Last year I did a post on Staying Inspired, in which I shared a photo I had taken of my favorite instructor during my time at Art Center, Archie Ferrante or more accurately;Arcangelo Dante Ferrante. I took the photo about 10 years after graduating from Art Center during a class I was taking to re-inspire myself.
Yesterday a colleague who is on the Photo Department Faculty at the Academy of Art in San Francisco contacted me and indicated they were naming the Digital Lab up there after Archie. Very Cool!! I was very honored though when he requested my photo of Archie, to be used for the plaque.
Archie is an amazing photographer and an even more amazing human being. He is warm, intelligent, loving, talented, full of life, and hilarious! He is always the first person I think of, when thinking of my time at Art Center.
Archie is no longer at Art Center, he left there some years back after not being treated so well by the powers that be at the time. But karma being what it is, those who treated him poorly have all been unceremoniously booted out! Yea!
I am so happy that Archie is getting this small token of appreciation for who and what he is. This marvelous man has touched many lives, brightened many days, and has brought craft and integrity to our profession.
Thank You Archie! We Love You! ……………Okaaayyyy Liiiiiights!!!!!
Dana,
You should’ve seen my face when I opened the feed from your blog and saw Archie’s face staring at me again like it did 20 years ago! This is great news, and I too am very happy to see that he’s getting the recognition he so deserves!
Here’s to bullet proof negs and constant agitation! LIGHTS!!!!
Archie Ferrante for me, was by far my favorite teacher. His sense of humor was inspiring. Nothing was ever a problem for him. His solution was always simple. “What are you waiting for”.
how startling to see my brother archie’s face on you’re web site do you know if he has an email address??????
marie ferrante gittleson
Unfortunately if he does, I do not have it..
Thanks for taking a look!!!
It’s been a long while since I was in Archie’s class. It was fun seeing his face again here.
This is great, I was searching for the spelling of archie’s name and here it is, thanks Dana, that’s awesome knowing about the naming of the lab, now I have an excuse to go to SF. Archie was my boss and friend, he kicked my butt and was one of the people I miss most. Archie was always a treat. Hope he is well whatever he is doing. duncan
Hey Duncan!
Last I heard Archie is alive and kicking and still lives in Pasadena. I have not talked to him in a couple of years. He too was my favorite!He was truly a mentor to me!! Thanks for looking’ in!
What a fantastic teacher he was, he will be missed! His quote “Okaaay Liiiiiiights” I will never forget those words or voice. (Photo 89 Grad)
Archie Ferrante is my uncle by marriage. Its with sadness in my heart to advise, my Uncle Archie passed away two weeks ago. In respecting my Aunt Maggie’s privacy the services were private.
Please contact my brother Martin Corral at Corralez3601@msn.com for family information.
Thank you,
Ruben L:. Corral
Ruben, Thank you for this information. We had heard of Archie’s passing and were anxiously awaiting news of services. While we of course COMPLETELY respect the wish for privacy on the part of those closest to him, there is a large number of lives that Archie touched from the Art Center Community that I am sure would want you all (the family) to know how much he meant to each of us. He will be truly missed and hope that you will extend to his lovely wife and extended family our sincerest condolences.
Here is my Facebook Post from the day I learned of his passing:
It’s a sad day. Today I heard of the passing of my mentor and most favorite person at Art Center College of Design, Archie Ferrante. Arcangelo Dante Ferrante was singular individual, a dear mentor, a teacher and preacher of CRAFT. He was a prime example of a classic “Photographer” someone who “Made Pictures” he did not “take pictures”, from a time when as a photographer you were capable of shooting anything. If you knew your craft well enough, it did not mater what was in front of your lens. To a small extent I have modeled my career after his teachings and example. We became good friends at and after Art Center, he took a shinning to me and I to him. A true kindred spirit. He was Italian (you can’t go wrong there), full of life, overflowing with humor, and a character unlike any I have experienced. To those of us who were lucky enough count him as a friend there was ALWAYS a big hug and sometimes a kiss on the cheek waiting – yes even for the guys. For me there was always praise and encouragement. It was an amazing feeling for me to have the sense that later in life I had gone from being his student to his colleague. Archie had gone silent in recent years. And I have missed his voice and company. I am thankful that he honored me with a sitting before he left Art Center. And I can still relive that memory so clearly in my mind, Of course, photographing Archie, meant nothing less than breaking out my 5×7 view camera and employing a bit of zone system in making the image and subsequent prints, for which he ask for many over the years. I will truly miss you Archie and will celebrate and hold dear all that you have generously shared with me. Thank You! LIIIIIIIIIGHTS!
Beautiful, thoughtful post, Dana. Sad to hear of his passing, and grateful to be one of the thousands of people he graced with his warmth and intellect during his time here.
Good morning Dana,
Hi…I just spoke to my brother, Martin Corral, he did receive your email and was about to respond when he erased his emails, operator error.
The email is functioning properly, contact him again at Corrales3601@msn.com. He will print out the response you sent and show it to my Aunt Maggie Ferrante on Saturday.
I am hoping my Aunt Maggie will respond, she was and still is extremely grateful of the wonderful and special relationships Archie created throughout with his long life; his infectious smile and wit, those big Italian eyes starring at you through those glasses and measuring you up to scale without you even knowing.. Archie had a unique manner of touching one’s heart…trust me, I know first hand.
Dana, I was Archie’s ” Gopher” interms of assisting with lighting, cameras and an assortment of gear. I was to young to realize I was within the shadow of greatness. I am fond of those memories.
I hope this helps.
Ruben L. Corral
My horse power is:
Ruben L. Corral
11023 Freer Street, Temple City, Ca 91780 626-442-6007 and cell phone 626-437-8283.
Thanks Again Ruben! – Done!
Dana,
Another alum and I were reminiscing about the Art Center days and the discussion turned to the days in the B&W lab and of course Archie. I decided to do a quick google search to see if there was anything on line about him. That brought me to this blog post. What a great image of Archie, and wonderful posts about him and his impact on the students.
Does anyone know if any of his photography is available to view online. I would love to see some of his work.
Thanks for the jog down memory lane.
Thanks Will!
Unfortunately I don’t think there is anything of Archies on the web. I wonder if ANYTHING of his has ever been digitized. I miss this guy and wish I could have stayed more connected to him after our departures from ACCD!