Graduate Viewbook 2008-2009 - The New School

parsons

the new school

for design

GRADUATE PROGRAMS 2008-2009

Found objects collected in Parsons studios (material

samples, tools, reference documents, process artifacts)

and samples of student and faculty work. STILL FRAME

(front cover, center): Faculty member Brian McGrath

and Mark Watkins, from urban-interface, Manhattan

Timeformations, exploded still-frame from interactive

web-site created for the Skyscraper Museum, 2000.

INTERIOR IMAGE (back cover, lower right): Amanda Toles

and Martina Sencakova, 25 E.13th Street, digital rendering,

2008. Collage by mgmt. design.

parsons

the new school

for design

GRADUATE PROGRAMS 2008-2009

4 Welcome to Parsons

16 Academic Resources

19 Student Services

20 Exhibitions and Public Programs

25 Programs of Study

26 Architecture

40 Design and Technology

52 Fine Arts

64 History of Decorative Arts and Design

76 Interior Design

86 Lighting Design

98 Photography

110 Institutional Information

111 Visit

112 Apply

why parsons the new school for design?

parsons, a pioneer in art and design education for more than a century, is a diverse

community of independent thinkers motivated by the prospect of challenging

conventions and finding solutions to complex problems.

although our graduate programs offer advanced training in specialized courses

of study, none of our programs exists in isolation. our student-centered curriculum

allows for both focused and interdisciplinary paths of study. students from all

backgrounds collaborate on projects, influence one another’s work, and interact in

every aspect of academic and campus life. they work both in teams and on their

own to master concepts, technologies, and research methods that cut across a wide

array of fields. By synthesizing theory with craft and combining art and design studies

with instruction in liberal arts and business, parsons prepares its students to shape

scholarship in their fields and make art and design that matters.

our faculty of notable artists, design practitioners, critics, historians, writers, and

scholars exemplifies an extraordinary breadth of vision. they challenge convention

by encouraging experimentation, nurturing alternative worldviews, and

joining theory with practice in sophisticated and innovative ways. working closely

with the faculty, graduate students develop technologies and refine research

methodologies, making design relevant to a wide range of social, cultural, and

economic systems.

even as parsons gives students the tools to achieve professional success, the

school also prepares them to think outside current paradigms. students learn to

anticipate and set trends, not follow them, and discover how design can inform and

improve people’s lives in direct and fundamental ways. students arrive here with

diverse interests, perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds; they graduate with

a commitment to creatively and critically addressing the complexities of life in the

21st century.

learn more at www.newschool.edu/parsons.

4 PARSONS THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DESIGN

newschool.edu/parsons

FINE ARTS R

INTERIOR

DESIGN

ARCHITEC ECTURE

LIGHT TING

DESIGN DE

PARSONS

THE NEW SCHOOL

FOR DESIGN

PHOTOGRAPHY

DESIGN AND

TECHNOLOGY

T

HISTORY OF

DECCORATIVE

ARTS

ANND

DESIGN

parsons in the new school

a long history of radical pedagogy

as a division of the new school, parsons builds on the university’s legacy of

progressive ideals, scholarship, and pedagogy. the new school provides the ideal

learning environment for those interested in connecting art and design practice

with social responsibility and a commitment to sustainability. it offers degree and

nondegree programs in the social sciences, the liberal arts, management and urban

policy, and the performing arts. parsons students are encouraged to take courses in

and collaborate with students from other schools within the university.

parsons’ tradition of supporting radical thinking in the art academy goes back to

1896, when painter william Merritt chase founded the school to promote freer forms

of individual expression. in 1904, frank alvah parsons joined chase, and under his

leadership, the school introduced design into its curriculum. By emphasizing the

democratizing potential of design and making it available on a broad scale, parsons

has had a profound impact on american life.

as parsons was becoming a revolutionary force in art and design education, another

school was launched in the name of social dissent and democracy. established in 1919,

the new school was conceived as a place where intellectuals could freely exchange

ideas. the next decades saw both schools become closer aligned in mission. as the

new school established a reputation for addressing major cultural and political issues,

parsons became involved in urban design projects such as hospitals and public housing.

in 1970, parsons became part of the new school, which today is a university of eight

likeminded schools. some of the earliest university-level courses on race and black

culture, urban studies, film history, women’s studies, and photography and the first

college programs in fashion design, interior design, and advertising were offered at

the new school and parsons respectively. our shared history has been a continuous

narrative of transformation, pioneering education, and civic engagement.

notaBle parsons aluMni

Peter de Sève illustrator

Victoria Hagan interior designer

Edward Hopper painter

Donna Karan fashion designer

Barbara Kruger artist and

graphic designer

Alex Lee product designer and

president of OXO

6 PARSONS THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DESIGN


Steven Meisel photographer

Paul Rand graphic designer

Narciso Rodriguez fashion designer

Joel Schumacher filmmaker

Brian Tolle artist

THE NEW SCHOOL

FOR DRAMA

THE NEW SCHOOL

FOR JAZZ AND

CONTEMPORARY MUSIC

MANNES COLLEGE

THE NEW SCHOOL

FOR MUSIC

THE NEW SCHOOL

EUGENE LANG COLLEGE

THE NEW SCHOOL

FOR LIBERAL ARTS

THE NEW SCHOOL

FOR

SOCIAL RESEARCH

PARSONS

THE NEW SCHOOL

FOR

GENERAL STUDIES

MILANO

THE NEW SCHOOL

FOR MANAGEMENT

AND URBAN POLICY

parsons in new york

your caMpus is new york city, the world capital of art, culture, Business, fashion, and

intellectual inQuiry.

a parsons education isn’t just a series of isolated classes—it’s a fully immersive

learning experience in which the city itself serves as an urban design laboratory.

our distinguished faculty is a team of accomplished artists, designers, architects,

photographers, and critics that could have been assembled only in a design capital

like new york. outside the classroom, students have access to unparalleled internship

opportunities and industry partnerships, which open up many possibilities for

entrepreneurship and professional success.

situated in the heart of Manhattan, the greenwich Village campus is a major cultural

destination in its own right, a venue for exhibitions, performances, and lectures by

some of the world’s most celebrated artists and thinkers. in addition to enjoying all

the resources on campus, students have access to the galleries, showrooms, and

events of new york city, the nexus of the international art and design worlds. in every

respect, parsons gives students the opportunity to excel at the center of it all.

applicants are encouraged to visit. learn about tours, information sessions, graduate

open studios, and more at www.newschool.edu/parsons/visit.

8

PARSONS THE NEW SCHOOL FOR DESIGN


AMERICAN MUSEUM OF

NATURAL HISTORY

LINCOLN CENTER

BROADWAY

CENTRAL PARK

NEW YORK CITY

GARMENT DISTRICT

CHELSEA GALLERIES

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

COOPER-HEWITT,

NATIONAL DESIGN MUSEUM

THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

THE GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM

THE WHITNEY MUSEUM

MoMA

PARSONS

SOHO

FINANCIAL DISTRICT

THE PUBLIC THEATER

THE NEW MUSEUM

LOWER EAST SIDE

K

BEIJING

parsons in the world

Based in new york; actiVe across the gloBe

at parsons, we believe that designers have the means and a responsibility to bring

about positive change in the world. our students develop art and design solutions

to meet the needs of diverse communities on the local and the global scale. they

connect their creative practice with engaged citizenship, bringing social and

environmental consciousness to the works they create. they work in a learning

environment where cross-cultural perspectives are valued and nurtured and where

awareness of economic and social systems is understood as essential in the context

of globalization. our graduate programs are infused with the progressive spirit that

animates parsons and the new school as a whole.

an international outlook has always been a key ingredient of parsons’ success. in

1920, parsons became the first art and design school in the united states to establish

a campus abroad. today, more than 30% of our students are international—a

testament to our global reputation. while benefiting from the constant influx of

international perspectives in new york, many parsons students expand their horizons

by conducting TOKYO fieldwork abroad and by partnering with global organizations through

sponsored projects built into the curriculum.

parsons collaborates with more than 50 corporate and nonprofit organizations, such

as care, target, the open society institute, kiehl’s, chanel, fossil, and the sierra club.

we maintain those partnerships, and attract new ones, thanks to the exceptional

work of our students. our partners benefit from fresh ideas and cutting-edge design

skills; our students gain professional exposure, build their portfolios, and enjoy

networking opportunities.

10

MELBOURNE



SYDNEY

PARSONS

GUATEMALA

ALTOS DE CHAVON

COLOGNE

LONDON

KASSEL

PARIS

STOCKHOLM

VILINUS

WARSAW

ROME/PRATO/

FLORENCE/MILAN

GABORONE

JOHANNESBURG

LILONGWE

welcome

a Message from the dean

there has never been a more auspicious time to study art and design. the

proliferation of communication systems and technologies is opening up new

markets and presenting unprecedented opportunities for innovation. simultaneously,

the increasingly complex issues that society must address, issues of

globalization and environmental sustainability, for example, have had a profound

impact on how we think about the purpose and value of design. these

transforming conditions require transformative responses.

as a prospective student, you are considering parsons the new school for

design at one of the most dynamic and exciting periods of the school’s long

and accomplished history. we have retooled our programs, creating a flexible

cross-disciplinary curriculum, in order to educate a new generation of creative

leaders who are attuned to the realities of the modern world. as part of the

new school, a growing urban university with strengths in liberal arts and social

sciences, public policy, and performing arts, parsons is forging new paths of

study that apply design to the study of broad social, economic, and cultural

forces. with access to a wider knowledge base, our students graduate with

the ability to excel in both traditional and emergent art and design fields.

all this adds up to a spectrum of career possibilities more relevant and more

professionally and personally rewarding than ever. parsons students are

making positive changes in the world by doing what they do best. they are

proving themselves as articulate leaders who can work nimbly across a variety

of disciplines, with diverse communities, and in constantly changing conditions.

i have never been prouder of the talents and convictions i encounter daily in

our community at parsons.

tim Marshall, dean

academic resources

program advisors are a primary resource for information, including program

requirements, academic progress, and school policies. advisors also refer students

to university facilities and services in addition to those offered by specific academic

programs. parsons and the new school offer students resources that provide optimal

conditions for learning.

technology

– students have access to more than 1,000

computer workstations on campus; the

print output center, which offers high-quality

color printing; and specialized labs with

professional video, modeling, animation,

and recording facilities.

– special classrooms support multimedia,

web design, and desktop publishing.

– free wireless internet is available

across campus.

– audiovisual equipment is available for loan.

exhiBition and studio facilities

– the sheila c. Johnson design center is a

new campus center for parsons that combines

spaces for learning and public programs with

galleries at the busy intersection of fifth avenue

and 13th street.

– students have access to extensive studio

facilities and professionally staffed fabrication,

model, and print shops, including metalworking,

jewelry, and woodworking facilities.

16 STUDENT LIFE


liBraries

– at the donghia Materials library, students

can review and check out the newest, most

advanced materials.

– the gimbel art and design library houses more

than 50,000 new and rare books, 350 periodical

titles, 70,000 slides, and 45,000 picture files,

including mounted plates, slide collections, and

a digital image collection with online access.

– the kellen archive is an extensive collection

of materials relating to the history of art and

design, with a focus on parsons’ role in the

development of design and design education.

– the new school’s fogelman library specializes

in the social sciences and humanities.

– parsons students have access to the facilities

of the research library association of south

Manhattan, also known as the consortium. it

consists of research libraries at the new school,

new york university, cooper union, cardozo

law school, the new york academy of art, and

the new-york historical society. the combined

libraries hold more than three million volumes

and 25,000 journals.

student life

FINE ART LECTURE SERIES FLYER

Interact with the prominent

artists and designers who

are your guest lecturers and

visiting critics.

INTERNSHIP PLACEMENT

Build your resume

working directly with

designers and clients.

INVITATION TO

EXHIBITION OPENING

Exhibit your work at

high-profile venues.

MEETING WITH NEW YORK CITY

COUNCIL ON THE ENVIRONMENT

Gain valuable industry experience

working on sponsored projects with

local companies and organizations.

STUDENT RUN NEWSPAPER

Participate in extra-curricular

activities like media and

journalism projects.

student services

a professional and helpful staff is available to meet a range of needs, including health

care and housing. Visit www.newschool.edu/studentservices for more information.

housing

the new school offers a number of housing

options for graduate students. the university

housing office can provide information about

housing on and off campus.

health serVices

student health services offers students medical

care, counseling and psychological services,

preventive education, and a low-cost health

insurance plan.

student deVelopMent and actiVities

at any given time, students at the university are

involved in a variety of activities, ranging from

publications to clubs to athletics to political

activism. Many extracurricular organizations are

student run.

disaBility serVices

parsons and the new school are committed to

ensuring that students with special needs have

full access to academic and programmatic

services. students are encouraged to meet with

the office of student disability services to discuss

their needs. the office also offers information

on a variety of disability-related issues and on

internal and external resources.

international student serVices

this school is authorized under federal law to

enroll non-immigrant-alien students. international

student services serves the special needs

of international students and helps create a

supportive environment for living and studying,

encouraging them to participate actively in

classes, extracurricular activities, and life

in new york city. trained international education

specialists provide support throughout the

u.s. visa application process and offer legal

status advisement.

intercultural support

the office of intercultural support works with

students of diverse backgrounds to build

community at the new school. the office

sponsors events and workshops to promote

intercultural awareness.

STUDENT LIFE


19

exhibitions

parsons is a leading venue for contemporary art and design. exhibitions relating to

coursework enhance students’ critical, theoretical, and historical understanding of

art and design.

galleries are scheduled year-round with exhibitions of work by outside artists and

designers, parsons faculty, and parsons students. our exhibitions program supports

our mission by focusing on innovation, interdisciplinary design, social responsibility,

and technology. parsons has two main street-level museum-quality exhibition

spaces totaling more than 6,000 square feet: the kellen gallery and the arnold and

sheila aronson galleries. exhibitions may be curated by university staff and faculty,

or they may be traveling shows. as a venue to showcase student work, the galleries

enable students to obtain construction, installation, and presentation experience in

a high-profile exhibition setting. every spring, parsons departments exhibit the work

of their graduating students.

20 STUDENT LIFE STUDENT LIFE

21



lectures, events, and public programs

parsons and the new school have historically been centers for innovative think-

ing and artistic experimentation. the tradition continues today, with prominent

intellectuals, designers, artists, business leaders, and policy makers regularly visiting

the campus to lecture and take part in panels and conferences. Many new

york based artists welcome studio visits from our students. other university events

include regular concerts, dance performances, plays, film screenings, and literary

readings. Most events are free or discounted for students. for more information, visit

www.newschool.edu/eventlist.

soMe recent guest lecturers and Visiting artists

Lorna Simpson artist and photographer

Frank Gehry architect

Kiki Smith artist

Marc Jacobs fashion designer

Chuck Close painter

Roselee Goldberg performance art curator and critic

Marilyn Minter painter

Bruce Mau graphic designer

Michael Graves architect and product designer

Donna Karan fashion designer

Robert Massin graphic artist

Phoebe Washburn installation artist

Fatimah Tuggar artist

John Maeda graphic designer and computer scientist

Ed Koren illustrator

Ed Sorel illustrator

Ken Johnson critic

Lynne Cook curator

Katha Pollitt poet and columnist for The Nation

Bruce Nussbaum Businessweek editor

Zach Feuer gallery owner

Becky Smith gallery owner

Hans-Ulrich Obrist curator

Nancy Princenthal critic

22 STUDENT LIFE


prograMs

REFERENCE TEXTS

FOR AN URBAN

STUDIES COURSE AT

THE NEW SCHOOL

Choose your liberal

studies electives

from some of the

most interesting

and innovative

courses offered at

any university.

SKYPE CHAT WITH A PROFESSOR IN ANOTHER COUNTRY

Parsons is a global institution; our faculty and

students come from all over the world and all kinds

of backgrounds.

SEMINAR READER

FROM GLOBAL

ISSUES IN DESIGN

Art and Design Studies

courses give you

the knowledge to

understand your own

work in a historical/

intellectual context.

TRANSCRIPT FROM

SUSTAINABLE

FASHION ROUNDTABLE

People at Parsons

connect design

decisions with larger

social, economic,

and cultural issues,

like sustainability.

graduate degree programs

Master of architecture

Master of architecture/Master of fine arts in lighting design (dual degree)

Master of fine arts in design and technology

Master of fine arts in fine arts

Master of arts in the history of decorative arts and design

Master of fine arts in interior design (new york state approval pending)

Master of fine arts in lighting design

Master of fine arts in photography

parsons offers graduate programs in several disciplines for qualified designers who

wish to pursue high-level studio work and research. while the school offers specialized

courses of study, none of the programs exists in isolation. cross-disciplinary, flexible

curricula and collaborations with students at other divisions of the new school provide

students with strong foundations on which to become active and informed citizens

and successful artists, designers, and scholars. By offering hybrid and flexible paths,

parsons affords students more opportunities to define their education and makes it

possible for them to be pioneers in emerging fields.

PROGRAMS: OVERVIEW 25


architecture

the Master of architecture program (accredited by the national

architecture accrediting Board) trains architects to deal with critical

issues involving the built and natural environment. the rigorous

curriculum applies design, history, theory, sustainability, and

technology to investigate

—the integration of design and material construction

—the ecology of technological and natural systems

—the capacity of architecture to shape social interaction

in space

—the relationship between space, the body, and

sensory perception

—the use of digital technologies and new media in design

using new york city as a laboratory, students explore

contemporary architectural ideas and practices, particularly the

creative role played by architects in translating the ordinary and

the everyday into extraordinary works of architectural invention.

students can supplement their studies with offerings from other

programs at parsons—particularly interior design, lighting design,

and product design—and other divisions of the new school.

one of the architecture program’s highlights is the design

workshop, a unique “design-build” offered in the spring semester

of the second year. in the design workshop, students learn

about materiality, detail, and form and space making in relation

to social practice. over a six-month period, students explore the

architectural design process by working together on a single

project from concept through construction.

the program’s small size (72 students) and atelier atmosphere

support an intimate community. students work closely with the faculty

of 40 distinguished professional architects, historians, and critical

theorists drawn from new york’s international design community.

facilities and resources

Students work in a large open-studio

loft where they develop projects in

consultation with faculty and peers. The

5,000-square-foot space is supported

by wireless technology, allowing direct

access to printing and plotting in the

adjacent 25-station computer laboratories.

A curated materials library and

a staffed fabrication shop with digital

and traditional equipment are located

next to the studio. Use of the Fine Arts

department’s nearby fabrication shops

is encouraged and promotes valuable

exchanges with students in other

disciplines.

26 ARCHITECTURE ARCHITECTURE

27



students interested in both architecture and lighting design

can earn a unique dual degree. the March/Mfald is a 142credit

program that prepares students for extraordinary career

opportunities in these expanding and overlapping fields.

for complete curriculum, faculty, and course information, visit

www.newschool.edu/parsons and go to degree programs:

graduate, architecture.

curriculuM

the Master of architecture curriculum integrates design, theory,

technology, and practice. the design studio, the core of the

curriculum, uses new york city and its environs as a context for

exploring the natural and social ecologies that make up the

contemporary city. the studio sequence challenges students to

respond to the formal and cultural demands imposed by uses, site,

context, structure, construction, and program. interdisciplinary

electives in history, theory, and technology highlight architecture’s

pivotal role in shaping culture.

first year design studio i introduces fundamental architectural

issues—form, program, site, materials, and structure—through

projects that emphasize the inventive and conceptual dimensions

of architectural design and research. design studio ii addresses

the role of architecture in constructing social relations by asking

students to reconsider one of the most familiar architectural

spaces—the home. in representation and spatial reasoning,

students explore techniques of architectural representation

and develop the ability to think, draw, and analyze architecture

critically, using both analog and digital technologies.

students complement their studio work with issues and practices

of architecture, Modern and postmodern architecture, or imagining

new york. these and other elective courses are cross-listed with the

Mfa in lighting design, facilitating exchange between disciplines.

students take construction technology i in the fall and the

environmental theory course nature in environment in the spring.

second year in design studio iii, students execute designs for

modestly scaled buildings in relation to their physical settings.

calling into question the traditional opposition between nature

and culture, this studio invites students to explore the complex

relationship between design, technology, and sustainability. in the

second year, students also take a yearlong course on structural

statics and materials.

lectures, syMposia,

and exhiBitions

Every semester, the department sponsors

a rich array of public events, including a

series in which groups of students meet

with world-class designers, typically at

the site of an ongoing project. Recent

guest lecturers and critics have included

Julie Bargmann D.I.R.T. Studio

Petra Blaisse interior designer

James Carpenter

James Carpenter Design

Lise Ann Couture and Hani Rashid

Asymptote

Dennis Crompton Archigram

Diller + Scofidio and Renfro

architects

Blakrishna Doshi architect

Winka Dubbledam Architectonics

Peter Eisenman

Eisenman Architects

Ken Frampton Columbia University

Richard Gluckman

Gluckman Mayner Architects

Charles Gwathmey

Gwathmey Siegel & Associates

Thomas Herzog Herzog + Partner

Sheila Kennedy

Kennedy Violich Architects

Sulan Kolatan

Kolatan/MacDonald Studio

Jamie Lerner

International Union of Architects

Bruce Mau graphic designer

William McDonough

McDonough Architects

Guy Nordenson Engineer

Enrique Norten TEN Arquitectos

Lyn Rice Lyn Rice Architects

Michael Sorkin architect

Susan S. Szenasy

Metropolis Magazine

Rafael Viñoly architect

Marion Weiss and Michael

Manfredi architects

Tod Williams and Billie Tsien

architects

Adam Yarinsky

Architecture Research Office

in the fall, students take theory of architectural form, which

introduces contemporary theories of architecture with emphasis

on post-1968 developments in architectural thought and criticism.

students have three options for design studio iV, which they take

in the spring: they can take the gravity studio, co-taught by an

architect and an engineer; the daylighting studio, part of the

lighting design curriculum; or the design workshop, which offers

a rare opportunity to collaborate on a real project from schematic

design through construction. taken in conjunction with construction

technology ii, the design workshop focuses on how materials

and construction shape our cultural and tactile understanding

of space.

third year in design studio V, a prominent practicing architect

leads a thematic urban and architectural design studio related

to his or her professional interests. students also participate in

research seminar: cities and details and theory of urban form,

which focuses on contemporary and historical urban design.

in design studio Vi, taken in the final semester, students execute

an independent thesis in a supervised studio devoted to

investigating a specific program and a new york city site. each

student designs a complex multifunctional urban building. students

also take professional practice, which prepares them for entry into

the professional world.

two study options

accredited by the new york state Board of regents and the

national architectural accrediting Board (naaB), parsons offers

two professional degree options in architecture.

first professional degree students with a Bfa or Ba degree

pursue a three-year (106 credits) course of study leading to a

first professional degree. at least one college-level course in

calculus, one in physics, and one in the history of architecture

are prerequisites. students without a design background are

also required to take the parsons summer intensive studio or

an equivalent course elsewhere. for more information, visit

www.newschool.edu/parsons and go to summer programs.

postprofessional degree students who already hold a Barch first

professional degree or a foreign equivalent typically enroll in

the one-and-a-half-year postprofessional degree program (54

credits), a flexible course of study that allows students to customdesign

a program to suit their academic interests. this course

of study begins in the spring and continues for three semesters,

allowing students to take advantage of the design workshop and,

if they wish, to spend a summer working in new york city between

years of study.


29



electiVes

Architecture students take two electives

from the Architecture, Interior Design,

and Lighting Design curriculum to

enrich their field of study.

They choose two additional electives

from other Parsons or university graduate

curricula.

naaB stateMent

In the United States, most state registration

boards require a degree from an

accredited professional degree program

as a prerequisite for licensure. The NAAB,

the sole agency authorized to accredit

U.S. professional degree programs in

architecture, recognizes two types of

degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture and

the Master of Architecture. A program

may be granted a five-year, three-year, or

two-year term of accreditation. Master’s

degree programs may consist of a preprofessional

undergraduate degree and

a professional graduate degree, which,

when earned sequentially, make up an

accredited professional education. The

preprofessional degree is not, by itself,

recognized as an accredited degree.

adMission inforMation

Admission to the program is handled

directly by the School of the Constructed

Environments (product, lighting,

architecture, and interior design). Email

aidladmission@newschool.edu for

information. Applicants are encouraged

to visit and to attend final reviews in

mid-December and early May. Call

212.229.8955 to make arrangements.

case study: MargaretVille design workshop

for 50 years, the Margaretville pavilion in upstate new york has

been a vital community symbol and gathering place, hosting

festivals and other community events. recently, after serious

flooding rendered the structure unstable, parsons students in the

design workshop were mobilized to design and construct a new

5,000-square-foot pavilion. the structure they built (see below) has

since become an iconic centerpiece of the town’s revitalization.

other recent design workshop projects include a convertible art

space for the lower Manhattan cultural council; a lobby and

gallery renovation for common ground, a nonprofit housing and

community development group; a prototype field house for the

new york public school system; and infowash, a laundromat-cuminformation

center in delisle, Mississippi, that offers assistance to

hurricane katrina survivors.

30 ARCHITECTURE


Leah King

Student

architecture

Along with her classmates in the Design Workshop at Parsons, Leah King

brought the Margaretville Pavilion—a 5,000-square-foot community

center with an outdoor pavilion, an enclosed kitchen, a deck, and a

tower—to life. Leah explains that the “design-build” program is one of

the reasons she chose to study at Parsons and is her favorite aspect of the

architecture curriculum overall.

Through her coursework at Parsons, Leah was introduced to the

concept of sustainable design, which became a major component of

her master’s thesis. “I explored smart materials and new technologies

as a way to improve the efficiency of space, light, air, water usage, and

heating in housing units. I focused on Harlem, an area undergoing

transition and gentrification. There, I found a way to modify the

traditional brownstone with a skin structure that allows for these

physical and environmental changes while accommodating the

changing social trends of the neighborhood.”

According to Leah, New York City provides the perfect setting for the

study of architecture. She says, “Classes take advantage of the diversity

and significance of New York architecture. We took all kinds of field

trips and walking tours; we even took a ferry tour of the Gowanus Canal,

something most people never do!”

left Maiko Shimizu, 33rd St. Care House,

multi-generational housing complex,

architectural model

right top Gregga Kailin, MRFex, material

recovery facility, Hudson River Park Pier 40,

NYC, architectural model

right bottom Perla Kristinsdottir, 125th St.

Transit Hub, large urban public subway station,

NYC, digital rendering

ARCHITECTURE

33


Danny Wong, Airport Extension, an

experiment in branding an enclosure

system, JFK Airport terminal 8 & 9,

NYC, architectural model

left top Jessica Birnbaum, Yankee Baseball

Stadium, large urban sports arena, architectural

model

left bottom Douglas Segulja & Ian Mueller,

NYU Residence Hall, faculty/student housing

complex, architectural model

right Megan Hurley and Hrolfur Cela,

NYU Residence Hall, faculty/student housing

complex, mixed media rendering

34 ARCHITECTURE ARCHITECTURE 35



architecture faculty

KENT KLEINMAN dean, School of Constructed Environments.

Scholarly focus: 20th-century European modernism. Books:

Villa Müller: A Work of Adolf Loos; Rudolf Arnheim: Revealing Vision;

Mies van der Rohe: The Krefeld Villas. Awards: Mellon Foundation’s

Senior Public Goods Fellowship, Visiting Scholarship at the

Canadian Center for Architecture, three Graham Foundation

grants, two Architect’s Journal Ten Best Book awards. MArch,

University of California, Berkeley.

JOANNA MERWOOD director of academic affairs, School

of Constructed Environments. Architectural historian.

Published: “Western Architecture: The Inland Architect,

Race, Class and Architectural Identity,” “Chicago Is History,”

“The Mechanization of Cladding: The Reliance Building and

Narratives of Modern Architecture.” BArch, Victoria University

of Wellington; MArch, McGill; MA and PhD, Princeton.

DAVID LEVEN director, MArch program; partner, Leven Betts.

Awards: Architectural Record’s Design Vanguard, Architype

Review, IES Lumen, four AIA NYC Awards, I.D. Annual Design

Review, Architectural League of NY’s Young Architects

Forum. Lectures and exhibitions: Architectural League of NY,

Deutsches Architekturmuseum, Syracuse University, Center

for Architecture, University of Kansas, Chicago Institute of Art.

Published: Architectural Record, Young Americans, Ultimate New York

Design, New Minimalist House, Dwell. BA, Colgate; MArch, Yale;

coursework, Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies.

KIMBERLY ACKERT principal, Ackert Architects. Awards:

Mercedes T. Bass Rome Prize in Architecture. Published: 40 Under

40, New York Times Magazine, Green Architecture USA, Interiors,

Architectural Review, Architecture Australia, House & Garden.

Projects: Monier Design Commission, Villa Almonte Sea

Ranch, Faith Assembly Church. BArch, California Polytechnic

State University.

MATTHEW BAIRD principal, Matthew Baird Design.

Publications: GA Houses, New York Times, New York magazine.

Projects: Museum of American Folk Art (with Tod Williams Billie

Tsien Architects). BA, Princeton; MArch, Columbia.

SUNIL BALD partner, studioSUMO. Awards: Young Architects,

ACSA, Fulbright, AIA. Published: Architecture, Architectural Record,

Frame, GA Houses, Wallpaper, Domus, Oculus. Lectures and exhibitions:

Project Row Houses, Houston; GA Gallery, Tokyo; Young

Architects Forum at the National Building Museum, Washington,

D.C.; Urban Center, New York; University of Texas, Austin; Cornell.

BA, University of California at Santa Cruz; MArch, Columbia.

STELLA BETTS partner, Leven Betts Studio. Awards: AIA

Design Award (2003 and 2004), I.D. Annual Design Review,

Metropolis Next Generation Prize, Architectural League Young

Architects, IES Lumen Award. Published: Dwell, Architectural

Record, I.D., Surface, Interior Design, House & Garden. Lectures and

exhibitions: Architectural League, Center for Architecture, BAC,

MacDowell Colony, Colgate University. BA, Connecticut College;

MArch, Harvard.

LAURA BRIGGS director of the BFA program; partner,

BriggsKnowles Architecture+Design. Projects include speculative

work on the city and research into the integration of

photovoltaic and interactive energy technologies into building

surfaces. Published in: A+D, Metropolis, New York Times, Dwell,

Dwell-TV, Domus. Lectures and exhibitions: Cornell, Columbia,

RISD, University of Michigan, Kent State, International Solar

Energy Society, American Solar Energy Society, Storefront for

Architecture, Van Alen Institute. BFA and BArch, RISD;

MArch, Columbia.

ERIC BUNGE principal, nARCHITECTS. Awards: Architectural

League Emerging Voices, Canadian Rome Prize, Architectural

Record Design Vanguard, MoMA/P.S.1. Young Architects, NYFA

grant. Published in: New York Times, Earth Buildings, City Limits:

Young Architects 3, Metropolis, Architectural Record, L’architecture

d’aujourd’hui. Exhibitions: Economy of the Earth, ArchiLab,

Orléans, France; New Hotels for Global Nomads, Cooper-Hewitt,

National Design Museum. BArch, McGill; MArch, Harvard.

DILIP DA CUNHA principal, Mathur/da Cunha, a landscape,

planning, and architecture firm. Research focus: landscape as a

shifting, culturally layered condition. Awards: Young Architects

Award. Books: Mississippi Floods: Designing a Shifting Landscape;

Deccan Traverses: The Making of Bangalore’s Terrain. BArch,

Bangalore University; MHousing, SPA, New Delhi; MCP, MIT; PhD,


NATALIE FIzER principal, Fizer/Forley Design. Exhibitions:

Artificial Memory, a survey history of memory devices; The

Democratic Monument in America 1900-2000, a traveling exhibit

on the monuments and trails of the 20th-century American landscape;

Opening the Oval, a timeline history of the interior of the

White House. Grants: New York State Council on the Arts, NYFA.

Published: Interior Design, New York Times, Paper, New York magazine.

BA, Rutgers; BArch, Cooper Union; MArch, Princeton.

CARLO FRUGIUELE partner, Urban Office Architecture. Awards:

Europan 7 First Prize, Robbins Elementary School Competition,

Villafranca New School First Prize, Town Hall of Ornago First

Prize. Published: Europan 7, Architectural Record, l’Arca. Lectures:

NJIT, Anahuac Universidad, Europan 7. BArch, Politecnico di

Milano; MDes, Columbia.

JEAN GARDNER activist, writer, architecture, and landscape

historian; consultant on sustainable design issues; founding member,

Environment ’90, Earth Environmental Group. Co-author:

Cinemetrics: Architecture Drawing Today. Author: Urban Wilderness:

Nature in New York City. Teaching experience: Columbia, Pratt, and

Cornell. BA, Smith College; MA, Columbia.

JAMES GARRISON principal, Garrison Siegel Architects, a firm

with an emphasis on high performance and sustainable designs.

Awards: Chicago Athenaeum American Architecture Award,

GSA Citation for Design Excellence, AIA/NYS Honor Award, AIA/

NYC Building Award. Published: Architecture, Architectural Record,

Contract, Oculus, Real Estate Weekly. BArch, Syracuse.

DOUGLAS GAUTHIER principal, Gauthier Architects.

Awards: MoMA Home Delivery exhibition, Architecture League

Young Architects, Fulbright Scholarship, Graham Foundation

grant. Published: New York Times, Wallpaper, Metropolis.

MArch, Columbia.

ED KELLER designer, writer, multimedia artist; co-founder, a/

Um Studio; partner, Atelier Chronotope. Projects range from

residential projects to competitions, new media installations,

and screenplays. Awards: National Award, Celebration of Cities,

first prize for A House for Andrei Tarkovski. Published: ANY, AD,

Architecture, Wired, Metropolis, Assemblage, Progressive Architecture.

Lectures: Harvard, Pratt, Princeton, Columbia University GSAP.

BA, Simon’s Rock; MArch, Columbia.

JAMES KOSTER principal, James Koster Architects. Awards:

Chase Competition Development Corporation Award, NY State

Preservation League Award, Kelly Grant Illuminating Engineers

Society. BA, University of Pennsylvania; MArch, Princeton.

DAVID J. LEWIS partner, Lewis.Tsurumaki.Lewis. Projects

focus on the inventive possibilities of architecture through an

examination of the conventional and overlooked. Published:

Architecture, Architectural Record, Architectural Review, Frame, I.D.,

Interiors, Metropolis, New York Times. Awards: U.S. representation

at Venice Architecture Biennale, Architectural League of New

York Emerging Voices, Architectural Record vanguard. Lectures

and exhibitions: SF MoMA, Van Alen Institute, UVA, Sci-Arc,

University of California. BA, Carleton College; MA, Cornell;

MArch, Princeton.

HARRIET MARKIS PE partner, Dunne & Markis Consulting

Structural Engineers, structural engineer on projects ranging

from new construction to existing structures to restoration

work on landmark buildings. Affiliations: ASCE, SeoNY. BSCE,

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. MEng, Cornell.

JONATHAN MARVEL principal, Rogers/Marvel Architects.

Projects: Governors Island park and public space, NY Stock

Exchange streetscape, urban plaza for 55 Water Street, Battery

Park streetscapes, Higgins Hall at Pratt Institute, Studio Museum

in Harlem. Awards: AIA NY Chapter Medal of Honor, Municipal

Arts Society, Boston Society of Architects, Architectural League

of NY Emerging Voices, Interiors Design Award. Published:

Architectural Record, New York Times, Interior Design, Metropolis, I.D.,

ANY, A+U, Quaderns. BA, Dartmouth; MArch, Harvard.

MICHAEL MCGOUGH vice president, Laszlo Bodak Engineer, PC;

managing director, LBE International, Ltd.; registered professional

engineer in the state of New York; certified expert witness in

forensic engineering. Affiliations: American Society of Mechanical

Engineers; American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air

Conditioning Engineers; National Fire Protection Association.

BSME, Columbia.

BRIAN MCGRATH principal, Urban-Interface, LLC, a consulting

practice with expertise in architecture, ecology, and media.

Projects focus on the use of digital technologies to provide

urban design models that engage local participants in flexible

approaches to urban densification and revitalization. Co-author:

Cinemetrics: Architectural Drawing Today. Author: Transparent Cities,

Conflict in Rome and New York. BArch, Syracuse; MArch, Princeton;

coursework, Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies.

LUC NADAL architect and scholar. Awards: Buell Writing Prize,

Barclay Bibbs Jones nomination, Lavoisier and Monbusho scholarships.

Published: Les lumières de la ville, L’architecture d’aujourd’hui,

Arch + Zeitschrift. Diploma, Architecte DPLG, La Villette School of

Architecture, France; MPhil, PhD, Columbia.

GREG OTTO structural engineer; senior engineer, Buro Happold

Consulting Engineers. Projects: Los Angeles Natural History

Museum (Steven Holl Architects); Genzyme Headquarters,

Cambridge (Behnisch, Behnisch Partners); Trettin Residence,

Aspen (SHoP–Sharples Holden Pasquarelli). Kansas State

University, Cooper Union, and MIT.


37



MITCHELL B. OWEN partner, Consolidated Design Studios

Ltd., specializing in high-end residential and retail design.

Research focus: intersection of politics and design in World

War II-era California Modern architecture; the crossing of

political issues with architectural design and urban history.

Awards: DDI Magazine’s top 50 retail firms. BS, Georgia Institute

of Technology; MArch, MA Architectural History, Theory, and

Criticism, Princeton.

DAVID PISCUSKAS partner, 1100 Architect. Awards: New York

City and NYS chapters of the AIA design awards for renovation

of the Little Red School House and Elizabeth Irwin High School;

MoMA Design stores; Irish Hunger Memorial in Battery Park City.

BA, Brown, RISD; MArch, University of California, Los Angeles.

DEREK PORTER director, MFA Lighting Design; principal,

Derek Porter Studio. Awards: Architectural Lighting magazine,

International Association of Lighting Designers, Illuminating

Engineering Society of North America. Affiliations: member of the

American Institute of Architects, IALD, IESNA, and Light

Fair International. BFA, Environmental Design, Kansas City

Art Institute.

GUNDULA PROKSCH principal, TAAN (transatlantic architectural

network). Research emphasizes the transformation of

urban landscapes. Awards: DAAD fellow, Studienstiftung fellow.

Published: Werk, Bauen+Wohnen, ETH Zurich, Baunetz. Dipl. Ing.

Architektin, TU Braunschweig; MArch, Cornell.

MARK RAKATANSKY principal, Mark Rakatansky Studio.

Awards: Emerging Voices, I.D., National Competition for Street

Trees, 100 Annual, PRINT Digital Design, Progressive Architecture.

Published: ANY, A+U, Assemblage, Camerawork, Columbia Document,

Competitions, Harvard Architecture Review, Journal of Philosophy

and Visual Arts. BA, University of California, Santa Cruz; MArch,


JUERGEN RIEHM partner, 1100 Architect. Awards: New York

City and NYS chapters of the AIA design awards for renovation

of the Little Red School House and Elizabeth Irwin High School;

MoMA Design stores; Irish Hunger Memorial in Battery Park

City. Diploma in Architecture, Fachhochschule Rheinland-Pfalz;

Stadelschule, Academy of Fine Arts, Frankfurt A.M.

ROBERT ROGERS principal, Rogers/Marvel Architects.

Projects: Governors Island park and public space, NY Stock

Exchange streetscape, urban plaza for 55 Water Street, Battery

Park streetscapes, Higgins Hall at Pratt Institute, Studio Museum

in Harlem. Awards: Erie Street Plaza International Design

Competition finalist, AIA National Honor Awards, Architectural

League of NY Emerging Voices, Interiors Design Award. Published:

Architectural Record, New York Times, Interior Design, Metropolis. BA,

BArch, Rice University; MDes, Harvard.

CHRIS SHARPLES principal, SHoP (Sharples Holden

Pasquarelli), a practice encompassing architecture, fine arts,

structural engineering, finance, and business management.

Awards: Wired Rave Award; National Design Award finalist,

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum; Architectural

League of New York Emerging Voices; Progressive Architecture

Citation; MoMA/P.S. 1 Summer Installation. Published: Versioning,

Architecture, Architectural Record, New York Times, Oculus, Interior

Design. BFA, Dickenson College; MArch, Columbia.

WILLIAM SHARPLES principal, SHoP (Sharples Holden

Pasquarelli; see above). BAE, Pennsylvania State University;

MArch, Columbia.

HENRY SMITH-MILLER partner, Smith-Miller+Hawkinson

Architects. Awards: Progressive Architecture Design Award for

Strategic Open Space, AIA NY Chapter Design Award, National

Academy of Design award for the NY Public Library Project,

Fulbright Scholar. Published: ANY, Architecture, Architectural

Record, Casabella, Global Architecture, Dwell, I.D., Interiors, Interior

Design, Metropolis, New York Times. Lectures and exhibitions:

MoMA, SF MOMA, FRAC, Van Alen Institute, Architectural

League of NY. BA, Princeton; MArch incomplete, Yale; MArch,

University of Pennsylvania.

CALVIN TSAO partner, Tsao & McKown. Awards: Metropolitan

Home’s Design 100, Interior Design Hall of Fame, Fashion Group

International Star Honoree, Noyes Visiting Critic Harvard.

Published: Architecture, I.D., Interior Design, New York Times, Vanity

Fair. BA, University of California, Berkeley; MArch, Harvard.

TIMOTHY VENTIMIGLIA architect, museum and exhibit

designer; associate and project director, Ralph Appelbaum

Associates. Awards: Society for Environmental and Graphic

Design top honor, Industrial Design Excellence Award, silver

winner; Communication Arts Award. Projects: University of Arizona

Science Center, Grand Tetons National Park Visitor Center,

Anchorage Museum of History and Art. BArch, MArch, Cornell.

PERRY WINSTON senior architect, Pratt Planning and

Architectural Collaborative, working on affordable housing

and community development; maker of the documentary film

Bordersville, which aired on PBS; frequent contributor, Design Book

Review. BA, Harvard; MArch, Rice.


39



design and technology

the design and technology program responds to the social and

cultural dimensions of technological change. students learn

firsthand what to expect in the wired 21st-century world as they

explore connections between networks, interactions, games, products,

and stories. this program of study examines the implications

of emerging technology for both the practice and the process of

design, drawing from the past and looking to the future.

students are exposed to a variety of perspectives while they

develop their own points of view. they become aware of and

address social and ethical issues that arise from technology’s

proliferation throughout society as they work to define their own

vision and practice within one or more domains.

the curriculum links visual, interactive, and narrative concerns with

the practices of programming and computation. students explore

the social, economic, political, cultural, environmental, historical,

ergonomic, and psychological impact of design and technology.

they conceive and create dynamic systems on a human scale. this

broad approach is a hallmark of the program and prepares students

for research and professional work in many design contexts.

the program challenges students to master constantly changing

technology, on the principle that people work most creatively

when they have a solid understanding of the tools they are using.

students are also encouraged to develop close associations and

working relationships with one another. the collaborations fostered

often last long after graduation.


newschool.edu/parsons and go to degree programs: design and

technology, graduate.


Beyond computer labs and classrooms

lies the greatest resource available to our

students: New York City. In addition to

using city streets and wireless networks

as laboratories for experimentation,

students take field trips to Times Square,

Lower Manhattan, and Central Park to

find inspiration and observe the nuances

of designed living. They collaborate

with urban arts organizations like

Eyebeam, Creative Time, the Kitchen,

and the New Museum. Students learn

to see New York City as a dynamic

system that shapes the way they learn,

play, innovate, and explore.

The facilities at Parsons are state-ofthe-art.

The Arnhold Hall Multimedia

Laboratory occupies 40,000 square

feet on four floors with 600 networked

workstations. More than 30 servers

support work ranging from traditional

print output to online projects using

webcasting and secure transaction

technology. Specialty work—audio/

video production, MIDI, recording, and

physical computing installation—takes

place in the Design and Technology Lab.

Portable digital still, video, and audio

production equipment is available.

Digital projectors, surround sound, and

active whiteboards feed into equipment

racks for media presentations of all kinds.

40 DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

41



aluMni

design and technology graduates work in a wide variety of

art and design practices. they hold directing, producing, and

design positions in broadcast design and animation at MtV,

nickelodeon, curious pictures, and r/ga. a recent graduate in

time-based media was the technical director on shrek 2 for

pdi/dreamworks. in game design, alumni hold lead designer

positions at electronic arts and gamelab; others have started

indie game development firms, for example large animal games.

design and technology trained interaction designers can be

found at aol, frog design, pentagram, and apple. in the arts, our

alumni have won awards at ars electronica and worked with the

sponsorship of arts organizations like eyebeam and creative time.

parsons graduates include professors at the university of wisconsin,

the university of Massachusetts, and texas a&M university.

the student experience

the process of responding to the implications of emerging

technology through design is the essence of the student

experience in design and technology. design serves more than

a visual function: it is a means for producing culture, developing

communities, organizing knowledge, creating entrepreneurial

structures, and awakening social consciousness. situated

amid new york city’s vibrant art and design scene, the program

encourages students to take their work to the streets and engage

individuals and communities. from bicycles that create wi-fi

hotspots to walking tours mediated through pdas and cell phones

to animations projected onto buildings, our students’ work is

a living, breathing part of our city. whether in the commercial

realm, academia, or the fine arts, parsons graduates offer not

just in-depth knowledge of technology but the creativity and

intellectual awareness to shape the future.

students enter the graduate program from many professional and

educational backgrounds, including interactive design, architecture,

fine arts, film and media studies, graphic design, new media

art, computer science, and the social sciences. their geographical

roots are equally diverse: current students come from Japan,

Malaysia, Brazil, switzerland, canada, and iceland, as well as the

united states.

curriculuM

the Mfa is a two-year, full-time, 64-credit program. students can

take a general curriculum or specialize. while the curriculum is

studio based, critical thinking and the study of design process and

methods are central to the program. the combination of creating,

thinking, and writing is central to the design and technology

experience. the program’s open, flexible structure, gives students

adVancing the field:

syMposia

As part of its efforts to advance the field,

the program has organized a number

of important symposia. “DeathMatch

in the Stacks” marked the 2005 launch

of The Game Design Reader, written

by Katie Salen and faculty member

Eric Zimmerman. This event brought

together a number of game industry

luminaries:designers Warren Robinett

(Atari), Greg Costikyan (Manifesto

Games), and Ken Birdwell (Valve);

play theorists Brian Sutton-Smith,

Linda Hughes, and Gary Alan Fine;

and new media producers Ze Frank

and Counts Media. Previous symposia

include “Excavating the Archive: New

Technologies of Memory” and “Re:Play:

Game Design + Game Culture.”

areas of focus

Through their studio work, students

address cultural sensibilities in the

context of technologically mediated

experiences. A set of core topics frame

these inquiries.

Interactivity

Students explore interactivity within

digital and analog settings, including

games, websites, smart products, and

wearable interfaces.

Narrative

Students explore narrative possibilities

within time-based media, including animation,

broadcast design, documentary

film and video.

Computation

Students explore the expressive possibilities

of code, including animation,

performance, narrative, and online

experiences.

a great deal of freedom in choosing areas of research to pursue.

individual and collaborative studio projects are designed to

demonstrate aesthetic and intellectual refinement as well as

technical mastery. students produce a master’s thesis in the

second year of study, which culminates in an exhibition at the

parsons galleries.

parsons’ ongoing relationships with corporate, governmental,

educational, and nonprofit organizations ensure a technically

current and socially relevant working environment. industry and

institutional partners include aiga, apple, atari, cooper-hewitt/

smithsonian, creative time, curious pictures, estée lauder,

eyebeam, fossil, gamelab, human rights watch, Microsoft,

MtV, nasa, the new Museum, the open society institute, r/ga,

samsung, siemens, sensable technologies, unesco, unicef,

Vespa, and the whitney Museum of art.

students can take advantage of the university setting—enlisting

directors or actors from the new school for drama to work on a

digital film, for example, or collaborating with creative writing

students. they can take elective courses in usability, international

affairs, sustainability and urban ecology, and psychology, to

name a few of the possibilities.

MaJor studio

central to the program is the Major studio, devoted to the conceptual

and creative process in design, in which each student develops his

or her own body of work.

Major studio: interface in this studio, students are introduced to the

process of creating work within a design and technology context.

it should be seen as the interface for Mfa design and technology’s

core topics—narrative, computation, and interactivity—as well as

for the areas on which the program focuses—design, technology,

and society.

Major studio: interaction students design “screen-based”

experiences or new ways of enabling people to interact with the

physical world.

Major studio: narrative this course focuses on new narrative

possibilities within time-based media, including animation,

cinematic space, documentary film and video, broadcast

graphics, movie titles, information broadcast, and internet video.

Major studio: computation students explore the use of digital

code-driven systems to create new forms of design.


43



electiVes

Academic electives focus on the

theories, methodologies, and

development processes required by

contemporary design and technology

projects. Students can choose

from a set of Design and Technology

electives and many other courses

at Parsons and other divisions of

The New School. The following is a

sample of departmental electives.

Multi-Channel Interaction Design

is about developing prototypes for

integrated interactive experiences.

Emphasis is on strategic thinking,

user research, concept design to build

and test a piece that works simultaneously

in three media environments.

Vision and Sound with Max/MSP/

Jitter introduces MIDI communication,

interface design, installation

and performance strategies, digital

sound synthesis, and structure and

programming of Quicktime and

OpenGL.

Social Fashioning and Emerging

Networks examines network communications

infrastructures and

radical reconceptualizations of public

space focusing on clothing, accessories,

and handheld objects as conduits

through which identity, agency,

and social relation are expressed.

Visual Storytelling explores not only

techniques (storyboards, animatics

and Board-O-Matics, comics) but also

the meaning and structure underlying

time-based media. Students learn

how to articulate story ideas clearly

in order to communicate effectively

through any medium.

collaBoration studio

collaboration studios are courses that team students with industry

partners to undertake real-world projects. Many are crossdisciplinary

and dedicated to applied design research areas at

the new school. past partners include curious pictures, the open

society studio, scholastic, human rights watch, franklin furnace,

the new Museum, unicef, the port authority of new york and new

Jersey, and the american symphony orchestra league. Media

range from mobile wireless applications, games, digital film, animation,

websites, cd dVds and kiosks to experimental installations.

described below are examples of recent collaboration studios.

scholastic learning lab is sponsored by the lab for informal

learning, a research and ideation group at scholastic. students

create a design brief and conceptual prototype for one of two

concepts aimed at children between 6 and 12 years old: the energy

game and Monster Quest. the energy game is a multiplayer, webdelivered,

turn-based strategy game that exposes elementary

and middle school students to energy policy politics and science.

Monster Quest is a user-generated content website for children

focused on avatar creation and social networks.

internet famous is dedicated to spreading work on the internet,

getting hits, and attracting web media attention. custom tracking

software, currently in development at the eyebeam openlab, is

released in beta form to students. sites like digg, del.icio.us, alexa,

youtube, and technorati are mined for data to deliver a single

bulk index of internet fame. students study successful contagious

media projects to increase their chances of making work spread

contagiously. grades are awarded algorithmically on the basis of

web popularity.

Jazz and animation gives students the opportunity to work with

illustrators, communication designers, and musicians to create both

live and recorded animation to accompany the music of contributing

jazz composers and performers. students work with a variety of

analog and digital technologies, ranging from Max Msp and Jitter

to drawn cel animation and lighting and staging effects.

supernormal futures students work with graduate architecture students

to envision future scenarios that challenge our sense of what

“normal” will be. extrapolating from existing technologies, students

model and prototype critical responses to the present by designing

scenarios of and objects from the future.

44 DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY


More electiVes

Physical Computing connects the

physical and the digital, investigating

physicality and interface with respect

to the computer and exploring related

analog and digital technology.

Geek Graffiti Graffiti, street-art, guerrilla

marketing, and other technologybased

urban projects are explored in

collaboration with the Wooster

Collective, an arts group in New York.

Narrative and Dynamic Systems looks

closely at the mechanics of storytelling

within interactive fictions, exploring

connections between technology and

narrative experience.

Game Design is an introduction to

games as formal, social, and cultural

systems, emphasizing rapid prototyping

and play-testing of game concepts

and introducing game analysis and

production.

Mike Edwards

Student

design and technology

“I saw the master’s thesis show at Parsons, and I was so impressed with

the projects. They were really, really cool. I had to go there; I knew it

was perfect for me,” says Mike Edwards. A year later, he enrolled in the

Design and Technology program.

Mike’s own thesis is as impressive as the ones that inspired him to

come to Parsons. After receiving a grant from the Open Society Institute,

Mike traveled to Malawi and worked as a technologist with a small

health-care advocacy organization. For his thesis project, developed in

collaboration with the Malawian organization Baobab Health Partnership,

Mike created tools that digitally measure children’s arms to determine

whether they are malnourished and store the records electronically.

Since returning from Malawi, Mike has been focusing on education. At

PETLab (Prototyping, Evaluating, Teaching and Learning Laboratory), the

first public-interest game design and research laboratory for interactive

media, he worked with a team to develop a game that teaches players about

sustainable architecture and construction. The game has been presented

to industry professionals.

For Mike, one of the best features of Parsons is “the kind of people

who come to school here. They have a diverse range of life experiences,

talents, and interests, but they are all really smart people. It creates a

really productive mix of thoughts and designs, which is good for

‘strange’ kinds of creativity, ranging from very technical to very artistic.”

Mike has accepted an offer to teach at Parsons.

case study: petlaB

design and technology students engage the community with

their explorations. symposia, game jams, simulations, and mobile

technology events hosted by the program encourage experimental

learning, provide a place to prototype methods, and connect

students with scholars and designers in digital media, education,

and social research.

the program recently announced the launch of petlab, the first

public-interest game design and research laboratory for interactive

media. the sustainability game open house (see below) was

developed through petlab and presented at the philip Johnson

glass house. in collaboration with the nonprofit organization

games for change, petlab will work with Microsoft’s xbox development

platform and MtV’s think.MtV.com youth-focused activist

community to develop learning tools and games that explore social

issues. petlab was made possible by a $450,000 grant from the

John d. and catherine t. Macarthur foundation.

DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

47


left top Leanne Wagner and Matt

Bethencourt, Nohaüs FoodBox, open drop

boxes enabling distribution of leftover food

to homeless people; locations accessible

via cell phones and an online database

at foodbox-ny.org. Interface Major

Studio Project

left bottom Travis Chan, Elizabeth Foley,

Paul Imperio, Kimba Kerner, Sangmin

Lee, Rami Son, Scrubby Invasion, 2D, 3D

Animation and Motion Graphics. Advanced

Broadcast Design Studio project

above Arava Sheleff, Heroes, tactical media

docu-comic. MFA thesis Project

left Myeong Jae Lee, Chang Jeong, Nohaüs

Design-Cardboard Chair, DIY found cardboard

and gaffer tape chair design for the homeless.

Interface Major Studio Project

right Catherine Garnier, Table for Two,

interactive narrative installation.

MFA thesis project


49



design and technology faculty

SVEN TRAVIS chair. new media artist; experimental software

developer. Founder of several commercial enterprises including

The Fred Group (randomly generated textile design) and

Crazy Baldhead (randomly generated bald people). Recent

work: Groupmeter (with Cornell University), YACHT CLUB

(with Tsinghua University in Beijing), and Embedded Control.

Expertise: network design, physical computing, photography,

interactive media. Interests: mobile media, data collection,

interactive media, web research, machinima, Green Bay Packers.

ANEzKA SEBEK director of the graduate program; writer,

director, and visual effects and computer animation producer

for projects combining live action with digital effects. Projects:

television, advertising, music videos, short films, documentaries,

and feature films for HBO, Curious Pictures, and

R/Greenberg Associates. Expertise: animation, character design,

narrative, documentary. Interests: feminism, queer/environmental

activism, screenwriting, time-based media, digital

puppetry, motion capture, live action, sociology, urban studies,

media theory, visual effects. PhD candidate in Sociology and

Media Studies, The New School for Social Research.

ANDY BICHLBAUM (Jacques Servin). Founder of the Yes Men,

a group of professional troublemakers whose ultimate goal is to

help design a better world—they sneak into corporate conferences

to report unflattering stories. He is currently working on

a feature film about the Yes Men’s latest adventures. Expertise:

filmmaking, narrative, media activism, culture-jamming.

TED BYFIELD co-moderator of “nettime” mailing list; coeditor

of README! (Autonomedia, 1999) and NKPVI (MGLC,

2001). Clients: BBC, The Kitchen, KPN, Open Society Institute,

Cambridge University Press, Ford Foundation, Random House,

Scribners/Macmillan. Published: Cook Report, First Monday,

Frieze, Le Monde Diplomatique, Movement Research, Mute, and

Stanford Humanities Review. Expertise: cybernetics, net.art,

cultural history, tactical media. Interests: anomalies, archives,

behavior, choreography, cryptography, DIY, ecology, economy,

hacking, intellectual property, P2P, performance, policy,

politics, privacy, propaganda, protocols, punk, radio, robots,

satellites, systems, typography.

DAVID CARROLL multimedia director at Second Thought

(www.secondthought.com), an interactive boutique supplying

creativity and interactive products to media clients including

CNN, PBS, ESPN, AETN, AOL, and Nintendo. Expertise: interactive

and game design, mobile media, object-oriented programming.

Interests: informatics, prototyping, social media,

alternate reality gaming, locative media, responsive interfaces,

computer vision, multi-touch, democracy, data visualization,

media law, open source, economics, politics, electronic music.

MELANIE CREAN artist. Former director of production at

Eyebeam, a cooperative studio that supports the creation of

socially based media. Previously, she worked at the MTV Digital

Television Lab and produced documentaries on the trafficking

of women and the spread of HIV/AIDS along trucking routes in

South Asia. Expertise: time-based media, public art, installation,

documentary. Interests: conceptual art, experimental

sound and video, film, animation, media theory, memory,

perception, vision. BA in semiotics and film production, Brown

University; MFA in computer art, School of Visual Arts.

ANTHONY DEEN design director at TPG Architecture.

Previously, Deen was senior associate at Rockwell Group, VP

of Design for Miller Zell, and VP of Retail Design and Brand

Development for Virgin Megastores NA, where he designed the

next-generation store and created Virgin’s award-winning instore

interactive system.

ANDREA DEzSO artist, award-winning graphic designer and

typographer, illustrator, and writer with extensive experience

working with nonprofits, cultural institutions, and businesses.

Expertise: public art, illustration, artists’ books, typography.

Interests: outsider and visionary art, folklore, feminism,

subversive craft, personal narrative, Eastern Europe, space-race

propaganda, post-Communist nostalgia, shadows, stop-action

animation, puppetry, dioramas, alternative comix, visual explanations,

science.

NICHOLAS FORTUGNO was inducted into role-playing life

at the age of five and has been an avid consumer and producer

of role-playing, live-action, and game culture ever since. He

recently co-founded the gaming company Rebel Monkey.

YURY GITMAN designer, inventor, and artist. Exhibited at

the Biennale of Electronic Arts in Perth, the Isle de France in

Paris, Ars Electronics in Austria, and Eyebeam in New York.

By employing a network of “wireless bicycle hotspots,” he was

one of the first to use the Internet from inside the NY subway.

Projects with NYCWireless, the LMCC, and the Downtown

Alliance to promote open Internet policy and New Media Art

practice. Awards: 2003 Ars Electronica Golden Nica for Net

Vision, Europe’s highest honor for electronic arts.

JOSHUA GOLDBERG artist and programmer with an interest

in multimedia sampling and live video performance. Goldberg’s

work departs from the tradition of coherent narrative, using

improvisation to create dynamic, abstract collages of the flotsam

and jetsam of the media sphere.

JESSICA IRISH inter-media artist whose work queries the

relationships between technology, the built environment, and

ideology. Her work has been exhibited exclusively internationally.

and featured in Art Forum, Metropolis, RES, and Artweek.

She was among the first digital artists to receive support from

Creative Capital Foundation and the California Arts Council.

CHRISTOPHER KIRWAN principal of Urban Technologies.

Expertise: information architecture and data visualization.

BArch, BFA, Rhode Island School of Design; coursework, MIT

Center for Advanced Visual Studies.

COLLEEN MACKLIN digital artist, interaction designer,

director of PETLab. Previously worked in New York and

Southeast Asia to generate multisensory environments ranging

from DJ parties to minimalist visual installations. Clients:

Citibank, Credit Suisse First Boston, France Telecom, Moët,

the New Museum, and Thompson/PDR. Expertise: games/

interaction, mobile media, ethnography, international affairs.

Interests: activism, publics, prototyping, happenings, disruptive

technologies, participatory design, programming, open

source, modding and hacking, culture jamming, conceptual

art, electronic music, Southeast Asia.

KATHERINE MORIWAKI artist and researcher investigating

clothing and accessories as a conduit for creating network

relationships in public space. Her work has appeared in IEEE

Spectrum and festivals and conferences internationally.

She received the 2004 Araneum Prize from the Spanish

Ministry for Science and Technology and Fundación ARCO.

Master’s degree from ITP at NYU; doctoral candidate at

Trinity College, Dublin.

STEPHANIE OWENS artist, freelance designer, and cofounder

and CCO of Oddcast. Previously Owens was the lead

designer and associate creative director for Reset, where

she completed works for HBO, New Line Cinema, Fine Line

Cinema, October Films, Time Warner, Bad Boy Records,

Interscope Records, Nine Inch Nails, Kenneth Cole Reaction,

Buffalo Jeans, and Witness.

SCOTT PATERSON architect and Internet artist currently in

practice as a freelance information architect and interaction

designer. An active member of the Internet art community,

including Rhizome.org and Mindspace.net, he has had work

exhibited in Mexico City, Florence, New York, and the Banff

Centre for the Arts.

MICHIE PAGULAYAN graphic designer. Expertise: interaction

design, project management, advertising. MFA, Parsons;

BFA, University of the Philippines.

CHRIS ROMERO artist, architect, and design partner at

Oscillation Digital Design Studio, an inter disciplinary design

and technology company with offices in New York and San

Francisco. With longtime partners Brian Kralyevich and Brian

O’Driscoll, he has worked toward a new visualization of the

interfaces between humans and computers.

KATIE SALEN game and interactive designer, animator,

co-author of Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals and The

Game Design Reader. Previously worked as a consultant for

Microsoft, Mememe Productions, gameLab; curator of gamerelated

shows with Walker Art Center, Lincoln Center, and

Cinematexas. Expertise: game design, interactive design, new

media art. Interests: learning, social networks, mods, pedagogy,

culture, machinima, design writing, youth culture, play.

SABINE SEYMOUR founder of Moondial Inc., an international

network of designers, architects, and researchers.

Moondial’s research focuses on creating a pervasive user

experience based on the convergence of fashion, wearable

and wireless technologies, product design, and architecture,

particularly in extreme sports and fashion.

MARKO TANDEFELT interface and concept designer with a

music technology and 3D/VR background. Marko visualized

the new R142 subway cars in 3D for New York City’s MTA and

Antennadesign and has been curator and technology advisor

of F2F: New Media Art from Finland. Expertise: music, audiovisual

interactive instrument design, physical computing art

for public spaces.

MICHAEL WALDRON environmental graphic and corporate

identity designer; currently creative director of Nailgun. He

joined News-Channel6, a CBS affiliate, as a graphic designer in

1995 and became the youngest art director in the history of the

news company.

ERIC zIMMERMAN started his career roping friends and

family into play-testing his game experiments. He has spent

the last ten years in the game industry. He is the CEO and cofounder

of gameLab and co-author of Rules of Play: Game Design

Fundamentals (MIT Press). Before founding gameLab with

Peter Lee, Eric collaborated with Word.com on the underground

online hit SiSSYFiGHT 2000 (www.sissyfight.com).




51

fine arts

the fine arts Mfa program trains students to develop their work

from concept to realization and to launch careers as professional

artists. students explore the evolving role of the artist in today’s art

world as it is transformed by the influence of popular culture, an

engagement with social and environmental issues, and the development

and use of new technologies.

in this two-year program, students develop the formal, intellectual,

and conceptual foundations of their work. frequent individual

studio visits with faculty members in the new york art community

help students refine their practice and have played an important

role in preparing parsons alumni for major group shows, such

as the whitney Biennial, solo shows in galleries worldwide, and

teaching positions.

the fine arts program is aesthetically and conceptually open

to all disciplines. here the traditional wall between painting and

sculpture has been broken down. while students committed to

traditional studio practices in painting and sculpture develop their

work in an atmosphere of rigorous formal training and intellectual

engagement, the doors are open for artists interested in time-based

media, performance, installation, and public art. our interdisciplinary

curriculum, faculty, and facilities provide opportunities for such

exploration while exposing students to the history, theories, and

philosophies that have shaped the contemporary art world.

parsons is located within walking distance of chelsea, soho, and

midtown galleries and museums, offering students the benefit

of constant and direct contact with new york city’s unparalleled

artistic community.


newschool.edu/parsons and go to degree programs: fine arts,

graduate.

awards and scholarships

In 2008, the prestigious Joan Mitchell

Foundation awarded Parsons graduate

Cecile Chong a $15,000 grant. The foundation

awards 15 grants annually to

MFA painters and sculptors from across

the country who produce work of exceptional

artistic quality. Candidates are

nominated by members of the academic

art community.

The Fine Arts program also receives

grants and awards, which are used for

scholarships. The Jacques and Natasha

Gelman Trust recently awarded Fine

Arts a $90,000 grant to be used for an

MFA scholarship, including all tuition

expenses for two years and a living

stipend.

52 FINE ARTS FINE ARTS

53



case study: pulse and kitchen exhiBitions

throughout the year, fine arts students exhibit their work in high-

profile venues. in March, an installation of work was presented at

the pulse contemporary art fair at pier 40 (see below) in new york.

working with curator Jeffrey walkowiak, the students created a

space for reading, discussion, and contemplation. the installation

attracted national press attention and provided a unique opportunity

to show the international art world a cross-section of the work

produced by graduate students at parsons. graduating seniors

exhibited their work at the kitchen, a nonprofit experimental art

and performance space in chelsea. through the innovative course

theory, practice, and career, Mfa students played an active role in

organizing that exhibition: securing the exhibition space, developing

the catalog, and helping conduct marketing and promotion.

curriculuM

the master of fine arts curriculum requires 64 credits of full-time

study: 52 credits of studio (graduate fine arts and graduate seminar),

and 12 credits of critical studies. students work independently

in their own studios and have weekly one-on-one conferences

with the faculty. supplemental instruction in speaking and writing

is designed to improve students’ ability to discuss their work.

lectures, workshops, and studio visits with visiting artists, curators,

and gallery directors enable students to reach beyond the school

environs to engage the new york city art world.

graduate fine arts this studio course offers the experience of working

in a community of faculty and peers who inspire, challenge,

and support one another. Meeting for six hours a week, the course

is structured around group and individual meetings with faculty

members, who set rigorous standards of achievement and help the

students develop cohesive expression and skills.

students work with five core faculty members in succession. firstyear

students work with all five faculty members; second-year

students choose two faculty members and work with each one for

two five-week periods. open sign-up periods and group critiques

occur between rotations. each week within the rotations, one to

one and a half hours of group discussion are held. students spend

the rest of the time working in studios while faculty members make

one-on-one studio rounds.

student work is analyzed in cultural and historical context. in individual

and group critiques, studio visits, and discussions, students

and faculty strive to identify the values and ideas expressed and

implied by the artwork. students visit galleries and artists’ studios

to compare their own work to a challenging and fluid contemporary

art market. Visiting faculty members meet regularly with students to

give continuity to critical analysis. students design their own work

processes as a means of establishing the discipline that allows for

and sustains lifelong work and growth as an artist.

theory, practice, and career all second-year graduate students

must take this course, designed to help them enter the art world

as self-managing artists. this course, developed in cooperation

with the new york foundation for the arts and funded by the emily

tremaine foundation, helps students developing skills that will

enable them to make confident and informed career choices while

continuing to make art.

graduate seminar the first-year graduate seminar exposes

students to significant discourses in 20th- and 21st-century art,

including modernism, postmodernism, feminism, colonialism, and

The Visiting Artist and Fine Arts Lecture

Series allow students to engage in critical

dialogue with some of the world’s most

distinguished and groundbreaking artists,

critics, and scholars. Many visiting

artists and critics conduct individual

studio visits with students.

Visiting artists 2007–08

Nayland Blake

Phong Bui

Ernesto Caivano

Sammy Cucher

David Dorsky

David Ebony

Jane Fine

Katherine Gilmore

Judy Glazman

Sofia Hernandez

Nina Katchadourian

Melissa Meyer

Christian Rattemeyer

Taryn Simon

Stephanie Theodore

Christian Viveros-Faune

Barry Winiker

Jordan Wolfson


55



acial representation; commodity culture, including ideas about

collecting; and technology and the digital revolution. all these

topics are explored in writing assignments and class discussion as

well as readings, video and film viewing, and art exhibitions. the

seminar work is interspersed with studio visits. in addition to short

writing assignments that accompany readings, each student is

responsible for a major research paper.

the second-year graduate seminar is thesis driven. weekly and

bimonthly writing assignments break down the subjects required for

the thesis into smaller elements. drawing assignments, individual

studio visits, and slide lectures on student work augment written

assignments and promote class discussion.

at the end of the second year, students present a body of work

completed in the program and a written thesis for the final

Master’s review. selected artwork is exhibited in the annual Mfa

thesis exhibition during the spring semester.

56 FINE ARTS


fine arts lecture series

2007–08

Joe Andoe

Jules de Balincourt

Robert Boyd

David Ellis

Stephen Ellis

Zach Feuer

Eleanor Heartney

Ken Johnson

Justine Kurland

Fabian Marcaccio

Carlo McCormick

Marilyn Minter

Thomas Nozkowski

Helaine Posner

Nancy Princenthal

Frances Richard

Jonathan Schipper

Sue Scott

Brian Sholis

Lorna Simpson

Becky Smith

Kiki Smith

Roberta Smith

Sarah Sze

Anthony Aziz

Director

mfa fine arts

As a graduate student in the early 1990s—a time when the Internet and

other technologies were becoming available in households nationwide—

Anthony Aziz decided that he “had a responsibility as an artist to make

sense of what has become known as a huge paradigm shift.” Since then,

Aziz has used photography, video, and sculpture to “address the impact

of technology on our lives, our bodies, and our imaginations.” His work

has been exhibited at prestigious venues around the world.

As director of the MFA Fine Arts program, Aziz urges his students to

question what art means today. “People have acquired a greater appreciation

of and interest in visual culture, which gives it greater value. Being

in a community such as the one at Parsons allows students to make sense

of the essential characteristics of art. It allows them to become leaders

and to push the definition of art beyond its current borders.” Aziz credits

the MFA Fine Arts faculty with the ability to both nurture and challenge

students, allowing them to flourish as artists, often in unexpected ways.

Michael Caines, untitled, ink, acrylic, pastel

on paper, measurements unknown

FINE ARTS

59


top left Misael Nuñez, American Flag,

screen printing on found materials

38 x 78 x 19.5 inches

bottom left Cynthia Hsieh, untitled,

pencil on paper, 17 x 14 inches

top right Cecile Chong, Between us,

encaustic on wood panel 23 x 28 inches

bottom right Nicole Carlson, untitled,

oil on canvas 43 x 30 inches

left Brandon Nastanski, untitled, mixed media

installation

right Cecile Chong, Dance For Me, encaustic on

wood 16 x 33 inches




61

fine arts faculty

COCO FUSCO chair. Performance and multi-media artist,

writer, and curator whose work explores paradigms

in culture, race, gender, social behaviors, war, and politics.

Solo exhibitions: Whitney Biennial; Sydney Biennale;

Johannesburg Biennial; London’s Institute of Contemporary

Art; Brooklyn Academy of Music; Smithsonian Institution;

London International Theatre Festival; Transmediale, Berlin;

VideoBrasil, São Paulo. Author: A Field Guide for Female

Interrogators, English is Broken Here: Notes on Cultural Fusion in the

Americas, and The Bodies That Were Not Ours and Other Writings.

MA, Stanford University; PhD, Middlesex University.

ANTHONY AzIz director of the MFA program. Artist and

photographer specializing in digital imaging, sculpture, video,

and architectural installations; collaborator in the team of Aziz +

Cucher. Exhibitions: New Museum of Contemporary Art; Cooper-

Hewitt National Design Museum; Venice Biennale; ICP; SF MoMA;

Reina Sofia Center for Contemporary Art, Madrid; National Gallery

of Berlin; National Gallery of Australia. Grants and awards: Pollock

Krasner Award, NEA, NYFA. Published: New York Times, Village

Voice, Art in America, ArtForum, ArtNews, FlashArt, Frieze, Parkett.

MFA, San Francisco Art Institute.

JACKIE BROOKNER environmental artist and writer who collaborates

with ecologists and earth scientists on water remediation

and public art projects. Current projects: Dresden, Germany;

West Palm Beach; San Jose, CA, Cincinnati and Toledo, OH. Solo

exhibitions: Native Tongues; Of Earth and Cotton. Exhibitions:

Miró Foundation, Barcelona; Pamela Auchincloss Gallery, NY.

Grants and awards: NYFA, NEA, Nancy Gray Foundation for Art in

the Environment, Trust for Mutual Understanding. Guest editor of

Art Journal issue “Art and Ecology.” MA and ABD, Harvard.

TOM BUTTER artist interested in the profound incompatibilities

of the everyday. Butter’s sculptural practice uses seemingly

disparate materials as visual metaphors for this otherwise elusive

fact of life; monotypes and paintings articulate this conceptual

foundation through the formal concerns of two-dimensions.

Published: Artforum, Art in America, ArtNews, New York Times.

Exhibitions: Jaffe-Fried & Strauss Galleries; Curt Marcus Gallery,

NY; Nina Freudenheim Gallery, Buffalo. Teaching: Harvard,

RISD, Yale, Tyler School of Art. Awards: NYFA grant. Collections:

Albright Knox Gallery; Walker Art Center; Metropolitan Museum

of Art. MFA, Washington University.

GLENN GOLDBERG painter. His process involves adding

meticulous, tiny, luminous brushstrokes, which are mosaic-like in

their ability to convey both microscopic beauty and an overarching,

harmonious whole, to depict subjects like flowers, birds, and

other wildlife. Solo exhibitions: Willard Gallery, NY; Greenberg

Gallery, St. Louis; Barbara Krakow Gallery, Boston; Galerie

Albrecht, Munich. Group exhibitions: Castelli, Harvard, Jeffrey

Hoffeld Gallery, NY. Collections: Museum of Contemporary Art,

LA; National Gallery of Art; Brooklyn Museum of Art; National

Academy of Arts and Letters; Metropolitan Museum of Art. Grants

and awards: NEA; Edward Albee, Guggenheim, and Margaret Hall

Silva Foundations; Heilman Artist. MFA, Queens College.

NINA KATCHADOURIAN artist working with video, photography,

sound, installation, and language; viewing program

curator at the Drawing Center. Solo exhibitions: Sara Meltzer

Gallery, NY; Tang Museum, Saratoga Springs; SculptureCenter,

NY; Turku Museum of Art, Finland; Catharine Clark Gallery,

San Francisco; Public Art Fund, NY. Upcoming: CERCA Series,

San Diego Museum of Contemporary Art. Represented by Sara

Meltzer Gallery NY and Catharine Clark Gallery, BA, Brown; MFA,

University of California at San Diego.

LENORE MALEN writer and multidisciplinary artist. She works

with photography, video and audio installation, live performance,

and books, creating imaginative scenarios involving historical

fiction. Solo exhibitions: Apexart; Participant, Inc. Location One;

Slought Foundation; Skidmore College; Cue Foundation; Art in

General. Group exhibitions: France.fiction, Paris; Akademie der

Kunste, Berlin; Zentrum for Medienkunst, Karlsruhe. Member:

Art Critics Association. Formerly executive editor, Art Journal.

Publications: The New Society for Universal Harmony, Opportunity

Knocks, Magnetic Map. Featured: New York Times, Art on Paper, Art in

America. MA, University of Pennsylvania.

DONALD PORCARO sculptor who uses industrial media—

mostly concrete, metal, and paint—to create whimsical Dadaist

forms. He culls ideas from disparate worlds, ranging from Bosch

to Guston to Japanese Anime, playing with notions of hybrid

identity through the formal investigation of colorful three

dimensions. Solo exhibitions: Kouros Gallery, NY; Lowe Gallery,

LA; Allyn Gallup Gallery, Sarasota. Large-scale outdoor installations:

Socrates Sculpture Park, Ward’s Island, and South Beach

Sculpture Garden, NY. Participated in Whitney Biennial “Peace

Tower.” Grants and awards: NYFA; Distinguished Teaching Award

from The New School. MFA, Columbia University.

MIRA SCHOR painter and writer. Areas of interest include the

gendered production of art history, the analysis and praxis of

painting in postmodern culture, political and conceptual concerns

with the materiality of expression, and the intersection of written

language with the body politic. Co-editor: M/E/A/N/I/N/G: An

Anthology of Artists’ Writings, Theory, and Criticism. Author: Wet: On

Painting, Feminism, and Art Culture. Solo exhibitions: Edward Thorp

Gallery, Armand Hammer Museum, Horodner Romley Gallery.

Group exhibitions: Marianne Boesky Gallery, P.S. 1, Santa Monica

Museum, Neuberger Museum, Aldrich Museum. Grants and

awards: NEA, Marie Walsh Sharpe, Guggenheim, Pollock-Krasner,

Rockefeller. MFA, California Institute of the Arts.

JEAN SHIN sculptor and video and installation artist. Projects

navigate the boundary between abstraction and representation,

considering both formal issues and cultural investigations. Solo

exhibitions: MoMA, NY; New Museum of Contemporary Art,

NY; Smithsonian Institution; Museum of Fine Arts, Houston;

Brooklyn Museum; Cincinnati Center for Contemporary Art;

Galerie Eric Dupont, Paris. Grants and awards: New York

Foundation for the Arts Fellowship, Pollock-Krasner Foundation

Grant, Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Biennial Art Award.

Published: New York Times, Frieze Art, Flash Art, Tema Celeste, Art

in America, Artnews. BFA, MS, Pratt Institute.

BRIAN TOLLE sculptor and installation artist. Projects

emphasize a formal and iconographic dialogue with history

and context, drawing from the scale and experience of their

surroundings, provoking a re-reading by cross-wiring reality

and fiction. Architecture, site, and technology are recurring

themes. Exhibitions: Whitney Biennial; Liverpool Biennial;

Queens Museum of Art; SMAK Museum, Belgium. Permanent

public works in NY and Seattle. Grants and awards: GSA commission,

Irish American Historical Society, Louis Comfort Tiffany

Foundation. BFA, Parsons; MFA, Yale.


63



history of decoratiVe arts

and design

this prestigious program is offered jointly with the cooper-hewitt,

national design Museum, and leads to a Master of arts in the

history of decorative arts and design. graduates go on to careers

as historians, curators, and scholars in museums, universities,

historic houses, publishing, auction houses, and galleries. the

curriculum focuses on european and american decorative arts

and design from the renaissance to the present, with courses on

ceramics, costume, furniture, glass, graphic design, metalwork,

textiles, and works on paper. the training goes beyond connoisseurship

to address a wide range of issues, including social, economic,

and cultural history and critical theory.

attending graduate school in a professional setting helps students

make the transition from academic training to a career. students

can work in cooper-hewitt’s curatorial departments and gain

teaching experience through assistantships in undergraduate

programs at parsons.

as the home of some of the world’s most important collections of

design and decorative arts as well as a central marketplace for

these works, new york is an ideal location for study in this field.

students in the program are encouraged to attend museum exhibitions

and presale shows and often have opportunities to meet with

museum curators, auction house specialists, and collectors of the

decorative arts. the program draws its faculty from the cooperhewitt,

national design Museum and affiliated institutions in new

york city, including leading scholars of art and design history and

curators of some of the most important collections of decorative

arts in the world.


newschool.edu/parsons and go to degree programs: history of

decorative arts and design.

the partnership with

cooper-hewitt

The unique character of the program

is defined by its physical location in

the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design

Museum, the only museum in the United

States devoted exclusively to historical

and contemporary design. Courses

emphasize object-based teaching, drawing

on the museum’s collections. The

curriculum covers subjects ranging from

connoisseurship to the social meanings

of design to aesthetic theory. Students

can supplement their object-based

studies with courses in other Parsons

graduate programs.

64 HISTORY OF DECORATIVE ARTS AND DESIGN HISTORY OF DECORATIVE ARTS AND DESIGN

65



curriculuM

the Ma in the history of decorative arts and design is awarded upon

completion of 48 credits and a master’s examination or thesis. the

program is two to three years of full-time study or four years of parttime

study. required courses are proseminar, survey of decorative

arts i and ii, and an elective in either museology or art theory.

students declare major and minor areas of concentration for the

Ma examination at the completion of 24 credits or, with a 3.5 minimum

grade point average, may petition to write a master’s thesis.

conteMporary design studies

a special sequence in contemporary design studies is offered

as part of the curriculum, exploring themes in design and visual,

material, and popular culture, with a focus on the post-world

war ii period. courses cover topics in environmental, industrial,

graphic, fashion, and product design; the culture of consumption;

design criticism, and object theory. students are introduced to

critical models of analysis integrating art, design, and decorative

arts history with design theory and to other scholarly disciplines

including anthropology, archaeology, cultural history, film studies,

philosophy, and sociology. emerging issues, such as sustainability

and digital technology, are emphasized. the curriculum is enriched

by its connection to the contemporary design exhibitions of the

cooper-hewitt, national design Museum.

reQuired courses

classes are held at the cooper-hewitt, national design Museum

unless otherwise noted.

proseminar equips students with the skills required for scholarship

in the history of decorative arts. class discussions introduce

a range of methodologies and critical approaches. exercises train

students in essential tasks such as conducting formal analyses,

writing catalog entries, and making visual presentations. this

writing-intensive course stresses the mechanics of expository

writing through projects that require students to conduct research.

each student selects one work from the cooper-hewitt collection

to study throughout the semester.

survey of decorative arts i provides an overview of european

decorative arts from the 15th through the 18th century, focusing on

italy, france, and england. discussions address the style, function,

and meaning of the decorative arts in both daily and ceremonial

life. drawing on interdisciplinary readings, the course considers

objects and ornament within their cultural, political, and social

contexts. as the semester progresses, students explore how the

transmission of style, the migration of craftsmen, and the availability

of new materials and techniques gave rise to an international

vocabulary of design.

To see full course descriptions, visit

www.newschool.edu/parsons, choose

History of Decorative Arts from the Areas of

Study section, and then choose Courses.

selected theory and

MuseuM studies courses

Decorative Arts Theory offers a historiography

of art theory, with special

attention given to decorative arts.

Historic Houses highlights the way

interpretation of decorative arts displayed

in a museum differs from interpretation

of decorative arts in the context

of a historic house museum.

Museology addresses the questions:

How are museums rethinking their interpretation

of decorative arts? What makes

a decorative arts exhibition compelling?

What are some of the recent innovations

in the field?

Advanced Curatorial Seminar introduces

students to standard practices

associated with the acquisition, information

management, and exhibition of

objects in a museum context.

Seminar on the History of Collecting

surveys the history of collecting, from

the private study and princely Kunstkammer

to the modern museum.

Colloquium on Design Criticism

introduces students to the complexity of

the notion of design criticism and helps

them develop their own critical voice

through a series of writing assignments.

selected Media-Based

surVeys

Survey of Ceramics introduces the

technology of ceramics and the history

of Asian ceramics, German porcelain,

Chinese export porcelain, French porcelain,

English pottery and porcelain, and

American ceramics.

Survey of Costume: 1700–1860 analyzes

dress as a form of personal expression

shaped by societal conventions, artistic

trends, and established notions of body

and gender.

Survey of Glass focuses on Western

glass-making methods, production,

and design, from the ancient period to

the 19th century, including the major

techniques and designers.

survey of decorative arts ii examines the decorative arts from the

19th century to the present. sessions on the 19th century consider

neoclassicism, revival styles, the aesthetic movement, the arts and

crafts movement, and art nouveau within the broader history of the

period. individual craftsmen, firms, and important stylemakers and

commentators on the decorative arts are discussed, as is the effect

of industrialization on design and objects. in the 20th and 21st

centuries, the course addresses modernism and industrial design.

topics include the wiener werkstätte, Bauhaus, art moderne,

“good design,” and postmodernism.

language reQuireMent

all graduate students are required to pass a proficiency exam in a

foreign language. the selection of a language must be approved

in advance by the program director. exams are given and graded

every term. students can audit foreign-language courses at the

new school for general studies.

independent study

students may independently pursue a specific interest under the

supervision of a faculty member or museum curator. students may

take up to two independent studies.

internships

those who want more professional and practical experience can

intern at an institution or business. students taking an internship

for credit must work a minimum of 120 hours per semester and keep

a log of their activities. the internship supervisor assigns projects

that give the student training and hands-on experience in the area

of the supervisor’s expertise.

consortiuM courses

with the permission of the program director and depending on

availability, students may take graduate courses at the Bard

graduate center, city university of new york, columbia university,

fashion institute of technology, and new york university.

new school courses

students may register for approved graduate courses in other

programs at parsons, Milano the new school for Management and

urban policy, and other divisions of the new school.

liBrary consortiuM

in addition to the resources of the south Manhattan research

libraries association (see academic resources), graduate students

in the this program have privileged evening and weekend

access to the cooper-hewitt library.

Survey of Jewelry showcases the way

people across cultures and throughout

history have chosen to adorn themselves

with jewelry.

Survey of Silver looks at the significant

role silver has played in the decorative

and fine arts since ancient times.

Survey of Textiles makes full use of

the Cooper-Hewitt’s extensive textile

collection to introduce students to textile

creation and use through history.

selected seMinars:

renaissance through

early Modern (1500–1800)

Intimate Objects: The Gift in

Renaissance Europe explores gift

giving in the complex social spheres of

Renaissance Europe and its effects on the

production, valuing, and interpretation

of objects.

The Arts and Living in Britain in the

Long 18th Century 1660–1820 looks at

cultural and historical influences on taste

and social habits during the period.

Royal Furnishings of Versailles focuses

on the furniture and interior design of

the 17th and 18th centuries, a time when

the palace at Versailles exemplified royal

extravagance.

French Ceramics focuses on the production

of porcelain at the major French

manufactories of the 18th century.

The Grand Tour examines the patrons,

artists, and events, such as the discovery

of Herculaneum and Pompeii, that led to

the grand tour’s widespread influence on

the arts of England.

Visualizing Revolution explores the

way works of visual and material culture

help to shape, reflect, and commemorate

the revolutions that roiled France and

the United States at the end of the 18th

century.

selected seMinars:

1800–present

Nineteenth-Century British and

American Silver: From Craft to

Industry explores the significant transformations

in the style, production, and

distribution of precious-metal objects in

both Britain and the United States.




67

suMMer prograMs in europe

the program offers two-week intensive summer courses in Berlin,

london, paris, and rome. led by renowned specialists in the

field, the summer courses abroad concentrate on the furnishings,

objects, and interiors of important public and private collections,

as well as gardens and landscapes.

graduate student asseMBly

the graduate student assembly is an organization through which

students can organize symposia, field trips, professional roundtables

and other special events. the gsa also acts as a liaison

between students and the academic program, the museum,

and alumni.

annual graduate student syMposiuM on the history of

decoratiVe arts and design

held at the cooper-hewitt, national design Museum, this daylong

student symposium brings together scholars and students of decorative

arts and design from around the world. selected graduate

students present papers.

the symposium commences with a keynote address in memory of

the late catherine hoover Voorsanger, a distinguished scholar,

curator, and faculty member of the parsons graduate program.

recent keynote speakers include cheryl Buckley, kenneth t.

Jackson, ivan gaskell, and neil harris.

teaching assistantships

students can apply for a teaching assistantship in a parsons

undergraduate program. under the supervision of a faculty

member, students teach recitation sections of a lecture class in

exchange for partial tuition remission. second-year students can

serve as discussion leaders for recitation sections of survey of

decorative arts i and ii in the Mfa program.

graduate teaching fellows independently teach a section of a

required undergraduate course in art and design studies. teaching

fellows are selected on the basis of academic distinction and

receive an honorarium.

Master’s curatorial fellowship

Master’s fellows work one day per week in a curatorial department

of the cooper-hewitt, national design Museum in exchange for

partial tuition remission. these one-year appointments involve

students in all aspects of curatorial work, gallery lectures, and

exhibition research. fellows are selected on the basis of academic

distinction, and the positions are renewable for a second year,

provided a minimum 3.5 grade point average is maintained.

68 HISTORY OF DECORATIVE ARTS AND DESIGN


The Design of Modern Life:

Transformations of the Interior 1851–

1966 investigates the history of modern

design through notions of domesticity

and the architecture of the interior.

Designing American Lifestyles

1876–1976 examines key American architecture

and design movements that were

shaped into compelling “lifestyles” by

the design community as well as media

figures and tastemakers.

Turn-of-the-Century American

Material and Visual Culture assesses

late-19th- and early-20th-century

American material and visual culture by

examining painting, design, architecture,

cartoons, photography, sculpture,

and other visual and material forms.

World’s Fairs: Art, Design, and the

World of Tomorrow examines the history

of European and American world’s

fairs as a way of understanding how

cultural aspirations were represented and

how the exhibitions affected the culture.

Graphic Design: Art Nouveau to

the Present explores the history of

20th-century graphic design beginning

with works from the art nouveau period

and concluding with the recent digital

revolution.

Fashioning the Postmodern Era

focuses on the postmodern era in

Western fashion, considering trends of

destruction and morbidity, historical

reappropriation, and nostalgic revival in

fashion.

Design, Nature, and the Environment

explores evolving ideas about design and

nature with an emphasis on built form in

the 20th century.

Twentieth-Century American Popular

Culture examines the intersection of the

popular and the material in 20th-century

America and asks: what is popular

culture, and what does it reveal about life

during the 20th century?

Advertising in America analyzes

advertising in relation to the evolution

of American commercial life and society

from the late 19th century to the present.

Laura Auricchio

Faculty

history of decorative arts

and design

Laura Auricchio’s students view, analyze, and explore the historical

significance of intriguing artifacts—wallpaper created as propaganda

during the French Revolution, the lace bed curtains made for Napoleon’s

first wife, Empress Josephine—as they participate in Parsons’ Decorative

Arts program, located at Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

Auricchio has worked at several of the world’s most renowned

museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum,

the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the New-York Historical Society.

She enthusiastically shares her experience and expertise with the

students in her classes and those she advises.

When Auricchio is not teaching, she can often be found researching

and writing. She recently completed a book for the J. Paul Getty Museum

titled A Woman Artist of the French Revolution: Adélaïde Labille-Guiard

(1749–1803). She is now conducting research for a biography of the

Marquis de Lafayette, highlighting the role of visual and material culture

in shaping his starkly divergent reputations in the United States and

in France.

left Octagonal mount in the style of

Wedgwood. Probably France, late 19th Century.

Porcelain. Cooper-Hewitt, National Design

Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Gift of

Eleanor and Sarah Hewitt, 1925-2-26 a/d.

right El Dorado, designed by Eugène

Ehrmann, Georges Zipélius, and Joseph Fuchs.

Manufactured by Zuber & Cie, 1849. Block

printed on continuous paper. Cooper-Hewitt,

National Design Museum, Smithsonian

Institution. Gift of Dr. and Mrs. William Collis,

1975-77-10. Photo: Ken Pelka.

HISTORY OF DECORATIVE ARTS AND DESIGN

71


top left Card file, Rolodex

Open Rotary File. Manufactured

by Rolodex USA, first produced

1950. Metal, plastic, rubber, paper.

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design

Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Gift of Rolodex Corporation, 1996-

14-2. Photo: Dave King.

top right Chaise, in the style

of John Henry Belter. U.S.A.,

1840-1850. Rosewood veneer, oak

(frame), velvet upholstery. Cooper-

Hewitt, National Design Museum,

Smithsonian Institution. Gift of

Mrs. Edwin Gould, 1937-4-1.

lower left Extrusions, designed

by Alexander Hayden Girard,

1962. Printed cotton. Cooper-

Hewitt, National Design Museum,

Smithsonian Institution. Gift of

Alexander H. Girard, 1969-165-123.

lower right Tsuba (sword

guard), Japan, 1596-1614. Iron.

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design

Museum, Smithsonian Institution.

Bequest of George Cameron Stone,

1936-4-42.

Brisé (folding) fan from Vienna World

Exposition. Austria, 1873. Wood, printed paper.

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum,

Smithsonian Institution. Gift of Mrs. James O.

Green, 1920-10-2. Photo: Matt Flynn.


73



history of decorative arts and design faculty

SARAH E. LAWRENCE director. Areas of interest include art

theory and Renaissance art. Publications : Piranesi as Designer

(2007), Jacopo Strada (2007). Exhibitions: Piranesi as Designer

(2007-08), Crafting a Jewish Style: The Art of Bezalel, 1906–1996

(1998–99). PhD, Columbia.

ETHAN ROBEY associate director. Specialist in American and

European 19th- and 20th-century visual culture. Publications

include contributions to Distinction and Identity: Bourgeois

Culture in Nineteenth-Century America (forthcoming), Design

Dictionary: Perspectives on Design Terminology (2008), and

Philadelphia’s Cultural Landscape: The Sartain Family Legacy (2000).

PhD, Columbia.

DONALD ALBRECHT curator, Museum of the City of New

York. Specialist in 20th-century American material culture.

Exhibitions: National Design Triennial (2003), Russel Wright:

Creating American Lifestyle (2001), On the Job: Design and the

American Office (2001), Glass + Glamour: Steuben’s Modern

Moment (2003). Publications include Russel Wright: Creating

American Lifestyle and articles in Interiors, Architectural Digest,

Architectural Record. BArch, Illinois Institute of Technology.

ERIC ANDERSON specialist in 19th-century German architecture

and theory of design. Exhibitions include Garden

Communities in Queens, 1909-1949 (2005). PhD, Columbia.

LAURA AURICCHIO Art and Design Studies faculty, Parsons.

Areas of interest include 18th-century French women artists,

gender studies and contemporary visual culture. Publications

include A Woman Artist of the French Revolution: Adelaide Labille-

Guiard (2008); articles in Art Journal, Eighteenth-Century Studies,

and Genders; and art criticism in Art on Paper, Art Papers, and Time

Out New York. PhD, Columbia.

DAVID BRODY Art and Design Studies faculty, Parsons.

Specialist in material culture, visual culture, and design studies.

Publications include Design Studies: A Reader (2009); Visualizing

Empire: Orientalism and American Imperialism in the Philippines

(forthcoming), and articles in Prospects: An Annual of American

Cultural Studies, Journal of Asian American Studies, American

Quarterly. PhD, Boston University.

SUSAN BROWN assistant curator of textiles, Cooper-Hewitt,

National Design Museum. Specialist in textile history.

Publications include contributions to Extreme Textiles: Designing

for High Performance (2005), and articles in National Design Journal

and Hali. MA, Fashion Institute of Technology.

HAzEL CLARK chair of Art and Design Studies department,

Parsons. Areas of interest include the history, theory, and

culture of design, fashion, and textiles. Publications include

Design Studies: A Reader (2009); Old Clothes New Looks: Second

Hand Fashion (2005), and articles in Design Issues, Design, and

Management Journal. Contributing editor to Design Philosophy

Papers. PhD, Brighton University.

MARILYN COHEN specialist in popular culture. Exhibitions

include Reginald Marsh’s New York (1983). Publishd papers:

“Furnishing I Love Lucy,” “The Material Culture of Toy Story,”

and “The World’s Fair in the Movie Meet Me in St. Louis.” PhD,

Institute of Fine Arts.

ELIzABETH DE ROSA director, American Friends of

Attingham. Areas of interest include art nouveau and American

and European art glass. Exhibitions include Tiffany: Behind the

Glass (2000), and History’s Mysteries (1998). PhD, Columbia.

CLIVE DILNOT Art and Design Studies faculty, Parsons. Areas

of interest include design theory, history of art, and social

philosophy. Publications include Ethics? Design? (2005) and

articles in Design Issues, I.D., and Kunst & Museumjournaal. MA

Leeds University.

TRACY EHRLICH specialist in architecture and landscape

design of early modern Italy. Publications include Landscape

and Identity in Early Modern Rome: Villa Culture at Frascati in the

Borghese Era (2002); Villas and Gardens In Early Modern Italy and

France (2001); and articles in Die Gartenkunst, Landscape and the

Journal Of Garden History. contributor to the Dumbaton Oaks

Colloquium on the History of Landscape Architecture (2005) PhD,

Columbia.

BARRY R. HARWOOD curator of decorative arts, Brooklyn

Museum. Exhibitions include the Furniture of George

Hunzinger: Invention and Innovation in Nineteenth-Century

America (1997) and Tiffany Glass and Lamps at the Brooklyn

Museum (1991). Publications include The Furniture of George

Hunzinger (1997), and articles in The Magazine Antiques and

Studies in the Decorative Arts. PhD, Princeton.

KRISTIN HERRON director of the museum program, New York

State Council on the Arts. Specialist in historic house museums.

Publications include “The Modern Gothic Furniture of Pottier

& Stymus” in The Magazine Antiques. MA, Winterthur Program;

MFA, University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

ULRICH LEBEN associate curator of furniture, The Rothschild

Collection, Waddesdon Manor, Buckinghamshire, Great Britain.

Specializes in French and German decorative arts. Publications:

monograph on Bernard Molitor (1755–1833) and works on French

and German decorative arts. Exhibitions: Jean Jacques Bachelier

(1724–1806), Musée Lambinet, Versailles; and Charles Honoré

Lannuier (1779–1816), Metropolitan Museum of Art. PhD,

Universität Bonn.

SARAH A. LICHTMAN Art and Design Studies faculty, Parsons.

Areas of interest include interiors, feminist design history,

and 20th-century design. Publications include Interior Design

in the Twentieth Century: Europe and the USA (forthcoming), and

articles in Studies in the Decorative Arts and the Journal of Design

History. PhD candidate, Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the

Decorative Arts.

MARY CHEEK MILLS Curator, Corning Museum of Glass.

Specialist in American glass history. Publications include

“The Cooperative Venture of Union Glass Works, Kensington,

Pennsylvania, 1826–42,” Journal of Glass Studies (1992). MA,

Winterthur program in Early American Culture.

TESSA MURDOCH deputy keeper of Sculpture, Metalwork,

Ceramics and Glass, Victoria and Albert Museum. Specialist in

Metalwork and 17th- and 18th-century English silver. Curator

of numerous exhibitions. Publications include Huguenot

Goldsmiths in Northern Europe and North America (2008) and Noble

Households: 18th-Century Inventories of Great English Houses (2006).

PhD, University of London.

ANNE-MARIE QUETTE conférencière of the Musées Nationaux

de France and Musée des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. Specialist in

French furniture. Publications include Le Mobilier Français:

Louis XIII, Louis XIV (1996), and Le Mobilier Français: Art Nouveau

1900 (1995).

KRISTEL SMENTEK Mellon Curatorial Fellow, the Frick

Collection. Specialist on 18th-century French art and decorative

arts. Publications include Rococo Exotic: French Mounted

Porcelains and the Allure of the East (2007) and contributions to

À l’origine de livre d’art, Les recueils d’estampes comme entreprise

éditoriale en Europe (forthcoming), and French Genre Painting in

the Eighteenth Century (2007). PhD, University of Delaware.

DENNY STONE collections manager of European sculpture and

decorative arts, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Curated numerous

exhibitions including Elegant Fantasy: The Jewelry of Arline

Fisch (2003). MA, Fashion Institute of Technology.

SEAN SAWYER architectural historian. Former executive

director of the Wyckoff Farmhouse Museum. Publications

include articles in the Journal of the Society of Architectural

Historians and Architectural History and contributions to

Architecture and Pictures from Antiquity to the Enlightenment (2002)

and The Houses of Parliament: History, Art, Architecture (2000).

PhD, Columbia.

DEBORAH D. WATERS deputy director of collections and

exhibitions, Museum of the City of New York. Publications

include Elegant Plate: Three Centuries of Precious Metals in New York

City (2000), Plain and Ornamental: Delaware Furniture, 1740–1890

(1984), and contributions to Art and the Empire City (2000). PhD,

University of Delaware.

JOHN WILTON-ELY professor emeritus, University of Hull.

Scholar of 18th-century art, architecture, and decorative arts.

Publications include Piranesi: The Complete Etchings (1994),

Piranesi as Architect and Designer (1993), The Art and Mind of

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1988), and articles on Beckford,

Hawksmoor, Wren. MA, Cambridge University; Courtauld

Institute of Art, London University.

DIANE C. WRIGHT curatorial intern, Yale University Art

Gallery. Specialist in the history of glass. Publications include

articles in Decorative Arts Society Newsletter. MA, Parsons/

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum.

KAREN zUKOWSKI former curator, Olana State Historic Site.

Specialist in 19th-century American decorative and fine arts,

and interior design. Publications include Creating the Artful

Home: The Aesthetic Movement (2006) and contributions to

Frederic Church’s Olana: Architecture and Landscape as Art (2001).

PhD, City University of New York.


75



interior design

today’s interior designers face unprecedented challenges. they

are expected to incorporate sustainable design practices and

enhanced building performance into their work. they need to stay

abreast of new developments in technology and materials. they

must meet a variety of new client needs as a result of social change

and shifts in demographics.

parsons’ new Mfa in interior design program* is poised to meet

these challenges and play a leading role in addressing the interior

design issues of the 21st century. the course of study emphasizes

the history and theory of interiors; technology, fabrication,

and sustainability; and interior design as a social practice. the

program also offers instruction on materials and related issues,

including sustainable practices, fabrication processes, and digital

technologies. graduates are trained to become outstanding

professionals and teachers of the next generation of practitioners.

the only graduate program of its kind in the united states today,

the Mfa in interior design offers instruction of unparalleled depth.

the practice of interior design intersects with architecture, product

design, and engineering. the parsons program is integrated with

graduate programs in lighting design and architecture.

parsons expects this new program to receive quick accreditation

from the council of interior design accreditation, which is fast

becoming the benchmark by which interior design programs are

recognized by educators and students and for state approvals

for licensure.

for more information, visit newschool.edu/parsons.

*new york state approval pending


Students work in an open, 5,000-squarefoot

studio space across two floors in a

loft building. The space is shared with

graduate students in Architecture and

Lighting Design, a setup that encourages

dialogue across disciplines. In the studio,

students are given dedicated work spaces

from which wireless technology is accessible.

An adjacent computer lab gives

students access to software programs

specific to the profession, along with

large format plotters and printers. A

lighting lab and staffed fabrication shop

with digital and traditional equipment

are also located next to the studio, and

use of the nearby metal fabrication shops

in the Fine Arts Department is encouraged.

The Donghia Materials Library,

generously donated by the late interior

designer Angelo Donhia, is curated to

reflect sustainable and emerging materials

and is an important resource for core

courses. Coursework is also supported

by the research libraries consortium

(see Academic Resources, page 16).

76 INTERIOR DESIGN INTERIOR DESIGN

77



case study: after taste

“aftertaste” is a yearly symposium dedicated to the critical study

of the interior. it offers an expansive view of the field, highlighting

emerging areas of research, identifying allied practices that influence

interior design, and making public its rich and underexplored

territory. the series signals a move away from the popular image of

interior design as a limited field of taste making and expands the

scope of the discipline to include emerging issues. each symposium

is thematically structured to address topics relevant to the

enrichment of interior design. recent themes include “pedagogical

Models,” “theoretical paradigms,” “alternative sites of practice,”

“representing the interior,” the “narrative life of things,” and the

“intellectual history of taste.”

recent aftertaste

participants

Constance Adams interior designer for

NASA’s International Space Lab

Jay Bernstein historian and philosopher

Petra Blaisse interior and textile

designer of the Amsterdam-based firm

Inside/Outside

Andrew Blauvelt design director and

curator at Walker Art Center

James Casebere photographer

Beatriz Colomina historian of postwar

domesticity

Jamie Drake Drake Design Associates

Kitty Hawks Kitty Hawks Incorporated

Julie Lasky editor-in-chief,

I.D. magazine

Emmanuelle Linard trend forecaster at

Li Edelkoort Inc.

Julieanna Preston co-author of Intimus:

An Interior Design Theory Reader

The Quay Brothers London-based film

and set designers

Penny Sparke cirector of London’s

Centre for the Modern Interior

Susan Szenasy chief editor of Metropolis

magazine

Anthony Vidler theorist and historian

of the domestic realm

Mark Wigley theorist of early modern

interiors

Susan Yelavich author of Contemporary

World Interiors

curriculuM

the two-year program is a 60-credit-hour, full-time professional

graduate degree based on a studio-centered curriculum. design

studios provide the foundation for each semester, complemented

by core subjects designed to redefine the field. additional courses

in methods of representation encourage interdisciplinary dialogue

with graduate students in lighting design and architecture. two

departmental electives allow for further individual choice of study.

the last semester culminates in a thesis project.

first year: fall

design studio i introduces fundamental interior design issues

including form, space, threshold, light, color, and scale through

a series of design and analytical projects that emphasize the

inventive and conceptual dimension of design. the course also

contributes to the formation of a shared project-based vocabulary

for interior designers by incorporating the analysis of canonical

precedents into the design work.

interior design survey focuses on the development of interior

styles as an expression of cultural, material, political, and

aesthetic conditions from the 17th century to the present. it

explores the evolution of interior design as a discrete field of

practice and its recent emergence as an academic discipline

and certified profession.

environmental technology explores the science and technology

for measuring and maintaining comfort conditions and ecological

balance within buildings, with emphasis on high-performance

sustainable design and systems integration. supervised

construction site visits provide case studies that demonstrate the

practical application of theoretical concepts.

representation and spatial reasoning explores techniques of

architectural representation in order to develop students’ abilities

to think, draw, and analyze architecture and interior spaces. the

course is a critical exploration of the conventions of architectural

drawing plans: section, elevation, 1-, 2-, and 3-point perspective,

axonometry, parallel line projection, shadow projection, oblique

projection, and descriptive geometry.

first year: spring

design studio ii builds upon studio 1, adding the application and

integration of materials and building systems and sustainable

technologies as design parameters. equal emphasis is placed

on of macroenvironments and microenvironments within the

interior and on the use of metrics in assessing the performance of

projected design proposals.


79



electiVes

Elective courses enrich the field of

study by crossing the disciplines in

Interior Design, Lighting Design, and

Architecture. They enable students to

address a range of issues and build on

individual interests that typically include

history and theory, digital representation

and fabrication, furniture making,

interior lighting, and environmentally

sustainable practices.

theory of the interior investigates the theoretical foundations

of the practice of interior design. themes include taste, comfort,

fashion, lifestyle and the everyday documents. sources

used include films, television shows, shelter magazines, and

advertisements as well as more traditional cultural documents.

Materials and performance explores materials and their properties,

including color, reflection, finish, environmental impact, and

performance. in the course, students produce full-scale detailed

mock-ups using nondigital means of production.

forms of programming addresses the factors involved in

programming spaces. contemporary models are used to explore

client and user relationships, critical and analytical thinking,

human behavior, research, and systems and methods of

communication.

second year: fall

design studio iii is a comprehensive design studio in which

students creatively synthesize site and program analysis, building

technologies and systems, and aesthetic and material intentions

into a detailed design proposal.

fabrication and processes develops skills for understanding,

forming, and articulating a design problem and its solution,

specifically in regards to the manufactured components of an

architectural interior.

thesis preparation is a research seminar in which students develop

a written and graphic proposal for a capstone studio project. each

student conducts in-depth self-guided research and develops a

critical and theoretically informed position on a topic issue in the

field of interior design.

second year: spring

thesis studio is the capstone studio course, in which the student

conducts research in a selected aspect of the interior design field.

projects must demonstrate rigorous analytic thinking as well as

coherent development and design resolution. with the consent of

the respective thesis committees, students may collaborate on a

project with colleagues in architecture or lighting design.

professional practice provides an overview of the legal, ethical

and economic aspects of the practice of architecture and interior

design. students critique contemporary models of practice and

study the role of economics, contracts, liability, licensure, and

standards of practice in shaping the contemporary interior design

and architectural professions.

80 INTERIOR DESIGN


preparation for adMission

Admissions to the MFA in Interior Design

are managed directly by the School of

Constructed Environments.

Email aidladmission@newschool.edu

for information about applying.

Applicants must have an undergraduate

degree before entering the program.

Persons with other than a design-based

degree are encouraged to apply but may

be required to take the Parsons summer

program in Architecture to establish

design and drawing foundations prior to

starting graduate work.

Visit Parsons, tour the studios, and meet

the faculty and students. Arrangements

for Interior Design tours can be made by

calling 212.229.8955 or emailing

aidladmission@newschool.edu.

Lois Weinthal

Director

mfa in interior design

The director of the new MFA in Interior Design, Lois Weinthal is working

with her colleagues at Parsons to shape the program. Weinthal says, “The

new MFA program is exciting because it recognizes that people are doing

inventive things in interiors and it relies heavily on an interdisciplinary

approach. In other words, it relates other creative fields like textile

design and material fabrication to interior design. We are working with

the best people in the field to develop courses unlike any others.”

Approaching a subject from new and unique angles is one of the

things that Weinthal does best. In her own research, she analyzes interiors

as layers, beginning with the human body and moving outward to

clothing, furniture, textiles, rooms, architecture, and even streetscapes.

Weinthal says, “Beginning a new MFA program at Parsons is particularly

exciting because the school is home to some of the most renowned

trendsetters and fashion forecasters in the world. We can tap into the

experience and expertise of instructors throughout the university, which

will enhance the interdisciplinary approach that the study of interior

design demands.”

Closet #1, Parsons’ Kitchen (1994), designed

by faculty member Allan Wexler as part of his

renowned “Closet Architecture” series, serves

as a bar and meeting place for public events

in the department’s public gallery space.

INTERIOR DESIGN

83


top left Melanie Ide (faculty member),

Ralph Abbelbaum Associates, Hall of

Biodiversity, American Museum of Natural

History. Photo: AMNH and Peter Mauss/Esto

bottom left Alfred Zollinger (faculty

member), Matter Practice, Ecotopia

Installation

right Lois Weinthal (faculty member),

Felt Plug Chair

interior design faculty

KENT KLEINMAN dean of the School of Constructed

Environments. Scholarly focus: 20th century European modernism.

Books: Villa Müller: A Work of Adolf Loos, Rudolf Arnheim:

Revealing Vision, and Mies van der Rohe: The Krefeld Villas. Awards:

Mellon Foundation’s Senior Public Goods Fellowship at the

University of Michigan, Visiting Scholarship at the Canadian

Center for Architecture in Montreal, three Graham Foundation

grants, two Architect’s Journal Ten Best Book awards. BA and

MArch, University of California, Berkeley.

JOANNA MERWOOD director of academic affairs, School

of Constructed Environments. Architectural historian.

Published: “Western Architecture: The Inland Architect,

Race, Class and Architectural Identity,” “Chicago Is History,”

“The Mechanization of Cladding: The Reliance Building and

Narratives of Modern Architecture.” BArch, Victoria University

of Wellington; MArch, McGill; MA and PhD, Princeton.

LOIS WEINTHAL director of Interior Design programs and

co-organizer of the AfterTaste symposia and publication series.

Principal of Weinthal Works, a design practice that draws relationships

between architecture, interiors, clothing and objects.

Awards: Graham Foundation grant, Fulbright Award, DAAD

Award for residency that led to the international exhibit Berlin:

A Renovation of Postcards. Curated exhibitions: Architecture

Inside/Out, Center for Architecture in NY (2007). BArch and

BFA, RISD; MArch, Cranbrook Academy of Art .

KATHERINE CHIA architect, principal of Desai/Chia

Architecture. Portfolio includes residential, retail, and

commercial projects as well as commissions for furniture

and product design. Awards: American Architecture award,

several American Institute of Architects Design awards,

Residential Architect Design award, New York magazine’s Best

of New York. Exhibited: Center for Architecture, NYC; Herman

Miller showrooms, NYC and LA. Published: New York Times,

New York Observer, Architectural Record, Interior Design, Elle Japan,

New York Magazine, Architect’s Newspaper. BA, Amherst College;

MArch, MIT.

MARY DELANEY PENICK began her design career in 1981 at

Skidmore Owings and Merrill with primary responsibility for

colors, materials, and finishes for architecture and interior

design projects, many of which were featured in Progressive

Architecture , Interior Design, and House & Garden. In 1999, she

joined Peter Marino Architect where she worked until starting

her own firm, Mary Delaney Interior Design, in 2001. Her practice

focuses on high end residential interiors; recent projects in

New York City and Palm Beach. BFA, Pratt Institute.

MELANIE IDE project director, Ralph Applebaum Associates.

Projects: Bishop Museum, Hawaii; strategic plan, Dallas

Museum of Natural History; design competition, World Trade

Center Memorial; the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum;

and the American Museum of Natural History. She has designed

exhibits for the New York Public Library, Whitney Museum

of American Art, Japanese American National Museum.

Published: Architectural Record, Business Week, Interiors, I.D., and

Communication Arts. BA in Architecture, University of California

at Berkeley.

IOANNA THEOCHAROPOULOU architect and architectural

historian. Scholarly focus: history and theory of interiors;

sustainable design; urbanization in the developing world.

Published: Negotiating Domesticity: Spatial Production of Gender in

Modern Architecture; Paradigmata, 9th International Architectural

Exhibition, Venice Biennale; Landscapes of Development: The

Impact of Modernization on the Physical Environment of the Eastern

Mediterranean. AA Diploma, Architectural Association, London;

MSAAD, MPhil in Architecture, and PhD, Columbia.

TIM VENTIMIGLIA architect and museum and exhibit designer.

Design studio director and associate, Ralph Appelbaum

Associates. Awards: Industrial Designers of America award,

Top Honor Award, Society of Environmental and Graphic

Design. Lectures and Exhibitions: Cornell University; Haus der

Architektur, Graz, Austria; Cornell Studio, Berlin. BArch and

MArch, Cornell.

ALLAN WEXLER architect, designer and fine artist. Research

focus: objects, buildings, and environments that blur the

borders between architecture and sculpture and isolate, elevate,

or monumentalize daily rituals like dining, sleeping, and bathing.

Represented by the Ronald Feldman Gallery. Exhibitions:

Aldrich Museum of Contemporary Art, Atlanta College of Art,

SF MoMA, Contemporary Art Center. Books: Custom Built: A

Twenty-Year Survey of Work; GG Portfolio Allan Wexler. BArch and

BFA, RISD; MArch, Pratt Institute.

PETER WHEELWRIGHT associate professor of architecture;

principal, PMW Architects. Published: Progressive Architecture,

Architecture, Metropolitan Home, Metropolis, New York Times,

Ottagono, Architectural Record, Journal of Architectural Education,

ACSA Journal. BA,Trinity College; MArch, Princeton.

ALFRED zOLLINGER co-principal, Matter Practice, an architecture

and exhibition design firm. Precision machinist and

fabrication specialist. Research focus: the process of making as

a mode of critical inquiry. Projects: National Building Museum;

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum; and International

Center of Photography. BArch, RISD; MArch, Cranbrook

Academy of Art.


85



lighting design

lighting has been an important part of design education at parsons

since the school launched the first graduate program in architectural

lighting design in the early 1970s. today, it is the only graduate

lighting program that emphasizes design and social practice.

working in collaboration with interior design and architecture

students, lighting design students learn to envision architectural

space and exterior environments in light. they are trained to see

light as the medium through which visual information is registered,

activities are conducted, and social interactions take place. the

program is distinguished by its faculty and by its emphasis on

sustainable practices and the aesthetic, physiological, and psychological

aspects of lighting design.

the four-semester Mfald program enrolls students from all over the

world. new york, home to the largest lighting design community in

the world, offers students a laboratory of light, rich with examples to

study and emulate. assisted by a faculty drawn from the city’s pool

of professionals, lighting students have abundant opportunities to

intern and interact with leading global practitioners.

graduates go on to careers as architectural lighting designers in

private practice, lighting specialists in architecture and interior design

firms, theatrical and exhibition lighting specialists, and research

professionals in equipment design and manufacturing enterprises.

students interested in combining graduate studies in lighting

design and architecture can earn a unique dual degree:

the March/Mfald combines the naaB-accredited Master of

architecture with the master’s degree in lighting design. this

142-credit program prepares students for a wide range of career

opportunities in this expanding field. for complete curriculum,

faculty, and course information, visit newschool.edu/parsons and

go to degree programs: lighting design.

a|l light & architecture

design awards BanQuet

taBle (opposite)

Graduate students from Parsons took

part in a two-week design/build

charrette, in which they created a table

for the annual A|L Light & Architecture

Design Awards Roundtable dinner.

This collaboration between Architectural

Lighting magazine and the Lighting

Design program brought students and

design professionals together.

Each place setting was equipped with

springs that were activated when

tableware was placed on top, causing

the setting to light up. A graphic created

from a photometric chart of T5 lamps

was etched into the table’s surface.

86 LIGHTING DESIGN LIGHTING DESIGN

87



curriculuM

the two-year, full-time Master of fine arts in lighting design is

a 64-credit curriculum. fifty-two credits are in lighting-specific

subjects, including four 6-credit lighting design studios. this

design studio sequence is complemented by technology courses

and classes in the cultural, historical, and perceptual aspects of

lighting design, including 9 elective credits.

reQuired courses

the studio experience, in which students learn to envision form and

space in light, is the core of the curriculum. its goal is to integrate

each student’s background with the curriculum through projects

guided and evaluated by working professionals. the studios move

from the theoretical expression of light through research, study, and

design toward professional application in the built environment.

studio i addresses abstract projects that explore fundamental

design components: light, color, form, space, plane, rhythm,

balance, and texture. this study begins in two dimensions,

proceeding through three dimensions to full-scale environmental

study. in the context of this initial investigation of light as a design

medium, students discover various means of representation,

including photography, hand and computer rendering, and

computer simulation in three dimensions.

studio ii focuses on the massing and orientation of architectural

form and fenestration to integrate daylight in interior spaces.

electric lighting is addressed as a complement to sunlight.

particular attention is given to the relationship between diurnal

and nocturnal light and to qualitative aspects of habitation and

functional use in social space.

studio iii proceeds to the comprehensive development of

architectural lighting design through projects addressing client

needs, programs, technical lighting, and control requirements

for specified applications. students explore larger and more

challenging architectural spaces and exterior areas with a focus

on the urban. they employ a variety of techniques, including

computer visualizations, physical models, and full-scale mock-ups.

designs are developed with illuminance calculations, construction

documentation, and presentation drawings.

thesis studio (studio iV) completes the studio experience. it is

supported by a thesis seminar, in which students learn research

methodologies directed toward a written thesis. a range of typological

projects are presented from which students can develop design

research. individual projects are fully developed in the final studio,

including all associated research, documentation, drawing, and

developmental models. this allows students to experience a project


Lighting Design students work in an

open studio alongside graduate Architecture

and Interior Design students. A

lighting resource library and a lighting

laboratory are adjacent to the studio.

Students have access to all department

resources, including a fabrication shop

and the Donghia Materials Library

and Study Center. Use of the Fine Arts

metalworking shop one floor up and the

nearby Resource Center is encouraged

and promotes exchanges with other

MFA students. The studio is equipped

with wireless digital technology, and

students have access to computer labs

on both of the department’s floors and to

the university’s nearby computer center.

Participation in the department’s lecture

series and exhibitions promotes interaction

among students in Lighting Design,

Architecture, and Interior Design.

All students are required to have a laptop

computer. The department provides

hardware specifications and software

(updated annually). There is a university

purchasing program to help students

who need to purchase a laptop before

beginning classes.

from start to finish, mentored by instructors and guest critics.

students who wish can collaborate with architecture or interior

design students and faculty on a final project.

principles of light surveys topics that influence lighting design

decisions, including properties of materials as they relate to light,

codes, the use of catalogs, documentation, and health effects of

light. this class also introduces technical and practical aspects

of lighting design, including the physics of light, lamp technology,

application of photometric data, optics, and calculations.

architectural history is a core course shared with graduate

architecture students. students enroll in either Modern and

postmodern architecture or issues and practices of Modern

architecture, depending on their previous education. the former is a

survey of movements and theories in architecture, landscape, and

urban design. in the latter, students apply a case-study methodology.

light, perception, and culture i discusses how lighting design is

influenced by the human perceptual system and the culture of the

time. the need to control the quality and quantity of light has profoundly

affected the organization of architecture and public space.

students develop an understanding of how human beings react

to and interact within light by exploring contemporary theories of

perceptual, somatic, and aesthetic responses to light.

daylight and sustainability, a companion lecture course to studio

ii, trains designers to observe, analyze, describe, manipulate, and

evaluate daylight and its effect on interior spaces. topics include

solar motion and prediction methods, calculations, the interaction

of day lighting with building orientation, interior finishes, window

configuration, control devices, and interior and exterior shading.

students are introduced to the impact of lighting strategies on

energy consumption, which is central to the practice of sustainable

architecture.

critical light: twentieth-century theory explores a range of

approaches and methodologies that have driven architectural and

design theory from the late 19th century through the 21st century. in

particular, this seminar considers the role of light as a protagonist in

many influential design theories and related discourses.

luminaire and systems technology explores material and fabrication

aspects of the equipment used in lighting interior and exterior

spaces. Major topics include electrical theory and practice, codes,

control systems, energy management, and ballast technology.

the course also covers thermal issues, including luminaire performance,

regulatory requirements, overall building performance,

and systems integration.


89



electiVes

Electives are offered to students across

disciplines in Interior Design, Lighting

Design, and Architecture to enrich

their field of study. Optional electives

supplement historical, technical, or

digital knowledge. Independent study

options allow students to explore topics

of particular interest. The following

electives are drawn from the MFA

Lighting Design program.

Light: A Design History provides a

premodern and modern survey focusing

on the impact of light on people’s

lives and on their relationship to the

built environment. Particular attention

is given to the evolution of aesthetic,

religious, philosophical, and psychological

theories of light over time and within

diverse cultures. Study of the development

of electric lighting and its global

effect on social practice, economics,

leisure activity, and design serves as a

basis for students to speculate on future

possibilities.

Landscape and Urban Light, taught

by a landscape lighting designer and a

landscape architect, is a survey of the

history and theory of public urban and

landscape space with an emphasis on the

role of lighting. Issues explored include

cultural landscapes, landscape perception,

sustainability, and methodologies

for studying urban space.

Designing the Nighttime

Environment is taught by an urban

designer and a lighting designer. The

nighttime environment is explored

through film, literature, fine arts,

theater, and other modes of cultural

expression. In addition, mapping

research into the technical constraints in

urban lighting offers a broader cultural

understanding of the shape of New York

City as defined by light.

luminaire design, a companion studio to luminaire and systems

technology, explores the design of fixtures, including aesthetic

and technical forms, as well as the influences of fabrication and

mass production on both decorative and utilitarian luminaires.

full-scale model building and functional mock-ups are used for

study and for presentation.

light, perception, and culture ii covers subjective and objective

responses to light, the psychological aspects of lighting design,

and the impact of energy ethics on lighting decisions. architectural

photography is used to develop students’ ability to observe light.

study of light in performance (in its theatrical and postmodern

expressions) helps students understand evolving cultural

perspectives and contemporary representations of identity and

social practice.

professional practice, the final lecture course of the curriculum,

explores business and professional aspects of the lighting design

field, including ethics, project management, business structures for

design offices, legal issues, contracts, fees, codes, specifications,

and construction administration protocols.

preparation for adMission

admissions to the Mfa in lighting design are managed directly by

the school of constructed environments. for information about

applying, email aidladmission@newschool.edu.

all applicants must have an undergraduate or graduate degree,

preferably in one of the following design-based disciplines:

architecture, environmental design, interior design, engineering,

product design, fine arts, or theater arts. applicants with

undergraduate degrees in other fields may be accepted

conditionally with the requirement that they successfully complete

the parsons summer program in architecture before beginning

graduate courses.

90 LIGHTING DESIGN


More electiVes

Light as Art leaves behind quantifiable

applications of lighting systems and

numerical calculations to investigate

formal and philosophical notions of light

as a medium of poetic and artistic expression.

Students experiment with light

sources, technologies, refractive materials,

and electrical devices to explore

aspects of space, scale, time, and rhythm.

Studies include tabletop assemblies,

exercises in drawing abstraction, evaluation

of musical structures, and full-scale

architectural installations.

Lighting Principles in Architecture

and Interior Design introduces lighting

history, lamp source technologies, luminaire

optics, calculations, and design

applications. Students analyze a site in

New York City and propose a lighting

design based on technical, programmatic,

and aesthetic needs.

Glenn Fujimura

Dual-Degree Student

lighting design and

architecture

A dual master’s degree candidate in Lighting Design and Architecture,

Glenn Fujimura is particularly interested in the relationship between

light and sustainable design. Derek Porter, director of the Lighting Design

program, played an important role in Glenn’s decision to attend The

New School. Glenn says, “Derek believes, as I do, that the best approach

to lighting is as a design process that merits intellectual and aesthetic

examination rather than simply as a technical field of study.”

Glenn’s design for the renovation of a library in Harlem addresses the

interplay between light and heat by including suggestions for diffusing

and absorbing daylight to reduce its high energy loads. In addition

to enjoying opportunities to apply what he is learning, Glenn says, he

benefits from the expertise and experience of his instructors. “The staff

and faculty in the Lighting Design program are amazing. You can’t beat

the people. These are award-winning designers at the forefront of the

industry, and yet they are deeply committed to their students.”

Although Glenn spends much of his time in the library, lab, and

studio, whenever possible he takes advantage of the free admission to

the Museum of Modern Art available to all New School students.

top Phan Dung, New Image of the City:

Luminous Lite, Thesis Studio

bottom left Merve Sila Karakaya,

The Dual Role of Architecture and Lighting

in the Creation of Fantastic Settings

bottom right Tanakorn Meennuch,

Reexamining Union Square, Thesis Studio

LIGHTING DESIGN

93


top left Erin Devries, Daylight and

Interior Space, Thesis Studio

bottom left Evgenia Kremezi, Scholars

Library, Studio II

right Megan Casey, Emerging Illuminance:

Recontextualizing Light Energy Impacts in the

21st Century, Thesis Studio

Graduate students design/build project A/L

Design Awards banquet table


95



lighting design faculty

KENT KLEINMAN dean of the School of Constructed

Environments. Scholarly focus: 20th Century European modernism.

Books: Villa Müller: A Work of Adolf Loos, Rudolf Arnheim:

Revealing Vision, and Mies van der Rohe: The Krefeld Villas. Awards:

Mellon Foundation’s Senior Public Goods Fellowship at the

University of Michigan, Visiting Scholarship at the Canadian

Center for Architecture in Montreal, three Graham Foundation

grants, two Architect’s Journal Ten Best Book awards. BA and

MArch, University of California at Berkeley.

DEREK PORTER director of Lighting Design. Principal, Derek

Porter Studio. Projects: lighting design for self-storage facility

FLEX systems; Liberty Bridge, Greenville; Union Station, Kansas

City. Awards: Architectural Lighting, International Association

of Lighting Designers, IESNA. Member: AIA, IALD, IESNA,

Light Fair International. BFA, Environmental Design, Kansas City

Art Institute.

KIMBERLY ACKERT architect; principal, Ackert Architects.

Awards: Mercedes T. Bass Rome Prize. Published: 40 Under 40, New

York Times Magazine, Green Architecture USA, Interiors, Architectural

Review, Architecture Australia, House & Garden. Ackert has worked

for Skidmore, Owings and Merrill and Richard Meier and Partners.

BArch, California Polytechnic State University.

CRAIG A. BERNECKER founder and director of the Lighting

Education Institute. Former director of the Lighting program,

Department of Architectural Engineering, Pennsylvania State

University. Former president and board member, IESNA; board

member, International Commission on Illumination; former

board member, Lighting Research Institute. Published: Lighting

Design+Application, Lighting Research and Technology, Journal of the

Illuminating Engineering Society, IESNA Lighting Education series.

Published extensively on psychological aspects of lighting. PhD

in Psychology, MS in Architectural Engineering, Pennsylvania

State University.

JIM CONTI lighting designer. Awards: IESNY Lumen, Nuckolls

Fund for Lighting Education, Linked by Light. Projects and clients:

Steelcase, Alliance for Downtown NY, Brooks Brothers, New

World Foundation, New Balance. Published: Radical Landscapes,

Artforms, LD+A, Interiors, Architectural Record, Architectural

Review, New York Times. Associate member, IALD, IESNA. MFA,

Ohio State University.

JESSICA CORR founding member of Collaborative , an interdisciplinary

design group. Projects and exhibits: Exquisite Cannibals,

Massachusetts College of Art; Double Exposure, multi media set

design for the Alvin Ailey Dance Co.; R & D consultant for new

materials, Prada; Cooper-Hewitt National Design Triennial; Ten

Avant-Garde Industrial Designers Exhibition. Published: Dish, I.D.,

Interni, Frame, Interiors, Elle Décor, Graphis. BFA, Parsons.

JEAN GARDNER activist, writer, architecture, and landscape

historian; consultant on sustainable design issues. Founding

member, Environment ’90, Earth Environmental Group. Coauthor:

Cinemetrics: Architecture Drawing Today. Author: Urban

Wilderness: Nature in New York City. Has also taught at Columbia,

Pratt, and Cornell. BA, Smith; MA, Columbia University.

STEPHEN HORNER IESNA, LC. Senior designer, Tillet Lighting

Design Inc. Projects: Linked Hybrid, Beijing; Juilliard School

and Alice Tully Hall renovation, NYC; Lincoln Center South

Campus masterplan, NYC. Awards: Jonas Bellovin Award for

Academic Achievement, Nuckolls Fund for Education. BA, Sussex

University; MFA, Parsons.

NELSON JENKINS LEED, LC, RA. Founder, Lumen Architecture,

PLLC. Member: AIA, IESNA, and Designers Lighting Forum executive

board. Teaches professional continuing education, graduate,

and undergraduate courses. BFA, BArch, RISD.

PAMELA KLADzYK architectural historian and artist. Research

focuses on the visual language of material culture, Native

American contributions to contemporary design, and revivals

and hybrids of sustainable housing. Published: “Native American

Women Designers,” in Pat Kirkham, Women Designers in the USA,

1900–2000: Diversity and Difference. Exhibitions: New York Design

Center; A.I.R. Gallery, NY. BFA, University of Michigan; MFA,

Eastern Michigan University; PhD, Catholic University, Lublin.

MARGARET MAILE architectural and lighting design historian.

Scholarly focus is on the performance and promotion of modern

architecture, the experience of modernity, and mass culture.

Awards: Bernard and Irene Schwartz Foundation, Richard

Kelly grant, Clive Wainwright thesis award, Edward Lee Cave

Foundation. Publications: “Illuminating the Glass Box,” in JSAH,

“The Seagram Building” in PLD; and articles in Architectural

Lighting magazine. MA, PhD candidate, in Lighting Design

History, Bard Graduate Center.

JOANNA MERWOOD director of academic affairs, School of

Constructed Environments; architectural historian. Published:

“Western Architecture: The Inland Architect, Race, Class and

Architectural Identity,” “Chicago Is History,” “The Mechanization

of Cladding: The Reliance Building and Narratives of Modern

Architecture.” Awards: Dissertation colloquium speaker, Temple

Hoyne Buell Center; Howard Crosby Butler Summer Traveling

Fellowship, Princeton. BArch, Victoria University of Wellington;

MArch, McGill; MA and PhD, Princeton.

CAROLINE RAzOOK designer, Rogers Marvel Architects.

Current projects: Theory headquarters and showrooms. Member,

Architectural League of New York. Published photographs:

Modulus 25, Industrial Intersections, Virginia, 1999; Design

Build Project, Brooklyn, 2003. Eileen Gray Thesis Prize, 2004.

Instructor, Summer Intensive Studios in Architecture, Parsons,

2004. BS Arch, University of Virginia; MArch with concentration

in Lighting Design, Parsons.

NATHALIE ROzOT multidisciplinary planning and design

consultant on large-scale projects in lighting design, exhibit

design, architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning.

Projects: L’Observatoire International; Miami International

Airport; TKOTL residential complex, Hong Kong; Bayou River

revitalization, Houston. Exhibited: Paris, Rome, New York,

and Osaka.

LENI SCHWENDINGER principal, Leni Schwendinger Light

Projects Ltd. Clients: state and municipal agencies, architectural

and engineering firms, museums, and events planners. Projects:

Chroma Streams; Tide and Traffic, a site-specific integrated light

installation in Glasgow; and the Coney Island Parachute Jump.

Certificate, London Film School.

AMY SHARP artist, producer. Projects: National Flag of

Mourning, Reel President, Hope Project, Mary Ellen Strom and

Ann Carlson’s Geyser Land, and International Film Seminar’s

Digital Flaherty seminar. BFA, Aquinas College; MFA, School of

the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and Tufts University.

JOEL SIEGEL IES, AMA, lighting engineer; Vice President of

marketing and sales, Edison Price Lighting, Inc. Has also taught

at City College of New York and the Mechanical Institute of New

York. Published: Lighting Design Association Journal. Holds several

patents for lighting products. BS, City University of New York; BA,

City College of New York.

DAVID SINGER principal, Arc Light Design. Published projects:

Harley-Davidson Café, NY; Zen Palate, NY; Hyatt Regency, Osaka;

Bar Bat, Hong Kong. Lumen Award of Merit with Distinction

for Civic Service, Central Wing School of Architecture lighting

design, Pratt University (Steven Holl, architect). BA, MArch,

Washington University.

MATTHEW TANTERI IALD; principal and lighting designer,

Tanteri + Associates. Awards: Lumen Award for Chanel Ginza,

Tokyo; IALD Lighting Design Award for Luminous Arc (with

James Carpenter and Richard Kress). Projects: U.S. retail stores of

Issey Miyake, Versace, Chanel. BA, Cooper Union; MFA, Parsons.

THOMAS THOMPSON IALD; principal, Thompson + Sears, LLC,

architectural lighting firm with more than 600 completed projects

throughout the United States, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and

South America. Projects: Samsung Roding Pavilion and historic

preservation of the Hoboken train station’s main waiting room.

BAE, Pennsylvania State University.

LINNAEA TILLETT IALD; principal, Tillett Lighting Design.

Specializes in security and perceptions of safety in settings that

serve multiple needs and diverse users. Projects: collaborations

with Olin Partnership, Maya Lin Studio, Cooper Robertson,

Quennell Rothschild; award-winning public art with Kiki Smith

and Lebbeus Woods. PhD, Environmental Psychology, City

University of New York.

ATTILA UYSAL IALD; principal, Susan Brady Lighting Design.

Projects include hospitals, airports, transportation facilities,

corporate interiors, retail stores and showrooms, façade lighting,

private residences, and restaurants. Recipient of the Turkish

Republic Ministry of Education’s scholarship for industrial

design studies in the United States. BArch, Middle East Technical

University, Ankara, Turkey; MA, Industrial Design, Pratt Institute.

ALEXA GRIFFITH design historian specializing in the history

and theory of the modern domestic interior. Grants: Graham

Foundation; NYSCA; Craft, Creativity, and Design Grant; Society

for the Preservation of American Modernists. Published: Journal

of Design History, Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Timeline of Art

History, I.D., Dwell. BA, Smith College; MA, Bard Graduate Center

for Studies in the Decorative Arts.

JAMES YORGEY LC; technical applications manager, Lutron

Electronics Company. Member, IEEE; IESNA (former chairman of

the Energy Management Committee); ASHRAE/IESNA Standard

90.1 Project Committee for Energy Efficient Design of New

Buildings, ASHRAE/IES Standard 100P Project Committee, for

Energy Conservation in Existing Buildings. BS, Pennsylvania

State University.




97

photography

the graduate photography program functions as a 21st-century

studio and think tank. students are encouraged to develop their

individual vision in a collaborative, interdisciplinary environment

and to explore related technologies, focusing on the relationship

between concept and production. a rigorous critique process and

regular meetings with faculty, professional artists, and visiting

critics help students develop individual points of view and situate

themselves and their work within larger historical, theoretical, and

contemporary visual contexts.

the goal of the 26-month program is to educate students about the

evolving creative role of the photographer, particularly in relation

to emerging imaging technologies and new media. this curriculum

gives students a foundation in both the developing language of

photography and the technology driving it. graduates are prepared

to define the creative role of photography within contemporary

culture, whether as scholars or practicing artists.

the parsons photography program is distinguished by the diversity

of its participants and of the perspectives and styles they bring to

their work. Most applicants accepted to the program have undergraduate

or graduate degrees in photography, video, or related

media. those with degrees in an unrelated discipline should have

considerable experience working in the field.


www.newschool.edu/parsons and go to degree programs:

photography, graduate.

recent Visiting artists

Max Becker and Andrea Robbins

Slater Bradley

Daniel Conogar

Sarah Charlesworth

Tim Davis

Shannon Ebner

Anna Gaskell

Anthony Goicolea

Neil Goldberg

Dan Graham

Matthew Higgs

Simen Johan

Glen Luchford

Jessica Craig Martin

Carolee Schneemann

Gary Scheider

Collier Schorr

Laura Simmons

Zoe Strauss

Javier Tellez

Catherine Wagner

Lawrence Weiner

Charlie White

Right Jeremy Dyer, untitled,

digital fiber print

98 PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY

99



curriculuM

departing from the traditional semester format, the 64-credit

program combines technical and academic studies with studio

work. the program begins with an eight-week intensive summer

session in residence at parsons, the first of three. fall and spring

semesters complement the intensive summer sessions, with

students engaged in independent study under the supervision of

a faculty member. during the fall and spring semesters, students

also fulfill course requirements, either in residence or via the

latest distributed-learning technologies. each fall and spring

semester culminates in a five-day intensive residency in January

and June respectively.

reQuired courses

graduate studio: students explore personal direction under the

supervision of a faculty advisor. students meet twice a week with

the advisor and attend regular critiques with their peers. the

graduate advisory committee assesses each student’s progress

at the end of each semester.

graduate seminar i–iii uses the artistic and intellectual resources

of the city to explore contemporary issues in art and photography.

some semesters focus on a specific topic. in others, students meet

with visiting professionals who critique their work and introduce

critical and theoretical topics for discussion and research.

students’ interactions with these visiting professionals exposes

them to diverse viewpoints and provides networking opportunities.

independent studio i–iV continues the personal studio work

initiated in graduate studio. students maintain regular contact

with their advisor through the online cyber-community conference.

each semester’s independent studio work culminates in a

weeklong residency in January or June, during which group and

individual critiques are conducted and the graduate advisory

committee assesses students’ work.

wired studio is a skills acquisition course that introduces participants

to new photographic technologies and working methods. this

course explores the expanding capabilities and possibilities of

image-making tools for all areas, ranging from alternative processes

to the purely digital environment.

thesis and exhibition prepares students for the thesis exhibition.

working closely with their advisors and graduate committee, students

compose a written statement about their exhibits and complete an

oral examination with the graduate advisory committee.

100 PHOTOGRAPHY


electiVe courses

History of Representation explores

historical trends in pictorial representation

and representational media to

shed light on contemporary practices.

Through readings, discussion, and

research, students explore historical

cultural standards that have defined fact,

reality, and truth. Students examine the

role of the photograph in contemporary

culture and identify cultural standards in

a postphotographic digital world.

Art Since Lunch: A Postmodern

Debate on What Is the Next “Ism”

Unlike traditional art history classes,

which focus on the past, this course is

aimed at predicting and shaping the

future. Students critically analyze the

current debate about photography and

the images being produced at the dawn

of the 21st century and examine the role

of technology in photographic production

and dissemination and the way that

affects the global visual marketplace.

Intellectual Property in the Digital

Age explores this rapidly changing field

through readings, lectures, and panel

discussions. Students examine current

copyright, trademark, and art laws as

they relate to photography.

Foucault’s Pendulum investigates

aspects of contemporary photographic

practice and theory. Students examine

the relationship between theory and

praxis and, more specifically, the way

practitioners use theory in making their

work. We read and discuss writings by

both practitioners and theoreticians

as a response to and indicator of visual

theory. Emphasis is placed on applying

this knowledge to individual practice

within the context of contemporary art

and photographic discourse.

George Pitts

Chair

photography

George Pitts is an award-winning photography director, painter, and

essayist and a renowned teacher whose work spans the fine art, commercial,

and fashion worlds. Pitts has been a Parsons faculty member since

1998 and will become chair of the Photography Department this year.

In addition to teaching at Parsons, Pitts has held a number of

prominent positions, including director of photography at Vibe magazine,

where he received three National Magazine Award nominations

for Best Photography. Of his work at Vibe he says, “It was an important

job because it brought unprecedented visibility to my contributions as a

photo editor. We endeavored to bring sophisticated and authentic visual

approaches to the documentation of African-American culture that

would also have broad appeal for all Americans and readers throughout

the world.”

Whether teaching, photo editing, writing, or making images, Pitts

consistently demonstrates a keen aesthetic sense and the ability to work

graciously with people of all backgrounds. As the incoming chair, Pitts

will uphold the high standards of the department.

open studios

open studios take place three times a year and are an excellent

opportunity for students to introduce their work to public. they

provide a space for dialogue with working artists, gallerists,

curators, and industry professionals from new york city, and are

often accompanied by individual and group critiques with visiting

artists and scholars. students also present regular exhibitions in

the student-run three gallery and have the opportunity to exhibit

a thesis project.

top Ana da Cavalli, Untitled, c-print

PHOTOGRAPHY 103


Sean Simpson, American Gothic #3,

pigment on canvas

104


top left Patti Hallock, Pool Table,

digital c-print

bottom left Jeremy Dyer, untitled,

digital fiber print

top right Kara Healey, untitled,

gelatin silver print

bottom right Haley Samuleson, Levitation,

digital c-print

PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY

105


photography faculty

GEORGE PITTS chair. Fine art photographer, painter, and

writer. Former director of photography at LIFE and Vibe

magazines. Writing and art: Partisan Review, Paris Review, S, Big,

One World, Vibe, aRude, Juxtapose, Next Level: a critical review of

Photography. Photographs: New York Times Magazine, Werk, New

York Magazine, Clam, Premiere, Spin, Talk, Raygun, Paper, Nerve,

Manhattan File, Voidek, Gotham, Vice, E Design, Graphis Photo

Annual 2000, American Photography (Vols. 16, 18, 19) Masterminds

of Mode, Nerve: The New Nude (Chronicle), and The New Erotic

Photography (Taschen).

JAMES L. RAMER director of the graduate program.

Photographer and installation artist. Exhibitions: David Lusk

Gallery, Tennessee; Contemporary Museum, Maryland; Rupert

Goldsworthy Gallery, New York; Old Dominion University,

Virginia; Southern Illinois University. Collections: Assisi

Foundation, Promus Corporation, Schering-Plough Inc. MFA,

Memphis College of Art.

ANTHONY AzIz artist and photographer specializing in digital

imaging, sculpture, video and architectural installations;

collaborator on the team of Aziz + Cucher. Exhibitions and collections:

New Museum of Contemporary Art; Cooper-Hewitt,

National Design Museum; Venice Biennale; ICP; SF MoMA; Reina

Sofia Center for Contemporary Art; LA County Museum of Art;

National Gallery of Berlin; National Gallery of Australia. Awards:

Pollock Krasner Award, NEA, NYFA. Featured: New York Times,

Village Voice, Art in America, ArtForum, ArtNews, FlashArt, Frieze,

Parkett. MFA, San Francisco Art Institute.

MARTHA BURGESS photographer, installation and new

media artist. Exhibited: Rice University Gallery, Houston;

Gary Tatintsian Gallery, NY; Riva Gallery, NY; Contemporary

Museum, Baltimore; PS1, NY; University of Connecticut Center

for Visual Art and Culture; FotoFest, Houston. Fellowships:

Guggenheim; Jerome Foundation; NYFA; Epson Corporation;

Scitex Corporation; Ford Foundation; Macdowell Colony; PS1;

Fannie B. Pardee Prize, Yale. Clients: Tibet House; Merrill Lynch

Video Network; Skidmore Owings & Merrill Architects; NNY;

Sony Audio; IBM; American Express, Eisenman Architects.

MFA, Yale.

SAMMY CUCHER photographer specializing in digitally based

images; collaborator on the team Aziz + Cucher. Exhibitions and

collections: New Museum of Contemporary Art; Cooper-Hewitt,

National Design Museum; Venice Biennale; Biennale de Lyon,

ICP; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; Reina Sofia Center

for Contemporary Art; Los Angeles County Museum of Art;

National Gallery of Berlin; National Gallery of Australia. MFA,

San Francisco Art Institute.

SIMONE DOUGLAS artist working in photography, video

and installation. Solo exhibitions: Photographers Gallery

and Rebecca Hossack Gallery, London; National Art Gallery

of Poland; HUG Gallery for International Photography,

Amsterdam; IDG, First Draft Gallery, and 4A Gallery, Sydney.

Collections and group exhibitions: Victoria and Albert Museum,

London; Museum of Contemporary Art, Australian Centre for

Photography, and NSW Art Gallery, Sydney; National Gallery of

Victoria, Melbourne; CAFA, Beijing. BA, Sydney College of the

Arts, University of Sydney; MFA and Grad. Dipl. in Professional

Art Studies, University of New South Wales.

KEITH A. ELLENBOGEN photographer, videographer, and

digital artist specializing in underwater marine life, nature, and

the environment with emphasis on streaming media. Awards:

American Society Media Photographers Best of 2007; Fulbright

Fellowship. Projects and clients: Expedition New England

Aquarium, Fiji, a PSA campaign about coral reefs for Philippe

Cousteau; and EarthEcho International. MFA in Design and

Technology, Parsons.

CRAIG KALPAKJIAN fine artist. Solo exhibitions: Andrea

Rosen Gallery, NY; Galerie Edward Mitterrand, Geneva;

M-Projects, Paris; Robert Miller Gallery, NY. Group exhibitions:

Sculpture Center, NY; Galerie Max Hetzler, Berlin; Whitney

Museum, NY; SF MoMA; Delfina Gallery, London. Collections:

Centre Pompidou; Metropolitan Museum of Art; New Museum

of Contemporary Art; SF MoMA. Publications: Digital Art;

Architecture; New York Times Magazine; Financial Times; Frieze;

Village Voice; Tate, The Art Magazine; Time Out New York. BA,

University of Pennsylvania.

CHARLES LABELLE artist investigating the intersection of

place and subjectivity using a variety of media—photography,

video, drawing, and sculpture—as well as action-based and

site-specific works. Exhibitions: Para/Site Central, Hong Kong;

Anna Kustera, Neuberger Museum, and Artist’s Space, NY;

San Francisco Art Institute; Hyde Park Art Center, Chicago.

Publications: Time Out Chicago, Artforum, Art Papers, Art Review,

New York Times. BA, UCLA; graduate study, UCLA Film School.

MIRANDA LICHTENSTEIN fine artist, photographer. Solo

exhibitions: UCLA Hammer Museum and Mary Goldman

Gallery, LA; Whitney Museum at Philip Morris, Elizabeth

Dee Gallery, and Leslie Tonkonow, NY; Gallery Min Min,

Tokyo. Group exhibitions: Creative Time and New Museum

of Contemporary Art, NY; Yerba Buena Center for the Arts,

SF; Museum of Contemporary Art, Miami; Staedhaus Ulm,

Germany. Collections: Guggenheim Museum; Hirshhorn

Museum; New Museum of Contemporary Art; Madison Museum

of Contemporary Art; Neuberger Museum of Art. MFA,

California Institute of the Arts.

STACY MILLER artist and educator with management experience

in education, teacher training, museum education, and

art research. Previously director of research and professional

development at the College Art Association. Co-founder of

the Heritage School, an alternative public arts and technology

high school in NYC. Doctoral candidate, Columbia; Master of

Museum Leadership, Bank Street College of Education; BFA,

Massachusetts College of Art.

CARLOS MOTTA editor of artwurl.org editor; photographer

and video installation artist. His work uses strategies from

documentary filmmaking and sociology to engage political

events and suggest alternative ways to write and read their

histories. Solo exhibitions: Art in General (upcoming), LMCC

and Winkleman Gallery, NY; Konsthall C, Stockholm; rum46,

Denmark; Kevin Bruk Gallery, Miami; La Alianza Francesa,

Colombia. Group exhibitions: Artists Space, CCS Bard Hessel

Museum of Art, and El Museo, NY; Fries Museum, Holland;

Palazzo delle Papesse, Italy; Musee de Elysee, Switzerland;

TEOR/eTica, Costa Rica. MFA, Bard College; Whitney

Independent Study.

ARTHUR OU photographer, multimedia artist. Solo exhibitions:

Hudson Franklin, NYC; IT Park Gallery, Taipei; Taipei Fine Arts

Museum. Group exhibitions in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago,

London, Vancouver, Dresden and Beijing. Publications: Blind Spot,

Art on Paper, Art in America. BFA, Parsons; MFA, Yale School of Art;

also studied civil engineering, University of California at Irvine.

CAY SOPHIE RABINOWITz senior editor of Parkett.

Contributing writer: Afterall, Art Papers, Boiler, Self Service.

Author of catalog texts on Monica Bonvicini, Sabine Hornig,

Rita McBride, Thomas Schutte. Research areas: rhetoric and

aesthetics, Dada in Berlin, ethnography, propaganda. Has also

taught at Emory University, and California Institute of the Arts.

CHRISTIAN RATTEMEYER associate curator, Department of

Drawings, Museum of Modern Art. Previously curator at Artists

Space, communication editor for Documenta 11 in Kassel,

Germany, and founder and co-director of OSMOS, an independent

project space in Berlin. Regular contributor to Parkett,

Texte zur Kunst, Artforum, and Art Papers. Curated Film and

Architecture festivals in Berlin, Los Angeles, London, and New

York. MA, Free University of Berlin; PhD (ABD), Columbia.

TYPE A the collaboration of ADAM AMES (BA, UPenn;

MFA, SVA) and ANDREW BORDWIN (BA, NYU). This team’s

video, installation, photography, sculpture, and drawing deal

with issues of masculinity, competition and collaboration in

contemporary society. Exhibitions: Luckman Fine Art Complex,

California State University; Walker Art Center, Minneapolis; Art

in General, NYC; Addison Gallery of American Art, Andover;

Indianapolis Museum of Art; List Visual Arts Center at MIT;

Centrum Beeldende Kunst, Rotterdam; Centro de la Imagen,

Mexico City; Contemporary Art Center, New Orleans; Institute

of Contemporary Art, Palm Beach; and UCLA Hammer

Museum, LA.

106 PHOTOGRAPHY PHOTOGRAPHY

107




Parsons prepares students to be independent thinkers who

creatively and critically address the complex human conditions

of 21st century culture. We are creating a diverse learning

environment for developing intelligent and reflective practices

through studio-based research and critical scholarship in order to

make meaningful and sustainable contributions to contemporary

global societies. As a division of The New School, Parsons builds

on the university’s legacy of progressive ideals, scholarship, and

educational methods. Our faculty challenges convention through

a setting and philosophy that encourages formal experimentation,

nurtures alternative world-views, and cultivates forwardthinking

leaders and creative professionals in a world increasingly

influenced by art and design.

The New School was founded in 1919 a “center for discussion,

instruction, and counseling for mature men and women.” It is

today a thriving urban university offering undergraduate and

graduate degrees in the liberal arts and social sciences, design,

and the performing arts. The New School is a privately supported

university chartered by the Board of Regents of the State of New

York. Its degree and certificate programs are approved by the

state’s Division of Veterans Affairs.

The New School is fully accredited by the Commission on Higher

Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and

Schools. Parsons The New School for Design is also accredited by

the National Association of Schools of Art and Design, and the

graduate programs in architecture by the National Architectural

Accrediting Board.

FACTS ABOUT PARSONS

—Founded in 1896 by New York City artist William Merritt Chase

and associates.

—Named in 1936 for longtime president Frank Alvah Parsons,

who devoted his life to integrating visual art and industrial

design.

—Became a division of The New School in 1970. Located in

Greenwich Village, New York City.

—Current enrollments: Parsons enrolls nearly 4,000 students in

its undergraduate and undergraduate degree programs. The New

School as a whole enrolls nearly 10,000 matriculated students.

— The Parsons faculty includes 127 full-time and 1,056 part-time

members respectively. The majority of faculty members are working

professional artists and designers.

DEGREE PROGRAMS

Parsons offers the following degree programs:

Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in: Architectural Design,

Communication Design, Design and Technology, Fashion Design,

Fine Arts, Illustration, Integrated Design, Interior Design,

Photography, and Product Design. (There is a five-year BA/BFA

dual degree program in each of these areas of study; speak to an

admission counselor about the dual degree program.)

Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) in Design and

Management.

Bachelor of Science (BS) in Environmental Studies.*

Associate in Applied Science (AAS) in: Fashion Marketing,

Fashion Studies, Graphic Design, and Interior Design.

Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in: Design and Technology, Lighting

Design, Interior Design,* Fine Arts, and Photography.

Master of Architecture (MArch).

Master of Arts (MA) in History of Decorative Arts and Design.

Master of Architecture/Master of Fine Arts in Lighting Design

(MArch/MFA).

OTHER ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Parsons offers a variety of programs for non-matriculated

students of all ages: Summer Intensive Studies (Pre-college

and college-level) in New York City and Paris; Continuing

Education (certificate programs and general art and design

education for adults); Parsons Pre-College Academy (certificate

programs and general art and design education for young people,

grades 4–12). Visit the website at www.newschool.edu/parsons

for more information.

* New York State approval pending.

INSTITUTIONAL INFORMATION

The New School is committed to creating and maintaining

an environment of diversity and tolerance in all areas of

employment, education, and access to its educational, artistic,

and cultural programs and activities. The New School does

not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, sexual

orientation, religion, mental or physical disability, national,

or ethnic origin, or citizenship, marital, or veteran status.

The New School provides the following institutional information

on the university website www.newschool.edu: Family

Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA); financial assistance

information (federal, state, local, private, and institutional needbased

and non-need-based assistance programs, Title IV, FFEL,

Direct Loan deferments); institutional information (fees, refund

policies, withdrawing from school, academic information, disability

services for students); completion/graduation rates and

transfer-out rates (graduation rate of degree-seeking students,

transfer-out rates of degree-seeking students). To request copies

of any of these reports, please contact the appropriate office listed

on the website.

STUDENT FINANCIAL SERVICES

Parsons provides a comprehensive program of financial aid

services for graduate students, including significant institutional

scholarship support based on merit and need. The New School

also participates in federal and state aid programs, including the

Federal Pell Grant, Equal Opportunity Grant, and Federal Family

Educational Loan programs.

All applicants for admission should apply for financial aid

if they feel they have a need for it. For information about

scholarships, loans, on-campus employment, and more, visit

www.newschool.edu/studentservices/financialaid.

A monthly payment plan allows tuition payments to be spread

throughout the school year.

Estimated Academic Year Expenses 2008–09*

Graduate Tuition ...................................................................$34,560

University Services Fee ................................................................ 200

Divisional Fee ................................................................................ 80

Health Services Fee** ................................................................... 420

Health Insurance Fee** ...............................................................1,617

Room and Board*** .................................................................. 12,455

Books and Supplies*** ............................................................... 2,170

Personal Expenses*** .................................................................1,640

Transportation .............................................................................725

Total ...................................................................................... $53,867

* Except the graduate Photography program.

**All full-time matriculated students are automatically charged a

Student Health Insurance Fee and a Student Health Services Fee.

Students covered by other insurance can decline these services by

submitting a waiver form.

***Actual costs may vary widely for individuals.

VISIT US, TALK TO US

There is no better way to learn about Parsons and to get answers

to your questions than to visit and see for yourself. The office of

admission schedules various information sessions and workshops

throughout the year, and Parsons representatives travel to

other cities in the USA and other countries to meet prospective

students and discuss our programs of study, costs and financial

aid opportunities, and career directions.

grad expo at the new school

Saturday, November 1, 2008 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Tishman Auditorium, 66 West 12th Street

New York City

graduate open studios at parsons

Thursday, December 4, 2008 6:00–9:00 p.m.

New York City

Master of Architecture

25 East 13th Street, 2nd floor

MFA Design and Technology

2 West 13th Street, 10th floor

MFA Fine Arts

25 East 13th Street, 5th floor

MFA Interior Design and Lighting Design

25 East 13th Street, 3rd floor

MFA Photography

66 Fifth Avenue, 5th floor

MA History of Decorative Arts and Design

Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum

2 East 91st Street

6:00–8:00 p.m.

graduate portfolio days

Eastern Graduate Portfolio Day

Saturday, September 27, 2008 12:00–4:00 p.m.

The Art Directors Club

106 West 29th Street

New York City

Western Graduate Portfolio Day

Saturday, October 11, 2008 12:00–4:00 p.m.

California College of the Arts

1111 Eighth Street

San Francisco

Central Graduate Portfolio Day

Sunday, November 2, 2008 12:00–4:00 p.m.

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Sage Studios for Fashion Design

36 South Wabash Avenue

Chicago

Visit the website or use the contact information on the back page

for more information.

110 INFORMATION

INFORMATION 111



APPLY

To apply for admission to a graduate program at Parsons, go

to www.newschool.edu/parsons/apply and use the online

application form. Applications must be submitted online only.

Found objects collected in Parsons studios (material

samples, deadlines: tools, February reference 1 documents, process artifacts)

and Applicants samples for of Architecture, student and Fine faculty Arts, work. and Photography STILL FRAME must

(front cover, center): Faculty member Brian McGrath

submit a complete application packet by February 1.

and Mark Watkins, from urban-interface, Manhattan

Timeformations, Design and Technology, exploded Interior still-frame Design, Lighting from interactive Design, and

web-site

History of

created

Decorative

for

Arts

the

and

Skyscraper

Design accept

Museum,

applications

2000.

on a

INTERIOR IMAGE (back cover, lower right): Amanda Toles

rolling basis, but applicants who wish to be considered for a

and Martina Sencakova, 25 E.13th Street, digital rendering,

Dean’s Scholarship must submit a complete application packet

2008. Collage by mgmt. design.

by February 1.

AdMISSION INquIRIES

For graduate programs in Fine Arts, Photography, Design and

Technology, and History of Decorative Arts and Design, contact

Parsons The New School for Design

Graduate Admissions

65 Fifth Avenue, 1st floor

New York, NY 10003

Telephone 212.229.8989 or

877.528.3321 (toll-free in the United States)

Email parsadm@newschool.edu

For graduate programs in Architecture, Lighting Design, and

Interior Design, contact

Parsons The New School for Design

Graduate Admissions

School of Constructed Environments

66 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10011

Telephone 212.229.8955

Email aidladmission@newschool.edu

INTERNATIONAL STudENTS

This school is authorized under Federal law to enroll

non-immigrant alien students. Students whose native language

is not English are must submit acceptable minimum scores

on the TOEFL. Documentation necessary to obtain a visa

to enter the United States will be provided after a student has

been accepted into a degree program.

APPLY


The information published here represents the plans of The New School at the

time of publication. The university reserves the right to change without notice

any matter contained in this publication, including but not limited to tuition,

fees, policies, degree programs, names of programs, course offerings, academic

activities, academic requirements, facilities, faculty, and administrators.

Payment of tuition or attendance at any classes shall constitute a student’s

acceptance of the administration’s rights as set forth above.

Published 2008 by Parsons The New School for Design

Produced by Communications and External Affairs, The New School

Design: mgmt.design

Photography: Portraits by Matthew Septimus; cover and

section dividers by Matthew Sussman; photographs of student

work by Caitlin Benedetto, Jeff Brown, John Roach.

10%

www.newschool.edu/parsons

Graduate Viewbook 2008-2009 - The New School

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