Scope and Contents

In this audio interview with Martica Sawin, Suzanne Cole, an instructor and later Chair of the Illustration Department at Parsons School of Design, discusses transitioning the department from a fashion illustration focus to a more general illustration focus during her tenure. Cole describes faculty members she and co-chair Murray Tinkelman hired, including J.C. Suarez, Randy Enos, and Maurice Sendak, and recounts her teaching strategies and those of her colleagues.

Scope and Contents

In this audio interview with Martica Sawin, Mildred Constantine discusses joining the Graphic Design Department as an art and design history instructor at Parsons School of Design while also serving as a curator at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). She also describes her teaching methodologies and pedagogical philosophies during her time as an instructor of first-year students.

Scope and Contents In this audio interview with Martica Sawin, Benedict J. Fernandez recounts joining the staff of Parsons School of Design, initially as a darkroom technician in the Graphic Design Department under the leadership of James Frangides, and subsequently establishing the Photography Department in 1978. He mentions recruiting Richard Avedon to teach Alexey Brodovitch’s “Design Laboratory” course. Fernandez discusses photographing Martin Luther King, Jr. in the early 1960s and later anti-war protest...

Scope and Contents

In this audio interview, Albert Greenberg, Chair of the Communication Design Department (formerly Graphic Design) of Parsons School of Design, discusses overseeing departmental transitions during his tenure, including the shift to computer-based design and changing student demographics. He also describes the initiatives he instituted to increase professionalism and develop career opportunities for students.

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...

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'...

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....

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,...

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,...

Scope and Contents 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,...