SCHOOL OF VISUAL ARTS (SVA)
For the past five decades, Richard has been the founding Chair of the BFA Design Department at the School of Visual Arts as well as Chair of the BFA Advertising Department with a combined enrollment of over 1,000 students. He is also a Laureate of the Art Directors Club Hall of Fame and Laureate of the One Club Hall of Fame. Richard states: “I’m a Designer, an Art Director, and Author of more than 20 books, including ‘Visual Literacy’ and ‘Problems:Solutions.’ My latest book, ‘The Process: A New Foundation in Art and Design’ focuses on solving visual communication design problems by creating conditions that put students into the unknown, where questioning and risk taking maximizes possibilities of innovation, which leads to a trust of process.”
HOW AND WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO MAKE EDUCATION A MEANINGFUL PART OF YOUR CAREER?
I didn’t decide to become an educator, education chose me. To elaborate, I’ve always taught students to follow their passion, and I couldn’t have said that if I hadn’t done the same. For teaching to be a lifetime endeavor, the experience must nourish both the teacher and the student.
IS THERE A SPECIAL CHALLENGE TO EDUCATING STUDENTS IN 2017 IN LIGHT OF TODAY’S CULTURE OR ECONOMICS OR TECHNOLOGY OR POLITICS OF THIS MOMENT?
Although teaching has always been a challenge and I’ve found that when I embrace change, which is inevitable, it becomes a question of responding to the demands of the industry, technology and society. But, what doesn’t change is teaching one to think in a new way, where innovation of both thought and form is the criteria. This is the constant, and this unique ability is what prepares students for a career for the next 50 years.
