My honors thesis has taken the form of my BFA show "At The Threshold" exhibited at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art in combination with my research of various theories which have informed my body of work. My work has been guided primarily by theories relating to the uncanny and liminality in built environments, and my influences include Sigmund Freud and Ernst Jentsch's individual theories of the uncanny; the popularization of the online "liminal space" aesthetic; and clinical psychological studies of liminal spaces. In this paper, I will touch on each of these influences, and finish with a discussion of how my research has informed my art and my relationship to my audience. Keywords: painting, liminal, liminality, liminal space, psychoanalytic, uncanny, psychology, architecture, built environment, internet, Reddit

Instead of a paper, I created and hosted four interactive workshops at New Paltz middle school. Using historical and climate data, my goal was to teach and promote sustainable fashion in a school setting. These workshops blend climate data, sustainability, and hands-on clothing repair to inspire eco-conscious thinking in younger generations.

Over the last decade, the rise in third-party market platforms has resulted in a crisis surrounding the quantity and affordability of long-term housing. The domination of short-term rental (STR) units in housing markets across the United States has disproportionately af fected small towns in New York’s Hudson Valley region. When confronted with the appeals of short - term rental markets, long-term landlords face financial pressure to convert their long-term units into short-term units–displacing tenants, reproducing the negative externalities associated with STRs, and further diminishing long-term housing options. This research explores five potential legislative structures to encourage cooperation between public offices and private long-term landlords to maintain a sufficient long-term rental stock in the Hudson Valley. Qualitative data collection occurred through secondary analysis and one-on-one interviews with Hudson Valley renters, long-term landlords, and public officials. Preliminary analysis revealed a strong preference amongst participants for non-cash municipal supports, dilapidated/brownfield site usage requirements, and public engagement opportunities during the permission process.

Disturbance regimes, such as fire, play a crucial role in shaping the structure, dynamics, and biodiversity of ecosystems by influencing species interactions, habitat variation, and ecosystem regeneration. This study investigates the ecological impacts of wildfire disturbances on forest structure and wildlife dynamics at the Altona Flat Rock, a globally rare sandstone pavement jack pine (Pinus banksiana) barrens in northeastern New York. We examined how time since disturbance influences forest structure by assessing attributes such as tree height, canopy closure, density, basal area, and understory composition across a chronosequence of disturbances. Our findings revealed minimal variation in forest structure among stands of different ages, with high homogeneity across the landscape. Within jack pine origin stands, only standing dead density and jack pine density showed significant differences. Tree age analysis indicated that fire severity and topographic complexity influenced tree survival and establishment, with most jack pine trees establishing immediately after the last major fire. In addition to assessing forest structure, we investigated the effects of the 2018 fire on wildlife dynamics in the area. Using a network of 20 camera traps and vegetation surveys at 60 plot locations, we monitored wildlife presence and habitat conditions, focusing on predator-prey dynamics and the influence of post-fire habitat characteristics. Our results demonstrated that wildlife species responded differently to post-fire conditions. Predators, such as coyotes (Canis latrans), exhibited increased activity in recently burned areas, benefiting from improved visibility, while herbivores like white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) avoided these areas due to reduced cover. Occupancy modeling showed that species occupancy was not significantly influenced by forest structure, burn year, or season, though diel activity patterns revealed high overlap between coyotes and deer, suggesting complex predator-prey interactions in post-fire environments. Together, these findings emphasize the importance of disturbance-driven habitat heterogeneity in maintaining biodiversity. Fire-regulated management strategies are crucial for sustaining species-rich communities in fire-adapted ecosystems, as disturbances create dynamic mosaics of structural attributes that support both forest regeneration and diverse wildlife communities.

A Home Within delves into the complexity of being bicultural as a Korean American, focusing on the influence of the maternal bond and cooking on self-acceptance of identity. By sculpting ceramic kitchen appliances that act as vessels for personal narratives and miniature worlds, creating molds to slip-cast dishware and food containers that contain illustrations and emptiness, I explore the physical spaces from my life to discuss the emotional weight of my mother’s love, shared through cooking in our kitchen. By working at both actual scale and in miniature, layering underglazes, incorporating kitchen materials, and painting and decorating with food within each sculpture, I explore what it means to be wonderfully intricate as someone who navigates two different cultures, often finding myself in between. A Home Within is a space where personal history thrives, celebrating the richness of cooking, remembering, and sharing what it means to be at home as a Korean American.

The transient nature of conversations within family and community contexts belies their profound influence on individual and collective identities. This thesis investigates how art can capture and memorialize the fleeting, everyday conversations shared with loved ones. Family table talks, in particular, shape our lives, influencing our values and relationships. Yet, these pivotal moments often vanish without a trace, leaving only vague impressions. A worn table might evoke memories of past meals and discussions, but it lacks a direct link to any specific, meaningful exchange. My artistic intervention aims to embed subtle reminders of these important talks within key social spaces, transforming them into tangible memorials. This project seeks to contribute to the broader conversation about art's role in preserving cultural memory and fostering community. By transforming daily chats into enduring artifacts, I hope to highlight the significance of these often-overlooked moments.

This is a study about the effect of first-generation student status on college experience. Research into the literature on first-generation college students identified significant challenges associated with a lack of social capital to navigate the culture of academia, which creates a downward spiral that may lead to retention and degree completion issues. To analyze this information specifically for SUNY Oswego, I aimed to identify what struggles first-generation college students face and understand how these challenges affect their college experience. To test this, I was given permission to conduct two focus groups with first-generation college students at SUNY Oswego. The focus group questions consisted of prior knowledge inquiry along with questions about the social, academic, and financial challenges faced by first-generation students. After the analysis of this information, I was able to formulate a guide for universities and institutions to use. Through these focus groups, I determined that the themes of representation, affirmation, and accessibility emerge from the attitudes of the interviewees and in their responses, both in support needed and in support provided. Specifically, students identified the intersectionality of social, academic, and financial barriers to their college experience. I found this to be directly related to the various minority groups that make up the demographic of first-generation college students, which intersect to determine experiences of institutional discrimination and microaggressions. Students in the study also highlighted the need for greater financial literacy support and interventions from SUNY Oswego to navigate the system, as many of these students face the culture of academia independently.