2026 | BFA Senior Thesis Book & Exhibition  

Lingering Sentiment

Overview and Key Ideas:

Lingering Sentiment is a research-driven project focused on uncovering how ephemeral paper is collected and conceptualized by young adults, ages twenty to twenty-five, given the lens of the digital age. The final output is a written and designed 50-page paperback book defining paper ephemera; dissecting how and why it is collected, stored, and discarded; and analyzing how these papers contribute to a greater sense of collective humanity.

From this baseline, the book explores how these topics are interconnected with themes of emotional attachment, digital unknowns, sustainability, identity, ownership, and grief. Supported by academic research alongside public collections and personal paper items, this book showcases a comprehensive analysis voiced within a poetic personal narrative.

Lingering Sentiment takes readers on a journey of self-reflection and introspection as they unfold how paper proves their very existence by its fibers and ink. Made to inspire hope and drive human connection, this book is tied deeply to empowering readers to find strength in their sentimentality and in their humanity.