Graphic Design MFA - Rhode Island School of Design

RHODE ISLAND 

SCHOOL 

OF DESIGN 

GRADUATE 

STUDIES 

2012–13

krisd.edu/grad 

Advanced Degree Programs Offered 

Master of Fine Arts / MFA 

Ceramics 

2 years 

Digital + Media 

2 years 

Furniture Design 

2 + 3 years 

Glass 

2 years + post-baccalaureate 

Graphic Design 

2 + 3 years 

Jewelry + Metalsmithing 2 years + post-baccalaureate 

Painting 

2 years 

Photography 

2 years 

Printmaking 

2 years 

Sculpture 

2 years 

Textiles 

2 years 

Master of Arts / MA 

Teaching + Learning in Art + Design 

1+ years 

Master of Arts in Teaching / MAT 


1 year 

Master of Architecture I / M.Arch I 

Architecture 

2 + 3 years 

Master of Arts in Interior Architecture / MA 

Interior Architecture 

1+ years 

Master of Design in Interior Studies / MDes 


2 + years 

Master of Industrial Design / MID 

Industrial Design 

2 + 2½ years 

Master of Landscape Architecture I + II / MLA I + II 

Landscape Architecture 

2 + 3 years 

Student Body* 

total # of students: 2,396 

graduate: 424 

undergraduates: 1,972 

m / f ratio : 35% / 65% 

graduate students age 25-29: 47% 

graduate students age 30-34: 18% 

graduate students age 35+: 7% 

international students: 21% 

ethnicity: 24% of color 

Faculty* 

full-time: 148 

part-time: 394 

student/faculty ratio: 8.6 :1 

* figures based on 2011–2012 academic year for RISD overall 

Graduate Programs 

# of applications received: 2,132 

% of applicants accepted: 20.3% 

largest program: Architecture (109) 

smallest program: Glass (6) 

average class size: 9.5 

Location 

proximity to NYC: 180 miles 

to Boston: 60 miles 

population of Providence: 176,000 

more about the city : krisd.edu/providence 

Programs 

[RE] COLLECTION* 

Architecture 54 – 56 

Ceramics 57 – 59 

Digital+Media 60 – 62 

Furniture Design 63 – 65 

Glass 66 – 68 

Graphic Design 69 – 71 

Industrial Design 72 – 74 

Interior Architecture 75 – 77 

Jewelry+Metalsmithing 78 – 80 

Landscape Architecture 81– 83 

Painting 84 – 86 

Photography 87 – 89 

Printmaking 90 – 92 

Sculpture 93 – 95 

Teaching+Learning 96 – 98 

in Art+Design 

Textiles 99 –101 

* These and subsequent text fragments set in the same typeface throughout 

the book are derived from recent graduate thesis titles. 

A CONSTRUCTED

2 Rhode Island School of Design 

3 

SHOW 

MAKE 

FOCUS 

LISTEN 

SPACE 

PLACE 

TIME 

PAUSE 

Chris Ro 

MFA Graphic Design 

from Efface


5 

CREATING 

BEYOND ART 

It is a challenging and urgent time to engage in the 

research, creation and analysis of art, design and visual culture. Today’s 

visual and conceptual environment is strikingly complex — and there has 

never been a greater need for artists, designers and critics to help shape 

the future and destiny of a world in which cultural boundaries and 

conventions are mutating and changing. Artists and designers make 

communicative objects, images, performances and environments, and 

increasingly play a role as public intellectuals who raise questions and 

offer insight about contemporary culture. 

Graduate Studies at RISD is an immersive, focused and connective 

context in which to study art and design, to examine the role of the artist 

and designer in society, and to consider — from a panorama of perspectives 

and positions — why culture matters, what art and design can do 

for people, and why we should care about their potential for the future. 

RISD offers a generous range of courses and opportunities to help 

you clarify your ideas, develop your work, and deepen and ripen your 

commitment to ongoing practice. The process of independent inquiry, 

if never infallible, is an intellectual investment in the cultural worlds 

that now exist and will emerge in the future. Globally, two of today’s 

most urgent issues — sustainability and social justice — are ideas 

with significance for artists, designers and critics. How do we create 

responsible, ethical and sustainable practices? How do we develop and 

perpetuate critical inquiry and the abiding curiosity required of adaptive 

practices? And through our work together, how do we reinforce the idea 

that art and design are continuous and dynamic — moving, stirring, 

transitional, transformative — anytime and everywhere? 

Working with dedicated and accomplished teachers, visiting artists, 

designers, scholars and extremely perceptive peers, you will be challenged 

and inspired by the questions involved in making and critical analysis. 

You will be encouraged to embrace the compelling dimensions and 

complex pleasures of art and labor, conviction and doubt that stimulate 

adaptive, proactive practices. Through the work you do at RISD, you will 

broaden your ideas and confirm your commitment to the pursuit of 

searching, consequential work that affirms why art, design and culture 

matter — and why we do, indeed, care very much. 

Patricia C. Phillips 

Associate Provost for Academic Affairs

6 7 rhode island school of design 

STATES OF 

INSTABILITY 

Patrizia Pilosi MFA Graphic Design 

from The Perfect Human

8 9 

The 

Academic 

Experience 

at RISD 

Since the turn of the millennium, RISD has expanded 

both its emphasis on research and its advanced-level programs in art 

and design. As a result, graduate student enrollment has more than 

doubled, with 425 talented master’s degree candidates from around the 

world now accounting for 20% of the student population. More importantly 

than sheer numbers, however, is the influence they wield on our small 

creative community. With their energy, passion, focus and commitment, 

grad students palpably elevate the nature of the discourse in studios 

across campus. 

SHIFTING 

THRESHOLDS 

Beyond our extensive facilities and fortuitous location—between 

Boston and New York—it’s our community of extraordinary students, 

faculty and staff that really sets RISD apart. US News & World Report 

continues to rank RISD with the top MFA programs in the country, while 

alumni of our graduate programs stand out and earn national and 

international recognition for their exceptional work. In recent years, they 

have won prestigious MacArthur Foundation grants; Guggenheim and 

Fulbright fellowships; awards from the American Institute of Architects, 

the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum and the Academy of Arts 

and Letters; support from the National Endowment for the Arts; coveted 

spots in the world’s most respected biennials; and countless artists’ 

residencies both in the US and abroad. 

“RISD graduate students are passionate about design and how it fits 

into the world,” notes Ellen Lupton, a curator, design critic and graduate 

program director at MICA. As a recent juror for a RISD graduate student 

awards program, she found the work she reviewed to be “rich with 

intellectual inquiry and social engagement.” Susan Cross, a curator at 

MASS MoCA and another recent juror, adds, “I was very impressed by 

students’ creativity, willingness to take risks and experiment, as well as 

their efforts to push or even erase the boundaries of various disciplines.” 

Visiting architect, critic and author Keller Easterling agrees. “The ingenuity 

and entrepreneurial spirit of RISD graduate students is refreshing.” 

Forging New Connections 

Graduate students are drawn to RISD by the faculty—professional artists 

and designers working at the top of their fields—and the caliber of 

fellow students. They want to make work that matters and be part of a 

community dedicated to developing innovative and responsible 

approaches to creating art and design. 

Interdisciplinary graduate seminars and studios offered through the 

divisions of Liberal Arts and Graduate Studies bring together students 

from all graduate programs for an inspiring exchange of ideas. These 

seminars explore the intersection of research, history, theory, information, 

communication and production. Faculty from a wide range of disciplines


11 

teach these courses, along with invited artists, designers and scholars 

from other colleges and professional practices. 

The expanding emphasis on interdisciplinary exploration is evident 

THE POLITICS 

OF PROXIMITY 

in new curricular offerings tailored towards grad students with diverse 

interests. For instance, in the spring 2012 course Work, Money, Love: 

Practices of Art and Design, students explored models, philosophies, 

strategies and skills crucial to establishing and communicating flexible 

and sustainable practices in art and design. Arranged according to the 

three themes indicated in its title, the course was supported by a grant 

from the Marketplace Empowerment for Artists program sponsored 

by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. 

Associate Professor of Textiles Liz Collins [bfa/mfa textiles] and 

Director of the RISD Writing Center Jennifer Liese teamed up to develop 

and teach the new seminar based on relevant readings, discussion, guest 

lectures, writing and presentation assignments, along with site visits to 

the studios of practicing professionals. “We experimented with collaborative 

forms of pedagogy in which everyone supported one another in 

thinking critically and holistically about a broad definition of productive 

livelihood,” Liese explains. 

Dozens of other research studios—focused on everything from health 

care and adaptive reuse to urban gardens and government initiatives— 

underscore the value of public engagement and learning opportunities 

beyond the studio. Graduate students who are interested in preparing to 

teach at the elementary, secondary or post-secondary levels appreciate 

the collegiate teaching seminars and workshops available through 

Graduate Studies and RISD’s graduate department of Teaching + Learning 

in Art + Design. And students in all departments also take advantage of 

Wintersession travel/study courses in places such as India, China, Mexico, 

New Zealand, Guatemala, France, Italy and wherever else RISD groups 

are headed each year. 

Dynamic Intellectual Environment 

RISD’s graduate program in Digital + Media is based almost entirely on a 

cross-disciplinary approach to learning, offering both a place for intensive 

practice in digital arts and a bridge to other media and departments. Its 

innovative studio/seminar approach to learning provides a solid model 

for curricula and the traditional lines between disciplines. 

Whether they’re investigating new materials, experimenting with 

robotics or deeply immersed in writing the ir thesis, grad students are 

energized by each other’s ideas and the working environment they create 

together in the studios. “Our academic programs share a commitment to 

critical inquiry, materials and making,” notes Brian Goldberg [march 1 

Architecture], dean of Graduate Studies. “But you also find a 

tremendous diversity of approaches, practices and cultures, which is 

evident in the work. Equally important, if less visible, is the generosity 

and openness we demonstrate towards each other in the classroom, the 

studio and in critiques. Everyone is committed to their work, but also 

to each other.” 

Charlie Cannon, an associate professor of Industrial Design who’s 

known for running a series of ambitious, interdisciplinary Innovation 

Studios, agrees. “There’s a kind of hothouse atmosphere at RISD that 

differentiates it from other places. Students and faculty inspire each other, 

and the world-famous artists and designers who teach here do so because 

they care about each individual’s development.” 

In addition to the more than 500 full- and part-time faculty members at 

RISD, the hundreds of visiting artists, designers, curators, critics and other 

professionals who come to campus each year offer fresh critical perspectives. 

This discourse fuels a compelling mix of creative activity that makes 

RISD a rich environment for funded research and collaboration. As a 

result, partnerships are regularly forged with institutions such as Brown, 

Columbia, Harvard and MIT; community and government organizations; 

and international corporations and foundations. 

Cai Guo-Qiang is among 

the many international 

artists who have visited 

RISD recently to critique 

student work. When artist 

Jenny Holzer [MFA ’77] 

spoke on campus, she 

presented For RISD, 

a provocative, everchanging 

light projection 

on the façade of RISD’s 

riverfront living and 

learning center.

12 

Recent 

Visiting 

Artists 

Designers 

Critics and 

Lecturers 

Ellen Altfest 

Alexandra Bahlmann 

Alison Baker 

Julie Bargmann 

Lynda Barry 

Uta Barth 

Frauke Behrendt 

Lynda Benglis 

Jamie Bennett 

Deborah Berke 

Ian Berry 

Jonathan Bordo 

Helen Britton 

Lola Brooks 

Jason Brown 

Luke Bulman 

Cheryl Hanba Burke 

Edward Burtynsky 

Joe Buzzell 

Squeak Carnwath 

Matthew Carter 

Catherine Chalmers 

Young-Hae Chang 

Art Chantry 

Alison Chernick 

Dale Chihuly 

Benigna Chilla 

Brian Chippendale 

Alan Chochinov 

Seymour Chwast 

Lynne Cooke 

Emanuel Cooper 

Beatrice da Costa 

Char Davies 

Angela Davis 

Joe Davis 

Sheila Levrant de Bretteville 

Agnes Denes 

Judith Donath 

Jim Drain 

Mark Ecko 

Wendy Edwards 

Anne Ellegood 

Juan Enriquez 

Cindi Ettinger 

Eve Faulkes 

Dieter Feseke 

Martin Filler 

Spencer Finch 

Brian Finke 

Mary Flanagan 

John Craig Freeman 

Herbert Geis 

Shauna Gillies-Smith 

Roberto Gottardi 

Emmet Gowin 

Dan Graham 

Katherine Gray 

Malcolm Grear 

Lauren Greenfield 

Ric Grefé 

Peter Hall 

Nabeel Hamdi 

Ann Hamilton 

Rebecca Hannon 

Kirsten Hassenfeld 

Lois Hetland 

Brad Holland 

Anthony Huberman 

Erkki Huhtamo 

Gary Hustwit 

David Huycke 

Alexander Isley 

Alfredo Jaar 

Susan Jahoda 

Natalie Jeremijenko 

Tass Joannides 

Mike Johnson 

Michael Joo 

Piotr Kaczmarek 

Douglas Kahn 

Marguerite Kahrl 

Maira Kalman 

Jesal Kapadia 

Kevin Kelly 

Kristen Kieffer 

Michael Koch 

Michael Krueger 

Katja Kwastek 

Jean-Pierre Larocque 

Julie Lasky 

An-My Lê 

Chris Lefteri 

Sze Tsung Leong 

Charles Long 

Tim Love 

Rich Lowe 

Luba Lukova 

Rory MacDonald 

Tala Madani 

Tony Marsh 

Michael Mateas 

Jennifer and Kevin McCoy 

Malcolm McCullough 

Daniel Meadows 

Julie Mehretu 

Christian Moeller 

Helen Molesworth 

Clifton Monteith 

Jacek Mrowczyk 

Carter Mull 

Martina Mullaney 

Sina Najafi 

Paul Nakazawa 

Gunther Nitschlee 

Magdalena Odundo 

Jamisen Ogg 

Nel Pak 

Marcia Patmos 

Ruudt Peters 

Mark Pollack 

Monica Ponce de León 

Sharon Portelance 

Greta Pratt 

Mary Preston 

Paul Ramirez-Jonas 

Jack Risley 

Lisa Randall 

David Rokeby 

James Rosenquist 

Laurie Rosenwald 

Margie Ruddick 

Katie Salen 

Lisa Sanditz 

Judith Schaechter 

Veronika Schapers 

James Schriber 

Anna Schuleit 

Wang Shu 

Lisa Sigal 

Katrin Sigurdardottir 

Deborah Singer 

Michael Singer 

Jane Sisco and Clay McLaurin 

Maia Small 

Christina Smith 

Scott Snibbe 

Michael Snow 

Laura Solana 

DJ Spooky 

Pat Steir 

Martha Stewart 

Sumner Stone 

James Stroud 

Studio Ghibli 

Eve Sussman 

Mika Tajima 

Nader Tehrani 

Daniel Tetteh and 

Geraldine Blanchot 

Jack Toolin 

Gianni Toso 

Jacob Trollback 

Ileana Truneanu 

Susan Unterberg 

Jan van Toorn 

Merle Ukeles 

Catherine Wagner 

Martin Wattenberg 

Andy Wen 

Sissi Westerberg 

TJ Wilcox 

Lorranie Wild 

Veronica Wiman 

Terry Winters 

Wei Wo 

Krzysztof Wodiczko 

Dennie Palmer Wolf 

Alexi Worth 

Harumi Yukutake 

“ My work as a self-publishing 

artist is informed by what 

has come before me, from 

the 15th century on.” 

ANDREW RAFTERY 

Professor / Graduate Program Director / Printmaking 

Through my work, I am able to carry on 

the powerful tradition of the artist as a 

publisher. Throughout art history, from Dürer 

to Diana Mantuana to Hogarth — who lobbied 

Parliament to establish the first copyright 

laws for visual artists — there are compelling 

examples of how printmakers established 

their own agency within the larger culture. 

— 

In my prints, I aspire to create the complexities 

of a novel, with characters, humor and 

tone. I very much admire Jane Austen’s 

humor, and her criticism of the carefully 

controlled society of her time. She is an 

insider in the world she depicts, but stands 

to the side of it to criticize it. 

— 

When I do engraving, I want to see how far 

I can push the engraved line. Elaborate 

preliminary work allows me to focus on the 

invention required as the burin carves each 

line into the copper. The work responds to 

the monochromatic nature of the sculptural 

model and strictly respects the requirements 

of a black and white graphic medium. My 

compositions allow me to study my environment 

as I select and recreate elements 

essential to each picture. In the end, they 

satisfy me when they become fully realized, 

independent entities. I never sign them 

because they are not ultimately about me 

personally or any skills I bring to them. I feel 

they need to stand alone. 

— 

Professional artist: 

Known for his precision as a master engraver, Andrew 

Raftery is equally precise in the artistic observations 

of contemporary culture he conveys through 

meticulously detailed paintings and prints. He has 

been elected a member of the National Academy and 

recognized with a Guggenheim Fellowship, the 

American Academy of Arts and Letters Purchase 

Award and a Louis Comfort Tiffany Award. Raftery’s 

work is included in public and private collections 

throughout the world, including the Metropolitan, the 

Whitney and the British Museum.


15 

BEYOND THE 

WHITE WALL

16 

Excavating Ideas 

Although they spend long hours in the studio, RISD grad students are very 

much engaged in the world around them and interested in exploring the 

cultural, historical and social context for their work. All candidates for 

master’s degrees complete a written thesis with the goal of both 

articulating and synthesizing the ideas behind their studio work and of 

contributing to the development of new knowledge. 

“The written thesis constitutes a space that’s aligned with and 

dependent upon the work students do in the studio,” Goldberg explains. 

“But it’s explicitly another kind of space with different limits and terms. 

The thesis book itself is an artifact, part of RISD’s permanent, public 

BUBBLE 

DYNAMISM 

record, deposited in the RISD library, given a call number. It can be 

re-called and discovered. It can circulate and become part of a broader 

discourse, even beyond the boundaries of the institution.” 

Thesis review committees include selected RISD faculty along with 

outside professionals from a variety of fields, which creates a rich and 

exciting environment for multi-perspective critical discourse. 

“Written competence is essential to being a strong working artist and 

designer today,” says Anne West, an adjunct faculty member who has 

guided many students through the thesis writing process. Her book 

Mapping the Intelligence of Artistic Work summarizes her ideas about how 

to translate critical thinking and the creative process into a written 

narrative. By doing so, students “find their way to the bones underlying 

their work,” she observes. 

RISD’s longstanding relationship with neighboring Brown University 

PAUL SPROLL 

Professor 


Because of RISD’s and our interest in 

teaching and learning, the department of 

Teaching + Learning in Art + Design is acting 

as an institutional nexus within which both 

faculty and students explore studio-based 

pedagogy specific to schools, museums, 

community-based work, and very 

importantly, college and university work. 

We’ve created a rich forum around teaching 

and learning that is extraordinarily powerful 

in terms of the contribution it makes to 

graduate students and faculty within RISD, 

and to the larger community. 

— 

It’s so important for art educators 

to be engaged in the community of art and 

design and not isolated from it. You cannot 

deal with art education in a theoretical 

context only; you have to be working in the 

field. One project that we’re involved in right 

now is part of the Hope High School 

“ Being at RISD is 

an extraordinary 

experience. 

It fuels my passion 

for art and design 

education.” 

Partnership. That program, Project Open 

Door, provides a network of support for high 

school students from 9th grade through 

their entry to college — and beyond, we hope. 

This partnership really does engage us in 

changing public education in meaningful ways. 

As teachers we are change agents and we 

need to recognize that. Art and design is 

just one of the vehicles with which we can 

empower young people to take responsibility 

for their lives. 

— 

Professional consulting: 

Paul Sproll is a frequent presenter at national 

educational forums, an adviser to school districts, a 

consultant to arts organizations and educational 

publishers, and a regular panelist for national 

grants providers.

Rhode Island School of Design 

19 

“ The first loom I ever touched belonged 

to my grandmother, who immigrated from 

Russia in 1910. I learned early on how 

plain, functional objects can come to life 

through imagination.” 

MICHAEL RADYK 

MFA Textiles 

After 10 years as an independent 

craftsperson/artist I wanted to delve 

further into the study of textile design and 

was attracted to RISD’s approach to 

teaching. A quintessential example is a 

research project we did called ”What’s in the 

Air?” It’s designed to immerse you in what 

you’re interested in at that moment — 

influences from outside the design world as 

well as within it — and to teach you the skills 

and techniques to distill that broad focus 

into a collection of textiles. 

— 

The biggest change in my work has been 

in the use of advanced equipment and 

technology. Also, I’m using recycled and 

sustainable materials. Being at RISD has 

taken my work to conceptual places I 

couldn’t possibly have foreseen and has 

re-ignited in me just how fluid and dynamic a 

language textiles can be. 

Some of the most lasting lessons I’ll take 

with me were from doing the certificate 

program at the Sheridan Center for Teaching 

and Learning, and teaching over both 

Wintersessions. It was so valuable to work 

with students from different disciplines and 

see the way they use the same materials I do. 

That ended up contributing to my own work. 

— 

At RISD you work at full capacity and 

you work through ideas rapidly. I took a 

thesis writing course in the fall, and over 

Wintersession I realized I had to rewrite 

three-quarters of my thesis. You need to be 

ready for your work to be really challenged. 

— 

Undergraduate degree: 

BFA, Tyler School of Art, 

Temple University 

provides grad students with the opportunity to take courses there, make 

use of the university’s extensive libraries and other research facilities, and 

collaborate with Brown students and faculty working in a wide range of 

PERSONAL 

ANTHOLOGY OF 

PUBLIC SPACE 

fields. Programming at Brown’s Bell Gallery and the Granoff Center for the 

Creative Arts is often of interest to RISD students, as are lectures and 

performances by guest artists and other high-profile visitors. Selected 

studios are cross-listed at RISD and Brown, enabling RISD designers and 

Brown engineering majors or RISD painters and Brown bio-med students 

to exchange ideas and perspectives as they work together on assigned 

projects. In a spring 2012 course called Communicating Medical Risks, 

author, illustrator and RISD alumnus David Macaulay (known for such 

bestsellers as The Way Things Work) teamed up with a Brown Medical 

School doctor to bring RISD art and design students together with 

Brown students to look at improving healthcare delivery through better 

visual communications.

20 

THE ESSENCE OF 

JUXTAPOSITION 

Professional Working Environment 

From wood and metal shops, to glass furnaces and computerized looms, 

to CAD, audio and video studios, RISD offers a comprehensive array of 

sophisticated tools and equipment. Computer labs support high-end 

software and peripherals that facilitate advanced work in all departments. 

But access to the latest technologies doesn’t preclude hands-on work with 

more traditional tools, either. 

“RISD has a range of superb facilities,” notes an MFA candidate in 

Graphic Design. While she spends huge amounts of time designing on 

screen, she appreciates that RISD’s mix of traditional and cutting-edge 

tools and equipment offers unique advantages. “It’s always exciting to go 

to the type shop, where you can set lead type by hand,” she says. “Or you 

can learn bookbinding and use huge guillotine bookboard sheers. This 

kind of equipment is becoming a rarity, but working with these tools really 

gives you a sense of what a contemporary book is in a way that you 

wouldn’t otherwise understand.” 

Located in downtown Providence, the Fletcher Building and the 

adjacent Center for Integrative Technologies are home to 10 of the 16 

advanced degree programs, along with the Graduate Studies Office and 

the Sol Koffler Graduate Student Gallery. The other graduate programs are 

housed in nearby RISD buildings within easy walking distance.

“ Design and creative thinking are no longer 

considered outside the realm of commerce, 

so the business community is now hiring 

people with art degrees.” 

KYNA LESKI 

Professor / Department Head / Architecture 

My work straddles academia and 

architectural practice, which I don’t see as 

separate at all. For instance, during a recent 

rushed project we first met the client in 

November and had to complete 7,500 sf of 

space by May. To start building parts of a 

restaurant while a big chunk of it was 

unknown, everyone involved in the project 

had to move ahead with an abstract-level 

consensus. And that is exactly the way we 

work at RISD. I use this particular project to 

illustrate to students that despite the 

seemingly abstract approach they’ve 

developed, concrete, specific solutions are 

already in place. The only thing that’s not in 

place is their ability to recognize them, 

which happens over time. 

The Architecture Department benefits 

enormously from RISD’s immersion in the fine 

arts, design and art education. A community 

that understands the language of images and 

abstraction — and not only appreciates but 

requires imagination — is exactly the place to 

develop the faculties one needs to be 

creative in architectural design. 

— 

Professional practice: 

When not teaching at RISD, Kyna Leski is a principal 

of the award-winning architecture studio k3six0 

in Providence, where she also serves as the city’s 

architectural advisor to the Downcity Design 

Review Committee. 

kwww.3six0.com 


Recent Partners 

Conair / Dansk / DKNY 

DuPont Corian / Ecko / ESPN 

General Mills / Hasbro / Intel 

Italian Trade Commission 

Kimberly-Clark / LG Electronics 

Maytag / Microsoft / Morisawa 

NASA / New Balance / Nike 

P’kolino / Samsung / Swarovski 

Target / Timberland 

US Department of Energy 

Winsor & Newton 

FUTURE 

HISTORY 

Expanding Research Opportunities 

A growing number of commercial and nonprofit organizations are 

discovering the strategic importance of design and innovation to providing 

an edge in the marketplace. To support this burgeoning interest in 

design thinking, RISD works with the private sector, fellow educational 

institutions, nonprofits and governmental organizations to establish and 

manage collaborative research projects involving some of the best design 

thinkers in the world: RISD students, faculty and alumni. The projects 

on the following pages exemplify the type of partnerships undertaken in 

recent years. 

23 

In recent years, students 

have been involved in 

studio projects with 

partners as diverse 

as the Italian Trade 

Commission and the US 

Department of Energy. 

Textiles grad students 

teamed up with Apparel 

Design undergraduates 

to design and fabricate 

apparel using fine Italian 

fabrics and yarns (left), 

and others in a variety of 

departments designed 

and built a solar-powered 

home that is now 

installed at Portsmouth 

[RI] Abbey School.


25 

Sponsored 

Research: 

g-speak 

Background: When Oblong Industries approached 

RISD about beta-testing an innovative spatial operating 

environment [SOE] called g-speak, several professors 

immediately embraced the idea. Experimenting with a 

futuristic system that enables users to operate 

computers through simple movements and gestures 

rather than keyboards and mice is perfect fodder for 

grad students pursuing art and design fields driven by 

visual and tactile experiences. 

Project: Oblong generously donated and installed the 

beta version of g-speak at RISD as a means of putting it 

in the hands of exceptionally creative and open-minded 

thinkers. “We’re as concerned with design and humanist 

principles as with programming,” noted John Underkoffler, 

Oblong’s cofounder and chief scientist. “We came to 

RISD because these young thinkers aren’t hampered by 

old 20th-century ways of thinking, and will come up with 

forms, systems and designs beyond what Oblong alone 

can imagine.” 

“In rethinking a next-generation model for physically interacting 

with computers and information, we explored how to design in a 

3D gestural space and communicate with the computer in a more 

human and less digital way. By pushing the expressiveness of 3D 

virtual space as a medium and developing a series of interactive 

and reactive sketches, we discovered not just what was technically 

possible using the system, but what was emotionally possible.” 

KATE HOLLENBACH 

mfa graphic design 

Sponsored 

Internship: 

NASA 

Background: RISD’s Industrial Design Department has 

run a series of studios known as Design for Extreme 

Environments since it first connected with the NASA 

Rhode Island Space Grant Consortium in the early 

1990s. Research has focused on design challenges 

for space exploration, including, most recently, for 

various aspects of a future lunar module, a rover for 

travel on the moon’s surface and other human interface 

and habitat needs. 

Project: In preparation for the next manned mission to 

the moon, several students and recent graduates worked 

together to respond to a crucial design challenge from 

NASA’s Habitability & Human Factors Office: to keep 

astronauts from carrying potentially harmful dust from 

the moon’s surface into their lunar lander. Since the fine, 

sharp grains pose potentially serious health threats and 

could prove dangerous to mechanical and electrical 

systems, students focused on the design of a “suitlock,” 

creating an airlock with the astronauts’ space suits as an 

integral element in dust mitigation. Results of their 

research were delivered to the Johnson Space Center 

in Houston, where the ideas generated at RISD are 

being considered in the context of the landing module 

as a whole. 

“Even though there are lots of limitations when you’re designing 

something to work in outer space, this internship unleashed 

a lot of creativity in the group. Pushing around all the puzzle pieces 

and coming up with a solution was, in the end, really exciting.” 

GRETCHEN HOOKER 

mid industrial design 

“The knowledge and perspective NASA gains from our students’ 

work are really valuable, which is why they continue to want to 

work with us. And our students get a lot out of the experience, 

too — learning the techniques and skills to develop ideas, evaluate 

them and communicate the good ones to people outside the 

design field. They’re contributing directly to NASA’s goal of taking 

people back to the moon.” 

MICHAEL LYE 

bid ’96 industrial design 

Adjunct faculty/project leader


27 

krisdmuseum.org 

klibrary.risd.edu 

Extraordinary Teaching Museum 

RISD’s rigorous academic curricula are also augmented by exceptional 

PRESERVATION 

AS NARRATION 

campus-wide resources. The kRISD Museum of Art gives students access 

to more than 85,000 masterworks from around the world, ranging from 

ancient Greek, Roman and Chinese sculpture to French Impressionist 

paintings and contemporary art in every medium. Contemporary art 

programming includes continuous video screenings; special exhibitions 

such as Wunderground, which was dedicated to Providence’s underground 

arts scene; and artist’s talks and performances by such recent guests as 

Vito Acconci, Patty Chang, Ann Hamilton, Martha Rosler and Mika Tajima. 

Assisted by experts in seven curatorial departments, students are 

afforded hands-on experience with of some of the world’s finest works of 

art and design. Faculty members also take advantage of the museum’s 

remarkable holdings for teaching, encouraging students to consider the 

collection from a range of perspectives. In Object Lessons: The Artist and 

Designer in the Museum, Professor of Printmaking Andrew Raftery guides 

graduate students in using the collection to inform their own work. 

“The most important objective,” he explains, is “the internalization of a 

rigorous research ethic that is applicable to all art and design endeavors.” 

The department of Teaching + Learning in Art + Design Education offers 

Museum As Educator: Theory and Practice, a course illuminating the value 

of the museum as an educational tool and a socially transformative resource. 

Award-Winning Library 

Located on the first two floors of RISD’s largest student housing facility 

(at 15 Westminster Street), the kFleet Library at RISD is one of the most 

extensive and beautiful art and design resources in the world. RISD 

alumnus Nader Tehrani [b.arch ’86/architecture] and fellow principal 

Mónica Ponce de León of Office dA in Boston led the design team 

responsible for the inspired transformation of what was once an ornate, 

early-20th-century banking hall. Their concept for the space, which 

serves as an inviting campus “living room” as well as a center of study 

for scholars of art and design, earned a Library Building Award from 

the American Institute of Architects and the American Library Association, 

among other recognition. Jurors applauded it for being “beautifully 

detailed and crafted” and for providing “a welcome sociability.” 

The 55,000-square-foot library offers students access to 150,000 books, 

685,000 image and sound holdings, and a specialized collection of 1,200 

artists’ books. The library is a strong draw for graduate students, offering 

an inviting place to get together, exchange ideas, do research and explore 

new interests. In the new library “the material is visible and accessible,” 

notes Patrizia Pilosi [mfa graphic design]. “I can see what interests me 

and I feel propelled to go deeper into my own research.” 

Intimate concerts 

often take place in the 

RISD museum’s main 

gallery, where historic 

masterpieces are 

presented in salon style. 

The library’s main 

reading room is on the 

National Register of 

Historic Places, yet 

offers a comfortable, 

relaxed atmosphere.


29 

knaturelab.risd.edu 

Unique Nature Lab 

One of RISD’s most intriguing campus resources offers hands-on access 

to the wonders of design in nature. Edna W. Lawrence [risd diploma ’20/ 

painting], a longtime faculty member, established the kNature Lab 

in 1937 with items of natural history she discovered on extensive 

collecting forays. From its small-scale beginnings, the collection of 

objects has grown to number more than 80,000 specimens, including 

shells, skeletons, live plants and small animals; preserved birds, insects, 

mammals, reptiles and crustaceans; seedpods, pressed leaves, wood 

and feathers. 

A SLIENT 

DIALOGUE 

Study equipment includes dissecting and compound microscopes, 

computers and workstations for video and photo microscopy, and 

freeze-drying machines. Painter Matt Bollinger [mfa painting], 

who worked as a grad assistant in the Nature Lab, learned through the 

assigned task of pest control that certain insects had more to teach him 

about his approach to painting than he could have imagined. When 

sculptor Audra Wolowiec [mfa sculpture] worked in the lab as an 

assistant curator for the Arthur Loeb Collection (a set of fascinating 

geometric objects that provide a hands-on teaching model for exploring 

three-dimensional space), she discovered that the experience led to 

“a deeper dialogue” with her own work as an artist. 

Thanks to a generous gift from the Austrian lighting company Zumtobel, 

which is known for its exquisite museum lighting, the Nature Lab’s 

collection is more visible and accessible than ever before. The new 

energy-efficient lighting is highly adjustable and makes the collection 

come alive. It also complements the lab’s recent expansion: with the 

addition of a dedicated classroom reserved for studio use of the collection, 

the Nature Lab is ideally equipped to support RISD’s emphasis on 

research and inquiry. 

Students such as Matt 

Bollinger [MFA PAINTING] 

have discovered an invaluable 

resource in the Edna W. 

Lawrence Nature Lab.


31 

Located on the first floor 

of the Chace Center, the 

risd|works store features 

artwork and products 

designed by RISD alumni 

and faculty members. 

INFRASTRUCTURES 

FOR COMMUNITY 

A Central Hub 

RISD’s newest building, the Chace Center, melds student and museum 

exhibition galleries, an auditorium and other public venues with studios, 

classrooms and collection conservation areas, creating a welcoming 

center where art is made, studied and enjoyed. Designed by worldrenowned 

architect José Rafael Moneo, the building makes eloquent use 

of the language of architecture to unite disparate activities and 

architectural styles into a coherent whole. His design of this 43,000-sf 

LEED-certified structure resolves issues of circulation, cross-pollination 

and public access, offering both a literal and a figurative front door to 

RISD and its museum. 

Located on the second floor of the five-story building, the Jacques and 

Natasha Gelman Student Exhibitions Gallery and the Student Media 

Gallery within it offer students exceptional venues for showcasing their 

work in the heart of campus. Graduate students are particularly active 

in this space, curating provocative group shows of work by their peers. 

As an added plus, these exhibitions get a lot of extra foot traffic given 

the ideal location of the galleries—with the main entrance to the RISD 

Museum on the floor above and the risd|works store and a public 

lecture hall on the floor below. 

Spanish architect José 

Rafael Moneo designed 

RISD’s Chace Center as 

a spare, contemporary 

connecting hub that 

melds beautifully 

with the historic 

architecture around it. 

The fourth floor of the 

Chace Center houses 

the Minskoff Center 

for Prints, Drawings, 

and Photographs. The 

space was designed 

to preserve one of the 

Museum’s most-used and 

largest collections, while 

offering well-lit study and 

classrooms for students 

to explore these works of 

art. The Gelman Student 

Exhibitions Gallery on 

the second floor offers 

a large, centrally located 

space where graduate 

students curate and 

mount a nonstop series 

of group exhibitions of 

work by their peers.

Welcome 

to the 

Conversation 

RISD’s graduate programs are challenging and 

demanding. They require a strong sense of focus 

and determination. In return, they have much 

to offer. The sense of belonging and contributing 

to a creative community is exhilarating and 

rewarding, engendering a spirit of openness that 

informs every aspect of conversation at RISD — 

whether that conversation takes place in a seminar, 

over lunch at a downtown café or in a studio at 

2 am. In fact, as countless alumni and students 

attest, the intellectual and creative challenges 

inherent in graduate study at RISD make this 

the place to be.

34 35 rhode island school of design

36 

37 

The 

Learning 

Environment 

ENHANCING 

UNCONSCIOUS 

DESIGN ACTIVITY 

At RISD the graduate experience doesn’t begin or end in the studio or 

classroom. In the course of walking to and from studios every day, you will 

find that the city can have a profound effect on your state of mind and 

sense of well-being. Its cobblestone streets, ornate architectural details, 

spontaneous art installations, outdor concerts and events like kWaterFire 

create an engaging and exciting environment in which to live. 

Providence provides an interesting mix of architecture, culture, 

nightlife and other urban amenities, and is easily navigable by bike, bus or 

car. RISD’s downtown and hillside campus and the neighborhood that 

houses it are also especially welcoming to foot traffic. As a place where 

Colonial history meets the latest in contemporary design, Rhode Island’s 

capital city is home to seven colleges as well as to waterfront parks, good 

ethnic restaurants, dance and theater companies, and extraordinary 

historic architecture. 

This is particularly true of the East Side, where RISD and Brown 

University, one of the country’s leading liberal arts institutions, share 

adjacent campuses. In addition to cross-registration and dual degree 

opportunities, Brown offers RISD students access to its athletic facilities, 

libraries, galleries and special events. 

“Providence is a largely academic city, which creates a dynamic environment 

for studying,” notes Brandon Miller [mfa graphic design]. “You’ve 

got Brown and RISD commingling on College Hill, and a lot of facilities 

that cater to the needs of students.” New Yorker Christopher Robbins [mfa 

digital + media] agrees, and adds that much to his surprise, “Providence 

has turned out to be a city that I really enjoy as a place. Now, if it came down 

to it, I’d rather live in Providence than in New York. It’s accessible, with 

interesting neighborhoods. The river is great, and there are venues where 

you can bring your dog.” 

Arts-oriented Community 

Beyond the academic haven on the hill, Providence is known for being 

unusually welcoming to artists and the arts, perhaps because so many 

RISD alumni choose to live in Rhode Island after graduating. Notable 

among the city’s creative outlets is kAS220, a thriving nonprofit arts 

organization that supports four gallery spaces, live/work studios for artists, 

a performance space, a community darkroom, and a bar, café 

and restaurant. Further west is the kSteel Yard, an industrial arts space 

run by a number of RISD alumni and other community arts advocates. 

Taking advantage of one of the city’s many former factories and mills, the 

Steel Yard offers classes and hosts special events, lectures and parties. 

In addition, the city’s galleries are especially welcoming to the work of 

emerging artists. Spaces such as Firehouse No. 13 and Stairwell Gallery — 

both in the West End — are minutes away from the museums and galleries 

at RISD and Brown. On the third Thursday of every month, many of these 

kwaterfire.org 

kas220.org 

kthesteelyard.org


39 

kgallerynight.info 

krisdmuseum.org 

krisdworks.com 

venues stay open late for Providence’s popular kGallery Night. Favorite 

stops include the kRISD Museum of Art, RISD’s Sol Koffler Graduate 

Student Gallery downtown and the Gelman Student Exhibition Gallery. 

krisd | works, a retail gallery and showroom of artwork and products by 

RISD alumni and faculty, also attracts plenty of visitors on Gallery Night 

REVEALING THE 

CONCEALED 

and throughout the year. 

On campus, various academic departments operate specialized 

galleries with frequent openings that bring together students, faculty and 

outside visitors. And since Providence is ideally situated between Boston 

and New York, grad students often travel north or south for the day or 

weekend to check out current exhibitions at major museums and galleries. 

Many departments help facilitate graduate student exhibitions at galleries 

in Soho, Chelsea, the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn and other parts 

of New York. The departments of Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, 

Textiles, Photography, Furniture Design, Glass and Digital+Media have 

all sponsored various exhibitions in Boston or NYC in recent years. 

Studio-Related Activities 

The final year at RISD culminates in the Graduate Thesis Exhibition, an 

annual event open to the public. RISD mounts this exhibition at the 

Rhode Island Convention Center in downtown Providence—in a 

10,000-square-foot space that draws crowds from Boston, New York and 

throughout southern New England. 

Beyond the studio, grad students choose to interact with one another 

both informally and through organized activities. The Graduate Student 

Alliance (GSA), a student-run organization with representatives from all 

graduate programs, works to support an intellectually, creatively and 

socially engaged student body. Through regular meetings and events, it 

provides a lively forum for graduate students to share their thoughts and 

ideas. The GSA sponsors popular open studio events each semester, 

get-togethers at local bars and restaurants, informal exhibitions and the 

RISD Grad Book (RGB), an annual publication. The group also works closely 

with the Division of Graduate Studies, the Center for Student Involvement 

and the undergraduate Student Alliance to support a variety of student 

initiatives.


41 

“ Everything I’ve done at RISD — the classes 

I’ve taken, the teaching I’ve done, the 

projects I’ve been involved in — has positively 

influenced my work.” 

HEATHER MCPHERSON 

MFA Painting 

I came here straight from undergraduate 

school because I wanted the level of critical 

rigor that graduate school is known for. I 

was especially attracted to RISD as a vital, 

breathing art school because the number 

of concentrations that thrive here produces 

a lot of richness. 

— 

There’s a deep questioning that goes 

on at RISD and invariably results in big 

changes in most people’s work. I came in 

making abstract works, but in the process 

of homing in on what’s compelling to me, 

my source material and my research became 

more explicit and my paintings became less 

abstract. 

— 

In Andrew Raftery’s class Object Lessons, 

which is taught in the RISD Museum, we 

reconsidered the meaning of research to us 

as visual artists. I researched the “breakfast 

still life” genre of 17th-century Dutch 

painting because of the different 

interpretive modes the paintings demand 

and the issues of materiality they raise. The 

project opened me up to ideas I hadn’t 

encountered in any other context. 

— 

One of the most important lessons I’ll leave 

RISD with is how to make a sustainable 

studio practice. Learning how to exercise the 

rigor, responsibility and criticality you need 

to impose on yourself without letting it 

cripple the process of making art has been a 

big part of these precious two years. 

— 


BFA, Washington University 

Jack Lenk 

INDIANS 

ASTRONAUTS 

AND MAGIC


43 

Studio Life 

Graduate students tend to be so immersed in their work that they happily 

spend huge amounts of time in the studio. It can be intense, but it’s also 

often exhilarating and the atmosphere is supportive and collegial. 

Unlike most undergrads, many graduate students are married or in 

long-term relationships. Some have kids and other family responsibilities, 

but regardless of individual circumstances, grad students are united in 

their passion for the creative process and their honest interest in each 

I SEE WHAT YOU 

DID THERE 

other’s work. 

“When we’re working in the studio we’re always looking at each other’s 

work and having informal critiques and conversations about art and other 

things,” says Emily Hui [mfa textiles].“You improve your own work by 

feeding off each other’s interests and conversations, and you get critical 

feedback as well as support and encouragement.” 

Grad students are also an integral part of the broader campus 

community, serving as mentors and role models to undergraduate 

students and making use of great campus resources like the RISD Career 

Center, which offers individual counseling along with seminars, 

workshops and conferences. After graduation, RISD’s network of alumni 

groups—with chapters on five continents and in every major city and 

region in the United States—serves as a valuable resource for continuing 

personal and professional connections in your field. 

The Basics 

Engaged as they are in studio work, students also appreciate good food 

and affordable housing. Some grad students opt to share apartments 

in historic two- and three-story homes close to campus and to great 

restaurants, shops and other favorite hangouts on Thayer and Wickenden 

streets. Others choose to live in one of RISD’s many on-campus housing 

facilities in close proximity to fellow students and studios, workshops 

and labs. Overlooking the Providence River, 15 West offers nine floors of 

housing options ranging from shared suite-style apartments to more 

private lofts. A number of grad students live at Charles Landing, a recently 

renovated, 122-unit RISD-run apartment complex within easy walking 

distance of core campus facilities. Grad students are also welcome to 

participate in dining plans or eat à la carte at the five RISD-operated dining 

facilities and cafés, which offer fresh foods and varied menus along 

with convenience and a laid-back atmosphere. 

Given the close-knit graduate community at RISD, students find that 

they interact at various levels almost 24/7. “Collaboration and critiques 

don’t just happen during class time,” says Isaac Gertman [mfa graphic 

design]. “It’s a running dialogue that happens in the studio, at a crit, at 

a bar. I mean, isn’t that what grad school is all about?”


45 

SCHIZOPHRENIC 

TELEOLOGY 

“ There’s a real mutual respect in class 

in that professors let us know we’re 

investigating the subject matter together. 

I really appreciate that mentality at RISD.” 

MONICA MARTINEZ 

MFA Sculpture / President’s Scholar 

RISD is constantly reconsidering the best 

use of resources, and I think that’s getting 

into my work subconsciously. I used to 

work with metal and wood that I bought, 

but now I’m more aware of using and 

reusing materials. 

— 

I’m interested in informal economies and 

architectures that develop outside 

traditional market systems and am using the 

connection RISD has with Brown to take 

excellent classes in economics there. I like 

researching new economies because they 

keep growing, and for me as a visual artist, 

this means there are no boundaries on 

personal growth and exploration. 

— 

When we read the work of Italian philoso– 

pher Giorgio Agamben in a Critical Issues 

class, I started thinking more about 

perception. He points out that before 

children learn to reason and talk they 

perceive the world through objects, which 

are usually scaled replicas of the adult world 

— little kitchens, toy doctor sets and things 

like that. These ideas inspired me to begin 

making new work that includes the language 

of toys. 

— 

Studio critiques involve discussions not 

only at the conceptual level, but also in 

terms of physical process and materials, 

as well as what’s going on in the commercial 

art world, in public art, in design and architecture, 

and in the larger world in general. 

— 


BA, Massachusetts College of Art


47 

BETWEEN A ROCK 

AND A VIRTUAL 

PLACE

48 

USED OBJECTS 

AS UNCOVERED 

NARRATIVES 

“ It’s amazing the kinds of doors that 

are open to us as RISD graduate students. 

This is a magical place.” 

ZEKE LEONARD 

MFA Furniture Design 

My undergraduate training is in theatrical 

set design, and after 10 years in New York 

I thought, “I’m doing something wrong. 

Rather than make beautiful things and put 

them in the garbage, I want to figure out a 

way to take garbage and give it another life.” 

— 

As a set designer I learned that actors 

unconsciously move in particular ways 

depending on what they’re moving around. 

My thesis, Slow. Down.: Set Design in 

Domestic Theater, is about making furniture 

that encourages the user to slow down, be 

more contemplative, be more present in the 

moment. I made a dining table, for example, 

in the hope that given the choice between 

dinner in front of the TV or lighting a few 

candles and sitting at the table, you would 

choose the table. The domestic “theater” is 

home, where we get to be our own set 

designer, director, choreographer, musical 

director and costume designer. 

— 

These two years at RISD have profoundly 

changed how I think about design. My 

approach has become more thoughtful, more 

stripped down. That’s part of why I start with 

the material. I use a lot of found stuff and 

make one-of-a-kind pieces using the material 

as my script. 

— 

My biggest regret about RISD is that I 

haven’t done a quarter of the things I wish I 

could have. No matter how many openings 

you attend, how much work you see, how 

many lectures you go to, there are always 

two or three more that you couldn’t get to. 

— 


BFA, North Carolina School of the Arts


51 

“ People in the Graphic Design program come 

back to school for the love of design and 

because they’re rethinking themselves.” 

CHRIS RO 

MFA Graphic Design / President’s Scholar 

I came to graduate school to kick-start my 

heart. After six years working in architecture 

and then graphic design, I’ve been given the 

chance to reinvent myself here. RISD has 

introduced me to aspects of design that I 

was previously unexposed to, and being here 

has made me appreciate design in a whole 

new way. It has also expanded my sense of 

the field, which now extends beyond 

interactive design to include things like the 

book and typography as mediums for design. 

— 

I’m interested in the phenomena of 

simplicity and complexity and the point 

where they start to meet. Through experimentation, 

I’ve found how systems can apply 

to chaos and where chaos meets simplicity, 

and vice versa. 

I’ve also been exploring everyday, ubiquitous 

things and adding richness and complexity to 

make them become something else. For 

example, I created a pointillist version of the 

typeface Helvetica, so the semblance of the 

font is still there but the experience of it is 

changed. 

— 

What’s come to matter to me over these 

two years is the sense of possibility. Being 

here has opened me up. I can tackle a lot 

more than I could before. After graduation 

I’m going to freelance, which is very broad, 

but it’s the possibilities that are most 

exciting to me right now. 

— 


BArch, Architecture, University of California, Berkeley 

INTRODUCING 

INFLATED 

INHABITATION

52 53 rhode island school of design 

GRADUATE 

PROGRAMS 

IN DETAIL 

WWW.RISD.EDU

54 


55 

Laura Blosser 

Joshua Lantzy and Benjamin Phillips 

ARCHITECTURE 

Greg Nemes 

Cristle Castillo

56 Graduate Studies 


57 

Architecture M.ARCH I 

Ceramics 

MFA 

Department Head 

Graduate Program Director 

Department Head + Graduate Program Director 

Professor Kyna Leski 

Professor Christopher Bardt 

Assistant Professor Katy Schimert 

BA/BArch, The Cooper Union 

BFA, BArch, Rhode Island School of Design 

BA, University of the Arts 

MArch, Harvard University Graduate School of Design 

MArch, Harvard University Graduate School of Design 

MFA, Yale University 

RISD’s Master of Architecture program is one 

of the few in the United States embedded in 

a college of art and design. Here, architecture 

is taught in a way that understands the practice 

of design and making as a thoughtful, reflective 

process that both engenders and draws from 

social, political, material, technological and 

cultural agendas. Its goal is to empower 

students to exercise their creativity by 

equipping them to succeed in the client-based 

practice of architecture, while understanding 

their role as cultural creators. 

More than 40 full- and part-time faculty 

members work with approximately 100 

students in the professionally accredited 

M.Arch I program, providing criticism and 

support through critiques, informal reflection 

and discussion. Visiting professors culled from 

around the country and the world complement 

the full range of academic, research-based 

and professional practice. 

M.Arch I candidates come to RISD with 

various degrees of fluency in visual, verbal, 

construction-based and technical expression. 

Based on a three-year course of study (or two 

years for those who qualify for the Advanced 

Standing track), the curriculum builds on 

fundamental areas underpinning the creative 

practice of architecture: representation and 

fabrication; technologies and professional 

ethics; history and theory; and design and the 

process of projecting architecture. Throughout 

the program, ideas are expressed not only 

discursively but through actual production. 

Students take a challenging, three-semester 

sequence of core studios involving group and 

individual efforts, manual and physical labor, 

digital- and hand-production, and abstract and 

concrete thinking. These courses challenge 

preconceptions in order to reconsider the 

intertwining intellectual, intuitive and physical 

factors involved in architecture. Since graduate 

and undergraduate curricula are connected at 

RISD, the department offers a powerful synergy 

between the exuberance and fearlessness of the 

undergraduates, and the thoughtfulness, 

articulation and experience levels of the 

graduate students. The resulting learning 

environment is an ideal preparation for the 

highly collaborative practice of architecture. 

M.Arch I Graduation Requirements 

kprofessional internship 

kdegree project 

kwritten thesis 

kparticipation in RISD’s Graduate Thesis Exhibition 

risd.edu/architecture 

This two-year, studio-based graduate program 

offers a contemporary, urban context for 

rigorous investigation and dialogue in support 

of individual artistic development. Graduate 

students engage in independent studio work 

in ceramics both on campus and off — through 

field research in New York, Boston, rural 

Rhode Island and Japan. 

Graduate candidates are professionally 

committed, materially articulate, intellectually 

curious and open. Grounded in global and 

cultural awareness, they pursue areas of 

practice and research in pottery, sculpture, 

installation, design, architectural ceramics, 

decoration, community-engaged work, 

collaboration and other diverse ceramic 

processes and ideas. 

Through active participation in studio critiques 

and seminars, graduate students investigate 

the social, historical, philosophical and technical 

foundations of ceramics, critical theory and 

contemporary issues. They learn to articulate 

their ideas through written and verbal 

communication as well as visual presentation. 

Throughout the program, RISD’s internationally 

known faculty and an impressive roster of visiting 

artists offer constructive critical feedback. 

Graduate study at RISD — and the inherent 

invitation to un-ground and reinvent personal 

processes and thinking through risk-taking — 

occurs in the privacy of individual studio spaces, 

through independent research and experimentation 

with new processes and ideas in 

consultation with faculty advisors, as well as 

through inspiring interaction with peers. Many 

graduate students also choose to take advantage 

of opportunities to enrich and broaden their 

practice through interdisciplinary work. 

RISD’s ceramics studios and facilities 

support the production of advanced work 

through state-of-the-art computerized Blaauw 

gas car and electric kilns; a mobile raku kiln; 

a computer lab and software for remote kiln 

control and monitoring, glaze calculation and 

database manipulation; wheels; a slab roller; 

extruders; a ram press; a clay mixing room; and 

newly refurbished plaster and glaze labs. 

Graduation Requirements 

ksignificant body of studio work 

k written thesis 


risd.edu/ceramics


59 

Kevin Nelson-Bouck 

Katherine Walton 

CERAMICS 

Euri Huang 

Nicole Aquillano

60 Digital+Media 


61 

DIGITAL+MEDIA 

Timothy O’Keefe 

The Brothers Mueller 

Yuyu Chen



63 

Digital + Media 


Furniture Design 





Associate Professor Kelly Dobson 

Professor John Dunnigan 

Associate Professor Lothar Windels 

BFA, Cornell University 

BA, University of Rhode Island 

BA, Technische Universität, Darmstadt, Germany 

MS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

MFA, Rhode Island School of Design 

BFA, BID, Rhode Island School of Design 

MA, Royal College of Art, London, England 

RISD’s Digital + Media Department attracts 

a diverse group of talented, intellectually 

engaged graduate students for inter- and 

trans-disciplinary exploration in the digital 

arts. The curriculum enables students 

to investigate innovative approaches to 

contemporary theory and practice, and 

fosters both individual inquiry and highlevel 

collaboration. The primary objective 

of the program is to prepare creative critical 

thinkers to become leaders in their fields. 

Structured to promote thought and work 

that crosses traditional lines between 

disciplines, the Digital + Media curriculum 

challenges students to consider nonstandard 

approaches to the computer as a creative 

and expressive medium. Study of technology, 

art and design is balanced with inquiry 

grounded in conceptual, critical, social, 

cultural and historical considerations. 

Digital + Media students research specific 

areas of interest, including new forms of 

sensing and physical interface production, 

experimental games, augmented reality, 

motion graphics, electronic music and sound 

arts, hybrid architectural/media environments, 

experimental industrial design, 

wearable computing, digitally articulated 

sculpture and responsive environments. 

Overall, students in the program work to 

hybridize, redefine and rearticulate form 

and meaning in the digital arts. 

Drawn from many disciplines, Digital + 

Media professors are top practitioners in 

the field who complement their own 

perspectives on the latest trends in digital 

media production with those of visiting 

artists and lecturers. In addition to regular 

coursework, students have an opportunity 

to gain experience in teaching; assist in 

faculty research; explore potential exhibition 

opportunities; and engage in research and 

collaboration with peers at other institutions. 


kmajor thesis project (either individual 

or team-based) 

kwritten thesis (including multimedia 

documentation) 


risd.edu/digital_media 

digitalmedia.risd.edu 

The graduate program in Furniture Design 

supports each student’s artistic development 

and articulation of design philosophy through 

the conception, design and construction 

of furniture and related objects. The work 

produced ranges from one-of-a-kind objects, 

to designs for limited or mass production, 

to experimental, conceptually based projects. 

The constant behind the work is aesthetic 

considerations in conjunction with fluent use 

of materials and processes to support individual 

design concepts. 

Students fabricate their works in our studios 

and take advantage of the rich manufacturing 

resources in the region. In addition to studio 

work, graduate seminars offer students an 

opportunity to explore contemporary theory 

and broaden their awareness of issues 

informing their development. Designs are 

refined through numerous reviews and 

critiques with faculty, students and invited 

guest critics. Opportunities are provided to 

participate in sponsored research studios 

and departmental exhibitions at venues such 

as Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan 

and the ICFF New York. 

During the first year, students are exposed 

to a variety of conceptual approaches to 

furniture and encouraged to expand their 

thinking, redefining functional and aesthetic 

considerations through design, material 

and making investigations. The curriculum 

challenges students to question their 

perception of furniture design, examine 

the changing role of objects in relation to 

culture and prompt inquiry into their 

own design philosophy and contribution 

to the field. 

Over their course of study, MFA candidates 

in Furniture Design produce a thesis body of 

work and accompanying written document. 

The thesis is an articulation of the graduate 

process, simultaneously aiding self-definition 

and demonstrating a personal point of 

view. MFA candidates are also required to 

mount a professional solo exhibition. Their 

personally selected thesis committee assists 

in developing a timeline for the exhibition 

based on assessments of each student’s 

proposal and progress. In addition, graduating 

students exhibit in RISD’s annual Graduate 

Thesis Exhibition. 




kprofessional solo exhibition of final work 


risd.edu/furniture

64 Furniture Design 


65 

Tyson Atwell 

Brendan Keim 

Taylor McKenzie-Veal 

FURNITURE 

DESIGN 

Iliahi Anthony


67 

Mara Streberger 

Josephina Munoz Torres 

DH McNabb 

GLASS 

Phoebe Stubbs



69 

Glass 


Graphic Design 






Professor Bruce Chao 

Assistant Professor Jocelyne Prince 

Professor Nancy Skolos 

Professor Bethany Johns 

BFA, MFA, Rhode Island School of Design 

BFA, Nova Scotia College of Art & Design 

BFA, Cranbrook Academy of Art 

BA, University of Iowa 




At RISD glass is considered both an artist’s 

material with remarkable expressive range and 

a studio discipline imbued with limitless 

potential, incorporating sculpture, architecture, 

design, craft and decorative art. The two-year 

MFA program is designed to assist talented 

individuals in developing a distinctly personal 

aesthetic through vigorous studio experimentation, 

continual source research, regular 

critiques and a series of graduate seminars 

focused on contemporary art theory and 

criticism. 

RISD’s Glass faculty is a diverse and respected 

group of professionals who are practicing 

artists as well as dedicated educators. In 

encouraging studio work and experimentation 

in terms of concept, process and material, they 

help students to develop practices that 

demonstrate their understanding of both 

contemporary art issues and the diverse and 

extensive history of art and glass. Studio 

instruction takes place in group meetings and 

tutorials with resident faculty and visiting 

artists and critics. Two core seminars, Advanced 

Critical Issues and the Glass Degree Program 

Workshop, bring students into direct contact 

with noted professionals in the field through 

discussion, critiques and workshops. 

Graduate students have full access to a 

complete glass facility in RISD’s Metcalf 

Building, where they often work side by side 

with undergraduate glass majors in our 

well-equipped hot shop, cold shop, kiln room 

and plaster room. The atmosphere is one of 

respect and collaboration, which fosters a 

unique working environment. Individual 

graduate studio spaces are located downtown 

in the Fletcher Building, home to other fine arts 

graduate studios for Sculpture, Photography, 

Painting and Printmaking. 

In addition to the two-year MFA program, 

the Glass Department offers a one-year postbaccalaureate 

curriculum to accommodate 

students with different levels of technical, 

conceptual and theoretical experience through 

individually tailored courses of study. 




kindependent thesis exhibition 


risd.edu/glass 

RISD’s graduate program in Graphic Design 

prepares students for professional practice 

by emphasizing the role of social context, 

media and aesthetics in the production of 

visible language systems. As a reflection of 

the discipline itself, our program encourages 

a nimble and intelligent response to constant 

change and burgeoning technology, while 

building a strong foundation of formal, 

aesthetic and analytical knowledge. 

MFA candidates choose between two program 

tracks: a two-year option for students entering 

with undergraduate degrees in graphic design 

or other visual communication, and a three-year 

option for those with degrees in liberal arts, 

the sciences or fine arts. Built on a sequence 

of required courses, the curricula for both also 

allow for tailoring individual courses of study 

through cross-disciplinary electives. 

The Graduate Studio sequence explores the 

range of skills and activities within the design 

process, from an initial visual/verbal response 

to content to the narrative shaping and communication 

of messages. Students in both tracks 

meet in the Graduate Seminar sequence, which 

initially builds a sophisticated sense of context 

through discussion of design history and 

contemporary critical issues, and later helps 

in developing individual approaches to the 

exploration, investigation and construction 

of a well-designed thesis proposal. 

Individual thesis investigation is central to 

the final year of MFA study and culminates in 

the comprehensive presentation of original 

design work and research relevant to the 

contemporary context. Guest critics participate 

throughout the year and in the year-end thesis 

review—a forum for critical dialogue focused on 

each student’s contribution to the field of 

graphic design. 

The department’s accomplished professors 

extend the energy and ideas graduate students 

bring to the studio and foster generative 

thinking and making. In addition, visiting 

designers offer varied models for critical 

practice and introduce students to resources 

in the larger design world. 





risd.edu/graphic_design

70 Graphic Design 


71 

Anther Kiley 

Andrew LeClair 

GRAPHIC 

DESIGN 

Colin Frazer and Eugene Park 

James Grady

72 Industrial Design 

melt 

Rhode Island School of Design 73 

Bolun Yang 

Kate Elizabeth 

INDUSTRIAL 

DESIGN 

Kyung Hoon Hyun 

Emily Rothschild



75 

Industrial Design 

MID 


MA + MDes 





Associate Professor Adam Smith 

Associate Professor Beth Mosher 

Professor Liliane Wong 

Assistant Professor Markus Berger 

BFA, Rhode Island School of Design 

BA, University of Chicago 

BA, Vassar College 

Diploma, Technische Universitat Wien, Austria 

MFA, University of Illinois 

M.Arch, Harvard University Graduate School of Design 

The Master of Industrial Design program 

explores design as a vehicle for addressing 

social, cultural, environmental and other 

concerns. The program recognizes that design 

is no longer simply a professional service, but 

rather a way of connecting our interests and 

values to a social framework. The most 

fundamental design opportunities facing 

industry today are those promoting the 

preservation of our environment and a better 

understanding of human behavior. 

For candidates who do not have an 

undergraduate degree in Industrial Design, 

the department offers a 2 1/2-year program in 

which students begin their studies midyear — 

during Wintersession and spring semester — 

in order to gain the necessary foundation in 

design, materials and visual communication 

methodologies specific to Industrial Design. 

The core two-year MID program provides 

students with an environment for testing and 

developing critical thinking and problem 

solving skills. During the first year, faculty 

members propose a series of projects intended 

to enhance and expand individual industrial 

design methodologies, both through direct 

practice and discussions regarding case studies 

and product history. This helps to define 

personal value systems, working methodologies 

and the means of effectively engaging 

audiences in dialogue. 

Projects during the first year help identify 

each student’s design interests and subsequent 

thesis topic. Graduate students are expected 

to demonstrate a high level of independence, 

motivation and competence in developing the 

physical and ideological aspects of their thesis 

work. Since the study of history and theory 

is fundamental to the program, it is used to 

complement, support and inform these final 

projects. A series of seminars on relevant 

contemporary issues encourages dialogue 

among students as they develop their own 

perspectives on design. 

Thesis topics cover a broad range of fields, 

from product and furniture explorations to 

design for aerospace and medical applications. 

Graduate students work independently under 

the guidance of a faculty advisor and thesis 

committee, and present their final work verbally, 

visually and in writing. They also participate 

in RISD’s Graduate Thesis Exhibition, which 

showcases individual bodies of work to the 

campus community and the general public. 


ksignificant body of thesis work 

koral and visual presentation 



risd.edu/id 

Interior Architecture is a field at the intersection 

of architecture, design of the built 

environment and conservation. At RISD the 

program takes an innovative and progressive 

approach to addressing design issues intrinsic 

to the reuse and transformation of existing 

structures. US News & World Report and Design 

Intelligence have both ranked RISD’s Interior 

Architecture program the top such graduate 

program in the country. 

Interior Architecture offers two degree 

options at the graduate level: a Master of Arts 

(MA) in Interior Architecture and a Master of 

Design (MDes) in Interior Studies (Adaptive 

Reuse). For students who have earned a BArch 

or first professional degree in Architecture, the 

MA program provides a specialized postprofessional 

education centered on adaptive 

reuse. It equips graduates to engage in the 

practice of adaptive reuse and incorporate 

strategies that emphasize social and 

environmental responsibility. 

The MA program is structured as an intensive 

immersion requiring a summer program 

followed by one full year of study. Through 

design studios, seminars and research-based 

practice, students hone their theoretical and 

design skills and understanding of relevant 

technologies. They demonstrate competency in 

this specialization through a self-directed Final 

Project, a two-part endeavor that begins with a 

research component in the fall that evolves into 

a studio/design component in the spring. 

For students with undergraduate degrees in 

fields other than architecture, the MDes program 

provides a unique design education on the 

alteration of existing structures through interior 

interventions and adaptive reuse, outside 

the confines of professional architectural 

licensure. The 2+ - year program enables 

graduates to become socially and environmentally 

responsible designers with 

specialized knowledge and understanding 

of adaptive reuse. 

The MDes program involves a sequence of 

five design studios and core support courses 

that provide the body of knowledge for 

understanding design and its implementation. 

Students demonstrate competency with these 

skills through self-directed Degree Projects 

that include a seminar on theory, a research 

component and a studio component. Each 

DP focuses on the transformation of an 

existing structure of their choice in the city 

of Providence. 

MA Graduation Requirements 

kfinal project (research + studio components) 


MDes Graduation Requirements 

k degree project (theoretical, research + studio 

components) 


risd.edu/interior_architecture

76 Interior Architecture 


77 

Caitlin Santone 

Jason Van Yperen 

LONGITUDINAL SECTION, 1:50 

INTERIOR 

ARCHITECTURE 

Erin Traux and Sandhya Jethnani 

Yeison Alarcon 

Aarti Karthuria & Srikirti Sreedhar


79 

Kate Furman 

Hye Yeon Park 

JEWELRY+ 

METALSMITHING 

Sophia Readling 

Lane Vorster



81 

Jewelry + Metalsmithing 


Landscape Architecture 

MLA 




Professor Robin Quigley 

Associate Professor Tracy Steepy 

Assistant Professor Scheri Fultineer 

BFA, Tyler School of Art 

BFA, Indiana University 

BA, Antioch University 


MFA, State University of New York–New Paltz 

MLA, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design 

RISD’s graduate program in Jewelry + Metalsmithing 

cultivates individual excellence by 

emphasizing rigorous research, material 

experimentation and creative practice. In order 

to produce meaningful work, graduate students 

are encouraged to question and investigate the 

forces that motivate them and to engage in 

critical discourse with faculty, their own peers 

and a wide range of visiting artists and critics. 

In addition to the standard two-year MFA 

program, the department also offers a one-year 

post-baccalaureate option based on one-on-one 

work with a designated faculty member. This 

allows candidates with diverse professional 

backgrounds and conceptual interests to gain 

technical proficiency and critical feedback 

through a year-long immersion in the program. 

Admission to either program is contingent on 

an applicant’s commitment, technical competence 

and desire to pursue art professionally. 

As an important supplement to studio classes, 

the graduate seminar addresses issues particular 

to the field, along with broader concerns in 

contemporary art. The seminar is structured 

around the analysis of readings, presentations 

and field trips, with the resulting discourse 

creating a bridge between theoretical concerns 

and hands-on making. 

With its small size and high ratio of faculty 

to students, the department offers focused, 

individual attention as students define their 

methodologies, delve into research areas of 

their own choosing and explore the intersections 

between art, craft and design. At RISD 

graduate students in Jewelry + Metalsmithing 

open up new, uncharted territory and 

demonstrate high levels of competency, setting 

the standard for the department as a whole. 



kartist book with written thesis 


risd.edu/jewelry 

Landscape architecture straddles the interface 

between the cultural and natural worlds, 

addressing design issues inherent in a range 

of typologies and scales, from specific sites 

to global systems. RISD’s program prepares 

students to critically examine the increasingly 

complex issues facing these environments 

and to develop innovative design solutions. 

To make a difference within the existing 

framework of landscape architectural practice, it 

is necessary to challenge the conventions of the 

profession and to redefine one’s role within it. 

With that in mind, the faculty expects MLA 

candidates to be committed to the concept of 

stewardship, mentally prepared to be pioneers, 

entrepreneurial in spirit, technically proficient 

and open to interdisciplinary discourse. 

RISD’s MLA program, which is fully accredited 

by the American Society of Landscape Architects, 

is unique in that it gives students access to a 

range of fine art and design courses and classes 

at Brown University, as well as to study abroad 

options and a six-week Wintersession. By sharing 

core courses, students in related departments 

such as Landscape Architecture, Architecture 

and Industrial Design develop a common 

language that serves as a foundation for crossdisciplinary 

discourse and encourages individual 

exploration and expression. 

At the core of the curriculum is the design 

studio, the forum for the investigation of 

aesthetic, ecological, cultural and technological 

issues. Students are challenged to think 

critically, work creatively and develop self-reliant 

design processes as they complement studio 

work with the study of drawing, history, 

theory, ecology, cultural geography, plants 

and technology. 

The department offers two degree paths: 

MLA I, a three-year program for students with 

undergraduate degrees in fields other than 

landscape architecture, and MLA II, a two-year 

program for students entering with accredited 

pre-professional degrees (BLA). Qualified 

applicants with previous degrees in architecture 

and related design fields may apply for the 

two-year advanced standing program within 

the MLA I. 

MLA Graduation Requirements 

kMLA thesis project 


kindependent thesis exhibition 


risd.edu/landscape_architecture

82 Landscape Architecture 


83 

Judy Tung 

LANDSCAPE 

ARCHITECTURE 

Falon Mihalic 

Adrian Flores 

Samantha Dabney

84 Painting 


85 

Astrid Toha 

Rachel Klinghoffer 

PAINTING 

Anthony Giannini 

Hilary Doyle



87 

Painting 


Photography 






Professor Holly Hughes 

Professor Duane Slick 

Associate Professor Steve Smith 

Assistant Professor Lisa Young 

BFA, State University of New York – New Paltz 

BFA, University of Northern Iowa 

BFA, Utah State University 

BFA, University of Illinois 

MFA, University of California – Davis 


MFA, Tufts University 

The two-year MFA program in Painting 

emphasizes individual critical and artistic 

development through intensive studio work. 

The department nurtures the potential of each 

student by promoting strong visual skills, keen 

critical reasoning and a clear understanding 

of historical, analytical and social contexts. 

The Painting faculty encourages students 

to engage in an individual search for meaning 

and representation. Ideas rooted in the 

tradition of the medium are examined and 

exchanged, challenged and refined. As students 

explore both the possibilities and realities 

of painting, they come to understand the full 

meaning and value of freedom of expression. 

The ultimate objective of the program is for 

each student to develop direction, purpose and 

critical thinking skills — all necessary for the 

creation of art and the individual’s future as 

an artist. 

Throughout their two years in residence at 

RISD, graduate students in Painting engage 

in critical dialogue with faculty, visiting artists 

and their peers through participation in group 

and individual critiques, seminar courses, 

lectures and field trips. The program culminates 

in the completion of a mature body of work 

accompanied by a written thesis. The studio 

component of the thesis project is included in 

the annual Graduate Thesis Exhibition. 

Graduate students in Painting are given 

24-hour access to private and semi-private 

studios in RISD’s Fletcher Building, a facility 

designed to promote interdisciplinary discourse 

with peers in other fine arts graduate programs. 

This building also offers critique spaces, a 

woodshop and a computer area for shared use. 





risd.edu/painting 

RISD’s MFA program in Photography offers 

two intensive years of individual research 

and creative activity. The program defines 

photography as an ever-changing set of 

technical, conceptual and aesthetic conditions 

that exist within a broad social and cultural 

context. Graduate students in the program 

develop visual and critical expertise through 

course work, seminars, independent studio 

work and critiques. Beyond individual work, 

they gain a deeper understanding of 

contemporary art practices and criticism. 

Students graduating from the MFA program 

are expected to achieve a high level of 

technical mastery and create a coherent body 

of visual work representing a sustained and 

sophisticated investigation of ideas. They are 

also required to write and speak fluently 

about their work and to frame their practice 

in historical and critical contexts. During the 

second year, candidates establish a thesis 

committee that guides them through the 

process of formulating their final exhibition 

and written thesis. 

State-of-the-art technical facilities allow 

for the exploration of film-based and digital 

photography, digital video and multimedia 

production. Each graduate student works 

in a personal studio space and shares a twoperson 

darkroom. 

Faculty members in Photography are 

accomplished working artists, scholars and 

educators with a passion for both teaching and 

their own studio work. Each faculty member 

brings his or her specialized area of research 

to the program; collectively they provide 

students with a wealth of visual, intellectual 

and technical expertise. In addition, nationally 

recognized artists, curators, critics and gallery 

directors visit regularly to critique student 

work and/or make presentations as part of the 

department’s T.C. Colley Lecture Series. 




kdepartmental thesis exhibition 


risd.edu/photography

88 

Photography Rhode Island School of Design 

89 

Dina Gavrysh 

Alan Charlesworth 

Jordan Baumgarten 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

Peter Croteau


91 

Jonathan Palmer 

Karen Lederer 

PRINTMAKING 

Amber Heaton 

Breanne Trammell 

Cole Swavely



93 

Printmaking 


Sculpture 






Associate Professor Henry Ferreira 

Professor Andrew Raftery 

Professor Ellen Driscoll 

Professor Dean Snyder 

BFA, University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth 

BFA, Boston University 

BA, Wesleyan University 

BFA, Kansas City Art Institute 



MFA, Columbia University 

MFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago 

Integrating new artistic and technical 

approaches to printmaking with the great 

historical traditions of the medium, this 

two-year program encourages individual 

artistic growth through exploration of printed 

multiples. Exposure to critical insights 

from faculty, visiting artists and print-world 

professionals leads to advanced personal work 

responsive to the issues defining the field. 

Mastery of intaglio, lithography, screenprint, 

relief, photo and digital methods, with special 

emphasis on one area, ensures confidence 

in the professional arena. 

MFA candidates in Printmaking work in 

individual studios in the Fletcher Building, 

a facility designed to promote interdisciplinary 

discourse with peers in other fine arts graduate 

programs. Facilities include an intaglio 

editioning studio, a woodshop, a computer lab 

and spaces for student exhibitions and group 

critiques. In addition, Printmaking students 

share a screenprinting facility and large-scale 

intaglio and lithography presses with graduate 

students in Textiles. 

Benson Hall, the department’s main building, 

offers a student-run gallery and allocates discrete 

floors to lithography, intaglio and screenprint 

studios. Separate industrial-grade exhaust 

and ventilation systems ensure a healthy work 

environment and allow for a range of traditional 

and experimental printmaking explorations. 

Intensive study of historical and contemporary 

prints in the RISD Museum of Art and 

other collections in the region provides 

students with invaluable contact with original 

works of art. Through the RISD Print Editions 

program, artists-in-residence interact with 

Printmaking majors both professionally and 

critically. In addition, students are encouraged 

to extend their professional experience through 

off-campus internships during Wintersession 

and over the summer. 

The program culminates in the completion 

of a mature body of work, supported by a 

written thesis. Each year curators from the 

RISD Museum award an MFA candidate in 

Printmaking with the Gabor Peterdi Graduate 

Purchase Prize for excellence in producing 

a body of thesis work. 





risd.edu/printmaking 

MFA candidates in Sculpture pursue a 

professional course of study in a rigorous 

and challenging environment balanced by 

a supportive community of peers, resident 

faculty and visiting artists and critics. Students 

are encouraged to focus on their own growth 

as creative individuals as they work to realize 

their ideas through a hands-on approach 

to process and materials. 

The Sculpture MFA program emphasizes 

a high level of production in the context of 

strong critical dialogue. Graduate seminars 

serve as a meeting ground for students to 

address contemporary issues affecting all 

areas of the fine arts. Relevant electives are 

available across the full spectrum of RISD 

disciplines, as well as at Brown University, 

and RISD’s proximity to Boston and New York 

affords ready access to museums, galleries 

and practicing professionals. 

Throughout the two-year program, graduate 

students are guided and challenged by RISD’s 

diverse and committed faculty. Visiting artists 

and critics, along with an active community 

of peers, also expose students to a wide spectrum 

of skills, philosophies and professional 

experiences. The department’s visiting artist 

program brings outside professionals to 

campus each semester for lectures, studio 

demonstrations and critiques. 

Graduate students in Sculpture are given 

24-hour access to private and semi-private 

studios in RISD’s Fletcher Building, a facility 

designed to promote interdisciplinary 

discourse with students in other fine arts 

graduate programs. This building also offers 

critique spaces, a woodshop and a computer 

area for shared use. In addition, Sculpture 

majors have access to the foundry, woodshop 

and extensive metal fabrication facilities in the 

Metcalf Building, which houses the undergraduate 

program. A full-time technician maintains 

a state-of-the-art ceramic shell foundry, where 

bronze and aluminum are poured weekly, and 

also supports wax-working, patina and rubber 

mold areas; in addition, students have access 

to a nearby iron foundry. 





risd.edu/sculpture


95 

Julie Kumar 

Emily DuHoux 

SCULPTURE 

Quintin Rivera Toro 

Bayne Peterson


97 

TEACHING+ 

LEARNING IN 

ART+DESIGN



99 

Teaching + Learning in Art + Design MAT/MA 

Textiles 



Associate Professor John Chamberlin 


Assistant Professor Brooks Hagan 


Assistant Professor Mary Anne Friel 

Certificate in Education, Bath Academy of Art, England 

BA, University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill 


BA, MA California State University–Los Angeles 


The department of Teaching + Learning in Art 

+ Design is an innovative center of inquiry 

in which graduate students explore, develop 

and contribute to new practices in art and 

design teaching. The department’s work is 

embedded within the realm of praxis — in 

K–12 schools, community arts organizations, 

art museums, and colleges and universities. 

At RISD prospective educators craft the 

foundations of their pedagogical practice 

within a vibrant community. Practice-based 

studies are enhanced through the department’s 

partnerships with public and independent 

schools, community-based youth arts 

organizations, the RISD Museum of Art, 

regional and national art museums, and 

Brown University’s Harriet W. Sheridan Center 

for Teaching and Learning. In addition, the 

department benefits from significant levels 

of external funding from such organizations 

as the SURDNA Foundation, the Amgen 

Foundation, the National Endowment for the 

Arts, the US Department of Education, Spencer 

Foundation and the Rhode Island Foundation. 

Graduate students choose between two 

programs: the Master of Arts in Teaching 

(MAT), an intensive, one-year (summer 

through spring) cohort teacher preparation 

program for artists and designers that 

culminates in recommendation for teacher 

certification in art pK–12, and the Master of 

Arts (MA) in Art + Design, a one-year (fall 

through spring), practice-based program 

offering two study tracks: Community Arts 

Education, for individuals interested in 

combining creative and social practices, 

particularly with urban youth in out-of-school 

time contexts; and Professional Development, 

for art and design educators at all levels who are 

interested in renewing a connection to contemporary 

pedagogical and creative practices. 

In addition to its degree programs, the department 

offers courses in collegiate teaching for 

graduate students majoring in studio disciplines 

who wish to develop a pedagogical framework 

for future college or university teaching. 

MAT Graduation Requirements 

kcompletion of core coursework 

kcompletion of two student teaching assignments 

kprogram portfolio, teaching portfolio, process book 


MA Graduation Requirements 

kcompletion of core coursework 

kwritten research thesis or thesis book 


risd.edu/tlad 

risdtlad.com 

risdprojectopendoor.com 

RISD’s MFA program in Textiles focuses on 

woven, knit and print design of fabrics used for 

apparel and interior applications. Working 

from a foundation of solid technical skills and a 

proficient design process, students engage in 

individual research to gain an understanding of 

design as an expression of a continually 

evolving culture. Through this, they develop a 

strong personal vision and the problem-solving 

skills to respond to global human needs. 

Geared towards those who have a background 

in textiles, along with experience in visual 

studies from an undergraduate program or 

professional practice, RISD’s two-year Textiles 

program helps students to broaden and 

sharpen their skills, hone their artistic identity 

and become well versed in the technical and 

creative potential of their chosen medium 

and its context. It also emphasizes studies 

in drawing and color, along with participation 

in graduate seminars, as a means of building 

analytical and critical thinking skills. 

The first year of the program focuses on 

enriching students’ creative background 

and expanding their skills, including the use 

of digital technology in design. The second year 

allows for more individual exploration of 

weaving, knitting or surface design, with the 

final semester culminating in a thesis project 

that entails both studio work and writing. 

Students are encouraged to create design 

collections that break new ground while also 

reflecting a depth of research and a welldeveloped 

material and visual language. 

Graduate students work closely with RISD’s 

accomplished faculty, whose professional 

expertise ranges from digital technology to 

complex woven structures, including jacquard 

weaving. Vital connections to the profession 

are maintained through a required internship, 

seminar speakers, field trips, visiting critics 

and communications with experts in the field. 

Specialized facilities, high-end looms and 

professional software accommodate advanced 

work, while valuable resources outside the 

department include an outstanding textiles 

collection in the RISD Museum of Art and 

inspiring textiles resource materials in the 

Fleet Library at RISD. 





risd.edu/textiles

100 

101 

Augustina Bello 

Katey Crews 

TEXTILES 

Yoon Jeong Choi



103 

Faculty 

PRESIDENT 

John Maeda 

BS, MS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

MBA, University of Arizona 

PhD, Tsukuba University Institute of Art 

and Design 

PROVOST 

Rosanne Somerson 


ASSOCIATE PROVOST FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS 

Patricia Phillips 

BA, Muhlenberg College 

Deans 

ARCHITECTURE + DESIGN 

Pradeep Sharma 

BA, MA Cambridge University, England 

MA, Teesside University, England 

FINE ARTS 

Anais Missakian 


FOUNDATION STUDIES 

Joanne Stryker 

BA, Hood College 

MFA, The Maryland Institute College of Art 

GRADUATE STUDIES 

Brian Goldberg 

BA, Brown University 

MArch, Rhode Island School of Design 

LIBERAL ARTS 

Barbara Von Eckardt 


MA, PhD, Case Western Reserve University 

Full-time Faculty 

Mickey Ackerman 

Professor of Foundation Studies 

BS, Skidmore College 

MID, Rhode Island School of Design 

Silvia Acosta 

Professor of Architecture 

B.Arch., University of Miami, 

School of Architecture 

MArch., Harvard University, 

Graduate School of Design 

Registered Architect, NCSRB 

Eric Anderson 

Assistant Professor, History of Art 

and Visual Culture 

BA, Williams College 

PhD, Columbia University 

Catherine Andreozzi 

Associate Professor of Apparel Design 


Jan Baker 

Professor of Graphic Design 

BA, University of California at Santa Cruz 


Patricia Barbeito 

Associate Professor of English 

BA, Brandeis University 

MA, PhD, Harvard University 

Christopher Bardt 


BFA, B.Arch., Rhode Island School of Design 



Registered Architect (MA) 

James Barnes 



MS, Montana State University 

Registered Architect, NCIDQ, NCARB 

Elizabeth Bentley 

Assistant Professor of Apparel Design 


MFA, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth 

Michael Beresford 

Professor of Industrial Design 

BFA, San Francisco Art Institute 

MFA, University of California-Santa Barbara 

Markus Berger 

Assistant Professor of Interior Architecture 

Diploma, Technische Universitat Wien, Austria 

Mary Bergstein 

Professor, History of Art and Visual Culture 

BFA, Alfred University 

MA, Hunter College 


Christina Bertoni 


BFA, University of Michigan 

MFA, Cranbrook Academy of Art 

Rachel Berwick 

Professor of Glass 



Jean Blackburn 

Professor of Illustration 



Robert Brinkerhoff 


BFA, MFA, Virginia Commonwealth University 

Donna Bruton 

Professor of Painting 

Certificate, School of the Art Institute of Chicago 

BFA, Michigan State University 


Trent Burleson 


BFA, Philadelphia College of Art 


Larry Bush 

Associate Professor of Ceramics 

BFA, University of Washington 

MFA, New York State College of Ceramics , 

Alfred University 

Mairéad Byrne 

Professor of English 

BA, University College, Dublin, Ireland 

MA, PhD, Purdue University 

Bolaji Campbell 

Assistant Professor, History of Art and 

Visual Culture 

BA, MFA, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife, Nigeria 

PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison 

Charlie Cannon 

Associate Professor of Industrial Design 


MArch, Harvard University Graduate School 

of Design 

John Caserta 

Assistant Professor of Graphic Design 

BA, University of North Carolina 


Daniel Cavicchi 

Associate Professor, History, Philosophy 

and the Social Sciences 

BA, Cornell University 

MA, State University of New York at Buffalo 

MA, PhD, Brown University 

John Chamberlin 

Associate Professor of Teaching + Learning 

in Art + Design 

BA, MA, California State University–Los Angeles 

Bruce Chao 

Professor of Glass 


Liz Collins 

Associate Professor of Textiles 


Dennis Congdon 




Fellow, American Academy in Rome 

Scott Cook 

Professor, History, Philosophy 


BS, Lewis & Clark College 

MA, PhD, Rutgers University 

Deborah Coolidge 

Assistant Professor of Foundation Studies 

BFA, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 


Lee Dejasu 

Associate Professor of Foundation Studies 

BFA, The Cooper Union 


Paola Dematté 

Associate Professor, History of Art and 


BA, Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia, Italy 

MA, PhD, University of California–Los Angeles 

Kelly Dobson 

Assistant Professor of Digital + Media 

BFA, Cornell University 

MS, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Susan Doyle 

Assistant Professor of Illustration 


William Drew 



Ellen Driscoll 

Professor of Sculpture 



Fritz Drury 


BA, Stanford University 


Eduardo Benamor Duarte 

Assistant Professor of Interior Architecture 

BArch, Universidade Tecnica de Lisboa 

MASc, Columbia University 

Angela Dufresne 

Assistant Professor of Painting 


MFA, Tyler School of Art 

John Dunnigan 

Professor of Furniture Design 

BA, University of Rhode Island 


Edward Dwyer 



BA, MA, PhD, University of California–Berkeley 

Anne Emlein 

Assistant Professor of Textiles 

BFA, California College of the Arts 


Lori Esposito 


BFA, Rocky Mountain College 

MA, Ohio University 

MFA, University of North Carolina 

Gabriel Feld 

Associate Professor of Architecture 

Dipl. Arch., University of Buenos Aires 



Registered Architect 

Henry Ferreira 

Associate Professor of Printmaking 

BFA, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth 


Ann Fessler 

Professor of Photography 

BA, Ohio State University 

MA, Webster University 

MFA, University of Arizona 

Michael Fink 


BA, Yale University 

MAT, Harvard University 

MA, Brown University 

Leslie Fontana 


BFA, Carnegie Mellon University 

BS, University of the Arts 

David Frazer 



MA, MFA, University of New Mexico-Albuquerque 

Lindsay French 



BA, MA, University of Michigan 

PhD, Harvard University 

Mary Anne Friel 



Nancy Friese 

Professor of Teaching + Learning in Art + Design 

BS, University of North Dakota 


Diploma, Art Academy of Cincinnati 

Scheri Fultineer 

Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture 


MLA, Harvard University, 


Avishek Ganguly 

Assistant Professor of English 

BA, University of Calcutta 

MA, Jawaharlal Nehru University 


Judy Sue Goodwin-Sturges 



Alexander Gourlay 


BA, Reed College 

MA, PhD, University of Iowa 

Shawn Greenlee 




Donna Gustavsen 

Associate Professor of Apparel Design 


Brooks Hagan 


BA, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill 


Nade Haley 


BFA, Atlanta College of Art 

MFA, Washington University 

Soojung Ham 

Assistant Professor of Industrial Design 

BFA, Ewha Women’s University, Seoul, South Korea 


Daniel Harkett 

Assistant Professor, History of Art and 


BA, University of Edinburgh, Scotland 


Elizabeth Hermann 

Professor of Landscape Architecture 

BS, University of Vermont 

MLA, Cornell University 

PhD, Harvard University, 


Jonathan Highfield 


BA, Transylvania University 

MA, PhD, University of Iowa 

Leslie Hirst 


BFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago 

MFA, Maryland Institute College of Art 

Lucinda Hitchcock 


BA, Kenyon College 

MA, Columbia University 


Dennis Hlynsky 

Professor of Film/Animation/Video 


Brice Hobbs 



Elinore Hollinshead 



MFA, Indiana University 

Cassandra Holman 


BFA, University of California-Santa Cruz 


Henry Horenstein 



Ken Horii 


BFA, The Cooper Union 

MFA, University of Wisconsin 

Holly Hughes 


BFA, State University of New York–New Paltz 

Nicholas Jainschigg 

Associate Professor of Illustration 


Bethany Johns 


BA, University of Iowa 


Gareth Jones 


National Diploma in Design, 

Cardiff College of Art, Wales 

Associate, Royal College of Art, England 

Fellow, Royal Society of Art, England 

Mary Kawenski 

Professor of Apparel Design 

BA, School of Fashion Design, 

Ontario College of Art & Design, Toronto, Canada 

MS, Bank Street College of Education 

Donald Keefer 



BA, University of Maryland 

PhD, Temple University 

Shona Kitchen 

Assistant Professor, Digital and Media 


Jonathan Knowles 

Associate Professor of Architecture 


Amy Kravitz 


BA, Harvard University 

MFA, California Institute of the Arts 

Michael Lamar 


BFA, University of South Carolina 


Mallica Kumbera-Landrus 



BA, MA, Maharaja Sayajirao University 

MA, Mumbai University 

MA, University of Louisville 

PhD, University of London 

Victor Lara 


BFA, University of Texas-Houston 

MFA, Yale University



105 

Carol Lasch 


BS, University of Virginia 


Andrew Law 


BA, SGIHE, Cardiff University 

MDES, Royal College of Art 

Joon Lee 


BA, University of Virginia 

PhD, University of California–Berkeley 

Daniel Lefcourt 




Kyna Leski 


B.Arch., The Cooper Union 

MArch. 2, Harvard University, 


Leora Maltz-Leca 





MA, PhD, Harvard University 

Jack Massey 


Diploma, Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts 


Cornelia McSheehy 

Professor of Printmaking 

BFA, Massachusetts College of Art 

MA, State University of New York–Albany 

Nicole Merola 

Associate Professor of English 

BA, Swarthmore College 

MA, PhD, University of Washington 

Mark Milloff 


BA, Connecticut College 

MFA, Maryland Institute, College of Art 

Thomas Mills 


BFA, Cleveland Institute of Art 


Anais Missakian 

Professor of Textiles 


Todd Moore 


BA, Evergreen State College 


Beth Mosher 



MFA, University of Illinois 

Ijlal Muzaffar 



BSc, University of Punjab 

BSD, University of Arizona 

MArch, Princeton University 

PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology 

Bill Newkirk 



Randa Newland 


BFA, Southwest Missouri State University 

MA, MFA, University of Iowa 

Khipra Nichols 



Akefeh Nurosi 


BA, Ecole supérieure des arts modernes, 

Paris, France 


Hammett Nurosi 


BFA, Ravensbourne College of Art , 

London, England 

BA, London School of Film Technique, England 

MA, MFA, Yale University 

Eddie Oates 


BFA, Wayne State University 


Thomas Ockerse 


BFA, Ohio State University 


Peter O’Neill 


BA, Middlebury College 


Sarah Osment 


BA, University of Arizona 

MA, Ohio State University 


Nicholas Palermo 

Associate Professor of Illustration 

BFA, University of Massachusetts–Amherst 

MFA, Syracuse University 

Norm Paris 




Daniel Peltz 

Associate Professor of Film/Animation/Video 

BA, Colby College 

MFA, Northwestern University 

David Porter 

Assistant Professor of Illustration 

BA, Middlebury College 


Jennifer Prewitt-Freilino 

Assistant Professor, History, Philosophy 


BA, Hendrix College 

MS, PhD, University of Oklahoma 

Jocelyne Prince 

Assistant Professor of Glass 

BFA, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design 


Robin Quigley 

Professor of Jewelry + Metalsmithing 



Andrew Raftery 


BFA, Boston University 


Yuriko Saito 



BA, International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan 

PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison 

Katy Schimert 

Associate Professor of Ceramics 

BA, University of the Arts 


Colgate Searle 

Professor of Landscape Architecture 

BFA, BLA, Rhode Island School of Design 

MLA, Harvard University, 


Wendy Seller 



MFA, University of Illinois-Chicago 

Mark Sherman 


BA, MA, PhD, University of Rhode Island 

Brian Shure 

Assistant Professor of Printmaking 


Nancy Skolos 


BFA, University of Cincinnati 

BFA, Cranbrook Academy of Art 


Duane Slick 


BFA, University of Northern Iowa 

MFA, University of California–Davis 

Adam Smith 



Steve Smith 

Associate Professor of Photography 

BFA, Utah State University 


Dean Snyder 

Professor of Sculpture 


MFA, School of the Art Institute of Chicago 

Christopher Specce 

Assistant Professor of Furniture Design 


Paul Sproll 

Professor of Teaching + Learning in Art + Design 

Certificate in Education, 

The Bath Academy of Art, England 

BA, The Open University, England 

MA, PhD, Ohio State University 

Tracy Steepy 

Associate Professor of Jewelry + Metalsmithing 

BFA, Indiana University 

MFA, State University of New York–New Paltz 

Seth Stem 

Professor of Industrial Design 

BS, Pennsylvania State University 

MFA, Virginia Commonwealth University 

Joanne Stryker 


BA, Hood College 

MFA, The Maryland Institute College of Art 

Eva Sutton 


BA, North Carolina State University 

MFA, School of Visual Arts 

Merlin Szasz 


BS, Bowling Green State University 


Peter Tagiuri 


BA, Dartmouth College 



Anne Tate 


BA, Princeton University 



Craig Taylor 


BFA, Maine College of Art 


Gregory Tentler 



PhD, University of Pennsylvania 

John Terry 


B.Arch., Massachusetts Institute of Technology 


Clement Valla 

Assistant Professor, Digital and Media 

BA, Columbia University, 


Hans van Dijk 


Diploma, Technical School for the Printing 

and Allied Trades, Utrecht, The Netherlands 

MA, Ohio State University 

Susan Vander Closter 


BA, MA, University of New Hampshire 

PhD, Pennsylvania State University 

Barbara Von Eckardt 




MA, PhD, Case Western Reserve University 

Peter Walker 

Associate Professor of Furniture Design 

BFA, School of Art, 

University of Tasmania, Australia 

Peter Ward 



Susan Ward 

Professor, History of Art and Visual Culture 

BA, Connecticut College 


David Warner 



BA, MLS, Rutgers University 

MA, PhD, University of California–Los Angeles 

Theodore Weller 


BA, BFA, BE, University of Arizona 

MFA, University of Massachusetts-Amherst 

Franz Werner 


Swiss Federal Diploma, Typography, 

Grafische Weiterbidlungs-Klasse, 

School of Design, Basel, Switzerland 

Damian White 



BA, Keele University 

MSc, Birkbeck College, University of London 

PhD, University of Essex 

Lothar Windels 

Associate Professor of Furniture Design 

BA, Technische Universität, Darmstadt, Germany 



Liliane Wong 

Professor of Interior Architecture 

BA, Vassar College 



Agnieszka Woznicka 

Assistant Professor of Film/Animation/Video 

MFA, State Academy of Film and Television, 

Lodz, Poland 

Peter Yeadon 

Associate Professor of Interior Architecture 

MArch., Dalhousie University, 

Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 

Wilbur Yoder 


BS, Rhode Island School of Design 

MS, University of Illinois 

Lisa Young 

Assistant Professor of Photography 

BFA, University of Illinois 

MFA, Tufts University 

Kevin Zucker 



MFA, Columbia University


107 

IN FOcus 

Please join us for an information program 

for prospective graduate students on 

Friday, November 16, 2012 

1:30 pm 

followed by Graduate Open Studios in the evening 

RISD Auditorium 

Canal Walk at Market Square 

Providence, RI 

Advance registration required: 

800 364 7473 

admissions@risd.edu 

www.risd.edu/infocus 

Other options 

Graduate Studies doesn’t provide unscheduled individual tours, but you may contact the Graduate 

Program Director in your field of interest to arrange for a phone conversation or special appointment 

(subject to each director’s teaching schedule and availability). Contact information is available at 

www.risd.edu/academics. 

Campus tours 

If you’re unable to visit on November 16, the Admissions Office offers campus tours 

throughout the year. 

Portfolio reviews 

RISD is also happy to meet prospective graduate applicants at any one of the four 

Graduate National Portfolio Days scheduled for the coming year. Contact the host institution 

for details or visit www.portfolioday.net. 

Saturday, October 13 | Los Angeles 

Otis College of Art and Design 

Sunday, October 14 | San Francisco 

California College of the Arts 

Sunday, October 28 | New York City 

Parsons The New School for Design 

Sunday, November 11 | Chicago 

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

107 

Admissions Overview 

Application Details 

The following material must be submitted to 

the Admissions Office by January 10 of the 

year in which you plan to begin graduate study: 

1. Application form + $60 nonrefundable application fee 

2. Official transcript 

3. Portfolio 

4. Statement of purpose 

5. Three letters of recommendation 

6. TOEFL score (if English is not your native language) 

7. Graduate Record Examination score not required, 

but encouraged for MA, MAT and MLA candidates 

k risd.edu/grad/apply 

for more on these requirements 

Tuition + Fees 

2012–13 Tuition + Fees: $41,332 

On-Campus Housing: $6,820 –11,934 per year 

double room: $6,686 

3-bedroom apartment: $8,212 

mini loft: $10,404 

studio loft: $11,934 

Dining Plans: $1,922–4,303 per year 

14+ meals: $4,156 

Financial Aid 

Graduate students are eligible for the following 

types of assistance, some of which are 

contingent on filing a Free Application for 

Federal Student Aid (k fafsa.ed.gov): 

Departmental assistantships and fellowships 

Division of Graduate Studies Assistantship 

President and Dean scholarships 

Graduate Studies/Grants 

Federal Perkins Loan 

Federal Work Study 

Federal Stafford Loan 

design 

Isaac Gertman MFA ’07 Graphic Design 

editing 

Liisa Silander 

photography 

Michael Bizon 

Alexander Bohn 

Kelly Ennis 

Isaac Gertman 

Matt Herz MArch 

Erik Gould 

John Horner 

Leslie Kwok 

Annie Langan 

Jack Lenk 

James McKinnon 

Sue Nguyen 

David O’Connor 

Patrizia Pilosi 

Peter Segerstrom 

Milton Stevenson, V 

Breanne Trammel 

Andi Velgos 

Tom Weis 

printing 

Meridian Printing, East Greenwich, RI 

paper 

Mohawk Options, a recycled stock certified by Green Seal 

about this publication 

This publication presents a general overview and summary of 

the academic, cultural and social life at RISD. It is not intended 

to be all-inclusive or definitive, and all portions of it are subject 

to change without notice. More specific information regarding 

curricular offerings, credit requirements and other academic 

matters appears in RISD’s annual course announcement, which is 

available at risd.edu. 

risd contacts 

main phone: 401 454-6100 

graduate studies: 401 454-6131 

admissions: 401 454-6300 

post: RISD, Two College Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA 

web: www.risd.edu 

accreditation 

New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) 

Rhode Island School of Design is accredited by the New England Association 

of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), through its Commission on Institutions of 

Higher Education. Accreditation of an institution of higher education by NEASC 

indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional 

quality periodically applied through a peer review process. An accredited 

college or university is one which has available the necessary resources to 

achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is 

substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue 

to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed 

through accreditation. Accreditation by NEASC is not partial but applies to 

the institution as a whole. As such, it is not a guarantee of every course or 

program offered, or the competence of individual graduates. Rather, it provides 

reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students 

who attend the institution. Inquiries regarding the accreditation status by 

NEASC should be directed to: 

Commission on Institutions of Higher Education 

New England Association of Schools and Colleges 

209 Burlington Road, Bedford, MA 01730-1433 

phone: 781 271-0022 

e-mail: cihe@neasc.org 

National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD) 

Rhode Island School of Design is an accredited institution member of the 

National Association of Schools of Art & Design (NASAD), which only accredits 

art and design curricula. Inquiries regarding accreditation status by NASAD 

should be directed to: 

National Association of School of Art & Design 

11250 Roger Bacon Drive, Suite #21 

Reston, VA 20190-5248 

phone: 703 437-0700 

fax: 703 437-6312 

e-mail: info@arts-accredit.org 

www.arts-accredit.org 

American Society of Landscape Architects 

National Architectural Accrediting Board 

In the United States, most state registration boards require a degree from 

an accredited professional degree program as a prerequisite for licensure. 

The National Architecture Accrediting Board (NAAB), which is the sole agency 

authorized to accredit US professional degree programs in architecture, 

recognizes two types of degrees: the Bachelor of Architecture and the Master 

of Architecture. A program may be granted a five-year, three-year or two-year 

term of accreditation, depending on its degree of conformance with established 

educational standards. Master’s degree programs may consist of a preprofessional 

graduate degree and a professional graduate degree, which, when 

earned sequentially, comprise an accredited professional education. However, 

the pre-professional degree is not, by itself, recognized as an accredited degree. 

Student Right to Know and the Campus Security Act of 1990 

In accordance with federal law (Student Right to Know and the Campus 

Security Act of 1990), colleges are required to report “statistics concerning the 

occurrence of specific criminal offenses reported to the local agency” or any 

official of the college who has “significant responsibility for student and campus 

security.” A pamphlet with all related information is published by the RISD Office 

of Public Safety by October 1, as required by law, and is available to students, 

staff and prospective students. 

k risd.edu/financial_aid 

for more on these options 

front cover: 

Evan Mann MFA Printmaking 

The Path 

back cover: 

Breanne Trammell MFA Printmaking

RHODE ISLAND 

SCHOOL 

OF DESIGN 

GRADUATE 

STUDIES 

2012–13

Graphic Design MFA - Rhode Island School of Design

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