SURF - Arts and Humanities Posters

When in Rome, Reuse as the Romans Do: Moving Statues Around the Ancient Roman Empire

Lindsay M. Morecraft

Throughout ancient Roman history, there has been literary documentation of statue reuse by prominent Romans, including emperors. Statues were not necessarily reused within their cities of origin, but were sometimes moved to other countries to serve a new purpose. The appeal of this action, especially for emperors, may have been to visually represent Roman dominance over another culture. This reason could also be in combination with legitimizing their connection with an earlier time period and person. Statues were not only moved to represent dominance or to show a past connection. Some statues of emperors who were considered “bad” suffered damnatio memoriae, or condemnation of memory, after death. This action manipulated and possibly erased the memory of his legitimacy and merits. By examining these moved and altered statues in conjunction with their origins and find spots, the appeal and purpose of this action can be better understood.

Half-Century of Cartooning: Iowa Comments on the World

Kayla M. Garvin

For just over a hundred years, the front page of the Des Moines Register featured a daily editorial cartoon, establishing a tradition of Iowa political commentary. From 1949 to 2008, artists Tom Carlisle, Frank Miller and Brian Duffy addressed local, national and international issues by drawing cartoons that spoke to their Iowa audience. The project builds on the existing Jay N. “Ding” Darling, who worked for the Register from 1906 to 1949, project and involves digitizing original cartoons held in the University of Iowa Libraries’ Special Collections to make them available to the public online.

Choreographed Culture: Mexican Folk Forms in American Modern Dance, 1935-1955.

Jennifer Pray

American modern dancers have turned to Mexican folk themes to inspire and inform their choreography since the turn of the century. My research examines the correlations and differences between the interpretations of Mexican folk forms by American modern dancers. How were Mexican-Americans portrayed in American modern dance? How did this portrayal change over time? Who was interpreting these cultural subjects? By framing dance as a cultural “import” and “export” item, I place the research in the broader context of U.S./Mexico relations from 1935-1955.

Racism and Antisemitism: Rhetoric, Rationalizations, and Ongoing Consequences

Amy Windmill

Music in Iowa Medical and Classification Center

colin d. kraemer LP

Fabricating Our History: Material Culture in 18th Century Illinois

Julia K. Gouge

My research focuses on the material culture inventory lists of George Morgan, of the Philadelphia-based company Baynton, Wharton, and Morgan. I concentrate on fabrics, attempting to draw conclusions regarding gender and social class divides in the 18th century colonies of the Illinois region. This research can be used to strengthen our understanding of our Midwestern ancestors, as well as for understanding other cultures, given that fabric choice and sartorial expression are strong cultural representations world-wide.

Still Life at Home in the Dutch Golden Age

Gayle E. Doud

Innovations: A Chronicle of Undergraduate Research

Katharine Monger

Baroque Performance for the Modern Musician

Chealsea Bernhardt

The core of my research has been discovering the approach performers had towards music in the seventeenth-century as compared to the present. The ways in which music can be created, discussed, interpreted, and the expectations of the audience, all influence the way in which the performance actually takes place. The cultural norms of today versus 400 years ago are quite different, and this is reflected within the music. The style of playing instruments has also changed drastically.

What I have uncovered in my research have eluded ways in which I may teach fellow musicians the correct performance practice for the period. While things have changed quite a bit, it is essential to learn about the beginning to understand the results; i.e. mordern approaches to music.

Trials and Changes in the Creative Process

Sydney E. Smith

My research concerns the relationships between first drafts of written works and later versions, altered the author herself or a secondary editor, focusing specifically on the essays of Iris Murdoch and the short stories of Raymond Carver.