Publications & Creative Projects

Title: Dark Botanicals or “Franklin Wall Flowers”
Description: The design, Dark Botanicals, was specifically created for this area in Franklin inspired by its rich history, traditional roots, and natural landscape. This1800 square foot interactive botanical wall mural is located in downtown Franklin, Kentucky. This mural started as a vision of a black building with colors that popped off it, catching the eyes of passersby and instilling joy in those who saw it. This mural was featured in the local news, and its progress was documented on #FranklinWallFlowers and on Instagram!
Team Members:  Olivia Cullison, Grace Haley, Cora McDuffee, and Emely Martinez
Faculty Mentor:  Katie Kinder

Title: Sensory Overload
Description:  Sensory Overload is designed to simulate aspects of the neurodivergent experience to promote education and understanding. Sensory Overload contains pleasant and unpleasant textures dispersed across a panel that mimics an element of surprise, disorientation, and discomfort within participants. The participant has to reach behind a piece of frosted plexiglass that obscures the textures to touch the work. Many who attended said this piece helped them experience an aspect of autistic life they otherwise could not understand. Ableism, stereotype, and misinformation are still extremely present in society. These things need to be combatted by starting healthy and honest discussions about neurodiversity. Jillian Degrie presented their work at NCUR 2024!
Team Member:  Jillian DeGrie
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Kathryn Blankenship

Title: Pionír
Description: Pionír is an illustrated novella inspired by accounts told to the author, Gréti Müller, by older generations of her family who lived under the Romanian communist regime and witnessed its overthrow in 1989. Their story of struggle, pioneering, overcoming, changing, growing, and moving forward can also hopefully bring richness and depth to the stories that comprise the immigrant heritage of the United States. The work Pionír found its current expression through envelopes sewn together to form an artist’s book. Pionír is meant to engage the five senses of the “reader,” to translate synesthesia into a form of art. Greta’s artwork was featured in Scholars Week 2023 and is also found here.
Team Member:  Greta Muller
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Mary Evins

Title: Communicated Commemorabilia: A Creative Project Exploring Christian Recovery
Description: Communicated Commemorabilia, as a creative project, reflects on the intersections of religion and health and the translation of language to art. This creative project reflects on the experiences of men and women in Christian recovery groups. As these Christians heal, they tell stories of radical new identities, reimagined families, gradual healing, empowering practices, and novel perceptions of God. Eli Ward translated these spoken symbols into visual symbols, a long-established mode of communication in Christian tradition. Through a series of watercolor stained-glass windows, the sacred symbols in these stories of healing are illuminated. Click HERE to read Eli’s article!
Team Member:  Eli Ward
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Rebekka King

Title:  (dis)Connected: A Series of Interviews on Society and Spiritualty in Modern World
Description:  The podcast, (dis)Connected: A Series of Interviews on Society and Spiritualty in Modern World, brings together concepts of psychology and religious studies by exploring the factors that influence how people form relationships with one another and if those factors diverge when people form relationships with religious practices and invisible supernatural agents. URECA student, Jessika Riley, highlights these findings through a series of interviews that are beautifully executed and incredibly interesting. 
Team Member:  Jessika Riley
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Rebekka King

Title:  Visual Expressions of Sound Recordings: Creating Cover Art For and With Student Songwriters
Description:   The objective of this project is to create an expressive body of visual artwork to accompany and represent published sound recordings from MTSU student songwriters. The subject material of each art piece was determined through a collaborative process through which songwriters were guided. Felix’s intention was to depict their musical composition through visual imagery in the form of a collage art piece that can be used as cover art to accompany the publication of their song. The artist, Felix Taylor, created 8-12 pieces, one for each songwriter, all uniquely based on our shared discussion of the song’s inspiration, meaning, lyrical content, aesthetics, and creative vision. Everyone involved was granted the opportunity to practice real-world industry skills while strengthening our student community and promoting their craft.
Student:  Aubrianna “Felix” Taylor 
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Erin Anfinson

Title:  Speak Now!: A Look at Diversity at MTSU
Description: The creative project, Speak Now!: A Look at Diversity at MTSU, was greatly inspired by the author’s own diverse experiences, the Me Too movement, coming-out stories, and the fight for equality.  The goal of this project is to celebrate diversity at MTSU, inspire people to take action, and push the movement of diversity at MTSU forward.  The first issue of the magazine, Speak Now!, features articles, interviews, and visuals highlighting the several areas of diversity among students and professors at MTSU.  In future publications, this magazine aims to remain true to its title and consistently embody the notion of speaking out, being honest and brave, going bare, and telling the truth.  Click HERE to view Speak Now!
Student:  Beatriz Marie R. Dedicatoria
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Poushali Bhadury

Title:  Walking in Sunlight: The Life and Legacy of Uncle Dave Macon
Description:  This project creates a theatrical drama that teaches children major historical events, while also teaching multiple life lessons through the life of Uncle Dave Macon, the Dixie Dewdrop.  Austin is excited to be part of a production that shares a piece of Rutherford County’s contribution to the rise of country music with school age audiences across the globe.
Student:  Austin Derryberry
Faculty Mentor:  Dr. Jette Halladay
News Release:  MTSU’s Center for Popular Music captures ‘uncanny’ old-time fiddling pair on new CD

Title:  MTSU Augmented Reality Campus Tour
Description:  Students created an interactive virtual reality tour of the MTSU campus for prospective students, their parents or other campus visitors. Viewers are able to “travel” around campus and learn about the different majors and activities in virtual reality using text, graphics, and video of deans, instructors and students from those areas.
Team Members:  Sebastian Bishop, Katherine Carter, Alvin Evans, and Keneshia Smith.
Faculty Mentor:  Todd O’Neill