{"id":9052,"date":"2024-05-02T14:40:31","date_gmt":"2024-05-02T14:40:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/?page_id=9052"},"modified":"2024-05-02T14:40:31","modified_gmt":"2024-05-02T14:40:31","slug":"student-life-through-student-art","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/student-life-through-student-art\/","title":{"rendered":"Student Life through Student Art"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Curated by Lydia Bennett ’24<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the 1920s,<\/strong> Student life revolved around fraternity living and student clubs. Many students read about local news and hyperlocal happenings through The Beacon<\/em>. Rhode Island State College was a tight knit community.<\/p>\n

Robert E. Blake: College Life in 1924<\/strong><\/p>\n

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PIK House circa 1928<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Robert E. Blake (1927 Grist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Robert E. Blake entered Rhode Island in 1924, joining Rho Iota Kappa and was active on campus. Blake played varsity football at RISC starting in 1925. He also played baseball, ran track, rose to Sergeant in the RISC Battalion, joined the Activities Committee of the Men\u2019s Student Council, and was Chairman of Junior Prom Committee. Despite his active involvement in campus life, Blake dropped out of RISC in his senior year.<\/p>\n

Blake kept careful notes on his college experience. He wrote about his frat friends, his professors, school dances, important trips off campus, and his experience playing football and baseball. Blake also attached pictures, many of which feature casual moments. Blake kept mementos: a class schedule sheet, an itemized tuition cost sheet, football programs, and postcards from trips.<\/p>\n

In the \u201cMy Favorites\u201d section, Blake consistently listed his hobby as drawing. Indeed, the standout star of Blake\u2019s scrapbook are his cartoons. Blake seems to have drawn his cartoons solely for his own purposes; he never published them in the Beacon<\/em>. Many of the punchlines hold up a century later. He drew about his experiences at his frat and dances. He also drew about the football team. The cartoons are full of self-references which show a sardonic and cynical side to him but also depict the small pleasures of college life.<\/p>\n

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Robert Blake scrapbook: “PIK at its worst”<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Robert Blake scrapbooks: Co-eds \/ Baseball, 1925<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Robert Blake scrapbook: track \/ Jackson Keefer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Almost the entirety of the scrapbook isfocused on 1924 to 1926. In January 1927, Blake noted meeting a \u201cfine\u201d cartoonist named Pitt Parker, as well as attending a \u201cshort and snappy\u201d freshman play and dance at Lippitt Hall.<\/p>\n

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Blake enjoyed artist Pitt Parker (1927 Grist)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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(3\/10\/27 Beacon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It seems Blake dropped out of college at the end of his junior year (1927). No records of Robert E. Blake since his time at Rhode Island exist online.<\/p>\n

The Puritan<\/em> (1950-1960)<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Puritan, 1957<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
During the 1950s,<\/strong> the school underwent massive expansion in both size and staff to university status. The students formed new outlets to share their art. In 1950, students inspired by the Rhode Island Review<\/em> formed the Puritan<\/em>, \u201ca lighter magazine with broader appeal.\u201d Contributors published experimental short stories, poems, cartoons, and photography. The magazine followed an annual release schedule.<\/div>\n
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\"\"<\/a>
1950 yearbook blurb on the Puritan (The Grist 1950)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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1947 yearbook blurb on the Rhode Island Review (The Grist 1947)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Puritan<\/em> featured relatable portrayals of student life.\u00a0Students created photo spreads and drew cartoons about campus experiences.<\/p>\n

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The Collegian (Puritan 1953)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Big Man on Campus (Puritan 1955)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

The Puritan<\/em> grew quickly on the backs of student writers, poets, and artists. Contributors focused on the more surreal aspects of their college experience. Ross Feinberg (1953-1957) portrayed the tired drunken student, a common subject of the Puritan<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Selected comics from the 1956 issue of the Puritan<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>1955-57 was the high point in student participation for the Puritan<\/em>. However, by 1958 the Puritan<\/em> was struggling for student contributions. In 1960, the final Puritan<\/em> was printed. Students continued its legacy. The Good Five Cent Cigar<\/em> claimed the magazine as an inspiration.<\/p>\n

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(The Grist 1974)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

1960s\/1970s<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the 1960s and 1970s,<\/strong> URI continued to shift to new teaching styles and campus activism, led by both professors and students. Professor Arnold Claire taught at URI in the music department from the late 1940s to 1969, and fought for decades to establish the Fine Arts major. He began a Festival of Fine Arts in 1963 to help his cause.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a> \"\"<\/p>\n

1965 Festival of the Arts program<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Students helped shape URI\u2019s new look. They fought to build a better university community based on student freedom and justice. Students protested the Vietnam War and debated policy in The Beacon<\/em>. Liberal students broke from The Beacon<\/em> and formed The Good Five Cent Cigar<\/em>. In 1969, student activism from the Association of Women Students (the larger successor to the Women\u2019s Student Government Association) helped finally abolish the curfew system for women.<\/p>\n

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1968-69 Assoc. of Women Students Blue Book: Key System<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Freshmen Women are Awarded Dorm Key Privilege (11\/12\/1969 Beacon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

John Devaney (1967-1972) was a student activist. His collection includes a \u201cstudent\u2019s handbook\u201d made by students, for students. The pamphlet illustrates the cultural changes to student life. It advertises the new student drop-in center. It shares how to smoke marijuana in dorms, as well as harm reduction tips for student drug use. It also highlights the new gay student organization on campus. Devaney\u2019s collection also features a student guide on how to manage common class registration issues. The \u201cstudent\u2019s handbook\u201d contrasts heavily in design and tone with the officially issued student handbook.<\/p>\n

\"John<\/a>
John Devaney Letter to the Editor (4\/15\/1970 Beacon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Students Protest the Vietnam War. Burnside Hall declares \u201cSocial Autonomy\u201d (4\/15\/1970 Beacon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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Faculty Advertisement Supports Protests (11\/12\/1969 Beacon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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The Good Five Center Cigar 1st edition (March 3, 1971)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

As part of Spring 2024 HIS 477 project<\/p>\n

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 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Curated by Lydia Bennett ’24 In the 1920s, Student life revolved around fraternity living and student clubs. Many students read about local news and hyperlocal happenings through The Beacon. Rhode Island State College was a tight knit community. Robert E. Blake: College Life in 1924 Robert E. Blake entered Rhode Island in 1924, joining Rho […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4861,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-9052","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9052","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4861"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9052"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/9052\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/web.uri.edu\/specialcollections\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9052"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}