RISD offered a Photographic Design Workshop within the Painting Department, 1951-1957, primarily as an exploration of photography as a graphic medium in order to stimulate and train the eye. RISD moved photography to Graphic Design in 1957 and Dean of the College David L. Strout hired Harry Callahan in 1961 to teach the elective. Callahan developed an undergraduate photography curriculum that was offered as an area of special study to Graphic Design students, 1963-1970, after their sophomore year. Callahan created a photography curriculum for the Division of Fine Arts graduate program in 1962. RISD officially recognized the Photography Department in October 1969 for the 1970-71 academic year. Part of the Division of Design, 1971-1981, the Department moved to the new Division of Illustration and Photographic Studies in 1981 and then the Division of Fine Arts in 1992.
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Rhode Island School of Design. Photography Department records, Rhode Island School of Design Archives.
Consisting of Individual and Group Portfolios, the bulk of the Portfolios are created by senior and graduate Photography students, 1966-2021. The thesis portfolios may contain a thesis statement, mounted or unmounted prints (black and white, color, silver, and other formats), slides, videotapes and film, negatives, contact sheets, computer compact disks, acetates, artifacts, or a portfolio database worksheet. The Group portfolios consist of boxed sets created by RISD students, alumni, and faculty or non-RISD photographers. Miscellaneous Work consists of RISD student material collected by the Photography Department.
The Portfolios are entered into the searchable Photography Resource Center database, a copy of which is maintained at the RISD Archives.
The records are organized into two series:
The bulk of the collection consists of thesis portfolios created by senior and graduate Photography students. Arranged chronologically, the student portfolios may contain a thesis statement, mounted or unmounted prints (black and white, color, silver and other formats), slides, videotapes and film, negatives, contact sheets, computer compact disks, acetates, artifacts, or a portfolio database worksheet. The Archives holds few senior portfolios for 1966-1976 and none for 1977-1983.
The Group portfolios, 1966-1981, consist of boxed sets created by RISD students, alumni, and faculty or non-RISD photographers. Included are the Photographic Education Society portfolios (1966-1981), RISD Traveling Show (1966, 1970, and 1980), Private Parts (1978), RISD Alumni Show (1978, 1979), and Interlaken Designer Award (1970).
The Miscellaneous Work consists of RISD student material collected by the Photography Department. Though identified by student, much of the material is not dated. The type of materials is similar to the student portfolios.
Sub-series I, II, and III are entered into the Photography Resource Center database, a copy of which is maintained at the RISD Archives. The database is searchable under all fields including: call number, name, date, format, type, size, subject, topic, materials, and print process.
Created by the Photography Department and maintained by the Archives, the database contains records for all Photography BFA and MFA thesis portfolios and group portfolios transferred to the Archives. The Individual Portfolio database records portfolio call number, name of student, type of degree, date, type and format of material, quantity, dimensions, subject/style, topic/issue, materials, print process, and dates created and entered. The Group Portfolio database records the call number, group name, year, dimensions, number of prints, descriptive comments, and names of photographers with title and print process. Both databases are searchable by any field.