Table of Contents

Foreword 5
John Maeda

Preface 11
Frank R. Wilson

The Art of Critical Making: An Introduction 19
Rosanne Somerson

Groundwork 32
Leslie Hirst

Text and Context: Outward in All Directions 52
Daniel Cavicchi

Conversation: Drawing 74
Patricia C. Phillips

Thingking 94
John Dunnigan

Object Lessons 116
Sarah Ganz Blythe

Conversation: Materials 138
Kelly Dobson

Graphic Design, Storytelling, and the Making of Meaning 164
Lucinda Hitchcock

The Nature Imperative 190
Neal Overstrom

Conversation: Critique 210
Eva Sutton

Acting into the Unknown 230
Pradeep Sharma

Afterword 245
Mara L. Hermano

Acknowledgments 251

Contributors 253

Illustrations 261

Index 265

About the Author

ROSANNE SOMERSON is the Provost at Rhode Island School of Design. A professor for more than 25 years, she has lectured in museums, conferences, corporations, and schools across the world. She has maintained her own studio since 1978 and has exhibited work extensively in museums throughout the United States and internationally including the Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Louvre in Paris. MARA L. HERMANO is Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Academic Initiatives at Rhode Island School of Design. Trained as an art historian, she has focused her career on the intersection of art and design, culture, and higher education.