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Degree Name
MFA (Master of Fine Arts)
Program
Digital Media
Date of Award
5-2025
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Gregory Marlow
Committee Members
Sarit Somasa, John Hounshell
Abstract
This project explores how animation can serve as a space for blending identity, culture, and artistic techniques. Drawing inspiration from layered works like Arcane and Spider-Verse, I fuse 2D and 3D animation methods to reflect my experience growing up mixed-race Black American and Puerto Rican. Through frame rate manipulation, layered aesthetics, and the use of 2D visual effects within 3D spaces, I experiment with storytelling that embraces contradiction and complexity rather than smoothing it away. This paper traces the evolution of my creative process, the technical challenges of merging 2D and 3D, and the broader cultural significance of hybrid storytelling. It argues that animation, like identity, does not have to choose a single form to be powerful. Instead, it can be a gumbo—messy, layered, and deeply alive.
Document Type
Culminating Experience
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.
Recommended Citation
Caffey, Miguel, "Animation Gumbo: Stirring Up Style, Story, and Self" (2025). Master of Fine Arts in Digital Media Culminating Experience. Paper 12. https://dc.etsu.edu/digitalmedia-culminating-experience/12