Joshua Rashaad McFadden Headshot

Joshua Rashaad McFadden

Assistant Professor

School of Photographic Arts and Sciences
College of Art and Design

Joshua Rashaad McFadden

Assistant Professor

School of Photographic Arts and Sciences
College of Art and Design

Bio

Joshua Rashaad McFadden is an American visual artist whose primary medium is photography. McFadden explores the use of archival material within his work and is known for his portraiture. He also conceptually investigates themes related to identity, masculinity, history, race, and sexuality.


Personal Links
Areas of Expertise

Select Scholarship

Full Length Book
McFadden, Joshua Rashaad, LaCharles Ward, and Lyle Ashton Harris. Joshua Rashaad McFadden : I Believe I'll Run On. 1 ed. Rochester : George Eastman Museum ; New Haven : Yale University Press, United States: Yale University Press, 2022. Print.
Published Review
Davidow, Jackson. "From Protest to Rest: Joshua Rashaad McFadden at the George Eastman Museum." Rev. of Joshua Rashaad McFadden: I Believe I'll Run On, by Jackson Davidow. Art in America 1 Sep. 2022: 91-92. Print.
Invited Keynote/Presentation
McFadden, Joshua Rashaad. "Evidence." Liberty Hill Breakfast Series. Rochester Institute of Technology. Rochester, NY. 19 Nov. 2019. Keynote Speech.

Currently Teaching

IDEA-550
3 Credits
This course will focus on implementing and developing interdisciplinary design projects. The specific topics for this course will vary each time it is taught but may be limited to repeatability. The topic is determined by the instructor. Technical, cultural, and human-centered aspects will be covered through a series of projects. Students will participate in short, deep-dives and extended group projects with a range of design problems, goals, tools, and procedures. Activities include branding, physical prototyping, fabrication, and digital product design. This course can be taken multiple times but individual topics must be different.
PHAP-302
3 Credits
Building on the content delivered in Advertising Photography I, Advertising Photography II will introduce business aspects involved in commercial photography. Students will create self-promotion materials as well as a resume/cover letter. A cohesive portfolio is required at the end of the course. Students will also work on a group project, introducing them to the collaborative nature of the advertising business. Assignments will emphasize conceptual over technical solutions.
PHAP-311
3 Credits
An advanced study of people photography, this course will focus on the development of the photographic and social skills of the commercial photographer. This course will examine the effects of light, camera choice, and subject pose on reproducing the human form as a photograph. The student will learn to develop strategies for photographing people, build upon lighting skills, and improve photographic styling techniques. Casting and directing models, as well as the role of a professional photographic team will be included in the lectures, demonstrations, and assignments.
PHAP-350
3 Credits
Photography (and photographic education) is in a perpetual state of flux due to constant changes in practices and technology. Topics in advertising photography will provide students with the opportunity to explore this shifting terrain of photography and imaging. The content taught in this course will change frequently and the course may be repeated for credit, however each particular topic may have limits on repeatability.
PHAP-351
3 Credits
Advertising photography (and photographic education) is in a perpetual state of flux due to constant changes in practices and technology. Studio Topics in Advertising photography will provide students with the opportunity to explore studio applications in this shifting terrain of photography, imaging and application. The content taught in this course will change frequently and the course may be repeated for credit, however each particular topic may have limits on repeatability.
PHAP-403
3 Credits
This course is required for advertising photography students who are approaching graduation and are preparing to present themselves to potential employers. Students will narrow their field of interests to focus their work for an end-of-study portfolio. Existing and new work will be edited, sequenced and prepared to form a professional quality portfolio, promotional materials, a resume/cover letter, a market research paper and a business plan.
PHAP-416
3 Credits
This course provides photography students the unique opportunity to participate in a one-week intensive workshop that travels to New York City, the center of the advertising photography industry. Through this field trip and accompanying lectures and studio visits, students will experience an introduction to the field of professional photography and related industries in New York City. The purpose of the trip is to provide a broad view of advertising and editorial photography within the city. Students meet with a variety of photographers, art directors, designers, filmmakers, photo editors, photographer agents, assistants, and RIT alumni. Photography studios, advertising agencies, graphic design studios, magazines, galleries, and museums will be visited during the one-week trip. Permission to enroll is required. The trip is a mandatory course requirement and requires an additional travel fee.
PHAR-101
4 Credits
This course will provide an immersive introduction to the field of the photographic arts. It will emphasize both craft and visual problem solving. The course will explore: seeing and appreciating the quality of light, image capture, photographic vision, historical and contemporary genres of photography, best practices and workflow as well as an introduction to the critique forum and its practices.
PHAR-102
4 Credits
This course will reinforce and build upon the skills learned in the first semester of Photographic Arts I. It will emphasize aesthetics, craft, visual problem solving and critical thinking skills - the foundations of the Photographic Arts curriculum. In this semester, the studio will be introduced as a space that can be used to create and control light. This course's curriculum will continue to emphasize both craft and visual problem solving required in high-level photographic imaging.
PHAR-202
3 Credits
This course will provide an introduction to the field of commercial photography, as well as encourage students to develop their own artistic vision. Students will create images from assignments that relate to projects they will encounter after graduation. They will be instructed in the basic photographic skills needed in the commercial field. Practical use of exposure metering and digital workflow will be discussed. Training will be provided in the use of professional cameras and lighting equipment, as well as developing a web presence. Portraiture and still life photography will be covered both in the studio and on location. Students will learn about career choices available in the commercial photography business.
PHAR-301
3 Credits
This course examines the intersections of race, civil rights, and photography in the United States. Students will learn critical concepts in the field of photography, such as visibility, performativity, and the gaze. Students will also learn to critically engage with, deconstruct, and analyze issues of race and civil rights in the production and dissemination of photography. Students will uncover a spectrum of historical and co-occurring debates about the significance of vision in marking race in the context of the United States. Questions we will ask throughout the class are: How does photography contribute to the construction of race? How does the photograph function as evidence of the markings and conservation of race in America? Students will explore a variety of photographic practices, including vernacular photography and daguerreotypes from the nineteen-century. We will examine 1960s photojournalism and the documentary work of photographers like Gordon Parks, and investigate activist photography of the Civil Rights Movement, the Black Panthers, and Black Lives Matter. Finally, students will investigate the works of contemporary artists, such as Lorna Simpson, Carrie Mae Weems, Lyle Ashton Harris, and Joshua Rashaad McFadden.
PHAR-599
1 - 3 Credits
Photography Independent Study will provide students with the ability to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. Students, with the assistance of a faculty adviser, will propose a course of study. Photography Independent Study students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll.

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