Defense Date
2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts
Department
Painting and Printmaking
First Advisor
Pia Bakala
Second Advisor
Cara Benedetto
Third Advisor
Shawné Holloway
Fourth Advisor
Holly Morrison
Abstract
My thesis project, All Other Ground Is Sinking Sand, is a body of work that frames soft sculpture as "prophetic charm" and collaborative performance as the ceremony that charges them. In this essay, I will explore the conceptual chronology of the charms, their connection to the notion of décalage, and their potential to compel witnesses toward the immediate liberation of queer, Black individuals.
With my research centered on the necessity of shifting cultural responses to enduring racial trauma, I focus my work on deconstructing Black hypermasculine archetypes shaped by white supremacy and unpacking the tension between individual autonomy and social belonging.
I position this thesis as my offering to a global conversation on Black expansiveness by exploring the art object's capacity to manipulate our present, where ultimately, the charms materialize a desired collective reality that transcends the strategic constraints of the diasporic Black spirit.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
VCU University Archives
Is Part Of
VCU Theses and Dissertations
Date of Submission
5-4-2026