Preferred Name
Ver Ikeseh
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Date of Graduation
5-2026
Semester of Graduation
Spring
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
School of Art, Design, and Art History
First Advisor
Corinne Diop
Second Advisor
Nieko McDaniel
Third Advisor
Sangjun Yoo
Abstract
This thesis explores belonging as the core of my artistic practice, developed through public murals and participatory installations in shared spaces. Grounded in a studio practice that engages directly with communities, the work positions art within everyday environments rather than separate from them. Through murals created across James Madison University and within surrounding communities, I examine how public art can generate moments of connection, visibility, and reflection. The thesis culminates in the participatory mural Belonging, created in the Duke Hall Gallery at James Madison University, where these ideas are brought together through direct public engagement. Developed through collaboration, the mural evolves through conversations, interactions, and shared experiences that shape both process and outcome. In this approach, authorship shifts from an individual act to a collective one, with participants contributing to the meaning and presence of the work. My practice is informed by my upbringing in Benue State, Nigeria, where art exists within storytelling, performance, and communal traditions, as well as by my experiences studying and working across different cultural contexts. Moving between these contexts has shaped my understanding of belonging as something not fixed, but continuously formed through participation, recognition, and the ability to contribute to a space. Rather than treating murals as static images, this thesis presents them as evolving processes embedded within lived environments such as hallways, stairwells, and public spaces. These works respond to movement, interaction, and social conditions, allowing for multiple forms of engagement. Through this approach, the thesis argues that public art can function as a system of dialogue, where meaning emerges through interaction between participants, space, and material over time. In this context, belonging is not given, but produced through participation, shared authorship, and ongoing relationships within public space.
