News
Elizabeth Call

An essay by Elizabeth Call, university archivist, published by The Conversation.

The Albert Paley Collection in the RIT Archives preserves the legacy of a celebrated working artist, entrepreneur, and educator. Paley is known around the world for his large-scale municipal works, sculptures, gates, architectural pieces, furniture design, and decorative arts.

Students are bringing mural art into the spotlight through TunnelVision, an immersive project designed to engage and inspire. The initiative transforms the residence hall tunnels into a vibrant gallery, showcasing student-created murals. It aims to foster community and spark conversations about public art on campus.

The exhibit, located in the RIT Archives Photo Alumni Gallery, showcases Toni Pepe’s journey as a photography educator and artist, exploring themes of women in society and motherhood. The project fosters connections between alumni and RIT through curated exhibits and oral histories.

Longtime RIT supporter B. Thomas Golisano visited the university on Oct. 11 for the opening of two campus exhibits that showcase the transformational life and work of the Paychex founder, philanthropist, and civic leader, and his friendship with Gene Polisseni.

Students in the museum studies course Critical and Digital Curation used the archives to explore the origin of the RIT tiger mascot in 1955. Their exhibit shines a light on 1963, when RIT students brought a tiger cub to campus, parties, and hockey games.

WHAM-TV features RIT student Athena Lemon, a fourth-year School of Individualized Study student, who curated a new exhibit in RIT’s University Gallery featuring the photography of RIT alumnus Bernie Boston.

The Athenaeum Games—a domestic science fair held Dec. 7 in the RIT Archives—showcased 19th century skills and technology that RIT students learned about in the class Hands on History: Examining RIT’s Domestic Science and Arts Program.

A history class dug into the RIT Archives to sample the cutting-edge domestic science curriculum taught in 1893 at the Mechanics Institute, a forerunner to RIT.

First came COVID-19, then came a massive construction project, and now after more than three-and-half years, RIT’s university library reopens with a new look and a new neighbor.

The B. Thomas Golisano collection at RIT Archives is going digital, with a new interactive online exhibit that celebrates the leader’s personal and professional legacy.

Registration is open for Mechanics’ Institutes Worldwide 2021, a free virtual conference on Oct. 15 honoring the 200th anniversary of the founding of the first Mechanics Institute in Edinburgh, Scotland. RIT's Corinna Schlombs and Liz Call will virtually join experts from around the world as they share knowledge on the start of the Mechanics’ Institute movement in the 19th century and what the movement represents today.