Companionship, Certainty, Integrity

Author

• Chandler C. CurtisFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-22-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Fine Arts (MFA)

Department

Sculpture

First Advisor

Derrick Woods-Morrow

Second Advisor

Gail Cohee

Third Advisor

Chris Domenick

Abstract

being around people who surprise me, realizing how different we all are, broadening my conception of the world and my corner of it; being kind and considerate, giving others grace; being given responsibilities; being honest with and for myself; braiding my hair collecting free things; critique discussions and any setting to diligently read objects; Culton; dancing; doing sudoku or other ‘hackable’ puzzle; doing things that seem impossible, especially for someone else; drying off with a towel that absorbs well, particularly after a cold shower; eating cantaloupe; encouraging others to trust themselves, using my experiences to support someone else's journey; exchanging smiles with strangers; feeling composed and collected when others are panicking, helping others calm down, and responding cooly to emergencies; feeling like I have all the tools I could possibly need; finding ways to do things when it seems like there are no tools around; following my compulsions; getting basic chores done, doing emails, feeling organized and on top of things; getting warm hearted feedback, especially when its something I would never think of, or causes me to think of something previously inaccessible; getting news that there is an emergency and I must drop everything else; hand stitching; hanging out in larger groups (3+) and feeling as if I had siblings; heavy lifting, strenuous tasks; helping children feel seen and respected; helping others actualize their ideas; how my hair highlights in the sun; how my healthy hair curls as it dries, making perfect ringlets; knowing what im doing; knowing what others think about my work second hand; lending tools or other things; letting a site or space make decisions about a work, making things that feel fully actualized in their specific time and place; non-“art” art projects for someone else; making very small things, doing very small or awkward tasks; my memory: knowing my schedule—and sometimes other people’s—by heart, remembering to do lists, knowing exactly what is in the kitchen; my tattoos, compliments about my tattoos, and planning new tattoos; not explaining myself more than feels comfortable; noticing (and taking) photos; noticing (and taking) videos; packing things efficiently; partnering and partner dancing; physically helping others do things; removing my face from a bowl of icewater or coming out of a cold plunge; sharing mannerisms with my dog; sorting things; supporting others who have been traumatized; teaching, puzzling, teaching as puzzling; teaching dance; the communication between dog and dog-owner; the feeling of a nice hairbrush smoothing my frizzles; the feeling of the weight of a loved on resting against me, particularly a canine; the first chew of a piece of gum, or, better yet, two; thinking about students and their work in class and on my own time; untangling things; using ingenuity to spontaneously solve problems, mine or someone else's; wearing very high heels, being taller; when a work becomes a friend; when my healthier hair dries so that it cradles my widow's peak, forming a lobed tiara; when others treat me like a leader…

Recommended Citation

Curtis, Chandler C., "Companionship, Certainty, Integrity" (2026). Masters Theses. 1620.
https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/masterstheses/1620

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