The Pubantz Artists in Residence program at UNC Greensboro’s Lloyd International Honors College asks students for bold ideas, and the 2025-26 artists are ready to meet the moment. In preparation for the Carolyn and Norwood Thomas Undergraduate Research and Creativity Expo April 7, four artists in residence produced complex works that range in theme from sustainability and script analysis to Christianity in the American South and human relationships with artificial intelligence.
Honors College students who are selected for the program receive a stipend and funds for supplies. They each have a mentor for their projects, and the cohort meets online every other month to share process and progress, and to receive feedback.
A Percussionist Presents a Novel Idea
Second year student Madison Karan hopes to challenge modern-day narratives with her multimedia novel. Karan is a percussionist and music in performance major who plays “anything you can hit,” but primarily the marimba.
Last spring, prior to her decision to apply for the Pubantz Artist in Residence, the symphonic band played Karel Husa’s “Apotheosis of the Earth,” about the destruction of humanity through their own means. She thought to herself, “What would this look like if it was fictionalized?”
“My story, entitled ‘Apotheosis,’ centers around three human characters and their interactions with a rapidly evolving AI,” says Karan. “Through forces outside of their control, the Earth is destroyed, and only the AI is left to reflect on the events that led to this point. Uniquely, the AI is the narrator of ‘Apotheosis,’ and we follow its point of view as it transforms from a simple machine into a complex, sentient being.”
Although Karan’s novel does not directly address the human impact on Earth’s ecosystem like Husa’s score does, the two pieces are similar in tone. “While there are moments of lightheartedness; the bulk of the novel is solemn and reflective,” she says.
The novel includes features such as jewelry created by Karan. All her characters represent a type of media she works with — music, writing, and jewelry.
“For instance, one of my characters is a musician, and at one point in the story, he discusses a composition he made,” she says. “The QR code I put there directs to a piece I wrote, but in-universe, it is his.”
“The arts are a fundamental part of the human experience that cannot be replicated by a machine,” says Karan. “While there are necessary uses for AI, that place is not within art. When people see my work, I want them to consider their own beliefs about the topic at hand. Of course, I would love to see the reader enjoying the experience, but the questions ‘Apotheosis’ asks the reader are the most important part of it all — in this way, the story is a vehicle to inspire reflection.”
A Sustainable Design Project for Grandmother’s Furniture
Interior architecture major Sophia Weaver commits to a theme of sustainability by repurposing her grandmother’s furniture. The 1900s furniture is mostly dark, solid wood and some of it is quite ornate. There are unique features we do not see anymore, like tile on top of wood.
“I thought ‘What if I take all these pieces of furniture and give them a new life instead of them going to a landfill?’” she says.
Her process has been to take the furniture apart, lay out all the pieces, and then combine them in unusual ways. For instance, she took a bed frame and side tables and turned them into an armoire.
In her grandparents’ house, she not only found old furniture, but also tools like finishes and wood glue to use for her project. “The whole purpose of the project was that I didn’t want to spend any money on buying something new,” says Weaver.
She is producing 10-12 pieces of furniture, but not all of it will be on display. The goal is to have one completed set, and the rest will be proposed later.
Using Palm Leaves to Push the Boundaries of Linguistic History
Senior Sheza Khurram knew from the beginning that her work would be reconstructive and linguistic in nature. Her project, “The Write Way — Re-evaluating Writing in Palm Leaf Manuscripts,” is an experimental archaeology project merging historical linguistics and language reconstruction. It is based on the theory that Latin letters look blocky because they were originally made with wax, and South Asian letters are curly because they were written on palm leaves.
Khurram engaged in two different methodological practices. She reproduced existing palm leaf manuscripts in the Hindu script, then she inscribed English letters from the Latin alphabet on palm leaves.
“After this process, I do a cross-sectional analysis to measure the incisions and other details and see how that matches up to museum artifacts,” she says.
Khurram is a double major in archaeology and global languages and communities. “The Write Way” is also her senior honors project.
“I wanted to do something original and push boundaries in my field,” says Khurram. “This program allowed me to do that.”
In addition to some creative craftwork and student workshops in the School of Education’s makerspace, Khurram is an officer of Make Cool Stuff, which offers opportunities for students to create on campus.
“This is the first opportunity I’ve had to do my own research on an entirely independent project, so it’s been huge,” she says. “It’s a feeling of success and triumph because I’m getting to branch out into my field in a way that’s self-led, but then there’s also the pressure of ‘I want this to turn out well, and I want to prove that I can succeed in this field.’”
‘A Southern Love Letter’ Inspired by Italian Sculpture
Shaye Scales, a senior with a double major in painting and arts administration, is serious about her work.
“Art is a craft. I hope to shock the audience at the Undergraduate Research Expo and inspire them to take a second look and take it seriously at least for a moment,” she says.
Scales’ work “A Southern Love Letter” centers on Christianity and being Black in the American South. She says she got inspired last year during a trip to Florence, Italy.
“I saw Renaissance and Baroque sculptures about Catholicism, and I thought ‘What if I did that, but I did it about being Black in the South?’” she says.
Her focus is on the positive aspects of growing up in the Black church. She hopes to combat, or at least challenge, some of the negativity of how Christian nationalism is manifesting in the country right now.
When not in class, Scales plays rugby and is the art director of the Coraddi, UNCG’s art and literature magazine. Off campus, she volunteers at least once per month at the Tiny House, where she gives people experiencing homelessness space to create art.
“Helping to bridge the community and the arts is an experience that I really enjoy,” says Scales.
Her project includes paintings, prints, multimedia, and wood sculpture. She says working on the Pubantz project is similar to working on any type of art.
“You go through a bunch of turmoil, you go through inspiration, motivation, a bunch of lulls, and then you actually start to see the piece come alive,” she says, “and you get excited again, and then you start working again and then it happens—the piece is done.”
Written by Alexis Richardson
Photography courtesy of Madison Karan
