JACKSON, Tenn. — April 27, 2016 — Students from across 51社区鈥檚 campus presented research April 26 at the Scholarship Symposium. The symposium included more than 300 students from business, nursing, theology and missions and arts and sciences.
Ashley Akerson, an art major from Fayetteville, Georgia, presented research on the importance of African-American art. She said African-American art historically has been seen as insignificant or inferior.
She said black artists were not often trained in traditional settings, and their art tends to be raw, honest and abstract. It does not follow traditional patterns set up in European art.
鈥淎frican-Americans began to develop a distinctive voice to tell the story that was different than any other American story,鈥� Akerson said.
She said the process of making art allowed African-American artists the freedom to be bold in ways that were not otherwise allowed in a historically oppressive society. Akerson said African-American art has been a significant part of many artistic movements, and it needs more recognition.
鈥淗ere we are in 2016, blacks freed from slavery and classrooms integrated, yet the majority of our American art studied in classrooms are works created by whites,鈥� she said. 鈥淧erhaps we should clean off our spectacles and begin to consider our pre-determined definitions of art.鈥�
Gray Magee, a cell and molecular biology major from Jackson, Tennessee, researched a method for regenerating African mahogany, an African tree that is threatened in its natural environment. Magee said the tree does not reproduce quickly and has been over-logged in recent decades.
Magee鈥檚 research involved a regeneration method called organogenesis, where hormones are added to mature leaf tissue to create calluses which can produce viable plants. The method has been used effectively on plants such as tobacco and cauliflower.
鈥淚f we can come up with a technique of organogenesis, this could have a significant impact on the African economy,鈥� Magee said.
The African mahogany is ideal for use in carpentry, and the bark is used for medicinal purposes.
The specific process Magee used did not yield substantial results, but he said he hopes other Union students will continue his research.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of refining that can be done,鈥� he said.
MiKalla Cotton, a Christian ministry and missions major from Princeton, Kentucky, did research on why people create. She said people create because they are made in the image of a creator. She said all people create, and there are no such things as creative types.
鈥淔or some, creating looks like composing and performing music, sculpting clay into something meaningful, or setting up or capturing a monumental element through photography,鈥� Cotton said. 鈥淔or others, creativity manifests itself through writing compelling words, cooking exotic meals or crafting a piece of furniture.鈥�
She said through all kinds of creation men and women reflect the image of the creator through making something of the world they have been given.
鈥淣ot only is creativity a reflection of our creator, but it also allows us to reflect him to the world around us and build up the community of creative minds in our midst,鈥� she said.