BOONE—Professor Richard Prisco has been appointed interim chair of the newly created Department of Applied Design at Appalachian State University. The new department is a result of reorganization within the College of Fine and Applied Arts, which sought to increase opportunities for growth and concentrated focus in some of its most dynamic disciplines.

The Department of Applied Design will house three programs and faculty from the areas of interior design and industrial design, with concentrations in furniture design and product design, as well as apparel design and merchandising, which was formerly housed in the Reich College of Education. In addition, this unit will contain the non-degree granting Michael R. Patricelli Craft Enrichment Program.

“This is an exciting time for the programs of apparel, industrial and interior design on campus,” Prisco said. “The creation of the new Department of Applied Design will throw a spotlight on design at Appalachian and I am proud to be a part of it.”

Prisco holds a Master of Fine Arts in furniture design and woodworking from the Rochester Institute of Technology School for American Craft in Rochester, New York, and a Bachelor of Science in industrial design from the University of Bridgeport in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He joined the faculty at Appalachian in 2010 as a professor of industrial design and teaches in the furniture design and industrial design concentrations.

Prisco has had extensive experience with teaching and design. He began his teaching career in 1994 at the Savannah College of Art and Design and has been a visiting professor at the Penland School of Crafts in Penland and at Anderson Ranch in Snowmass Village, Colorado. His industrial design experience includes exhibit, packaging and furniture design. He has served in leadership positions for many professional organizations.

Prisco has developed an extensive exhibition record, exhibiting in galleries and museums throughout the United States. He is also a represented artist on Guild.com. His work has been recognized for its technique, structural integrity, craftsmanship and design. It can be seen at http://richardprisco.com.

Dr. Glenda Treadaway, dean of the College of Fine and Applied Arts, expressed her confidence in Prisco’s abilities to serve as the chair of a new department. “Richard will guide his department from a newly formed entity to one of our campus’ most innovative and interesting departments. I am excited to see the work he, his colleagues and his students will bring forth,” she said.

About Appalachian State University

As a premier public institution, Appalachian State University prepares students to lead purposeful lives. App State is one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina System, with a national reputation for innovative teaching and opening access to a high-quality, affordable education for all. The university enrolls more than 21,000 students, has a low student-to-faculty ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and 80 graduate majors at its Boone and Hickory campuses and through App State Online. Learn more at https://www.appstate.edu.

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