Clamor of a Catalyst

The beauty of change and time are found in cycles of destruction and rebirth. Time is active, spitting out transformed versions of everything in a constant cycle it remains as an ever present inevitability of existence. To adjust with this transformation can be stifling as much as relieving. This body of work focuses on repurposing found materials while pondering the inherent nature of change. Some objects are left to collect dust and remain as they are. Every object questions what is truly disposable. Do the things we throw away remain discarded forever? To challenge this, I cultivate an art practice that aims to enhance the potential of reclaimed objects by incorporating them into multimedia experiments. Paintings, metalworks, fiber, and textile objects shown are all composed of scraps that are usually left untouched.These materials experiencing the catharsis of renewal are able to exist intrinsically as artifacts. The outcome of these pieces is dependent on the intricacies of each object\u27s individual creation. Every project starts with an initial tactile response. Simply being curious about the outcomes of putting two different things together.The constant problem solving, along with pure intuition, makes finding each solution a step further into a subconscious state. This feels like a haze that is mindless yet mindful. A frantic distortion of the self which leaves no indication of its existence aside from the work made. Actively taking the role of a catalyst to cause a metamorphosis of these materials. They become objects beyond their piles.The fleeting nature of creating these works mimics the transformative nature of ourselves. The same as all things in this world. This art practice attempts to memorialize the ephemeral qualities of this body of work: the artmaking process, the present self, and the remnants of what was left behind. Gretchen Ruthhttps://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art498/1124/thumbnail.jp

Gretchen Ruth Art399 Portfolio

My work comes from a place of tension between trying to understand the world and being understood. My current focus is making work that has more centralized and serious concepts. Despite some naturalistic elements that are often seen throughout my works, I intentionally combine these elements along with imagery that brings the viewer to a made-up or dream-like reality . One of the most important aspects to these types of works, especially more recently, is my use of color. Throughout a lot of my work, I utilize form and proportion as well as color to emphasize the ambience of the scene or object. This comes from the idea of art itself being a visual language and being able to have a silent, one way conversation with the image or object you are viewing. However, a lot of my artistic process is pushed by improvisation. During my artistic process, I write down thoughts I have as much as possible throughout the day. I used to spend time figuring out exactly what I wanted a piece to say. However, I have discovered that it becomes mentally draining to try to plan out every intricacy of a piece, so recently I have started projects without a clear end goal. I like to experiment and see how processes and elements work afterwards. Some examples of this method are evident in most of my metalsmithing works ( Image 1&3). If I am not satisfied with the results of his intuitive process, I keep reworking and problem solving a piece until it works. It can be a mental rollercoaster, but I enjoy that aspect of it so I try to keep challenging myself to make something different and more interesting than the last piece I made. The steps taken to develop a piece usually lead me to discover new conceptual ideas throughout the process. For example, my final piece could have no meaning when I start out but during the process of making that piece I come to a realization of what I am wanting to convey and how to articulate that. Recently, I’ve been interested in exploring the dynamics of interpersonal relationships, especially the maternal relationship between my mother and I (Image 2). Although I’ve never put much thought into what family is and how it affects me personally, I’m now realizing that my family is one of my biggest influences. Everyone in my household is creative either artistically or musically, so there was always something being made or played. Remembering this fact, it seems quite natural for me to have started making drawings as a form of expression and communication because that was always my main purpose. However, it was more difficult to find contemporary artists that I can relate to and be truly influenced by until I discovered Dan Miller. He is an active member at the Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland,California. His work focuses on understanding and processing the world and communicating with it (Image 4). His message really resonated with me because I’m finding that\u27s also what I want to convey in my own work. (Image 1: Gretchen Ruth; Image 2: Gretchen Ruth; Image 3: Gretchen Ruth; Image 4 : Dan Miller)https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/art399/1121/thumbnail.jp

After-School Programs and Academic Impact: A Study of Chicago's After School Matters

What impact can after-school programs have on the educational achievement of high school students? A new study of Chicago's After School Matters (ASM) program -- which offers paid internships in the arts, technology, sports, and communications to teenagers in some of the city's most underserved schools -- finds a relationship between participating in after-school activities and higher class attendance, lower course failures and higher graduation rates.Even after taking into account student demographic characteristics and prior attendance records, students who participate in ASM miss fewer days of school than their classmates. Similarly, students who participated at the highest levels in the after-school program tended to fail fewer core academic courses (English, Math, Science, and Social Studies). Furthermore, over the course of their time in high school, students who were enrolled in ASM for three or more semesters and those who participated at the highest levels had higher rates of graduation and lower dropout rates than similar students who did not participate in the program.The findings in this report highlight the importance of further research into what leads students to participate in after-school programs and the factors that lead to higher engagement and retention once they are enrolled. A better understanding is crucial for improving enrollment in after-school programs such as ASM. Moreover, accounting for student factors that lead to a greater engagement in the program will lead to a clearer understanding of ASM's contribution to the positive outcomes -- independent of hard-to-observe student characteristics such as enthusiasm or dedication

The Iowa Homemaker vol.13, no.2

Grads Are Optimistic… By Ruth Cook Let’s Have Something New… By Dorothy Bloedel Dust Has Dangers… By Lucille Oak Do Your Duty… By Gretchen Prout

Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth

The Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth (Midwest Study) is a prospective study that has been following a sample of young people from Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois as they transition out of foster care into adulthood. It is a collaborative effort involving Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago; Partners for Our Children at the University of Washington, Seattle; the University of Wisconsin Survey Center; and the public child welfare agencies in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin.The Midwest Study provides a comprehensive picture of how foster youth are faring during this transition since the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999 became law. Foster youth in Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois were eligible to participate in the study if they had entered care before their 16th birthday, were still in care at age 17, and had been removed from home for reasons other than delinquency. Baseline survey data were collected from 732 study participants when they were 17 or 18 years old. Study participants were re-interviewed at ages 19 (n = 603), 21 (n = 591), and 23 or 24 (n = 602). A fifth wave of survey data will be collected when study participants are 25 or 26 years old.Because many of the questions Midwest Study participants were also asked as part of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, it is possible to make comparisons between this sample of former foster youth and a nationally representative sample of young people in the general population. These comparisons indicate that young people who have aged out of foster care are faring poorly as a group relative to their peers across a variety of domains.The Midwest Study also presents a unique opportunity to compare the outcomes of young people from one state (i.e., Illinois) that allows foster youth to remain in care until their 21st birthday to the outcomes of young people from two other states (i.e., Iowa and Wisconsin) in which foster youth generally age out when they are 18 years old. The data suggest that extending foster care until age 21 may be associated with better outcomes, at least in some domains

The Influence of Acidification and Copper Exposure on Copper Accumulation and Anti-Oxidant Enzyme Responses in the Pond Snail, Lymnaea stagnalis

Atmospheric carbon dioxide is rising at an accelerated rated due to increased anthropogenic activities. Metals have also been a noted problem; however, little research has addressed combined exposure of both pollutants to sensitive, calcifying organisms in freshwater habitats. This study examined copper accumulation (over 7 d) and activity of the antioxidant enzymes, catalase and glutathione peroxidase (over 2 d), in the freshwater common pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis, after exposure to ambient and increased (2000 µatm) CO2 and copper (control, 5, and 20 µg/L). Results demonstrated increased copper accumulation in soft tissue of snails exposed to copper; however, exposure to increased CO2 did not increase the magnitude of copper accumulation. After 2 d, increased glutathione peroxidase activity was observed in snails exposed to increased CO2 or copper individually; however, synergistic effects from exposure to both parameters were not observed. A greater response in glutathione peroxidase activity was observed in elevated CO2-exposed snails as compared to those exposed to copper. This study provides new insight into exposure to multiple contaminants, which elicit a similar compensatory response in L. stagnali

Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth: outcomes at age 21

The Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth (Midwest Study) is a longitudinal study that has been following a sample of young people from Iowa, Wisconsin, and Illinois as they transition out of foster care into adulthood. It is a collaborative effort involving Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago; the University of Wisconsin Survey Center; and the public child welfare agencies in Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin. This report concentrates on the outcomes of 21 year old youth as they age out of the child welfare system and transition to adulthood

LMDA Review, volume 12, issue 2

Contents include: Relevance, Residency & Playwriting, The Dramaturgy Residency Project Overview, Residency Project One: Kristen Gandrow at Voice & Vision, Interview with the Dramaturg Kristen Gandrow, Residency Project Two: Brad Rothbart at INTAR Hispanic American Arts Center, Interview with the Dramaturg Brad Rothbart, Residency Project Three: Maxine Kern at New Dramatists, Interview with the Artistic Director Todd London, Interview with the Dramaturg Maxine Kern, Michele Volansky President-Elect of LMDA, LMDA at the Crossroads, Conference 2002 Vancouver, British Columbia, Conference Overview (tentative), LMDA Canada Report, The Musical Structure of Playwriting: A Planel Discussion, and Announcing our new Administrator Cynthia Croot. Issue editor: Gretchen Haleyhttps://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/lmdareview/1025/thumbnail.jp

Associations of Genetic Ancestry with Terminal Duct Lobular Unit Involution among Healthy Women

Reduced age-related terminal duct lobular unit (TDLU) involution has been linked to increased breast cancer risk and triple-negative breast cancer. Associations of TDLU involution levels with race and ethnicity remain incompletely explored. Herein, we examined the association between genetic ancestry and TDLU involution in normal breast tissue donated by 2014 healthy women in the United States. Women of African ancestry were more likely than European women to have increased TDLU counts (odds ratio [OR](trend) = 1.36, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07 to 1.74), acini counts per TDLU (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.06 to 2.03), and median TDLU span (OR(trend) = 1.44, 95% CI = 1.08 to 1.91), indicating lower involution, whereas East Asian descendants were associated with decreased TDLU counts (OR(trend) = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.35 to 0.78) after controlling for potential confounders. These associations are consistent with the racial variations in incidence rates of triple-negative breast cancer in the United States and suggest opportunities for future work examining whether TDLU involution may mediate the racial differences in subtype-specific breast cancer risk

The Ursinus Weekly, December 5, 1949

WSSF drive collects donations of $440 in$1,000 endeavor • Festive air to reign at \u2750\u27s starlight ball • Wilson and Styres return as soloists for Messiah • Women to complete plans for yuletide • Armstrong to give Christmas message • \u27Ruby\u27 to complete individuals\u27 orders in picture schedule • Hordern expounds need for revision in foreign policy • Juniors elect head for \u27Ruby\u27 business • Oratorio reflects composer\u27s faith • Academy students present concert for campus body • Debaters travel to Rider for novice broadcast meet • Remig wins school with affable nature as maintenance department assistant • Fall play cast scores hit with Pygmalion • John O\u27Hara tells of summer tour in England, France • Academy publishes December program of varied concerts • Part 1 of the perennial Weekly saga • Preceding Christmas seasons provide color for traditional campus yuletide • Quarter of students hold self-help jobs • Matmen strive to better last year\u27s good record • Evans, Duncan triumph in field hockey tourney • Statistics register grid strong points for current season • Baker\u27s bums bow to Snell\u27s belles in annual meeting • Bears win first 59-30 over crusader squad • Practice games set to launch campus basketball schedule • Pattison to captain \u2749 swimming team in tough schedule • Jayvee team opens season with victory • Ursinus establishes new disposal plant • Chess men reach deadlock in third Lansdale match • Glenwood-Lynnewood leads in interdorm hockey racehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/weekly/1579/thumbnail.jp