Trained as a sculptor, Professor Robert Brandt has been at the School of Architecture since 1992. A native Hoosier, he earned his B.A. at the University of Southern Indiana in 1986 and his M.F.A. from Indiana State in 1989. He leads the Furniture Design concentration, teaching students an ethic in craft. Prof. Brandt believes that to express an idea clearly, craftsmanship must of the highest quality. The courses Prof. Brandt offers allows students to explore the interiors of their designs while analyzing furnishings in an architectural context. Students are exposed to and execute the processes of tectonics while learning about the structural and aesthetic properties of wood. Students also cope with the high ground and pitfalls of the construction process while gaining an understanding of design, 3-D objects and craft.
Educational Background
Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN, Master of Fine Art, 1989
University of Southern Indiana, Evansville, IN, Bachelor of Science in Fine Art, 1986
Recent Honors and Awards
Visiting Artist/ Lecturer IUPUI Herron School of Art Indianapolis, IN, 2007
Visiting Artist, University of Southern Indiana School of Art & Design, Evansville, IN, 2007
Educator of the Year, University of Notre Dame, School of Architecture, 2005
Distinguished Alumni Visiting Artist, Indiana State University, 2001
Distinguished Alumni Visiting Artist, University of Southern Indiana, 2000
Publications
Furniture Studio 5: The Meaning of Craft, 2007
Thomas Gordon Smith, the Rebirth of Classical Architecture, 2001
Antiques Magazine, Volume CL VIII, No.4, Current and Coming Events, New York, NY, 2000
Thomas King, Neo-Classical Furniture Designs, 1995
Commissioned Work
University of Notre Dame, Henry Hope Reed Book Repository, 2007
St. Theresa Catholic Church, Sugarland, TX, 2007
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY, 2006
St. Theresa Catholic Church, Sugarland, TX, 2006
Mr. Richard Driehaus, Chicago, IL, 2005
University of Notre Dame, Driehaus Award Cabinet, 2005
Mrs. Francis Bretter, New York, NY, 2004
All Saints Catholic Church, Walton, KY, 2002
Harvey Family Chapel, Omaha, NE, 2001
Professor John McNaughton, Evansville, IN 2000
Mr. and Mrs. James Ryan, Minneapolis, MN 1999
Mr. Thomas Monihan, Lagatus Chapel, Ann Arbor, MI, 1993
University of Notre Dame, Archaic Side Chair, 1992
Invitational Exhibitions
Cross Roads Studio Furniture Exhibition, Indianapolis, IN, 2007
Invitational Exhibition, Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI), Indianapolis, IN, 2006
A National Invitational, Chapman-Friedman Gallery, Louisville, KY, 2005
Furniture Makers, Chapman-Friedman Gallery, Louisville, KY, 2003
The Artist's Hand, Wood Street Gallery, Chicago, IL, 2002
Furniture as Art, Krempf Gallery, Sponsored by Kimball International, Jasper, IN, 2001
Menard LeFevre and His Circle of Friends, Merchants House Museum, New York, NY, 2000
Furniture: A Celebration of the Individual Craftsman, Mystic, CN, 2000
The Other Modern, Bologna, Italy, 1999
Contemporary Works in Wood, Llewellyn Gallery, New Orleans, LA, 1996
The Ohio State Capital Sesquicentennial Re-Dedication, Columbus, OH, 1996
Areas of Expertise
- Furniture Design
Recently Taught Courses
ARCH 41811 Beginning Furniture Design
ARCH 41821 Advanced Furniture Design
ARCH 41841 Introduction and Advanced Carving of Classical Architectural Elements
ARCH 57811 Special Studies in Furniture Design I
ARCH 57821 Special Studies in Furniture Design II
ARCH 57831 Special Studies Carving Classical Architectural Elements