Honors Projects

Abstract

Mindfulness practices involving gratitude have been shown to improve mental and physical health. Making short lists of people, things, and experiences that one is grateful for is a helpful habit for decreasing anxiety. Sending Gratitudeis an expansion of these lists guided by the research question:

In what ways does reflecting on past experiences where I was grateful that someone decreased my past anxiety help reduce current anxieties?

How can these experiences be shared with others in a way that will encourage them to practice gratitude?

The final installation imitated a greeting card wall and encouraged viewers to take a card to express gratitude towards someone in their life. Behind the cards were almost 100 written reflections that describe moments where I personally felt grateful towards someone that provided me encouragement, support, or rescuing. The screen printed cards depicted the experience using drawn icons. Envelopes were included in the installation to further encourage the audience to send along their thanks. All seventy cards and envelopes were taken in under one week, indicating the viewers liked the card designs, understood the concept, and plan on thanking someone in their life.

Multiple disciplines were employed to explore and ultimately achieve the goals initiated by the research question. Word and image studies guided the creation of the icons that populated the front of the cards. Screen printing provided an efficient method to produce a large number of cards so many people could participate in the installation. Graphic design provided structure for early ideation and exploration and the final push the installation needed to connect with viewers.

Department

School of Art

Major

Art – BFA in Graphic Design

First Advisor

Jenn Stucker

First Advisor Department

School of Art

Second Advisor

Amanda McGuire Rzicznek

Second Advisor Department

English

Publication Date

Spring 4-26-2023

Download

Share

COinS