KENNESAW, Ga. | Nov 6, 2019

Examines how scientific and technological principles may be applied to the study of the arts

Kennesaw State University’s College of the Arts is hosting its first Faculty Research Colloquium on November 14, 2019 at the Ruth B. Zuckerman Pavilion on the Kennesaw Campus. The Colloquium will feature research conducted by several faculty members with a focus on the arts and how scientific and technological principles may be applied to the study of the arts.

Andrea Knowlton, Assistant Professor of Dance at the Department of Dance, will present her research entitled “Science as a Process in Choreographic Research.” In her presentation, Knowlton explains and discusses the approaches she uses while envisioning and crafting new choreography, engaging with the scientific world to establish rules, systems, and themes. She compares the scientific method with an artist’s method and exemplifies how they are not mutually exclusive. She includes video examples of some of her staged works to highlight the challenges and possibilities at the intersection of science and aesthetic movement.

Next, Assistant Professor of Costume Design Pamela Rodriguez-Montero from the Department of Theatre and Performance Studies will explore the intersection of science and stage makeup in her work “Stage Makeup and Science: A Teaching Approach to Diversity in the Design Classroom.” Rodriguez-Montero highlights the advancements in science and technology of the field and the improvement in the variety of tones and textures that artists are now able to create. She presents the disconnects between these advancements and the methods used to teach this subject, and explains how she uses scientific information to present a more modern way to understand the craft, including utilizing geometry in makeup application and studying the science of skin structure to understand the diversity in character representation.

Travel back in time with Flora Anthony, Part-Time Assistant Professor of Art History with the School of Art and Design, who teamed up with Kathryn Etre, Conservator at the Mississippi Department of Archives and History, to present “Searching for the Truth: Investigation into the Authenticity of the Shabtis of Khamwaset.” Anthony and Etre explore the challenges in identifying legitimate artifacts of the ancient Egyptian world, specifically the funerary figurines of Khamwaset, known as shabtis. Given the prevalence of the counterfeiting of these particular shabtis throughout history, the scholarly world is at a standstill on how to identify the legitimate from the fake. For this study, the authors use two complementary approaches: an art historical analysis and a scientific analysis to gain a clearer understanding of the various origins of these objects.

Fast forward to the present and delve into the world of modeling for building proposals. Assistant Professor of Architecture in the College of Architecture and Construction Management Jeffrey Collins explores the challenges in modeling software used in the architecture world. Collins focuses on design and how it can be improved in the technology ubiquitous in the architecture business through analysis of student work for project feasibility, comparison of design variations, and investigation of fabrication processes, ultimately to increase student learning regarding the implications of design decisions, details, and methods on project construction.

This event is free and open to the public. Don’t miss the Faculty Research Colloquium on Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019 from 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. at the Ruth B. Zuckerman Pavilion on the Kennesaw campus. 

--Lauren Richmond