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With Gratitude As my time serving as RISD’s president draws to a close, I offer my heartfelt thanks to all of you who have been with me on this journey. Your commitment to RISD’s future and to generations of extraordinary students is inspiring. Together we are transforming the college and museum in exciting and important ways, helping RISD to fulfill a commitment to make a positive impact in the world. Since I became president, first as interim in 2014 and then named in January of 2015, we have raised more than $110 million to offer more generous financial aid, better support our faculty, advance the campus master plan, enhance student life and advance Social Equity and Inclusion initiatives. Generous donors have given more than $35 million for financial aid—the largest amount in our history. Your commitment, allowing students to realize their dreams of attending RISD, is also helping to define a future led by creative RISD alumni. In my 50-year relationship with RISD—as a student, alumna, faculty member and administrative leader—I have viewed the long horizon of the impact of a RISD education. Your generosity is changing lives. This progress has been possible because we made a strategic investment in the Division of Institutional Advancement that continues to deepen our alumni and family engagement as well as elevate philanthropy. We ended the 2016 fiscal year having raised $6.9 million. Last fiscal year donors gave $24.7 million, and we are on track for another year of record generosity. Philanthropy has been crucial to the success of many important initiatives, including the 2020 launch of the Society of Presidential Fellows, which supports the recruitment of outstanding graduate students. I am pleased to share that RISD will be awarding the Roger and Gayle Mandle Presidential Fellowship and the Rosanne Somerson Presidential Fellowship next year. In less than two years we have created the first fully funded graduate
education awards at RISD, welcoming five fellows this academic year and expanding to 17 fellows in 2021–22. We will enroll at least 19 fellows in 2022–23 and fully expect this program to continue to grow. These awards are benefitting extraordinarily talented students who would never have been able to attend RISD without this support. In another philanthropy-driven advance, this summer we will launch a three-year pilot preorientation program open to 30 incoming students annually who are first in their families to go to college. The systemic racism and class inequities that plague our society are also present in education, and RISD is committed on all fronts to undo these injustices. Programs that help students acclimate to college, utilize their strengths and take full advantage of a RISD education will help advance equity. A gift from the estate of Rachel Doane 64 LA established the Presidential Initiatives Fund, and I have directed some of it to be used to launch this pilot program which will become a transformative part of participating students’ RISD experience.
I am also pleased about the rapid growth of the RISD Alumni Association. In 2018, there were just 19 regional alumni clubs. We now have 25 domestic clubs, 10 international clubs and 20 affinity groups in varying stages of development. Today, the Alumni Association offers mentoring for students and recent graduates, educational webinars, travel programs (which we hope to resume soon) and a wide range of special events. While RISD has invested in the growth of the Office of Alumni + Family Relations, none of this would be possible without the hundreds of alumni who serve as leadership volunteers and who are so passionate about their RISD community. It has been equally exciting to launch the RISD Families Association, welcoming all parents and family members of admitted students, current students and RISD graduates. Its new Family Ambassador program connects incoming
families with volunteers whose students have been enrolled for at least a year and are willing to share their knowledge of RISD. In addition, international families are working to establish internships in India and China for RISD students. Thank you for your continued support. You empower RISD to step boldly and confidently into the future. At my retirement, after seven and a half years as RISD’s president, I will become RISD’s first president emerita, a role in which I will continue to advocate for and support RISD, and I look forward to all that RISD will make possible in the years to come. My commitment to RISD will continue, and I hope you will remain part of that journey. ROSANNE SOMERSON 76 PRESIDENT
Rallying in Support of RISD Generous community members are choosing to invest in the future of art and design education. 4
5 to 17
INCREASE IN NUMBER OF ENDOWED PRESIDENTIAL FELLOWSHIPS TO BE OFFERED NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR
394%
RATE OF GROWTH OF FIRST-TIME ALUMNI DONORS COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR
$19.5k
CUMULATIVE GENEROSITY FROM ALUMNI FIRST-TIME DONORS
Together, these first-time alumni donors made an impact large enough to
$217 OFFER
(AVERAGE SIZE OF MATERIALS FUND GRANT LAST SEMESTER)
to
89
STUDENTS WITH FINANCIAL NEED TO HELP PAY FOR THEIR STUDIO PROJECT ESSENTIALS
Figures are for the period of July 1, 2020, through December 31, 2020 3
Drawing Inspiration from Family
Recipient of the Paul Krot Memorial Scholarship
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Financial aid propels Hannah Latham as she explores the lived experiences of her grandparents. The desire to be creative has always been strong for Hannah Latham 21 PH. When her mother encouraged her to tell her middle school teacher about her interest in photography, a new world emerged. “I learned about the darkroom and fell in love,” she says. “I did a large-scale portrait project of people in my school community inspired by photographer JR’s Inside Out project. It’s been my medium ever since.”
but my parents make it work somehow,” she says. “Because of the scholarship, I can make work without constantly thinking about the cost of my education. The Materials Fund has been helpful for my projects, especially during my first year, when there were many assignments. While my parents help cover tuition, I pay for food and other expenses. Sometimes I’ve worked three jobs to stay afloat, and I have not always been able to enjoy myself as others could.”
Latham’s senior thesis is a documentary series focusing on her paternal grandmother, who lives with Alzheimer’s disease. “I explore the impact of Grandma’s experience on my extended family, the burden of daily routine, the experience of growing old and the erasure of memory in a larger social context. I think about how objects and locations can embody these histories and the ephemerality of our existence,” she explains. Much of her work revolves around her grandparents on both sides of her family and their relationship to the American Dream. She also is working on a series of cyanotype fabric place mats featuring digital collages of images captured from items in her maternal family archive. The place mats tell the story of her grandmother’s experience as an immigrant fleeing Hungary to the United States during World War II and the life she built here. Each is bordered with traditional Hungarian embroidery.
“I hope others are inspired to support students like me who dream big but don’t always have the resources to get there.” As she approaches graduation, Latham looks forward to connecting with alumni through the RISD Network, the Alumni Association’s student and alumni mentoring platform at risdnetwork.risd.edu. “RISD is not just a physical place but also a common thread of experiences shared with others. I am excited to learn how alumni photographers developed their careers,” she says.
The Paul Krot Memorial Scholarship helps make these creative explorations possible. “It means everything to my family and me. If it weren’t for financial aid, I wouldn’t be attending RISD. Even with this support it is tough financially,
Above images from Hannah Latham’s series Personal Belongings, 2020-21. The series explores the lived realities of her paternal and maternal grandmothers as their health declines. It focuses on elements of class and heritage to draw parallels between their experiences.
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Exploring Material Possibilities
Butler Family Graduate Fellowship and Windgate Foundation
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Hyperbiospheric Chamber #1, 2020, by Miguel Lastra conveys how the decaying body/society yields to nonhuman organisms. Interspecies union and the flattening of hierarchy of importance amongst "things" is key to transformation and expansion of possibilities.
Miguel Lastra treasures the gift of time and the freedom to experiment that financial aid affords him.
the materials I use is important to me, as is harnessing language and history. Clay is the focal point for many pieces. As a fundamental material in human history, it becomes a site for conversations as I transform it into figurative sculpture. Other materials augment these clay bodies and are integrated through installation,” he says. “I explore ideas around mortality, anthropocentrism, interspecies collaboration, climate crisis, sustainability, queer bodies and space making through my work.”
Although his father offered Miguel Lastra MFA 22 CR drawing lessons when he was young, it was his first encounter with clay at age 15 that proved decisive. “While my mother urged me to translate my knack for academic writing into a career, I followed my passion and focused on sculpture,” he recalls. “I later discovered the irony in this choice—my father has the unfulfilled dream of becoming a sculptor.
“The gift of time is a true currency that I have used to make great leaps in my work.” Lastra feels fortunate to be eligible for federal work-study and to receive support from the Butler Family Graduate Fellowship, recently established by Karen Butler Connell MFA 95 PT/PR, the Windgate Foundation and the Materials Fund. “Financial aid provides for the privilege of ease and risk taking in my studies. I came from the all-too-common reality of needing to work while I obtained my undergraduate degree. And while the lessons in that journey were plentiful, I can’t help but reflect now on certain outcomes I might have had then had I received funding to focus solely on school. Here at RISD, assistantships and fellowships give me the flexibility to work within the institution and to spend more time on research and in the studio.”
“RISD is known as one of the most influential art programs in the US. As I progressed in undergraduate ceramics, RISD kept appearing in conversations with professors in Albuquerque and among those with whom I studied in Prague. I decided to consider RISD to introduce another great element of growth in my practice,” he says and is confident about his decision. Resources like the Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab have been pivotal to his experience. “I am exploring the potential of plant and insect collaborators, using computation, revisiting textiles and adding sound to some of my work. Showing respect, understanding and care for
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Finding His Creative Voice
Rebecca Mellman Henry Memorial Scholarship
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Scholarship support inspires Teddy Smarz to push through challenging moments in the studio. A supportive family encouraged Teddy Smarz 22 AP to turn his passion for art, design and fashion into a career. “Growing up in New Jersey, my mom would bring me to art museums, gardens and fashionable stores—activities we still enjoy to this day. I started my own clothing line with my best friend in high school, and it was then that I became fully invested in being creative,” he says.
He is grateful to receive the Rebecca Mellman Henry Memorial Scholarship, which was established by Dr. Sidney Mellman P 80 and Jan Mellman P 80 in memory of their daughter, who graduated from RISD with a master’s degree in Art Education. “It is a tremendous honor and privilege and also very important to my career as a design student. What strikes me is not so much its monetary value, but people’s trust and belief in me,” he says. “It makes me dig deeper when I feel like quitting.”
He now finds himself at home in the RISD community. “It is the perfect place for me to find my own voice, to formulate my own practice and to stick out,” he says. “RISD’s emphasis on the conceptual has pushed me to create work about which I am truly passionate. The combination of artistic inspiration and concept—while not becoming commercialized—is a creative dream.”
Although only a junior, he’s begun to build his professional network in earnest. “I have been using the RISD Network this year, and it has been very helpful for reaching out to RISD alumni within the fashion industry and making connections for internships and potential job opportunities. I like it better than LinkedIn because it feels less formal. All of us on the platform share our common experience of RISD.
Smarz is interested in menswear, both classic and contemporary as well as street and sophisticated. He also draws inspiration from religious garments and Christianity to create clothing and looks that are genderless. Aspiring to become a key player on an influential fashion design team, his ultimate goal is to start his own label that conveys his vision.
“The most exciting thing about being creative is the moment when your dreams begin to become realities. Everyone at RISD is extremely supportive and they have taught me that I can best chase my dreams by staying focused and true to myself.”
“Receiving a scholarship is a hype moment that reminds me to keep pushing and grinding in the studio.”
The Wise Mythic, 2020 by Teddy Smarz was inspired by the rich color and drape showcased in Christian Renaissance paintings and he drew from Greek mythology, theater, medieval manuscripts, theology, philosophy and his faith to create these garments.
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Celebrating an Enduring Friendship Friends honor the legacy of former RISD president Roger Mandle by supporting future generations of artists and designers.
Front row, left to right: Nancy Murphy, Nancy Hammer, Patricia White, Clara Dale, Catherine Haining, Pam Tobey, Gayle Mandle Back row: Dick Haining, Stuart Murphy, John Dale, Bill Hammer, Phil Tobey, Roger Mandle
RISD Friends of Roger and Gayle Mandle Anthony Belluschi BArch 66 P 95 and Marti Belluschi Clara Dale BArch 75 and John Dale BArch 75 Dick Haining P 05, Trustee and Catherine Haining P 05
Gayle Mandle MFA 97 PT/PR
If you would like to give to the
Stuart Murphy 64 IL P 98
Roger and Gayle Mandle Fellowship
and Nancy Murphy P 98 Phil Tobey BArch 66 and Pam Tobey 68 AE Patricia White 64 IL P 96
Bill Hammer BArch 65 and Nancy Hammer
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please visit engage.risd.edu/ mandle-fellowship or call toll-free: 844 454-1877.
Left to right: Pam Tobey, Gayle Mandle, Tony Belluschi, Marti Belluschi, Dick Haining, Catherine Haining, Nancy Hammer, Bill Hammer, Roger Mandle, Phil Tobey.
A special group of alumni and parents who worked with Roger Mandle HD 09 during his presidency formed a close bond with him and Gayle Mandle MFA 97 PT/PR. Over time, their circle expanded to include their spouses. After Roger passed in late 2020, they decided to contribute to the Roger and Gayle Mandle Fellowship, which the Mandles established in 1998. The group’s generosity is one way they are paying tribute to Mandle’s leadership of RISD and their close friendship.
The group understands that many deserving artists are unable to pursue graduate art education at RISD without financial aid. This is why they are committed to elevating the Mandle Fellowship as the newest entry in the prestigious Society of Presidential Fellows, which covers the full cost of a RISD graduate education and offers special programming and mentorship opportunities. The Mandle Fellowship has a preference for Painting students and will dramatically increase RISD’s competitiveness in recruiting top applicants to the program.
“Most of us first met Roger when he and Gayle came to Providence to assume the job as RISD’s president,” recalls Emeritus Trustee Bill Hammer BArch 65. “We were all immediately impressed by his sincerity and caring. He desired and was able to work across all of RISD’s constituencies, including the board, administration, faculty, staff and students and their parents.” They are heartened that the fellowship also celebrates the work of the student recipients—emerging art leaders who will forever be part of RISD—and that students receiving this support will learn about Mandle and his legacy.
Many in the group are eager to stay involved with RISD. “Some mentor students and recent graduates who are still finding their way,” says Hammer. “Being involved is a great opportunity to renew old friendships, make new ones, share the amazing experience of how RISD changed our lives and support RISD’s continued position as one of the premier art and design schools in the world.”
“Under Roger’s leadership we think RISD became the best art education institution in the United States and one of the best in the world,” says fellow Emeritus Trustee Stuart Murphy 64 IL P 98. “Our RISD education was foundational to our careers. We who are parents of RISD graduates have seen that same result in our children. We want to provide these benefits and opportunities to today’s students and urge others to join us.”
The group is encouraging the board of trustees to add to the fellowship and the Department of Painting is urging alumni to do the same. “Roger would have been incredibly moved by this generous outpouring of support for RISD graduate students,” says Gayle Mandle MFA 97 PT/PR. “Our family is deeply grateful to all those who are giving to the fellowship to ensure a bright future for RISD’s talented art and design students.”
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Opening a New Pathway Fast Retailing Foundation invests in the future of fashion by supporting RISD graduate students.
With the purpose of helping “build a society that encourages the harmonious coexistence of diverse peoples and facilitates sustainable development,” a new Fast Retailing Foundation scholarship program offers fellowships to graduate students studying Graphic Design or Textiles at RISD as well as to students from a select group of other top schools.
RISD will nominate two students from either major for the award. Fast Retailing Foundation will provide fellowship support—sufficient to cover tuition, health insurance and mandatory fees for the duration of enrollment—for up to two candidates nominated by RISD. The foundation will make the final selection of the students to ultimately receive the award. Selected students will be part of RISD’s Society of Presidential Fellows and participate in special programming designed to enrich their studies and advance their careers, including opportunities to connect with RISD alumni mentors who are creative thought leaders.
education has become out of reach for most people, and especially at the graduate level. Massive debt means a student is more concerned with jobs and professional conventions after school instead of being able to focus on opportunities to experiment, reinvent and speculate. Support like this is everything for an incoming MFA student. “Student beneficiaries of Fast Retailing Foundation’s support will be able to immerse themselves in the rigors of their education without the burden of tuition costs. This will free them to go into the field with a commitment to an established, sustainable and responsible practice after they graduate.”
“RISD Graphic Design has always been a conceptual and speculative space for research that seeks to further the field.”
“The Fast Retailing Foundation is very pleased to partner with RISD through our new Global Graduate Fashion Scholarship program. Together we look forward to nurturing future leaders in the fields of Textiles and Graphic Design,” says Yoshio Ishida, secretary-general, Fast Retailing Foundation. “We are confident that we can find and support students interested not only in becoming experts in these areas of study but also in using their gained knowledge and expertise to build brighter futures for all of us.”
“We seek the brightest and most curious, experimental and thoughtful applicants,” says Graphic Design Department Head Lucinda Hitchcock. “Unfortunately, we often lose our top candidates to better-funded institutions. Higher
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“Sustainable practice is a critical future component of the Textiles graduate program because textile and fashion production has had such a negative impact on the environment and human rights. Solving real-world problems to achieve a cleaner and more just industry will drive future design and development decisions, particularly as our alumni are so influential in textiles and fashion.”
— ANAIS MISSAKIAN 84 TX, PEVAROFF-COHN FAMILY CHAIR IN TEXTILES AND GRADUATE PROGRAM DIRECTOR
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Integrating New Ways to Learn Generous support from the Davis Educational Foundation and Fred M. Roddy Foundation spurs teaching innovation.
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At the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, RISD was forced to close the campus and move to online learning. This sudden shift presented a particularly thorny set of problems. How would the college deliver its hands-on, immersive teaching model in a remote environment?
Students on campus and those studying remotely learn how to use a computer numeric control (CNC) machine to cut metal.
As it became clear that the global health crisis would continue into the 2021–22 academic year, RISD worked to bring students back to campus safely by developing a hybrid approach. This dynamic and flexible model was painstakingly built to adhere to public safety guidelines, to deliver an outstanding educational experience and to adapt what worked well in the spring semester to yet another learning environment—a de-densified campus with students studying in person and online. The college developed a combination of in-person instruction for practice-based components and online instruction for primarily theoretical, conceptual and digital fabrication components. This approach offered a collaborative experience to students on campus and those off campus who could not return for a variety of reasons.
for Miro, a collaborative online whiteboard platform designed for remote and distributed teams. Miro has helped faculty more effectively teach students living on its de-densified campus along with those learning remotely. “By pivoting to a digitally driven remote learning model, RISD Architecture’s graduate Drawings course found new opportunities to interrogate drawing representation, methodology and visual curiosities. Asynchronous tutorials and weekly discussions centered course dialogue on our Miro whiteboard virtual gallery. There we reviewed, annotated and exhibited iterative pinup works,” says David Ross, who teaches this and other Architecture courses. “This allowed for simultaneous interactions and transformed the possibilities of collaboration. Rather than upload our drawings one week at a time to an archival folder, we created a communal project containing over 1,400 unique works. By posting everything to one workspace, conversations and critiques could quickly jump back and forth between works produced weeks earlier, keeping us focused on authoring new architectural speculations.”
RISD understood that it needed to do much more than install web cameras to support learning in its hybrid model. Through careful planning, it identified critical areas where the following investments in technology were essential: a uniform digital platform for course information, online fabrication access to support making, audiovisual equipment for classrooms and studios and a laptop loaner program to ensure every student had 24/7 access to a computer. The Fred M. Roddy Foundation invested in this broad set of technological tools to ensure that students could participate fully in RISD courses and making experiences. This generosity supplements the Fred M. Roddy Foundation Fellowship, established in 1975 to support RISD graduate students.
The many adaptations forced by the pandemic also have yielded an unanticipated benefit: academic departments have been bringing renowned visiting faculty and internationally acclaimed critics into classes because being physically present was no longer required. The hybrid model—challenging to develop, implement and execute— has been effective, and the college owes a great debt of gratitude to the Roddy and Davis foundations and to all in the larger community who have supported RISD’s delivery of an excellent art and design education in such a complex environment.
Conducting critique in a hybrid environment was another challenge. The Davis Educational Foundation of Maine provided a generous grant to support a one-year license
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Accelerating Collections Care and Research Philanthropy establishes a new Native North American Collections Fellowship at the RISD Museum.
The Americas Research Initiative supports the study of collections that have historically received insufficient attention, with an initial focus on Native North American art and design. In the past, the RISD Museum, like most museums, invested in collection research and display that reflected areas of staff expertise. This led to selective narratives of art history as well as deep collection research and exhibition histories for some areas of the collection and only surface knowledge with limited access in others. The Americas Research Initiative begins to address the dearth of research in these areas by building partnerships with tribal communities, scholars and artists.
An initial audit and provenance research will pave the way toward creating a detailed plan for cataloging and creating a more thorough base of knowledge about these collections. It will also provide an avenue for engaging with tribal communities around objects in the collection. Should research uncover concerns related to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act, the museum will begin consultation with the relevant tribe(s). The museum will display Native North American works of art and design in its galleries, including those devoted to modern and contemporary art and costume and textiles. Focused attention on these collections will support museum efforts to present a more inclusive art history, deepen its understanding of the objects in its care and create new learning opportunities for students, artists, stakeholders and the general public.
Thanks to a generous grant from the Henry R. Luce Foundation—founded by Henry R. Luce who also cofounded Time, Forbes and Life magazines—the museum is now hiring an emerging museum professional for its newly established Curatorial Fellowship for Native American Art. The museum’s collection of Native North American objects—approximately 540 objects with some 250 lacking tribal affiliation or geographic information— will benefit from intensive and sustained attention for the first time. The three-year fellowship will focus on provenance research, cataloging, building a network of experts and tribal representatives and creating interpretation and programming related to the collections.
“The Henry Luce Foundation Curatorial Fellowship for Native American Art supports the RISD Museum’s ongoing efforts to redress our Eurocentric past and advance anti-racist goals throughout our organization,” says Sarah Ganz Blythe P 22, interim director of the museum. “Other work includes offering exhibitions and programs that foreground narratives of marginalized communities, increasing acquisitions of works by underrepresented artists and designers and genuinely asking how we can serve our audiences.”
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Haida, Native North American, Fishhook. Museum Works of Art Fund. RISD Museum
Mi'kmaq (Micmac), Native North American, Woman's hood, ca. 1775. Gift of Edward B. Goodnow P 81. RISD Museum
The three-year fellowship will focus on provenance research, cataloging, building a network of experts and tribal representatives, and creating interpretation and programming related to the collections.
Diné (Navajo), Native North American, Man's wearing blanket (Chief blanket, phase III), ca. 1865 - ca. 1880. Gift of Mrs. John Sloan. RISD Museum
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To learn more about supporting the RISD Museum, please contact Amee Spondike, Deputy Director, Development and External Affairs at 401 454-6322 or email aspondik@risd.edu.
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Paying Tribute The RISD community celebrates Chris Hartley, its beloved and longtime leader of Alumni Relations, upon her retirement.
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For more than 20 years, Christina Hartley 74 IL P 09 spearheaded RISD’s Alumni Relations efforts and expanded programming to also serve RISD families.
The reinvigoration of the RISD Alumni Association—which now boasts nearly 50 regional clubs and affinity groups— has been a priority of the Office of Alumni + Family Relations under Christina Hartley’s leadership. She and her team also launched the new RISD Families Association last year. While there is a long list of accomplishments that could be cited, the true impact of her leadership is best described by RISD’s volunteer leaders.
She excels at getting things done—whether budgetrestricted or blue-sky ideas—and this has made it possible for me to support RISD out in the world,” says Becky Fong Hughes 05 GD, co-chair of the RISD Club of Boston. “She and her team elevated alumni engagement and built a structure to support its growth. We are in debt to her for strengthening the RISD alumni community.”
“It has been an honor to know and work with Chris for so many years. Her remarkable leadership has made the dreams of alumni be realized. For so long, many of us yearned to deepen global connections with each other and to more easily support RISD and its students,” says RISD Alumni Association president Donald Choi BArch 82 P 07. “It has been exciting to watch so many new regional clubs and affinity groups form and offer such interesting programs. She and her colleagues have transformed the alumni experience and for this, we owe her a debt of gratitude.” “If the train was running smoothly, you knew Chris was in charge. The RISD trip to China in 2007 with Chris managing from the top continues to be a special memory, especially of bonding with fellow trustees and spouses,” recalls board of trustees vice chair Richard Haining Sr. P 05. “I remember Chris in crisp khakis, holding a clipboard, 40 years ago when she was a resident advisor for my dorm. Then, as now, she was efficient and serious about getting the job done, but with a twinkle in her eyes. She led then with warmth and energy, and that has not changed,” says Amy Cohen 76 TX, chair of the RISD Club of Rhode Island. “Chris is a human repository of all things RISD and has been an invaluable resource for the school and the many alumni whose lives she has touched.”
“Chris was a big part of why I wanted to be involved with RISD after graduation. She’s inclusive and nonjudgmental, and she thinks critically about how each of us can best contribute to the school. She also makes participating in alumni activities fun as well as informative,” says Greg Kanaan 02 FAV, leader of the RISD Lawyers affinity group. “She makes us feel like a community and will be missed!” “Chris Hartley is a dog person. This is funny because most of her career at RISD was spent herding cats and she is an exceptional cat herder. I met Chris when Laila Ahmadinejad 01 GD was then president of the RISD Club of Philadelphia. After Laila and Mike Martella BArch 91 tricked me into a leadership position, I had the pleasure of working with Chris for 13 years,” recalls Marty Henry BArch 87. “She was able to shepherd our club to safety after a series of self-induced crises and magically made us look good. She gave us a vision, listened to our complaints, and found money for us in the cushions of her office couch.”
To learn more about the many offerings of the RISD Alumni Association and RISD Families Association, please visit
“Christina is a great supporter of alumni who want to be fully engaged and take initiative. We have become fast friends over the more than 15 years we have worked together, and she has been a constant cheerleader.
alumni.risd.edu and families.risd.edu.
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Friendship-Forward Leadership Leaders of the RISD Alumni Club of Boston work as a team to engage alumni throughout the greater Boston area and beyond.
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Opposite page: Sarah Guerin, Diana Wagner, Becky Fong and Mindy Home at a 2019 event in Boston
Finding creative ways to engage alumni is
As a founder of an event-planning company, Home likes to get into the strategy and details. “We brainstorm together, thinking about who we want to reach and where. This allows us to plan into the future and consider different types of programs like studio tours and networking events,” she says. “Once COVID hit, we began offering virtual tours of studios, something we had already been considering. We’ve found we are drawing new people with the virtual events—some who might not come to something in person, but are still looking for a RISD connection.”
a gratifying labor of love for Becky Fong 05 GD, Sarah Guerin BArch 99, Mindy
Home 99 IL and Diana Wagner MID 14. They have become close friends and work together in a dynamic, nonhierarchical way that plays to each of their strengths.
Artist and western boot maker Guerin advocates for events that are experiences. “People are desperate to touch things and be hands-on and in person. We are planning hybrid events with part of the audience joining online and others in person to help meet that demand. Alumni loved our remote art exchange, where we sent each other works of art in the mail. We try to offer events that fall into four categories: making, social, service and learning experiences. We are all enriched by keeping alumni connections alive.”
Fong helped lead four other RISD alumni clubs before Boston and works as creative director for a design-build manufacturer of recognition objects and installations. “We think about why someone would want to give their time or energy to attend one of our events. It should be worth their while. Because we have such a large and active club, we hope we inspire other clubs to do events based on ones that were successful for us,” she says. “Listening is key. If nobody is asking for a beer night, we won’t do a beer night. By varying our offerings, we draw in new people.”
These connections have a special resonance for Guerin and Wagner. The Massachusetts Cultural Council recently awarded them with a Traditional Arts Apprenticeship for Wagner to study boot making with Guerin. Training and the transfer of knowledge are core, but they are weaving together the heritage of western boots and the rich history of footwear of Massachusetts by re-creating a pair of boots based on a pair in a historical collection.
“Greater Boston has lots of alumni all over the area,” says Wagner who works in biologically inspired engineering. We can’t just have events in downtown Boston. We try to host programs in different parts of the region. Our events run the gamut from the very popular hands-on making events to volunteer service like helping the National Braille Press assemble books for blind children. We develop the concept and think about how to make it appealing, but the Office of Alumni + Family Relations does the administration, which is a big help.”
“We try to offer events that fall into four categories: making, social, service and learning experiences. We are all enriched by keeping alumni connections alive.”
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Adapting to Uncertainty RISD takes creative and flexible approaches to signature events.
RISD appreciates the community’s patience and flexibility as it adjusts event plans to respond to changing public health guidelines. For the latest updates please visit commencement.risd.edu, families.risd.edu/familyweekend and alumni.risd.edu/reunions.
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COVID-19 demanded a lot of change when
Regional alumni clubs and affinity groups held RISD Serves events, paying homage to RISD’s founders through acts of service in their communities. Alumni club events included mask making for the homeless in Washington, DC, cleanups of Rosie’s Dog Beach in Los Angeles and Ocean Beach in San Francisco, making cards for those making a difference in their local communities in Seattle, assisting the National Braille Press with assembling print/ braille books for blind children in Boston and a cleanup of India Point Park in Providence. RISD Alumni for Social Impact organized a Zoom talk with the founder of Make a Mark, an organization connecting designers and developers with nonprofits in need.
it came to events in 2020. Some events, particularly early in the pandemic, were canceled outright, and others moved online. This year is requiring a similar nimbleness in planning. RISD celebrated Founders Day this March. The inaugural event was held in March 2019 and has evolved into an annual event series commemorating RISD’s founding on March 22, 1877. President Somerson kicked off this year’s celebration on March 1 and mused about the women who took the bold step of founding a school for art and design at a time when the nation was retrenching from its post–Civil War Reconstruction commitments and struggling to heal deep political divisions. She channeled their optimism and determination and urged the community to join together in acts of service and to share their journeys as part of the RISD story.
Happily, Rhode Island is expected to raise its outdoor gathering limit to 1,000 people in May, making it possible for RISD to host an in-person degree conferral for the Class of 2021 on June 5. Due to state health guidelines, the ceremony will be livestreamed for families and the larger community. RISD also will survey the Class of 2020 about when they would like to have their in-person celebration and what they want for activities and programs. Class reunions will be held during RISD Weekend, which welcomes families and alumni to campus for open studios and special programs. Classes ending in 0, 1, 5 and 6 are invited to return to campus this fall for reunions if conditions allow.
Virtual events included an Archives and Special Collections Tour, an exploration of a few paintings and sculptures in the RISD Museum collection, an alumni panel featuring founders and another featuring alumni working in nonprofits. A land acknowledgment program led by Cassius Spears Jr. (Narragansett) and endawnis Spears (Diné/ Ojibwa/Chickasaw/Choctaw) discussed the Narragansett landscapes upon which RISD was founded and explored ecological knowledge, kinship, culture, resilience and the reclamation work of tribal nations.
Mark Your Calendar!
Photo credit: Jennifer Hale 93 PH
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Commencement
June 5, 2021
RISD Weekend
October 8–10, 2021
Founders Day
March 22, 2022
Building a Bigger Tent Leadership volunteers from across the college, museum, alumni and family communities are advocating for RISD around the world.
While it is impossible to include here every individual who is contributing time and expertise, we are pleased to recognize leaders who are strengthening RISD, developing new programs and encouraging others to become involved. In addition to those listed here, there are thousands more who are mentoring RISD students and recent graduates through the RISD Network, speaking at events, serving as critics in studio classes, taking part in RISD Serves events and more. RISD is deeply grateful to each and every person who is making a difference in the lives of others through service.
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Board of Trustees Officers Michael H. Spalter, Chair Ilene Chaiken 79 GD / P 18, Vice Chair Richard W. Haining, Sr. P 05, Vice Chair Karen Hammond, Vice Chair Jon Kamen P 09, Vice Chair Tavares Strachan 03 GL, Vice Chair Margaret A. Williams, Vice Chair Term H. E. Sheikha al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani David C. Barclay P 10 Caroline Baumann Hillary Blumberg 92 FAV Gabrielle Bullock BArch 84 J. Scott Burns Norman Chan BArch 85 Erica Gerard Di Bona P 11 Robert A. DiMuccio Shepard Fairey 92 IL Fabian Fondriest P 16 Kim Gassett-Schiller P 14 Joe Gebbia 05 ID / GD, HD 17 Robert W. Glass P 11 Vikram Kirloskar P 12 (on leave of absence) Mary Lovejoy Nicole J. Miller 73 AP Stacey Nicholas P 21 Lisa Pevaroff-Cohn 83 TX Michael Rock MFA 84 GD William Schweizer P 19 Shahzia Sikander MFA 95 PT / PR Ex Officio Donald Choi BArch 82 / P 07, President, Alumni Association Deborah Mankiw P 23, Co-chair, Families Association
Ex Officio (cont.) Stephen A. Metcalf, Chair, Emeriti Trustees Rosanne Somerson 76, RISD President Emeriti Anthony C. Belluschi BArch 66 / P 95 John H. Beug P 05 Vincent A. Buonanno Jamie F. Carpenter 72 IL Jane Chace Carroll HD 06 Clara M. Dale BArch 75 Susan W. Dryfoos P 01 Bayard C. Ewing Anne B. Fordyce 67 SC Katherine Freygang 80 IA / MFA 81 GD A. Corwin Frost 59 AR / P 97 Wilfrid L. Gates 65 LA Cathy Barancik Graham 76 PT Paula Koffler Granoff HD 10 William R. Hammer BArch 65 Ronne Hartfield Dorothy Hebden-Heath 57 PT Se-Ung Lee P 91 David A. Macaulay BArch 69 / HD 04 Pauline C. Metcalf Stephen A. Metcalf Stuart J. Murphy 64 IL / P 98 J. Terrence Murray Dana M. Newbrook 63 AR Joan Ress Reeves M. Kate Rittmann Merrill W. Sherman Philip E. Tobey BArch 66 William J. Watkins Patricia A. White 64 IL / P 96
Museum Board of Governors Officers J. Scott Burns T, Chair Karen Hammond T, Vice Chair Andrew Green, Vice Chair Governors Vincent Buonanno ET Norman Chan BArch 85 T Joseph A. Chazan Hannah Metcalf Childs Glenn M. Creamer Allison Dessel Erica Gerard Di Bona P 11 T Robert A. DiMuccio T Robert W. Glass P 11 T Paula Koffler Granoff HD 10 ET Doris J. Licht Judy Mann Ann Metcalf Pauline C. Metcalf HD 10 ET Stephen Metcalf T, ET Zesty Meyers Meghan Reilly Michaud 01 GD Helene J. Miller Ehsun Mirza Robert P. Mitchell Daniel Murray Alan Nathan Jessica Nathan Carol Nulman Clay Rockefeller Gloria Spivak Reza Taleghani Toots Zynsky 73 SC / P 10 Emeriti Jane Chace Carroll HD 10 ET Kathryn M. Parsons Ex Officio Sarah Ganz Blythe, RISD Museum Interim Director Kent Kleinman, RISD Provost Rosanne Somerson 76 T RISD President Michael H. Spalter T RISD Board of Trustees Chair
KEY
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Trustee
T
Emeriti Trustee
ET
RISD Families Association Leadership Council Co-chairs Deb Mankiw P 23 T and Greg Mankiw P 23 Social and Communications Committee Gwen Watford-Miller P 22 and Charles Miller P 22, Co-chairs Catherine Jones P 23 Jay Lee P 24 International Families Committee Shefali Khushalani P 22, Co-chair Ming Song P 21 and Shanming Shi P 21, Co-chairs Family Ambassadors Pat Quan Yee BArch 89 / P 21 Sabina Barach P 14 Linda Hughes P 20 Sherri Byrand P 21 Ming Song P 21 Shanming Shi P 21 Pamela Russell P 22 Shefali Khushalani P 22 Catherine Jones P 23 Therese Blanks-Butler P 22 Ann Florance P 22 Kim Williams P 23 Billie Lara P 23
RISD Fund Co-chairs Norman Chan BArch 85 T Ryan Cunningham 02 FAV
Jesse + Helen Rowe Metcalf Society Chair Stephen A. Earle 82 TX
RISD Alumni Association Leadership Council PRESIDENT Donald Choi BArch 82 / P 07 T EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Sol Armada de la Cruz 92 AP, At-Large Executive Committee Member Daria Askari 05 PH, Awards Committee Chair Carly Ayres 13 ID, At-Large Executive Committee Member Charles Brill 06 FD, At-Large Executive Committee Member Tino Chow 09 ID, At-Large Executive Committee Member Ryan Cunningham 02 FAV, Mentorship Task Force Co-chair Michael Gabellini BArch 81, At-Large Executive Committee Member Jill Greenberg 89 PH, At-Large Executive Committee Member Greg Kanaan 02 FAV, Clubs and Affinity Groups Committee Chair Kristin Murphy MAT 96, At-Large Executive Committee Member Krista Ninivaggi BArch 02, Mentorship Task Force Co-chair Pat Quan Yee BArch 89 / P 21, Traditions Task Force Chair ALUMNI AWARDS COMMITTEE Daria Askari 05 PH, Chair Jacinda Chew 99 IL Bill Hammer BArch 65 Greg Kozatek 10 IL Keita Turner 91 AP CLUBS + AFFINITY GROUPS COMMITTEE Sol Armada de la Cruz 92 AP Amy Gregg 92 GD Greg Kanaan 02 FAV, Chair MENTORSHIP COMMITTEE Ryan Cunningham 02 FAV, Co-Chair Michael Gabellini BArch 81, At-large member Krista Ninivaggi BArch 02, Co-Chair
Please visit families.risd.edu/volunteer to learn more about volunteer opportunities for families.
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TRADITIONS COMMITTEE Angela Boswell 95 TX Becky Fong Hughes 05 GD Mindy Home 99 IL Patricia QuanYee BArch 89 / P 21, Chair REUNION LEADERS Chris Arakelian 96 GD Susanna Baker 81 PT Kristen Bannister 91 GD Donna Bouchard 85 AP James Chae 06 GD / MFA 16 GD Joseph Cipro 71 PT Christy Colebank 70 IL / P 89 Nicole DePolo 91 IL Kristen Dietrich 81 GD Frank DiGregorio BArch 66 Liz Eddins 00 GD Becky Fong Hughes 05 GD Alan Foreman 00 FAV Joshua Galloway BLA 96 Christy George 91 TX Bill Guy 95 ID Leeann Herreid 91 JM Andre Herrero BArch 12 Jason Huff MFA 11 DM Yelitsa Jean-Charles 16 IL Saarin Keck 91 SC Ashley Kochiss BArch 15 Francesca Koss 90 IL Ruth LaGue 86 GD Lisa Maione 05 GD / MFA 16 GD Marisa Murrow 00 IL Asad Pervaiz 06 GD Stephen Raymond 87 AR Jason Rice 91 PH Jane Savage 91 ID Nick Scappaticci 00 ID Dan Sheppard 71 IL Jen Spence 91 AP Dan Springer 91 IL Phil Tobey BArch 66 ET Barbara Voccola 86 GD / MAT 94
RISD Alumni Association (cont.) RISD ALUMNI REGIONAL CLUBS US Clubs Austin Jonas Criscoe MFA 08 PT, Co-chair Sarah Reed 94 PH, Co-chair Laura Worrick 08 IL, Co-chair Boston Becky Fong Hughes 05 GD, Co-chair Sarah Guerin BArch 99, Co-Vice Chair Mindy Home 99 IL, Co-Vice Chair Diana Wagner MID 14, Co-chair Charlotte, NC Claire Geary 12 GD, Co-chair Claudia O'Steen MFA 15 DM, Co-chair Chicago Marc Choi MFA 11 GD, Communications Chair Andreas Nicholas 18 FAV, Volunteer Committee Laura Noble 03 IL, Vice Chair Gabriel Romero-Anaya 17 FAV, Recent Alumni Chair Ilivia Rozelle 99 GD, Chair Cleveland Jenarmi Contreras BArch 15, Chair Colorado/Denver Patrick Marold 97 ID, Chair Connecticut Kathy Megrue-Smith 88 GD, Chair Houston Felice Cleveland MA 08 AE, Volunteer Committee Member Erin Kim 17 IL, Volunteer Committee Member Falon Mihalic MLA 12, Co-chair Katie Schon 05 ID, Co-chair Annie Shen 99 FAV, Volunteer Committee Member Juan Vera 04 IL, Volunteer Committee Member Los Angeles Sol Armada de la Cruz 92 AP, Co-chair Moriah Benton 16 IL, Recent Alumni Chair Aaron Chang 03 FD / MAT 04, Co-chair Zach Deocadiz-Smith 17 GD, Communications Chair Donna deSoto 71 TX, Volunteer Committee Member
Los Angeles (cont.) Tom Lamb MFA 80 PH, Volunteer Committee Member Cristina Sirbu MFA 14 TX, Vice Chair
Philadelphia (cont.) Anna Mogilevsky 02 PT, Volunteer Committee Member Marcy Soronson BIA 74, Vice Chair
Maine Louisa Donelson 06 PT, Leadership Board Lee Leonard 96 PT, Leadership Board Karen Sigler 01 ID, Leadership Board Elizabeth Whelan 91 TX, Leadership Board Patricia A. White 64 IL P 96, Leadership Board ET
Pittsburgh Alaina Bernstein MDes 16, Recent Alumni Chair Christine Holtz 00 PH, Co-chair Paula Klein 75 PT / MAT 76, Volunteer Committee Member Stephanie Sun 10 JM, Communications Chair Kathy Whitney 81 GD / P 09, Co-chair
Miami / South Florida Bryce Bounds BArch 05, Volunteer Committee Member Geraldo Dannemann MArch 05, Volunteer Committee Member Danny Diaz BArch 12, Co-vice Chair Kathleen Finch 13 TX, Co-vice Chair Rhia Hunter 00 FAV, Chair Isabel Kim 91 IL, Communications Chair Jayda Knight BIA 99, Volunteer Committee Member Maritza Molina 98 PH, Volunteer Committee Member Gabriela Pradas 94 GD, Volunteer Committee Member Logan Rackear 17 PT, Co-Recent Alumni Chair Elena Tepavac MDes 18 INST, Volunteer Committee Member New Hampshire Mary Codd 75 AE, Co-chair Annie Friedman Xavier 71 AE, Co-chair Janna Genereaux 86 PT, Co-chair New Jersey Melanie Grossberg 93 GD, Chair Lynn Mullins 87 PT, Vice Chair Tony Peer 16 ID, Volunteer Committee Member Jason Rice 91 PH, Volunteer Committee Member New York Daria Askari 05 PH, Co-chair Hillary Blumberg 92 FAV, Co-chair T Jill Groeber 96 GD, Co-chair Jane Huang BArch 11, Co-chair Kathy Megrue-Smith 88 GD, Co-chair Philadelphia Rosemary Bock 10 ID, Communications Chair Barbara Macaulay BArch 77, Co-chair Mike Martella BArch 91, Co-chair
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Portland-OR Michael Lazarus 92 PT, Volunteer Committee Member Jane Savage 91 ID, Chair Rhode Island Neethi Abraham MA 17 IA, Communications Chair Cameron Bye 16 IL, Volunteer Committee Member Tino Chow 09 ID, Volunteer Committee Member Amy Cohen 76 TX, Chair Lane Froehlich 87 GD, Volunteer Committee Member Peter Gemei 00 GL, Volunteer Committee Member Carl Henschel 01 IA, Co-vice Chair Priya Himatsingka 00 JM, Co-vice Chair Lauren Lake 91 ID, Volunteer Committee Member Scott Noh 13 ID, Volunteer Committee Member Marjorie Powning 84 IA, Volunteer Committee Member Pamela Rohland 89 PT, Volunteer Committee Member Alane Spinney 78 PH, Volunteer Committee Member Dina Vincent BGD 93, Volunteer Committee Member Tempest Zakroff 00 PR, Volunteer Committee Member San Diego Becky Bourgeois 01 AP, Volunteer Committee Member Sarah Delahanty 06 FAV, Volunteer Committee Member Tom Lamb MFA 80 PH, Volunteer Committee Member Amy White 87 JM, Volunteer Committee Member
San Francisco Alec Babala 14 ID, Communications Chair Amy Gregg 92 GD, Co-chair Jennifer Hale 93 PH, Volunteer Committee Member Erik Lack 15 ID, Volunteer Committee Member Philip Lau 18 ID, Recent Alumni Chair Ryan Mather 15 ID, Volunteer Committee Member Jinal Sampat MLA 12, Volunteer Committee Member Stephania Serena 89 PH, Co-chair Ramon Solis MLA 19, Volunteer Committee Member Lizzie Wright 18 ID, Volunteer Committee Member Anqi Xiao MID 16, Volunteer Committee Marilyn Yu 97 SC, Volunteer Committee Member Seattle Atulya Chaganty MID 17, Recent Alumni Chair Ling Chun MFA 16 CR, Volunteer Committee Member Julia Davids MID 16, Chair Tiffany Iacolucci 07 IL, Volunteer Committee Member Levi Jette MArch 12, Vice Chair David Kendall MFA 96 GD, Volunteer Committee Member Silicon Valley Shannon Badiee 06 PR, Co-chair Lee Lippert BArch 79, Co-chair Jared Zimmerman BGD 06, Co-chair Vermont Miriam Block 94 TX, Co-chair Lucy Bourgeault 93 SC, Co-chair Washington, DC Anthony Dihle 04 GD, Co-vice Chair Sean Dudley 93 PT, Volunteer Committee Member Cindy Qi MLA 14, Volunteer Committee Member Barbara Sarkisian Werfel BArch 89, Chair Catherine Sheehan BArch 83, Volunteer Committee Member Parima Sukosi BIA 11, Volunteer Committee Member Bruce Werfel BArch 89, Volunteer Committee Member Misun Yoon 09 IA, Co-vice Chair
INTERNATIONAL CLUBS Beijing Catherine McMahon BArch 03, Club Leader Gulf Region (Qatar/UAE/Saudi Arabia) Saba Qizilbash MA 04 AE, Club Leader Hangzhou Des Delanty BArch 13, Club Leader Hong Kong Donald Choi BArch 82 / P 07 T, President Frank Chow BLA 92, Secretary Rex Wong BArch 03, Treasurer India Soaib Grewal 11 ID, Club Leader Akshat Raghava 09 ID, Club Leader Malvika Vaswani 11 ID, Club Leader Korea Kate Cho BArch 09, Planning Committee Member Young Do Jeong 10 PT, Planning Committee Member Eddie Kang 03 FAV, Club Leader Vikki Lim 12 AR, Planning Committee Member Si Mook Oh 16 ID, Planning Committee Member London Alexander Dale BArch 14, Club Leader Paris Nicole Stulman 86 AP, Club Leader Shanghai Brendan Kellogg 06 FD, Club Leader Lawrence Wu 07 ID, Club Leader Singapore Priscilla Tey 15 IL, Club Leader
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Alumni celebrate RISD's founding by cleaning up India Point Park, Providence, RI. (Photo credit: Amy Cohen 76 TX)
RISD Alumni Affinity Groups RISD Alumni for Social Impact Stacey Ascher 07 IL, Leader RISD Alumni in Animation Moriah Benton 16 IL, Co-leader Olivia Pecini 16 FAV, Co-leader Jake Reeves 15 IL, Co-leader RISD Alumni in Fashion Sol Armada de la Cruz 92 AP, Co-leader Susan Becker 90 AP, Co-leader Lucas Lefler BArch 12, Co-leader Vanessa Pang 95 AP, Co-leader RISD Alumni in Film and Television Ilene Chaiken 79 GD / P 18 T, Co-leader Ryan Cunningham 02 FAV, Co-leader RISD Alumni in Immersive Experience [VR/AR] Zach Deocadiz-Smith 17 GD, Co-leader Joshua Inch 16 GD, Co-leader Jesse Lehrhoff 03 FAV, Co-leader RISD Alumni in Photography Gisel Florez 03 IL, Co-leader Julia Parris 05 PH, Co-leader RISD Alumni in UI/UX Anqi Xiao MID 16, Leader Lily Fan 16 ID, Facilitator + People Connector
RISD Architects Dante Gamache MLA 16, Co-leader Xuan Wang MArch 19, Co-leader Yingjing Qu MDes 19 IA, Volunteer Committee Member Joe Serrins BArch 93, Volunteer Committee Member RISD Art + Design Educators Kimberly Olson 92 IL / MAT 93, Co-leader Barbara Voccola 86 GD / MAT 94, Co-leader RISD Black Alumni Vincent Brathwaite 05 ID, Group Leader Ashton Agbomenou 14 FAV, Volunteer Committee Member Tiffany Cooper 12 FAV, Volunteer Committee Member Karen Harris 86 IL / P 18, P 13, Volunteer Committee Member
RISD in Tech Jonathan Arena 09 GD, Co-leader Mike Neff 04 PH, Co-leader RISD Lawyers Greg Kanaan 02 FAV, Leader RISD QUEER ALUMNI Richard Bradley 84 JM David Carroll BLA 70 Adeline Diamond 16 ID Natalie Hodson 14 ID Kimberly Libby 06 GD Elinor Sapp BID 79 RISD READS Patricia Childers 86 GD, Co-leader Alexandra Gadawski MArch 15, Co-leader RISD Zero Waste Alumni Aaro Ainsley MDes 16, Chair, Circular + Sustainable Fashion Committee Callie Clayton 17 TX, Co-leader Annie Keating 17 TX, Co-leader Juliana Sohn 92 PH, Co-leader
RISD Footwear Affinity Daphne Board 98 TX, Co-leader Sarah Guerin BArch 99, Co-leader RISD Founders + Entrepreneurs Hina Cao MArch 17, Co-leader, Venture Committee John Chidiac 94 IL, Leader Rebecca Rueth 01 IL, Co-leader, Venture Committee
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Volunteer lists reflect involvement as of April 12, 2021.
Writing Our Story Together RISD donors and volunteers help shape a brighter future for us all.
The impacts of COVID-19 are being felt around the world, and RISD is no exception. Many students’ families are struggling with job loss and economic uncertainty that is accelerating the level of student financial need. Students are facing an especially challenging market for jobs and internships as disruption sweeps across many industries. RISD is continuing to make substantial investments in testing, contact tracing, technology and adapting studio spaces to protect the health of students, faculty and staff. And yet, the ways that our community is working together ensures that this is not a grim tale but one defined by creativity, resilience and generosity. So many of you have been responding through your philanthropy. Some are giving whatever they can to the RISD Fund, while others are making long-term investments in student scholarships and fellowships. Many are including the college or museum in their estate plans, directing support through their donor-advised funds or setting up recurring gifts. By making RISD a priority through your giving, you are investing in the future of art and design and the RISD students who will lead it.
diverse. Professional networking is one effort that continues to gain speed. Thanks to the generous commitments of time by so many, students and recent graduates can now find an alumni mentor at risdnetwork.risd.edu for guidance as they build their careers. By choosing to share your knowledge and energy with the RISD community, you are unleashing limitless potential. No matter how you support RISD and its students, please know that your involvement is changing lives. Thank you for your commitment to ensuring that RISD’s next chapter—just like this one—makes us all proud.
We count many among you as leadership volunteers who are driving the new programs and activities of the RISD Alumni Association and the RISD Families Association. Our volunteers span the globe from London to Shanghai, Miami to Silicon Valley. Whether connected through a geographic locale, a shared interest or a field of practice, your work with one another and our students is ensuring that the RISD community becomes ever more vibrant and
O’NEIL OUTAR VICE PRESIDENT OF INSTITUTIONAL ENGAGEMENT
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Institutional Engagement at RISD The Institutional Engagement team is dedicated to advancing RISD’s mission by strategically fostering lifelong relationships with alumni, parents, friends and organizations to strengthen goodwill and philanthropy.
WEB alumni.risd.edu families.risd.edu risd.edu/giving risdnetwork.risd.edu EMAIL
giving@risd.edu
PHONE 4 01 454-6403
toll-free: 844 454-1877
Momentum
Written and edited by
is a magazine about donor
Christy Law Blanchard
and volunteer impact from Institutional Engagement,
Photos by Jo Sittenfeld
Rhode Island School of Design
MFA 08 PH, with additional
© 2021
images from David O’Connor and Matthew Watson 09 FAV Design by Studio Rainwater
NONPROFIT 421.e
Presorted First-Cla
PRSRT STD 421.e
Rhode Island School of Design Two College Street Providence, RI 02903 USA
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