Story by Kaiya Lynch
One team. One night. One hundred years of history encapsulated.
The ASH Scholars’ Art of Death team showcased multi-modality work at “Layered” in mid-April. The project was created to memorialize Read Hall, the first women’s dorm at the University of Missouri. The event featured different artistic modalities like photovoice, zines, projection art and virtual reality. “Layered” was a way for the Art of Death team to pay their respects to the building and what it meant to the people who lived and worked within its walls.
The Art of Death team examines death, dying and grief within culture via interdisciplinary research. Ever Cole, a second-year member of the research team and senior journalism major played a key role in the ideation of “Layered.”
“Six students from diverse degree programs and backgrounds came together with one goal in mind: exploring what it means to memorialize something,” Cole said. “Some of us have backgrounds in journalism or public health, others in architecture and art. As we developed our project, we each brought different strengths and skills to the table, creating a robust and meaningful final product.”
“Layered” was created as a partnership between Michelle Teti and the Art of Death team. Teti, an associate dean in the Honors College, had completed a previous project with students who wanted to acknowledge spaces that celebrated women and some of the lesser-known historical people and features of Mizzou.
“I am grateful and honored to have been able to work with these professors and students,” Teti said. “Interdisciplinary thinking and scholarship provide such an amazing opportunity to grow mentally.”
While Teti worked with Art of Death research advisors Katina Bitsicas, an associate professor in the School of Visual Studies, and Debora Verniz, an assistant professor of architectural studies, to assist with the ideation of “Layered,” Cole acted as a leader for the team creating the photovoice zine.
“The possibilities that the ASH Scholars program has uncovered for me has been my favorite part of this experience,” Cole said. “Pre-ASH, I never would have thought that art could be considered research. Through the program, I have been able to experiment, research and express myself creatively all while being taken seriously.”
The Art of Death ASH team was honored during Show Me Research Week under the Artistic Expression category. The team is made up of Cole, Lani Redecker, Bishop Lamm, Sofi Ortega and Lancing Moore.
The Honors College, Office of Undergraduate Research and Kinder Institute on Constitutional Democracy support teams of research students in the arts, social science or humanities (ASH) disciplines. The Art of Death team is one of several ASH teams available to Mizzou students.