Quote (and art project) of the day
“RISD is MIT for the right brain.”
—Ā John Maeda, incoming president of the Rhode Island School of Design
The quote is fromĀ a great WSJ profileĀ of the super-innovativeĀ Maeda. Check out the WSJ writer’s description of what Maeda is doing for his presidential inauguration:
“On the day I visit, an assistant in his office is folding hundreds of 15-inch squares of creamy muslin and stuffing them into envelopes to send to students, faculty, alumni and staff, who are being asked to return them with any sort of creative expression — written, drawn, cut, torn, or painted. They will be strung like Tibetan prayer flags across the streets of Providence and through the First Baptist Church for the ceremony.”
Watch this guy. Ā
Yes, well…hmmm… I would say RISD is the most left brain school, disguised as right brain school. The amount of business-oriented designers and artist I have met from this school is scary. All of them are more concerned with marketing, branding and sales, not true design or art. When I think right brain, or of a designer’s brain; I think abductive reasoning (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abductive_reasoning), IMHO I would say the best abductive reasoning oriented schools are: Pratt Institute, Cooper Union, and Cal Arts.