© Copyright 2024 The Sousa Archives and Center for American Music. All rights reserved.
Richard E. Brooks is a Chicago, Illinois fine art photographer, designer, and marketing consultant. A native of Jerseyville, Illinois, Brooks graduated with a B.S. in Agricultural Communications from the University of Illinois, Urbana campus, in 1967 as a member of the Centennial Class. He joined the University's Agricultural Communications staff as the first-appointed Teaching Assistant to Dr. James F. Evans in 1967 while taking graduate level coursework in advertising. Dr. Evans was his 1964 student adviser. In 1968, Brooks began a career in photography as Communications Specialist in Photography and Instructor of Agricultural Communications where he taught photography classes for Agricultural Journalism, and conducted photo seminars and workshops for the Cooperative Extension agents. He also mentored the Illinois 4-H Photography Program for many years by providing photography workshops and serving as Judge at the Illinois State Fair. In 1971, Brooks launched the Richard E. Brooks Co. in Champaign, Illinois and specialized in editorial and product photography. Eight years later, he designed and created Cyclorama Studios in Urbana, Illinois, a 5,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art photo facility which was destroyed by a tornado in 1980.
Throughout his career, Brooks has received numerous prestigious photo commissions from the University of Illinois Foundation including the iconic image of Chief Illiniwek featured in former President John Corball's 1977 coffee-table book. His ten-foot Chief Illiniwek photographic mural was unveiled at the 80th Chief Illiniwek Banquet in 2006. In addtion on October 1, 1988 Brooks was the creative force and Executive Producer of the "Country/USA" project which documented through photography rural America on a single day using one hundred and two professional photographers and hundreds of 4-H and FFA members in all 50 states. This project generated 127,000 photographic prints which were later used to create the
Brooks moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1990. He continued his editorial and product photography while using his marketing skills to advance a second parallel career in commercial property management. In recent years, his focus has been on fine art photography, especially landscape scenic marketed through his Studio R company.
This Collection is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Gift
Chief Illiniwek poster and photos accessioned on April 16, 2019.
Unarranged
Consists of Chief Illiniwek triptych panel mural (84 x 120 x 2.5 inches), production notes, photograph of retired Chiefs group 80th anniversary, and
Color die transfer photograph prints wet-mounted to MDF boards that are glued onto 2.25 x 1/2 inch white pine frames. Total height is 84 inches x width 120 inches x depth 2.5 inches, with each panel measuring 84 x 40 x 2.5 inches that are mounted together using eight 3/8th inch aluminum bolts [each measuring 4 inches in length], 16 aluminum washers, and eight sheet metal wing nuts). The mural is housed in a simple plywood and pine fur strip crate. Accession number: 2016.2620204.001.
Richard Brooks 50 Years and 50 Prints Exhibit Gallery Presentation
Richard Brooks 50 Years and 50 Photographic Prints Exhibit was held between November 2 and 28, 2016 to highlight his professional photography career as an alum of the University of Illinois. The exhibit was part of the Sousa Archives 2016 American Music Month Celebration.
Published by the Champaign-Urbana News Gazette.