Rachel Carrico, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
School of Theatre and Dance O
In October 2024, the University of Illinois Press published UF School of Theatre and Dance professor Rachel Carrico's monograph, Dancing the Politics of Pleasure at the New Orleans Second Line. On many Sundays, Black New Orleanians dance through city streets in Second Lines. These processions invite would-be spectators to join in, grooving to an ambulatory brass band for several hours. Though an increasingly popular attraction for tourists, parading provides the Second Liners themselves with a potent public expression. Carrico examines the parading bodies in motion as a form of negotiating and understanding power. In-depth and empathetic, the book blends analysis with a chorus of Black voices to reveal an indelible facet of Black culture in the Crescent City.
University of Illinois Press: Dancing the Politics of Pleasure at the New Orleans Second Line
Learn more about Carrico's work in the Fall 2023 College of the Arts feature story, UF COTA researchers explore artists’ role as ‘second responders’ in communities impacted by natural disasters
Lainie Ettema
MFA Candidate in Studio Arts
School of Art and Art History
An interdisciplinary research-based artist, Lainie Ettema employs oil paint, sculpture, and digital processes to challenge the objectification of the female body in Western culture. Using elements of play, absurdity, and the surreal, Ettema investigates the power and vulnerability of skin. Whether referencing the epidermal surface of fruit or human, Ettema explores skin as a boundary, illusion, and protective and oppressive force, delving into the abject and the relationship between the seductive and the repulsive. Building on the work of feminist theorists, Ettema examines what it means to be a woman in the 21st century— an identity marked by ambiguity and contradiction.
Learn more about Ettema and view her recent work at: LainieEttema.com
Stephen Menard
MFA Candidate in Theatre
School of Theatre and Dance
Stephen Menard's research at the University of Florida centers around utilizing new technologies and creative methods to help better the work of a theatrical artist. The popular saying "think smarter, not harder" is at the forefront of his research practices. Menard is committed to improve the crafts of scenic and costume design in ways that grow the mindset of a designer while making their job a bit easier. His hope is that emerging technologies blended with traditional methods of thinking will help set the stage for a new generation of artists both literally and figuratively.
Learn more about Menard and explore his work at: StephenMenardDesign.com
Ebenezer Nketsiah Mensah
MFA Candidate in Studio Art
School of Art and Art History
Mensah is a multidisciplinary artist who reconnects his past experience as a construction worker and miner in Tarkwa, Ghana in his art practice. He delves into the relationship between labor and memory through decommissioned mining and construction materials that embody the stories of unseen workers, capturing narratives of resilience, physical labor, and transformation over time. He interrogates the lived experiences of laborers within mining and construction sectors. His work serves as a metaphor for the foundational aspects of labor, emphasizing the tools and materials that actively shape the world. Mensah uncovers the histories embedded within these materials, exploring how they contribute to both personal and collective identities.
Follow Mensah's latest work on Instagram: @ebenezer.n.mensah
