Scope and Contents

In this audio interview with Martica Sawin, Alan Gussow relates the circumstances of being hired by Parsons School of Design Dean Norman Boothby in 1956 to teach drawing and painting, and the transition to becoming chair of the Editorial and Fashion Illustration Department. He recalls his efforts to recruit exceptional faculty, including his role in hiring instructors such as Diane Arbus and Cipe Pineles Golden. Gussow describes the administrative atmosphere at Parsons, and his efforts to find his own alternate career as a painter. Sawin recorded this interview with Gussow at his home in Congers, New York.

Scope and Contents In this audio interview with Martica Sawin, David Corcos Levy, dean of Parsons School of Design from 1970 until 1989, describes being hired as an admissions officer at Parsons in 1961 as a young college graduate, and his efforts to broaden recruitment and enlarge the school’s enrollment. The interview also covers his role in launching Parsons' first degree-granting program and the establishment of the Foundation Year curriculum. Levy recounts the budget crises that led to Parsons' affiliation with the New School in 1970, and its relocation from 54th Street to its Greenwich Village campus in buildings previously owned by Mills College. Additional topics include curriculum planning, an exhibition in the 1970s of Works Progress Administration artists, a 1978 fundraising trip to Los Angeles with Albert Landa that resulted in an affiliation with the Otis Art Institute, and Levy’s own management style. Sawin probably recorded this interview with Levy in his office at the Corcoran Gallery...

Scope and Contents

In this audio interview with Martica Sawin, Paul Resika describes his role as the founding chair of the Master of Fine Arts program at Parsons School of Design between 1978 and 1990. He discusses his initial conversations with Dean David C. Levy, as well as his initial hiring decisions, including staff members Leland Bell, Patricia Bailey, Paul Russotto, Bruce Gagnier, John Heliker, Robert De Niro, Sr., and Natalie Charkow. He recalls former students, including Mark Heyer and Ying Ying Hu. While relating his background as an artist and teacher, Resicka explains his foundational theory, connecting his experiences at the Hans Hofmann School of Fine Arts to those he tried to create for MFA students at Parsons.

Scope and Contents In this audio interview with Martica Sawin, Frank Rizzo, Chair of the Fashion Design Department of Parsons School of Design, discusses his experiences as a Parsons student in the 1950s under Ann Keagy, his professional design career, and his return to Parsons as an instructor. He describes his first years as a faculty member, learning to teach with longtime faculty member Theresa Chiappetta and educating many students who would later become respected professionals, including Donna Karan, Louis Dell’Olio, Michael Vollbracht, Willi Smith, and Constance Saunders. He recounts the history of the annual Parsons fashion show and its growth in fame. In describing current challenges, Rizzo acknowledges the growing enrollment of Asian students and the introduction of computer technology into fashion design curriculum. Rizzo and Sawin are briefly joined by a third speaker, identified only as "Bill," who may be William Rancitelli. Sawin recorded this interview in the offices of the Fashion...

Scope and Contents

In this audio monologue, Martica Sawin recounts the details of restarting a Paris-based program for Parsons School of Design in 1981. Sawin relates the history of Parsons' original Paris school, the Paris Ateliers, during the 1920s and 1930s, and how Martin Canin approached her with the idea of re-establishing it around 1977. Following an investigative trip to Paris with Leland Bell, Sawin began to draw up a plan, including recruiting professors like Paul LeClerc, Ilan Alter, Allen Barber, Pia Kazan, Vicky Tiel, and Helene Lipstadt. Sawin also recalls her working relationship with Madeleine Fidell-Beaufort, who assisted her in planning the program on the Parisian end. Sawin breaks down the attendance and the activities of the first, second, and third years of the program, including their triumphs and challenges.

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In this audio monologue, Martica Sawin explains how she was hired to teach art history at Parsons School of Design in 1967. She details efforts to expand art history instruction both before and after Parsons began issuing bachelor's degrees, an ability made possible by Parsons' affiliation with the New School in 1970. While recollecting details about students and faculty during the 1960s, Sawin describes the counter-cultural atmosphere in the United States and how it influenced Parsons, specifically the exhibition, “My God! We’re Losing a Great Country” and the work of photographer Benedict J. Fernandez (interviewed for this project). Sawin also relates the creation of the school's main exhibition space, the Parsons Exhibition Center, and a large show of Works Progress Administration artists in the gallery.

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In this audio interview with Martica Sawin, Stuart Shedletsky relates his blossoming as an artist under the guidance of faculty members such as Marvin Israel, John Kacere and Paul Brach at Parsons School of Design in the 1960s. Much of the interview dwells on Shedletsky's approach to teaching and his desire to be an advocate for students. He also discusses Dean David C. Levy's administrative style, the importance of studying with practicing artists, and the project, "Still Working: Underknown Artists of Age in America." Sawin and Shedletsky discuss the careers of former students and exchange information about Parsons alumni who have died from AIDS-related complications.

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This audio interview with Allen Tate, conducted by Martica Sawin, primarily concerns the evolution of the Interior Design Department of Parsons School of Design into the Environmental Design Department. Tate discusses his recruitment by William Katavolos, how he became department chair in 1969, the personalities involved in the contentious debates surrounding the department's direction, and his eventual termination in 1981. Tate's animosity toward faculty member Stanley Barrows (also interviewed for this project) is a reoccurring theme throughout the interview. Also covered is the merger between Parsons School of Design and the New School for Social Research in 1970. Unlike other interviews conducted for this project, alumni are not discussed, although Tate shares his assessment of former faculty members and school administrators.

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In this audio interview with Martica Sawin, Irwin Touster discusses his tenure as Chair of Fine Arts (BFA) at Parsons School of Design, beginning in 1974. Touster relates the details of his joining the faculty at the behest of Dean David C. Levy and the hiring of many of the department's staff under his purview, including Larry Rivers, Elaine De Kooning, Jane Wilson, Stuart Shedletsky (also interviewed for this project), Jeremy Gilbert-Rolfe, and Eric Gibson. Touster and Sawin also discuss the post-graduation lives of many alumni, the department's teaching philosophy,and the value of the foundation-year method of art education.

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In this audio interview, Martica Sawin and Stanley Barrows examine drawings, photographs and old Parsons School of Design catalogs, using them as a prompt to discuss the Paris Ateliers and the type of work expected of interior design students in the mid-twentieth century. Barrows reminisces about Parsons School of Design presidents William M. Odom and Van Day Truex, as well as interior designers Billy Baldwin and Millicent Rogers. Barrows talks about his own career, primarily as a historian and author of articles.