re:D Fall 2007 (PDF) - The New School

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ALUMNI vOICeS BrIDget De SOCIO ’80 the time has come to protect the living and the visceral appeal of human evidence. Maybe this is inspired by my education at Parsons or maybe the philosophy of my mentor, Henry Wolf, who forgot it later in life. How does one grow and remain vibrant as an artist when society seems to be evolving faster than the people within it? How important is adaptation versus personal style amid the tide pools of trends? If growth is about potential and the unknown, then to be good would be to be done, or virtually “finished.” Today, good is simply not good enough. How are we to replenish the real time that quality demands as simulation anesthetizes an iPod-sated public? As a hybrid of science and art, my work has always depended upon craftsmanship—from meticulous surgical technique learned while deftly altering life with a knife to making an American flag out of caviar for Town & Country magazine. How did I become the living bridge between the old and the new, at once drawing from the microscope to drawing from the nude—from atoms to bits? Maybe it was the girl in the no. 2 pencil dress whom I followed all the way to New York City, where I became the protégé of Henry Wolf. It was the eighties, a time of art stars, living legends, and Studio 54. Henry never cared about process; he cared about results. He never cared how quickly something could be done; he cared about Above: Self-portrait for an assignment by Henry Wolf in 1979 (to show yourself as you think others see you, and how you see yourself). Photo by Robert S. de Socio. 32 tHe INCOMpLete BeAUtY OF pOteNtIAL how well. He never liked modern music or “street” style. He was a cultivated, multilingual European, whose oeuvre was all about taste, seduction, and wit. Today, unlike in Henry’s world, times are restless and made for those who cannot wait. The legacies that motivate our desire to work for the best are diminishing, along with first-class design opportunities. Will it turn out that all the greatest works were authored by dead legends? Can Parsons, the icon of American art schools, champion the human factor despite the heavy, scentless breath of technology—when even the crown jewel of American luxury, Tiffany, has commodified taste? (In fact, little mention is made of the director who named Parsons—the man who not only defined 20th-century taste and style, but also later became the creative director of Tiffany—Van Day Truex.) Reinvestment in heritage is an essential ingredient of desirability and intrinsic value. When a living member of a legacy brand is not enough to inspire the corporate culture that has replaced its real DNA, then of what value is any living tradition? Are we all to be relegated to automation as the prosperity age leaves craftsmanship behind? Where are art and innovation to take us if technology supplants skillfulness? Isn’t luxury the hand of man—the well appreciated, the well practiced—and the wellspring that inspires? Henry taught me the value of disappointment, and that discomfort motivates change. He believed that disappointment not only makes us who we are but also challenges beauty like nothing else. Make your work a beautiful experiment. New conditions demand a new way of thinking, which in turn demands new forms of expression. This is the key, the secret to growth.
E:spond What did your mother want you to be when JoHn RUsso ’42 was an esteemed member of Parsons The New School for Design’s Communication Design Department from 1946 to 1985. He served as chair of the department and is still revered by countless former students and colleagues for his unflagging wit, enthusiasm, creativity, and mentorship. Russo received the coveted Parsons Medal in 1977 and an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts in 1983. Still a dedicated artist, Russo creates new works in his lakeside home in Hawley, Pennsylvania. He is active in his local community and was recently profiled in Living Treasures, a new documentary film series sponsored by the Wayne County Arts Alliance. Russo’s drawings: his signature bird (above), and works from a 1960s invitation to a Parsons Mardi Gras celebration. you grew up? She never talked about it, but later I noticed how proud she was. What is your favorite Parsons memory? The students. They trusted my words. I still get notes and letters from them. I go to many reunions. Is there one piece of advice you wish you’d had then? Don’t plan what you are going to do next. Just do whatever is in your brain. What was your first job after college? I did interior drawings for a decorator. These were made into posters to help customers with room furniture arrangements. What was your favorite part of your job? Getting involved in projects with students. When did you know that you wanted to be an artist/communication designer? In high school. If you hadn’t gone into communication design, what would you have become? An illustrator, which I did freelance for a few years. Are there any current trends in the field that excite you? The use of computers. What is your most marked characteristic? I see art in everything. What’s your current obsession? Scanning my work into the computer and playing around with it. What’s the last book you read? I browse through all art books. Whom would you invite to your ideal dinner party? Fellow artists. What is your favorite red thing? The alumni magazine. 33
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Page 3 and 4: Letter FrOM tHe DeAN In this issue
Page 5 and 6: CONteNtS 1 Letter from the Dean 4 L
Page 7 and 8: NewS At pArSONS REDESigning thE WoR
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Page 13 and 14: Communication Design Senior Thesis
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Page 20 and 21: QUICk-CHAN prOFILeS OF CAreer CHANg
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Page 28 and 29: 26 karli Henneman, BFA Fine Arts
Page 30 and 31: 28 Dorothy Lemelson, Certificate in
Page 32 and 33: FrANk ALvAH pArSONS SOCIetY Members
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