MATTHEW WRZESNIEWSKY
Major: American Studies
“Shot Like Dogs in the Middle of the Day:” The Lattimer Massacre in History and Memory is Matthew Wrzesniewsky’s examination of the largely forgotten massacre of 19 immigrant coal miners during a peaceful labor march on September 10, 1897 near Hazelton, Pennsylvania.
Beyond an examination of narratives of the day, plus reactions to the massacre, Matthew’s thesis also focuses on the trial of the sheriff and deputies who were accused of the killings. “Nobody has written about the trial or the visual culture surrounding it,” says Matthew. Working with his thesis adviser and mentor, Lou Masur, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of American Institutions and Values, Matthew’s research included an analysis of images—political cartoons and illustrations—that depicted the massacre and trial, particularly ones that contained symbolism of the American flag, which was carried by two marchers who were targeted during the attack.
“The recovery of this event is important because it illustrates views of American history and culture that are still very much present. Early union struggles, solidarity among immigrant groups, and the struggles of immigrant groups in this country are all current issues in the U.S., and it’s interesting to see so many similarities between then and now,” explains Matthew.
Matthew’s thesis was awarded The American Studies Prize and The Miles A. Tuttle Prize during Trinity’s 59th annual Honors Day Ceremony on May 1.
CHELSEA NAFTELBERG
Major: Studio Arts
President’s Fellow Chelsea Naftelberg’s senior project is inspired by Josef Albers’ series of paintings Homage to the Days. Each of Chelsea's 30 paintings represents a day in the month of April, and the colors she uses specifically match Albers’--she reimagines Albers’ color palette in different forms. The paintings are hung to look like a calendar month.
“The paintings are a representation of my constant exploration of color, texture, and daily life,” she says. “We start every day with the same materials, but each day turns out differently. Every day we learn a little bit, but that doesn't necessarily mean that the next day will be better. The only thing to do is push forward with what we've learned, and keep creating and living, hoping that by the end we see some improvement from the beginning. It's life; it's unpredictable.”
Chelsea's paintings will be featured at Broad Street Gallery on April 23 and 24. For more information, call (860) 297-5232.
See a sampling of work from all of Trinity's senior studio art majors during Commencement weekend in the Widener Art Gallery at the Austin Arts Center.
BRETT JACKSON
Majors: English Literature and Music
Not your typical senior project, Brett Jackson's thesis researches some of Trinity’s alumni who have gone on to work as professional musicians, or in the music industry. “There are a surprising number of musicians who graduated from Trinity, and I am looking into the factors, at Trinity and beyond, that contributed most to their careers,” says Brett.
Brett's project examines a wide diversity of alumni, including a professional opera singer, a folk singer-songwriter and a film composer. “One of the really interesting things I’m finding is that not only did relatively few of these alumni major in music, but even those who did major in music feel that the bulk of their skills were learned from performance activity.” For these alumni, Brett explains, student groups and performance ensembles made their Trinity experiences. “Performance activity builds not only technical musical skills, but also important social skills that these alumni value highly.”
Brett's paper was presented on April 4 at the Annual Conference of the Northeast Chapter of the Society for Ethnomusicology.
DEVLIN HUGHES
Majors: Psychology and Data Representation
Data representation is an emerging field that examines the graphical display of data in a way that makes the data most accessible to the reader. Devlin's thesis project examines Google Mashups, a Web tool that can produce customizable maps, and ways that community-based Web sites can utilize these tools and be as accessible as possible.
Devlin was involved in the production of the SmartChoices Web site (smartchoices.trincoll.edu), a project that utilizes Google Mashups to display information about public schools in the Greater Hartford Area. “Our goal was to present Hartford parents with an easy way to come up with a list of the schools available to their children, and to provide succinct information about each school that would aid them in making their school choice decision,” says Devlin.
“My thesis talks about Web sites that involve Google Mashups, as SmartChoices does, how we work to make these Web sites easy to use for those who may not be completely computer-literate, and how we make these Web sites useful. I would like to create a useful document, rather than a paper that will be read once by Trinity's faculty.”
Profiles and photos compiled by Brett Jackson '09.