Chronology
CHRONOLOGY
This chronology was prepared by John Grimes from school records and from interviews with teachers and individuals associated with the school. Ray Pearson's personal records supplied much otherwise unavailable information for the period 1937—55.
1923-28 László Moholy-Nagy teaches at the Bauhaus in Weimar (1923—25) and in Dessau (1925-28).
1937 Summer. On the recommendation of Walter Gropius, Moholy is offered the position of director for a school to be established in Chicago on Bauhaus principles. The school is sponsored by the Association of Arts and Industries. Moholy accepts the offer and names the school The New Bauhaus. September 18. School opens in Chicago at 1905 South Prairie Avenue. Original class of 33 students includes Nathan Lerner and Arthur Siegel (second term only), who later teach photography at the school. Photography, never-officially taught at the Bauhaus, included as an essential part of the curriculum within the Light Workshop. Original faculty includes: L. Moholy-Nagy, director and head of the Basic Workshop; Gyorgy Kepes, head of the Light Workshop; Alexander Archipenko, head of the Sculpture Workshop; Han Bredendieck, Basic Workshop; Henry Holmes Smith, assistant to Kepes in photography and lab manager; David Duskin, Music; Carl Eckart, Physics; Charles Morris, Philosophy; Ralph Girard, Biology.
1938 April. Lacking support from founding organization, school closes.
1939 February 19. Moholy's school reopens as Chicago School of Design, 247 East Ontario Street (46 students). Kepes remains head of the Light Workshop, assisted by student Lerner. Smith no longer associated with school. Summer. Summer sessions begin in a country home in Somonauk, Illinois, provided by Walter and Elizabeth Paepcke. Sessions also held summers 1941—43. Fall. Frank Levstik hired to teach photography. Lerner hired to teach photography. Leonard Nederkorn teaches fall and spring terms part-time.
1 940 How to Make a Photogram, traveling exhibit of photographs by students and faculty, organized by The Museum of Modern Art. Fall. James Brown teaches evenings, fall 1940-fall 1946.
1941 Spring. First class of full four-year program graduates; 5 students including Lerner and Milton Halberstadt. Kepes leaves end of summer term. Fall. Lerner becomes head of photography. Frank Sokolik hired.
1942 Edward Rinker teaches part-time evenings, fall 1942summer 1945. Lerner teaches Basic Workshop and Product Design.
1944 School changes name to Institute of Design and gains college accreditation. Board of industrialists is formed by Walter Paepcke to oversee school operations.
1945 Fall. School moves to 1009 North State Street, at the corner of Rush.
1 945-46 Returning World War II veterans increase student population from about 30 to over 350. Faculty increases from 10 to over 20.
1946 Spring. Siegel hired to teach photography and organize a summer workshop in photography. Summer. Photography workshop held. Teachers participating are Berenice Abbott, Erwin Blumenfeld, L. Moholy-Nagy, Beaumont Newhall, Frank Scherschel, Paul Strand, Roy Stryker, and Weegee. Fall. I.D. moves to 632 North Dearborn Street (formerly Chicago Historical Society). Siegel becomes head of photography section. Harry Callahan begins teaching. November 18, Moholy dies. Lerner named acting director.
1947 Spring. Serge Chermayeff named director, assumes duties fall. Posthumous publication of Vision in Motion, by Laszlo Moholy-Nagy (Sibyl Moholy-Nagy, editor), which explains Moholy's philosophy of education and includes examples from the work of students and faculty.
1948 Spring. Hillar Maskar hired as laboratory technician, teaches part-time through spring 1952. Buckminster Fuller teaches Shelter Design (also fall 1948). Ferenc Berko teaches (also fall 1948). Fall. Sokolik leaves at end of term. Victor Corrado teaches photography part-time evenings. Wayne Miller teaches (also spring 1949). Aaron Siskind visits I.D. at the suggestion of Todd Webb and meets Callahan and Siegel.
1949 Spring. Levstik resigns at end of term. Siegel resigns at end of term. Arthur Sinsabaugh teaches as student assistant. Fall. Callahan becomes head of photography. Sinsabaugh hired full-time. Konrad Wachsmann hired (Shelter Design) through spring 1955. Institute of Design becomes part of Illinois Institute of Technology. Henry Heald, president of Illinois Institute of Technology, is instrumental in attracting the school.
1950 Spring. Gordon Koster teaches part-time. Fall. Graduate program in photography instituted.
1950s Callahan and Siskind are principal photography teachers during this period, but are often assisted by visitors, evening teachers, and graduate students (e.g., George Nan, who taught color for several semesters in late 1950s).
1951 Spring. Keld Helmer Petersen teaches photography part-time. Chermayeff resigns. Crombie Taylor (Shelter Design) becomes acting director. Summer. Callahan, Siskind, and Siegel teach at Black Mountain College, North Carolina. Fall. Siskind begins teaching. Siegel teaches evenings in film program, sporadically through 1954. Dropping enrollment in the day program forces Sinsabaugh into the evening program, which he heads through 1957. Spring. Lyle Mayer teaches evenings periodically through late 1960s.
1955 Spring. Lerner leaves at end of term. Fall. Jay Doblin named director.
1956 Fall. School moves to present location, Crown Hall, Illinois Institute of Technology, 3360 South State Street.
1957 Spring. Sinsabaugh leaves. Fall 1957-Spring 1958 Frederick Sommer teaches with Siskind while Callahan takes leave of absence.
1958 Koster teaches one term part-time.
1961 Aperture publishes an issue devoted to the graduate photography program at I.D. I.D. Press publishes first book, The Multiple Image, Photographs by Harry Callahan. Spring. Callahan leaves at end of term for Rhode Island School of Design. Fall. Joseph Jachna begins teaching. Siskind becomes head of photography.
1963 Spring. Sommer returns to teach workshop in conjunction with show of his photographs. Siegel teaches parttime (also spring 1964). Students work on his book, Chicago's Famous Buildings, published by the University of Chicago Press, 1965. Fall. Reginald Heron teaches evenings (also fall 1965, spring 1966).
1964 Doblin leaves for two years. Lute Wassman is director in his absence.
1966 Fall. Bill Marten hired. Joe Sterling teaches basic photography through spring 1968. Siegel returns to teach part-time. Doblin returns as director.
1967 Spring. Wynn Bullock teaches one term. Fall. Siegel hired to teach full-time. Summer. Bauhaus show at I.D.; catalogue published.
1968 Spring. Doblin resigns. James Montague named acting director.
1969 Spring. Jachna leaves at end of term for University of Illinois, Chicago Circle. Fall. Charles Swedlund hired. Ken Biasco hired.
1970 Spring. Siskind retired by school at end of term.
1970s Part-time faculty (most for one term only) during the 1970s include Jonas Dovydenas, Jachna, David R. Phillips, Alex Sweetman.
1971 Spring. Siskind returns to teach one class. Swedlund leaves at end of term for Southern Illinois University. Siegel becomes head of photography program. Fall. Garry Winogrand teaches (also spring 1972).
1972 Fall. Alan Cohen hired.
1973 Spring. Ralph Fertig hired. Marten leaves at end of term. Fall. Benjamin de Brie Taylor appointed director.
1974 Spring. Arthur LaZar teaches one term. Cohen leaves at end of term. Fall. John Grimes hired.
1975 Spring. B. de Brie Taylor resigns. Fertig leaves at end of term.
1976 Spring. Dietmar R. Winkler named director. David Rathbun begins teaching.
1977 Winkler resigns in January. Spring. Biasco leaves to teach in Texas. Fall. To present, Patricia Carroll teaches.
1978 February 1, Siegel dies. Spring. Doblin returns as director for term. Fall. Grimes named acting director and head of photography. To present David Plowden teaches.
1980 Fall. Dale Fahnstrom (Product Design) named director.
1981 Rathbun resigns.
