Last Monday, Soojung Ham, both an alumnus and member of the faculty in the RISD Industrial Design department, gave a presentation the sabbatical she had taken the previous academic year. Sabbaticals are encouraged among the faculty, as it allows them the time to practice their profession, engaging in their own work, and then the ability to bring that experience and perspective back into the studio environment.
Ham spent her sabbatical working as a Creative Director for Samsung in Korea. While Ham couldn’t speak much to the nature of the work she did due to NDAs, she spoke about what she gleaned from the experience and how that would enrich her work as a teacher at RISD.
The cards laid out in the above slide represented the multitude of people and connections Ham made during her time with Samsung. Most importantly, she wanted to bring that relationship back to RISD, to continue sharing talent and ideas between the company and RISD.
Above are some shots of the area where Ham worked. Having taught Design Communication Methods at RISD, she was able to bring that curriculum to Samsung and teach many of those principles in the corporate environment.
Soojung Ham and the Interim Provost, Roseanne Somerson.
Ham pointed out the many students who had graduated RISD and had found a home working for Samsung. She visited several previous students during her time in Korea, and hoped that that relationship between RISD and Samsung would continue in the future.