Graduate Study at Rhode Island School of Design
Making
is research
is process
is risd
Graduate students come to RISD from throughout the world, bringing a variety of perspectives and experiences to their work. The graduate experience here doesn’t begin or end in the studio, yet it clearly centers around deep disciplinary immersion in creative exploration. It’s about constantly asking questions and building a rewarding hands-on relationship with materials. And it’s about learning to better articulate strong concepts through close attention to process and the infinite details of creative practice. Studio exploration and evolution are furthered through the critique — that wonderful “live performance” of critical discussion meant to move work forward and inspire each student to make new breakthroughs. Working individually — and at times collaboratively — students draw energy and inspiration from one another, while gaining invaluable insights from the professional artists, designers and scholars dedicated to teaching here.
Process is fund at risd — as bot and a philosop approach. But p has neither a pr speed nor direc Sometimes to p may have to go Process is not s staccato pattern •
Pradeep Sharma
• provost
damental th a method phical proceeding redictable ction. proceed we backward. smooth, but a rn of leaps.
I love the dialogue and the discourse at risd. It’s brutally necessary and the intensity spurs so much personal growth. •
Kim Wimprine
•
mfa in Ceramics
Graduate students at risd are very much engaged with the world and with one another — working together in the studio and beyond, talking about shared interests, projects, research, curatorial efforts and more. Graduate students from all programs work to advance research in their respective fields but also value interdisciplinary seminars, studios and public programs that foster provocative discourse about contemporary theory and practice. The professional artists, designers and educators who teach at risd share an extraordinary range of knowledge of their fields along with a true commitment to working with students in individualized ways. Each year hundreds of phenomenal visiting artists, designers and other intellectuals also bring a world of ideas and new perspectives to campus.
risd cultivates critical thinkers who are comfortable with uncertainty, innovate with ease, move agilely from one form of output to another and can communicate in multiple ways with acuity and clarity. •
Rosanne Somerson
•
president
risd cultivates critical thinkers who are comfortable with uncertainty, innovate with ease, move agilely from one form of output to another and can communicate in multiple ways with acuity and clarity. •
Rosanne Somerson
•
president
risd cultivates critical thinkers who are comfortable with uncertainty, innovate with ease, move agilely from one form of output to another and can communicate in multiple ways with acuity and clarity. •
Rosanne Somerson
•
president
risd cultivates critical thinkers who are comfortable with uncertainty, innovate with ease, move agilely from one form of output to another and can communicate in multiple ways with acuity and clarity. •
Rosanne Somerson
•
president
risd cultivates critical thinkers who are comfortable with uncertainty, innovate with ease, move agilely from one form of output to another and can communicate in multiple ways with acuity and clarity. •
Rosanne Somerson
•
president
risd cultivates critical thinkers who are comfortable with uncertainty, innovate with ease, move agilely from one form of output to another and can communicate in multiple ways with acuity and clarity. •
Rosanne Somerson
•
president
risd cultivates critical thinkers who are comfortable with uncertainty, innovate with ease, move agilely from one form of output to another and can communicate in multiple ways with acuity and clarity. •
Rosanne Somerson
•
president
Beyond the studio, graduate students curate shows, work as teaching and research assistants, spearhead public art projects and engage in a wide range of opportunities unique to RISD and Providence. Given a heightened interest in the type of thinking and problem solving that goes on in studios, they’re often invited to work on collaborative projects with nonprofits, businesses and other organizations. A strong synergy between risd and neighboring Brown University affords graduate students opportunities to take classes at Brown and use the university’s extensive libraries and facilities. And it opens up endless possibilities for stimulating cultural and intellectual programming beyond everything risd already offers. Beyond College Hill, graduate students also keep close tabs on what’s going on in the art, music, dance, theater and making spheres in Providence. They often take day trips to Boston and New York, adding to their understanding of what it means to become a contemporary (and often multidisciplinary) creative practitioner.
The specialized facilities and caliber of equipment at risd provide everything students need to hone work in various disciplines. Small departmental galleries throughout campus, along with spontaneous installations that spring up whenever and wherever possible, offer interesting visual surprises as students walk to studios and classes. A steady stream of openings and shows at Sol Koffler Graduate Student Gallery and student-curated exhibitions at Gelman Gallery, along with gatherings organized by the Graduate Student Alliance, allow for welcomed opportunities for the larger graduate community to come together. At the risd Museum, students have access to more than 91,000 works from around the world — from ancient sculpture to Impressionist paintings and contemporary art in every medium. The Nature Lab’s high-end microscopes and quirky collections of flora and fauna offer other valuable resources. The Writing Center fosters interest in and support of written communication, assisting graduate students with the thesis process. And the Materials Resource Center is just one of many resources housed at the Fleet Library at RISD, one of the most most extensive and beautiful art and design libraries in the world.
This place is full of the wildest chutzpah and most valuable experimentation I’ve ever seen. risd artists are figuring out wondrous and meaningful things to do with incredible materials, and their knowledge is both deeply technical and deeply engaged with cultural questions. • Natalie Jeremijenko • visiting artist
Graduate students form a close-knit community at risd based on mutual respect and a shared commitment to moving work forward. They value exchanging ideas with people from diverse cultures and with extraordinary back-stories, often involving experiences outside of art and design. And they value deep, meaningful conversations — both visual and verbal. Many graduate students discover that taking the time to question and probe, to push and pull and wrestle with what motivates them can lead in unexpected directions. As one recent mfa graduate notes, “The thing I came here to change is the way I approach my work. I came here to change my process in a conscious way — I just didn’t know what it was called yet.”
435 graduate students
540 faculty
2,000 undergrads
1 creative community
Š 2014 Rhode Island School of Design Risd Media Group Design Micah Barrett [BFA 12/Graphic Design] Writing/EDITING Liisa Silander PRINTING Meridian Printing, East Greenwich, RI
risd.edu/academics
16 master’s degree programs
Architecture Ceramics
2- + 3-year programs
2-year program
Digital + Media
2-year program
Furniture Design Glass
2- + 3-year programs
2-year program + 1-year post-baccalaureate program
Graphic Design
2- + 3-year programs
Industrial Design
2- + 3-year programs
Interior Architecture
1- + 2-year programs
Jewelry + Metalsmithing Landscape Architecture Painting
2- + 3-year programs
2-year program
Photography
2-year program
Printmaking
2-year program
Sculpture Textiles
2-year program + 1-year post-baccalaureate program
2-year program
2-year program
Teaching + Learning in Art + Design
1-year programs
risd.edu/grad/apply Apply by January 10 of the year in which you plan to begin graduate study