Michael Rait student work
Online Access
Available digital items: https://digital.archives.newschool.edu/index.php/Detail/collections/KA0118.
Overview
The Michael Rait student work consists of assignments that Rait completed as a student in the Parsons School of Design Environmental Design Department between 1975 and 1979. Projects in the portfolio include floor plans, elevations, perspectives, and renderings of office buildings, furniture, and restaurant, office, and residential interiors.
Dates
- circa 1975-1979
Creator
- Rait, Michael (Person)
Extent
4 Folders (contents of 1 portfolio)
Language of Materials
English
Scope and Contents
The Michael Rait student work consists of assignments that Rait completed as a student in the Parsons School of Design Environmental Design Department. While none of the work is dated, Rait graduated from the program in 1979, so the work was probably completed between 1975 and 1979. Projects in the portfolio include floor plans, elevations, perspectives, and renderings of office buildings, furniture, and restaurant, office, and residential interiors. On one project, a design for the interior of a New York townhouse, Rait's name appears alongside that of Homeira Maghazeh and Faith Nevins, who were probably classmates. Another project includes exterior elevations and a perspective drawing of Texas Commercial Bank, as well as office interiors for the bank. A project for a restaurant includes lighting and furniture plans as well as color perspective drawings. A note made at the time of donation indicates that the restaurant was called Rupert's and that it was Rait's senior project. The collection includes original pencil, pen, and color marker drawings, and sepia Diazo prints.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research use. Please contact archivist@newschool.edu for appointment.
Use Restrictions
To publish images of material from this collection, permission must be obtained in writing from the New School Archives. Please contact: archivist@newschool.edu.
Biographical note
Michael Rait earned a bachelor of fine arts degree in environmental design from Parsons School of Design in 1979. The focus of study in the Environmental Design Department in the years Rait attended encompassed the entire design "environment," including lighting, furniture, and textiles. While still at Parsons, Rait interned for Design Circuit, a firm that created nightclub interiors. Joining the staff upon graduation, he traveled around the world for the company for several years, specializing in lighting design. Following Design Circuit, Rait worked in corporate design for the firm SCR for several years before launching his own corporate interior design firm, BR Design Associates, in 1985. Rait credits Parsons alumni Robert Bray and Michael Schaible, as well as designer Joe D'Urso with having influenced his design aesthetic (Michael Rait, personal communication). Rait has been awarded the AIA Interiors Award, among others. Prominent projects include the offices of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Winklevoss Capital, and Elite Daily.
References
Rait, Michael. LinkedIn, accessed March 19, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-rait-3491437.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to The New School Archives by Michael Rait in 2010.
- Design -- Study and teaching (Subject) Subject Source: Local sources
- Environmental design. (Subject) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Floor plans (Type of Material) Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Interior architecture (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Interior decoration (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Lighting (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Office furniture (Subject) Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Parsons School of Design. Environmental and Interior Design Department
- Title
- Guide to the Michael Rait student work
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- The New School Archives and Special Collections Staff
- Date
- March 19, 2021
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin