At Morehouse College, creativity is not separate from inquiry. It is a vital form of research, a way to interpret the world, challenge assumptions, and give voice to experiences that often go unseen. Within the Research Assistant Program, that spirit takes shape across disciplines, including the visual arts.
One such project, Stop Motion Animation that Uses Mythology as a Framework, brings together Assistant Professor of Visual Arts Maria Korol, MFA, and student researcher Pierce Newson 28' in a collaboration that blends storytelling, technique, and cultural reflection.
Pierce Newson 28', an Art major with a minor in Cinema, Television, and Emerging Media Studies and a scholar in the Howard Thurman Honors Program, approaches this work with both technical skill and intellectual curiosity. Under Professor Korol’s mentorship, he is helping to produce a stop-motion animation that examines contemporary experiences of displacement and migration through the lens of mythology.
The project begins with an understanding that mythology is not confined to the past. It is a living framework, one that cultures have long used to make sense of movement, belonging, exile, and transformation. By grounding their work in myth, Korol and Newson are able to connect ancient narratives to present-day realities.
At the center of the project is the medium itself. Stop-motion animation is deliberate and exacting. Every movement is constructed frame by frame, requiring patience, precision, and sustained attention.
“The slow, tactile process of stop-motion, its emphasis on frame-by-frame construction, mirrors the fragile and persistent nature of diasporic identity,” she explains. “The music will function as both connective tissue and emotional undercurrent, guiding viewers through an immersive audiovisual journey.”
That intentionality shapes every aspect of the work. Visual elements are carefully crafted to evoke both rupture and continuity. Movement becomes a metaphor. Sound becomes narrative. Together, they create an experience that invites viewers to reflect on what it means to navigate identity across borders, histories, and spaces.
For Newson, the project represents an opportunity to engage art as both practice and inquiry. It is a chance to explore how storytelling can illuminate complex social realities while also developing technical mastery in animation and production.
This collaboration reflects the broader mission of the Research Assistant Program. Students are not only learning tools of their discipline. They are applying them in ways that engage critical questions and contribute to larger conversations.
In this case, those conversations center on migration, displacement, and identity, issues that continue to shape communities across the globe. By using mythology as a framework, Korol and Newson create a bridge between past and present, reminding us that the stories we inherit still have the power to explain the world we live in today.