Ceramicology
Rhett Russo is a designer, and Associate Professor, at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he serves as the Undergraduate Chair in the School of Architecture. He has 25 years of experience teaching architecture at both the undergraduate and graduate level at various schools including, California College of the Arts, Columbia University GSAAP, Penn Design, Pratt Institute, SCI-ARC, and Washu in St. Louis, where he served as the Ruth & Norman, Endowed Visiting Professor. Prior to joining RPI, he worked as a project leader for the award-winning architects, Bernard Tschumi Architects, Reiser + Umemoto RUR PC, Hanrahan & Meyers Architects and Weiss & Manfredi Architects. Rhett is a former Dinkeloo Fellow at the American Academy in Rome and recipient of the Architectural League of New York, Young Architect’s Award.
Rhett's architecture and design work focuses on novel ceramic material systems and the evolution of the ceramic process. His designs are products of a Ceramicology, a body of research that foregrounds the vibrancy of clay to postulate architectural space through an interaction with light, sound, color, and reuse. Rhett is a three-time resident at the European Ceramic Workcenter (EKWC). His work has been exhibited internationally, at Data Clay: the San Francisco Museum of Arts and Crafts, the Florence Art & Design Biennale, Emerging Practices: Material Matters, at the University of Waterloo, the Beijing Architecture Biennial, OBJECT Rotterdam, The Cluj International Ceramics Biennale and the City X Venice Italian Virtual Pavilion.
His press molded ceramic design for the T-Stool, was featured in The Ghosts of SundayMorning, an exhibition of the most technically ambitious ceramic objects produced at the EKWC in the last 50 years, alongside ceramics by Tony Cragg and Anish Kapoor. Rhett’s Dunejars, a series of porcelain lithophanes, received special awards at Craft Forms 24th International Juried Exhibition of Contemporary Fine Craft and The New Taipei City Government Award at the Taiwan Ceramics Biennale.
Rhett is the author of over 25 articles in journals, conference proceedings, books and catalogs, related to architectural design, education, ceramics, design theory, and digital technology, including, AD Workflow (Wiley), XXL-XS New Directions in Ecological Design (Actar D), Aesthetics is Polics (MIT Press) The Estranged Object: Realisms in Art & Architecture (Graham Foundation), Via: Dirt (MIT Press), 306090: Models (Princeton AP), Meander: Variegating Architecture (Bentley), and Matter: Material Processes in Architectural Production (Routledge).
