Madeline Manson BFA General Fine Arts Thesis Spring 2015
The Joyous Ordinary
At its core, my work is a celebration of the everyday. It focuses on the joy and delight that can be found in ordinary objects and domestic life. For my thesis visual work, I made three pieced quilts from hand-dyed cotton muslin, a series of eight screen printed posters, and three screen and letterpress printed hand-bound books. These objects are of and for the everyday. They are about the home, and to be used in the home.
The objects in my visual thesis explore three main topics as elements of the daily. These three topics are the home, the intimate relationship we share with objects within the home, and language as a means of understanding and creating space. These three elements work together to create an everyday of notice and attention. The objects I make support these ideas and work to enhance everyday life through them. In this work, I draw from many theorists and artists including Georges Perec, Octavio Paz, the quilts of Gee’s Bend, Peter Korn, Ben Highmore and more.