News
Steven Galbraith

The comics collection at RIT is growing by leaps and bounds and the new Kubert Lounge and Gallery makes it a visible presence on campus. The interdisciplinary art form is right at home at RIT.

What do Nicolas Copernicus, William Morris, and Joe Kubert have in common? Works by the astronomer, designer, and comics artist—legends in their respective fields—are represented in the Cary Graphic Arts Collection and are now accessible to everyone in the remodeled Wallace Library.

Spectrum News talks to Steven Galbraith, curator of the Melbert B. Cary Graphic Arts Collection, about the books.

The ancient astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus was the first scientist to document the theory that the sun is the center of the universe in his book, De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium (On the Revolutions of the Heavenly Spheres). That first edition book, along with a delicate manuscript from astronomer Johannes de Sacrobosco, that is contrary to Copernicus’ groundbreaking theory, has now found a permanent home at Rochester Institute of Technology.

Adam Kubert visited RIT for the grand opening of the Kubert Lounge and Gallery in the Cary Graphics Arts Collection within Wallace Library, and to lead a discussion about his work on the Spider-Man India series.

Comics fans have a super friend in RIT and a new place to pay homage to legendary DC Comics artist and educator Joe Kubert. The Kubert Lounge and Gallery opens to the public this fall at the Cary Graphic Arts Collection in RIT’s university library. Marvel Comics artist and RIT alumnus Adam Kubert ’81 donated his father’s archive to inspire young artists.

RIT students discovered lost text on 15th-century manuscript leaves using an imaging system they developed as freshmen. By using ultraviolet-fluorescence imaging, the students revealed that a manuscript leaf held in RIT’s Cary Graphic Arts Collection was actually a palimpsest, a manuscript on parchment with multiple layers of writing.

Atlas Obscura features Ian Kurtz '18 BS/ME (mechanical engineering); Matt Nygren '19 BS/ME (mechanical engineering); Steven Galbraith, curator, Cary Graphics Arts Collection; and Juilee Decker, associate professor, Department of History.

John Everett “Fud” Benson, a master stone carver, calligrapher and type designer, is the 2019 recipient of the Frederic W. Goudy Award for Excellence in Typography, given to an outstanding practitioner in type design and related fields. Presented by the Cary Graphic Arts Collection, the award is dedicated to the continued progress of the printing field in the spirit of the great printers of the past.

The archive belonging to the influential graphic designer and educator Ken Hiebert is the newest acquisition at the Cary Graphic Design Archive at RIT.