Sam Richards

:

November 18, 2020

It was lovely to hear your reflections of Sam I was overjoyed that he retained his sense of humor and his unique style of pain-in-the-ass-ness. Perhaps, I am his oldest friend to post here.

We were downtown kids in New York City. It was the summer... moreIt was lovely to hear your reflections of Sam I was overjoyed that he retained his sense of humor and his unique style of pain-in-the-ass-ness. Perhaps, I am his oldest friend to post here.

We were downtown kids in New York City. It was the summer before we would go to the High School of Art and Design together.

We spent many summer days riding our bikes on the condemned elevated upper level of the westside highway. In the mid-1970s New York was a ghost town. We would climb over the fences at construction sites and see what we could see. Find cool things to liberate or take apart and combine to build other things that were, “you know, cool.” We would Explore condemned buildings. we would bring back all kinds of old rusted bits of metal, machine parts, good garbage, or hunks of old buildings. We would stuff our knapsacks to beyond bursting, to the point where the straps would cut into our shoulders. Neither of our bags made it to the first day of school. After scavenging, or as we thought about it, exploring, we would then cram into his tiny bedroom on Charlton Street and try to make something out of it.

Of all the things we found most have been lost to time. But I still have one bit. A part of a Terra cotta facade. It weighs more than 20 pounds, and I’ve been carrying it since i was twelve. it came from a building we were both horrified that it was coming down. How do I still have it? I gave it to my mother as a gift. When she left this earth I couldn’t leave it behind. Those adventures are very dear to me and “exploring” is something I continue to do, as a grumpy old guy. I have included a picture. I’m currently using it to keep this lamp level. I put in a floor of re-claimed, planks and nothing sits level on it. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

It was more years than I can accurately remember since Sam and I last spoke. But I can share with you one of the things we discussed. It was in the fall and I mentioned that I only celebrate Thanksgiving. It was in the news that deep-frying a turkey was the best way to cook your holiday meal. I had no idea how one could create, 1. A Fry-O-Later large enough for a turkey and 2. An apparatus to lower the turkey into the boiling oil and remove it safely? As I’m sure you all know, Sam had a few ideas. less

Translate

:

November 16, 2020

00:29

:

November 16, 2020

I first met Sam my first semester of my first year. I answered his "Help Wanted" flyers printed in Calibri (as he does with all his emails) and nailed onto the pin-up walls around the school asking for Shop Workers. I applied thinking I... more

Translate

added 3 photo(s) to the memorial :

November 16, 2020

added 4 photo(s) to the memorial :

November 16, 2020

added 1 photo(s) to the memorial :

November 16, 2020

Leia Leia This is the sculpture Brian tried to use as a coat rack, thus cementing a friendship... (but almost destroying it in the process).
- November 16, 2020

:

November 16, 2020

Sam was our dear friend. We loved him.

He had a twinkle in his eye though he called himself a curmudgeon. Nothing escaped his scrutiny, his critical eye, but he also loved a good laugh. He once put a Toblerone box over one of our similarly-shaped... moreSam was our dear friend. We loved him.

He had a twinkle in his eye though he called himself a curmudgeon. Nothing escaped his scrutiny, his critical eye, but he also loved a good laugh. He once put a Toblerone box over one of our similarly-shaped chandelier crystals and Brian didn’t notice it for months. When he did, Sam’s expression of triumph and mischief made him look about fifteen years old.

A few years before Brian unthinkingly draped a coat over one of his sculptures. Sam immediately chastised him (with good nature and some legitimate horror.) Perhaps the Toblerone was revenge for that.

Sam was like no one we had met before–warm and gruff at the same time – given to flights of intense philosophy on art, literature, craft, music.

Sam was a maker with a capital M. He made objects, spaces, buildings, chairs, tables, tools, songs, books, ideas... His workshop was a sacred space, though he certainly didn’t try to make you feel that way. It just was. Sam could make anything.

He poured his respect and integrity into things he made, but also into the things he used: He revered old, well-used knives, guarded a dough-starter that was hundreds of years old, turned carefully the dog-eared pages of beloved books. He treasured things that had both use and broader meaning in life. An aged tool had particular beauty to him.

We will remember Sam’s integrity. He formed his ideas as carefully and lovingly as he did his furniture and sculptures.

He loved his children, and spoke of them with admiration and fondness. He loved Neville, and Goya, and probably other pets we never knew of. He saw them as an integral part of the family circle, and we thought that was the most beautiful things we’d ever heard. He loved Norine with all of his heart, which was convenient, as we love her too.

He made a mean Old Fashioned and a meaner pun. He had an inordinate number of tapir paraphernalia. (Having once years back mentioned that he liked them, he was deluged with tapir gifts for years.

He loved good food and he loved good drinks, and made them well enough that we have hazy recollections of some of our evenings together. But we won’t ever forget. less

Translate

:

November 14, 2020

Thank you Sam, for sharing your love of pirates, wooden boats, humor and wit; for lending me your truck when i needed supplies; for teaching me shop logic; for your love of materials, craft and making; for being a friend. Wish we had had more time.

Translate

:

November 1, 2020

I started working on staff at Cooper Union Sculpture Shop at time Sam attended as a student. There was an immediate mutual attraction. After graduation he worked on staff. He was a good friend although we did not keep in touch I retain great affection... more

Translate

Tiffany Lin reacted on this.

:

October 27, 2020

I met sam at Cooper Union, as many others had- It was in 1983 - 1988. Ruben Kadish was my professor as well. Sam taught me so much. I remember one night of late-night partying I had to crash at his place, he was such an amazing gentleman. I hadn't seen... more

Translate

:

August 12, 2020

Sam made my first kiddo this wooden iPhone/rattle 6 years ago and now her little brother plays with it! He seriously just picked it up yesterday and started making calls. Sam must know we are thinking of him.

Translate

Tracey Dillon and Laruschka Joubert reacted on this.

:

August 6, 2020

Sam and I met at Cooper Union in 1979, and I have no memory of art school without him. We shared a sculpture studio and a deep attachment to our beloved professor, Ruben Kadish. Ruben introduced us to the art of ancient cultures- and many other of... moreSam and I met at Cooper Union in 1979, and I have no memory of art school without him. We shared a sculpture studio and a deep attachment to our beloved professor, Ruben Kadish. Ruben introduced us to the art of ancient cultures- and many other of life’s treasures- and Sam’s mom, Rosalie, introduced us to Joseph Campbell. Our relationship at Cooper was so steeped in visuals and visual communication. Mythology, particularly Ovid’s Metamporphoses, was ever-present. We didn’t talk about it, it just permeated everything. We didn’t see each other for 25 yrs or so, but we spoke once or twice a year and exchanged news. I finally got to New Orleans for Jazz Fest in 2016 and visited with Sam and Norine. It was so great to see his beautifully hand made world and finally meet Norine. He showed me every inch of his shop, and then a stack of ink drawings he’d been working on, illustrations of Ovid’s Metamoprhoses. It was such a curious fold of time, and suddenly we were circled right back into the river of stories that we swam in as kids…. Sam called a few weeks before he died, and we had a long conversation and exchanged photos of projects. He was very proud of that fact that he could still make me laugh. Can’t you just hear the little chirps of delight that always preceded his sly musings?! One summer we collected an uncanny number of lost shoes, found on the beach. We had a BIG sandy cardboard box full of them- and, as we went our separate ways, without any discussion, we started mailing them back and forth to each other. An absurd, interstate volley. Out of the blue. In different states. Gaps of months and years in between. When they were almost forgotten, poof! they’d arrive. It went on for years and years and years. The last great laugh he shared with me was a Victorian illustration of women in hoop skirts, his face photoshopped in: Sam's solution for social distancing at Tulane. I am so so sad that our clever, creative, devoted friend is gone. Godspeed, dear Sam! Godspeed, Samuel Emory Richards! I treasure the time we had, and hope to meet again, next time around.

Photos of me and Sam in 1980 and 2016; and Sam leafing through his Metamorphoses ink drawings. less

Translate

Lisa Roper, Tiffany Lin, and Jennifer Torres reacted on this.
Tiffany Lin thanks for posting this, Tracey! "chirps of delight" and "sly musings" definitely describe Sam! He shared those hoop skirt collages with me too this summer and I remember that visit fondly...
- August 12, 2020

:

July 7, 2020

It are days of sadness in death that are so innate to us that we recognize and reflect on time and relationships, as one in the same.
Sam Richards was a friend and mentor who I came to know better in the Summer of ’19, nearly a year after I came to... more

Translate

Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

July 6, 2020

I met Sam at The Cooper Union in 1980 where we both studied Fine Art. I liked his sly sense of humor and thoughtful perspective. This portrait was taken at the New York Botanic Garden. Its lovely to hear all of your memories of Sam at TSA.

Translate

6 person reacted on this
Tiffany Lin so gorgeous. thanks for posting this!
- July 7, 2020
- · 1 likes this

added 1 photo(s) to the memorial :

July 3, 2020

Jill Stoll and Laruschka Joubert reacted on this.

added 1 photo(s) to the memorial :

July 3, 2020

Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 30, 2020

Sam was my brother and a remarkable man; a cut from an obscure piece of tapestry. Not only did he have that lust for life that was infectious, but he had that passion for everything thing along the way that slips by most, while never at a loss to share... more

Translate

4 person reacted on this

:

June 30, 2020 · via mobile

Sam was so much to the student body at TSA. He was a mentor, a boss, and a friend. He taught me so much during my time at Tulane and I will be forever grateful for those lessons and memories. Words cannot begin to describe the heart break I have felt... more

Translate

Emilie Taylor Welty and Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 29, 2020

Sam left this gift in my office after hearing about a stupid paper I wrote called "Level and Plumb Without Rhino"-- This is his level WITH Rhino (an Albrecht Dürer rhino, he was quick to point out.) No one has ever exerted such elaborate efforts of... more

Translate

4 person reacted on this

:

June 28, 2020

Every time we go through our front door we think of Sam and how generous he was with his time and skills. We will be forever grateful for him!

Translate

Emilie Taylor Welty, Jill Stoll, and Laruschka Joubert reacted on this.

:

June 28, 2020 · via mobile

Class of 2003 Presented Sam with the Malcolm Heard Teaching award in 2003. Very well deserved. He will be missed greatly.

Translate

Emilie Taylor Welty and Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020 · via iPad

I met Sam by applying to work in the shop. He told me that the only reason he’d agreed to the interview was because I’d filled out the application on a typewriter.

I found these photos in the collected album for this review.

Translate

Jill Stoll, Tiffany Lin, and Emilie Taylor Welty reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll, Tiffany Lin, and Emilie Taylor Welty reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Emilie Taylor Welty and Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll and Emilie Taylor Welty reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Emilie Taylor Welty, Jill Stoll, and Laruschka Joubert reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll reacted on this.
Emilie Taylor Welty Carbonara day at UB04!!!
- June 24, 2020

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll reacted on this.
Emilie Taylor Welty Sam brought a rabbit ears TV to site that day so we could break to watch Obama's inauguration!
- June 24, 2020
- · 1 likes this

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

Jill Stoll reacted on this.

:

June 24, 2020

I met Sam 27 years ago; we were immediately buds. But, during the last 20 years we grew to be so much more than that. Many students and faculty colleagues have been fortunate to be part of an ever-expanding design build agenda at TSA. However, no one... more

Translate

Emilie Taylor Welty, Jill Stoll, and Laruschka Joubert reacted on this.

added 1 photo(s) to the memorial :

June 24, 2020

5 person reacted on this

:

June 24, 2020

Tiffany Lin, Jill Stoll, and Laruschka Joubert reacted on this.

added 3 photo(s) to the memorial :

June 23, 2020

Emilie Taylor Welty and Laruschka Joubert reacted on this.

added 1 photo(s) to the memorial :

June 23, 2020

4 person reacted on this

added 1 photo(s) to the memorial :

June 23, 2020

4 person reacted on this

added 1 photo(s) to the memorial :

June 23, 2020

Tiffany Lin, Jill Stoll, and Cordula Roser Gray reacted on this.

added 1 photo(s) to the memorial :

June 23, 2020

Tiffany Lin, Jill Stoll, and Cordula Roser Gray reacted on this.
Emilie Taylor Welty So many great memories of Sam that it's hard to choose one. This guy! An artist, a craftsman, a teacher, and a friend. I love that twinkle he got in his eye when he got an idea and started to figure out how to make it happen.
- June 23, 2020
- · 1 likes this