betrayal. By reframing childhood memories of instability and inherited narratives, a framework is established for investigating the modalities through which love and attachment may obscure entangled harm, and how grief operates across both collective and personal registers. Found objects are situated as sites of projection where memories are abstracted and reconstituted. The processes of decay and weathering serve as analogues for psychological trauma, reframing deterioration as an inevitable and generative condition. Natural elements act as metaphors for neutrality, challenging imposed moral binaries by emphasizing physicality. The practice of printmaking is both a method and inquiry within the body of work, prioritizing process and collaboration between material and artist. The artwork manifests itself through sculptural and site-responsive installations that tend to personal feelings of desire and grief, conceptualizing printmaking as a relational practice that reflects human involvement in the natural world.

Publication Date

7-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Fine Arts Studio (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

Art, School of

College

College of Art and Design

Advisor

Emily Glass

Advisor/Committee Member

Jennifer Schoonmaker

Advisor/Committee Member

Suzanne Peck

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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