This fall the VPA welcomed Christopher Previte, MFA, as a full time Associate Professor of Practice in the graphic design program. Before joining the team as a full time professor, he was Adjunct faculty teaching in the Graduate Communications Program at Merrimack College, where he continues to teach a few courses.
Chris attended Medford Vocational Technical High School where he learned mechanical and architectural drafting. He then went on to earn his BFA in Communication Design and Illustration at Massachusetts College of Art & Design. Later on, he went back to school and completed his MFA in Graphic Design from the Vermont College of Fine Arts.
Chris has spent his professional career continuously intersecting Design in innovative ways. Chris started his career in Architecture working as a draftsman and model builder. He then began working as an illustrator and in 2000, he moved into event design as a graphic designer and set designer. The Web was a budding industry for graphic designers in the 1990–2000s, and with Chris being curious about design applications, he began designing websites and interactive systems for clients. Chris loves working with clients, but he wanted to get young people excited about Design. Before coming to Merrimack full-time, Chris was an Associate Professor of Graphic Design and the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) at Franklin Pierce University. As Director of CTL, he was an expert, working with faculty, in a variety of engaging opportunities focused on effective teaching.
Currently, Chris is teaching in the areas of Graphic Design, Interactive Design, and Communications. Some courses he is working to include in the curriculum include Design Thinking and Human Centered Design, Environmental Design, The Art of Physical Objects, Image Making and Illustration, and integrating AI into the Elements of 2D Design.
Chris is very excited about the collaboration opportunities between academic programs. Specifically, hybrid majors and other cross-program efforts that speak to real-world workflows and relationships. He is looking forward to seeing where Merrimack will take him as the institution continues to grow!
