Artist / Athlete—A mixed media art book covering a small time period in the history of RISD athletics where basketball thrived on campus, including oral history from the former players themselves.
From the book's introduction: "Think of the typical “college athlete” in your mind. You may see a teenage millionaire swimming in brand deals, packing billion dollar stadiums, and celebrating championships alongside a pantheon of legendary alumni.
Now think of an art student. They might have a few less muscles and more niche tattoos but maybe they’re just as full of themselves. Either way, the world has taught you to treat these two as polar opposites. At RISD, however, a rich history of athletics breaks that cultural boundary between physical prowess
and creative expression.
and creative expression.
During the early sixties, a basketball team formed at RISD. Calling themselves the “Red Devils”, they faced off against local colleges and naval bases, played at a nearby high school, and practiced in a repurposed stone bank building that now serves as a Furniture Design studio and art supply store on RISD’s campus.
Sports teams at RISD have always had to improvise when it comes to turning a preexisting space into a place for practice or games. This book, juxtaposing black and white film photography from RISD basketball games with photos of spaces around campus today printed with Risograph inks serves as a tool to piece together fragments of the school’s history that are not always well recorded. By layering these many parts we can reveal a new image of spatial legacy and examine the odd, unorthodox existence that is an art school basketball team.
This book also contains quotes from the men who played on those basketball teams of the early sixties. After sitting down with a few of them and discussing their time as artist/athletes, I hope to collect their stories that for now are just oral history, but through this project can slowly become a part of the greater story of RISD and the students who have shaped it into the renowned institution it is today.
