In the five decades since Rosanne Somerson first began her undergraduate education at the Rhode Island School of Design, she has made an incalculable impact on the almost 150-year-old institution. From founding the Furniture Design program in 1995 to advocating for equal pay for female professors as a member of the faculty, the RISD president has played a major part in bringing the renowned art and design school into the 21st century. Earlier this year, she announced that she would be stepping down from her leadership role at the end of the semester. AD PRO connected with the trailblazing academic to discuss her tenure at RISD, how the school has changed over the past few decades, and what she thinks the future of design education will hold.
AD PRO: You began your academic career during the 1970s in the Industrial Design department of RISD. Why were you initially drawn to the school?
Rosanne Somerson: I had a really strong interest in photography from my brother. I heard about two amazing photographers at RISD, Aaron Siskind and Harry Callahan, who were teaching at the time. And during my gap year, I studied photography at a really esoteric school in Denmark—in a thatched roof compound with a very small experimental facility. I got really excited about [it] and decided that RISD was the place to go.
When I arrived, I had heard that a Danish man was teaching in the woodshop. I took his course in part because of the connection to Denmark. When I got into the shop, it felt familiar because we had a small one in our basement at home. My father had built our house himself, and the smells and the sounds were familiar to me. It felt like a place that I could relate to. I took a short winter-session course and just fell in love with furniture design, which was, for me, the hardest thing I’ve ever encountered. I really just loved the idea of making work that I could build myself and that would make a difference in other people’s lives. So I decided to switch my major.
Rosanne Somerson.
Photo: Josephine SittenfeldAD PRO: You then returned in 1985 to join the faculty, eventually cofounding and heading the Furniture Design program, which was established in 1995.
RS: When I graduated from RISD, I started my own studio and was having a very successful run designing, building, and exhibiting my work. I was asked if I would come back by my former teacher Tage Frid to run the graduate program, which at that point was in industrial design. I was able to do that part-time and keep my studio going. But I love teaching, and RISD eventually said that I could only do it if I taught full time, and I agreed. I still maintained my studio, which was extremely busy, but somehow I managed to do both.
AD PRO: Have you been working in this dual context for the entire time, running your studio and also leading the school?
RS: Absolutely. I’ve scaled way down, but I’m still making pieces and exhibiting at a much smaller scale. At its peak, my studio had six full-time employees, which is a lot for an independent studio. Now, I try to make one piece a year. When I became president, people said, “How do you feel about giving up your studio work?” But I never viewed it that way. For me, it’s all connected. And with the challenges of running a complex institution…I can’t think of a better preparation than an academic career in design education.
AD PRO: What has been the most significant change in the past 30 years?
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Outgoing RISD President on the Past, Present, and Future of Design Education - Architectural Digest
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