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Shared commitment Throughout our history a RISD education has been steeped in rigorous, immersive learning experiences that have proven uniquely impactful—learning that builds on both intensely personal and collaborative approaches, along with deep reflection and constructive critique. In this overview of recent fundraising progress, we celebrate our second most successful year yet, with $16.7 million in new support for the college and museum. Reading through these pages you will see how donors and volunteers are changing lives and adding valuable resources that help us to best educate future creative leaders. It is a pleasure to share a few examples of the many students who—thanks to external support for scholarships, fellowships, travel and materials—are able to benefit from exceptional opportunities at RISD. None of this is possible without you. Thank you for your generosity in helping advance RISD’s mission of educating students who will make lasting contributions to a global society. Rosanne Somerson 76 ID President
Support for valuable resources The RISD Museum houses more than 100,000 objects of art and design, making its collection the third largest among college- or university-affiliated museums in the country.
RISD attracts the best students from around the world.
+46% INCREASE IN FIRST-YEAR APPLICATIONS SINCE 2008
20% ACCEPTANCE RATE FOR THE CLASS OF 2022
90.2 AVERAGE GPA
Fueling great growth Thanks to several forms of support, Oregon native Hannah Bartlett is taking advantage of incredible opportunities at RISD. While in high school, Hannah Bartlett 19 FD had considered a career in product design or engineering, but once she read an article about Industrial Design and RISD, plans changed. “I wanted to make things and be in a place where people are invested in creativity and exploration.” So once RISD not only accepted her, but also offered her scholarship support, she was thrilled. “Aside from allowing me to come to RISD in the first place,” says the senior in Furniture Design, “the scholarships I receive have made it possible for me to live on campus and stay fully immersed in campus culture.” Now that she lives two blocks away from the Furniture Design studios, Bartlett couldn’t be happier. “I’m close to the facilities I need and the people with whom I love to work,” she says. She’s also grateful to have received an Alfreda Ward Maloof Memorial Scholarship from the Furniture Design department. Established by renowned furniture designer Sam Maloof in memory of his wife (and a fellow artist), the award has provided vital support during her junior and senior years. When Bartlett started working with wood during her sophomore year, she fell in love. “I did a lot of physics and bridge-building in high school, and I think that the appeal of lightweight structures affected the way I designed for most of sophomore year,” she says. “I tried to make each project from one plank of wood—both to save money and to challenge my hand at designing structures and joinery.”
After learning about the Materials Fund, Bartlett thought it was too good to be true. “There were projects I had abandoned because of the cost of equipment or materials,” she concedes. But thanks to this funding, she was able to experiment with large sheets of veneer while exploring a new method of mold-making. Last year when Bartlett submitted one of her projects to the Rhode Island Fine Furnishings Show, she won the Best in Show award. “The support from the Materials Fund along with my RISD scholarship and the attention I received from the local furniture community have all come together to make me feel like I have really found my place at RISD and in the world.”
“The scholarships I receive have made it possible for me to… stay fully immersed in campus culture.” In addition, Bartlett was especially pleased to receive Travel Fund support to attend a three-week RISD course on Danish design in Copenhagen. “By seeing so much Danish design and speaking with contemporary designers and manufacturers, we learned a lot about the realities of sustainable design and production,” Bartlett notes, adding: “It was refreshing to take a break from making and spend time listening.” A bequest of $195,000 from the estate of Dolores McKenna (her spouse Robert McKenna 53 IL predeceased her) has boosted the fund, meaning RISD can now offer more grants to students pursuing creative and academic opportunities abroad and elsewhere in the US. Bartlett’s experience in Denmark has sparked an interest in interior design and interior architecture that may eventually lead to grad school. In the meantime, she plans to return to Oregon after graduation, where she hopes to work in a custom furniture shop, collaborate with other craftspeople and find her place in the community of furniture makers in Portland.
Support for travel/study
Donors contributed more than $233,000 to the Travel Fund in 2017/18, making it possible for 82 students to learn through inspiring cultural experiences like this one in Morocco.
Essential global perspective For the past five years, the Kirloskar Visiting Scholars program has resonated across campus in powerful ways. Established in 2013, the Vikram and Geetanjali Kirloskar Visiting Scholar in Painting endowment continues to make a profound impact at RISD. In strengthening dialogue between artists from the India/Pakistan region and the creative community on campus, Professor Dennis Congdon 75 PT and the Kirloskar Advisory Group have hosted a range of established and emerging scholars and artists who teach semester-long courses, lead shorter residencies, present talks and participate in panel discussions. Building on the excitement generated by the inaugural Kirloskar scholar Chitra Ganesh in 2014, the Raqs Media Collective participated in a 2015–16 artist residency at the RISD Museum. The following year, renowned painter, multimedia artist and MacArthur Award winner Shahzia Sikander MFA 95 PT/PR visited campus on multiple occasions to participate in public talks, including hosting fellow MacArthur Award winners Julie Mehretu MFA 97 PT/PR and Rick Lowe for a panel discussion about contemporary art and culture and their respective roles in helping to shape it.
“The Kirloskars’ support fosters new work, new liaisons and new avenues of study—and for this our community is tremendously grateful.” In November 2017 Pallavi Paul, a New Delhi-based video artist and filmmaker whose work is deeply engaged in the technologies of poetry and time travel, hosted an on-campus screening and discussion of three of her films. “I really enjoyed my conversation with [Paul],” recalls then-grad student Arghavan Khosravi MFA 18 PT. “We come from quite similar cultural backgrounds, so having a critic in my studio who is more familiar with the context of my work was truly delightful.” “Students and the broader community clearly benefit from our visitors’ fresh thinking and wider horizons,” Congdon says. “The Kirloskars’ generous support fosters new work, new liaisons and new avenues of study—and for this our community is tremendously grateful.” Professor Dennis Congdon 75 PT in conversation with Kirloskar Visiting Scholar Shahzia Sikander MFA 95 PT/PR.
Support for specialized tools RISD relies on the ongoing generosity of supporters to provide students with the best tools and equipment available. The Textiles department’s electronic jacquard loom allows for the creation of complex work.
Students value our personal approach to hands-on learning.
1,994 UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS
474 GRADUATE STUDENTS
9:1
STUDENT/FACULTY RATIO
14
AVERAGE UNDERGRADUATE CLASS SIZE
figures for fall 2018
Powering possibilities Thanks to an endowed scholarship, graduate student Chris Villalta is imagining a new future. Chris Villalta MArch 20 is on a remarkable journey. Immediately after graduating from high school, he joined the Army National Guard in Florida and during his service earned a bachelor’s degree at Florida International University. After 10 years in the military—including overseas deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan and extensive advanced infantry training—he discovered a serious interest in architecture. “Becoming a designer requires a shift in thinking,” says Villalta, who is now a master’s degree candidate in Architecture benefitting from the support of the Joe Gebbia 05 Endowed Scholarship. Today he is happily immersed in his studies while finishing his obligation with the Massachusetts Army National Guard. “I always strive to perform at an elite level,” says Villalta, who appreciates that Architecture faculty have rekindled his love for “the messy art studio” while also encouraging an approach that is grounded in iterative, empirical exploration.
“I’ve learned a lot about the importance of iterative analysis through drawing and making.” Villalta credits RISD with helping him gain new insight and take a more holistic approach to design. “I’ve learned a lot about the importance of iterative analysis through drawing and making. By sketching, writing and building, I can understand things intuitively and get more feedback than any synthetic algorithm can provide,” he explains. When asked about the future, Villalta is certain about two things: He plans on becoming an architect and he wants to help deserving students in need. “Supporting financial aid at RISD will honor the people who made my own education possible,” he says. “Without help from Joe Gebbia 05 GD/ID, who’s a RISD graduate and trustee himself, I wouldn’t be able to attend RISD. The scholarship is very important financially, but it also allows me to live a healthy life at RISD while putting forth as much energy as possible towards my education. It makes me believe that anything is possible.”
473
35
FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS
US STATES REPRESENTED
32
29
COUNTRIES REPRESENTED with most international students from China, South Korea, India, Canada and Thailand
LANGUAGES SPOKEN with 9 students fluent in four
30%
42%
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
STUDENTS OF COLOR
The Class of 2022 is RISD’s most diverse ever.
10,495 MILES FROM RISD Southbank, Australia, home of the Foundation student from furthest away
Stimulating innovative teaching The Cannon Family Fund is providing faculty in Architecture with opportunities to pursue and share important research. Thanks to the Cannon Family Fund, RISD’s Architecture department has launched the Design Research Seed Fund to support a faculty research project each year and provide students with new opportunities to participate in design research and intellectual exchange. “This new program provides RISD Architecture faculty members with needed support to produce a robust body of design research, cultivating a presence on both the national and international stage,” says Associate Professor Amy Kulper, who heads the department. “Culminating with an exhibition, a lecture and a publication, this program provides an elevated platform that allows the voice of an emerging architect to be heard.” Assistant Professor Emanuel Admassu, the first recipient of the award, focuses on the problems and opportunities associated with the diasporic condition. He’s now using the seed funding to continue his research on urban marketplaces in Africa.
“This program provides an elevated platform that allows the voice of an emerging architect to be heard.” Throughout the 2018/19 academic year, Architecture faculty, students and alumni will gather for a series of TableTalks designed to build common ground in support of Admassu’s research. Three global interlocutors will help forge a conversational context around this work. The project also provides several students with the opportunity to work with Admassu as research assistants—giving them a critical window into the conceptualization and production of new research. “What I find so exciting is that the fund creates a rich design culture that invites student participation, and the program models new forms of critical exchange,” says Kulper. “We are grateful to have this important new resource that provides vital opportunities for our faculty and students to advance and explore design research together.”
Admassu’s Two Markets research project examines the constructed spatial and sociopolitical identities of two urban marketplaces in sub-Saharan Africa: in Dar es Salaam and Addis Ababa.
Support for research facilities Dating from 1878, the Fleet Library at RISD is one of the oldest independent art college libraries in the country, with a collection of more than 155,000 volumes along with artist’s books and visual and material resources.
Support for labs and studios
Given a growing interest in biodesign and environmental issues, students welcome hands-on access to natural specimens and high-end tools in the Nature Lab.
RISD is recognized as a leader in art and design education.
10
ALUMNI HAVE EARNED MACARTHUR “GENIUS” AWARDS
#1
PRODUCER OF FULBRIGHT RECIPIENTS AMONG SPECIALIZED INSTITUTIONS
700+ COMPANIES CURRENTLY ENGAGED WITH RISD IN VARIOUS WAYS
Cultivating creative activism Thanks to funding from the Parents’ Council, Zoe Scruggs interned recently at a farm that advocates for environmental and social justice. “I want to be involved in the growing community of black women starting farms,” says Zoe Scruggs 19 PT, who earned a RISD Parents’ Council Internship Award to work with Harmony Homestead & Wholeness Center in Hillsdale, NY over the summer. The farm-based organization “facilitates racial harmony and reparations to members of the underserved global majority.” “I am attracted to how these young women farmers work to rekindle black and brown people’s relationship with nature,” says the Painting senior, who adds that there’s “a lot of trauma tied to land and nature because of slavery and the genocide of native peoples, along with environmental justice issues like the Flint [MI] water crisis.”
“This type of work is important to me because women of color push forward environmental justice movements.” Scruggs’ internship experience has given her the confidence to dream big. “This type of work is important to me,” she says, “because women of color push forward environmental justice movements.” Hoping to create a similar space, she wants “to grow food and house all of my friends and family—and have it be a place for art and activism,” Scruggs says. “There are not enough institutions supporting black creation of art in the context of the land.”
Exploring sonic practices Thanks to support from the Opus Foundation, RISD is now able to support advanced sound studies. With students eager to compose, design and perform digital works that incorporate sound, RISD has opened a state-of-the-art sound studio. The new space on the mezzanine level of the library building at 15 Westminster Street provides access to the latest immersive audio technology. The studio serves as a classroom, workspace and research laboratory that provides an ideal setting to teach sonic arts and sound design courses offered through the recently launched Computation, Technology and Culture concentration and the graduate department of Digital + Media. It also promises to open up a new world of sound studies to firstyear students in Experimental and Foundation Studies (EFS), and offers space for hosting visiting lectures and workshops by designers, artists and technologists, among others. “Sound has long been an important influence and element in the work of RISD students,” says Associate Professor and EFS Programs Head Shawn Greenlee 96 PR. “Student interest in the sonic arts, sound design and audio programming is now stronger than ever. After many years without a dedicated space for focused study in sound, RISD’s new studio not only meets an existing need but also supports new areas of inquiry and interdisciplinary potential.”
Support for new technology At Co-Works students in all disciplines take full advantage of 3D printers and other advanced tools and processes.
Thank you for making our future The Division of Institutional Engagement is pleased to share this giving report showcasing how volunteers and philanthropy are transforming RISD. Since joining the team in January, I have been struck by how passionate our alumni are about their alma mater and am continually impressed with those who volunteer as mentors, in the admissions process, through regional clubs, on advisory boards and in fundraising efforts. Your generosity and advocacy have increased scholarship support, provided students with funding for materials, travel and internships, and helped to renovate campus spaces and upgrade studio equipment. You are critical to RISD’s future, making it possible for our talented students to get the best education possible to prepare for today’s rapidly changing world. O’Neil Outar Vice President of Institutional Engagement
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Consolidated statements of financial position on June 30, 2018 and June 30, 2017 ASSETS
2018
2017
cash and cash equivalents receivables long-term investments property, plant and equipment, net all other assets
49,478 11,129 338,803 217,377 5,191
35,570 9,372 324,417 207,541 22,515
total assets
621,978
599,415
$16.7m FY18: SECOND HIGHEST FUNDRAISING YEAR TO DATE
LIABILITIES payables and accruals bonds payable all other liabilities total liabilities
9,373 148,767 22,078 180,218
8,269 153,079 25,218 186,566
unrestricted temporarily restricted permanently restricted total net assets
305,865 77,353 58,542 441,760
293,780 68,573 50,496 412,849
total liabilities and net assets
621,978
599,415
NET ASSETS
+$10m
INCREASE IN FUNDS FOR FINANCIAL AID SINCE 2010
16,742,481
Consolidated statements of activities in years ended June 30, 2018 and June 30, 2017 (summarized)
13,370,880 11,449,401
OPERATING REVENUES tuition and fees less: school-sponsored financial aid donor-sponsored financial aid net tuition and fees gifts and pledges auxiliary enterprises investment income all other revenues total operating revenues
124,532
121,695
(20,604) (1,726) 102,202
(19,613) (2,016) 100,066
10,249 26,616 14,408 7,416
5,492 25,883 16,979 6,138
160,891
154,558
51,318 7,963 8,878 26,525 29,863 14,860 9,034
49,706 7,503 8,669 22,879 29,545 14,653 8,214
148,441
141,169
12,450
13,389
7,012,896
2014
6,865,863
2015
2016
2017
2018
FIVE-YEAR FUNDRAISING ACHIEVEMENT gifts + new pledges FY14–FY18
OPERATING EXPENSES instruction academic and research support student services institutional support operations and maintenance auxiliary enterprises museum total operating expenses increase in net assets from operating activities
Scholarships 34% Museum 23%
NON-OPERATING ACTIVITY
Unrestricted 11%
realized and unrealized gain on investments gifts and pledges other
9,080
19,306
5,436 1,426
5,467 755
increase in net assets from nonoperating activities
15,942
15,942
increase in net assets
28,392
38,917
Facilities 10% Academic 22%
FIVE-YEAR AVERAGE FOR FUNDS USE FY14–FY18
Board of Trustees OFFICERS Michael H. Spalter P 22 Chair Richard W. Haining, Sr. P 05 Vice Chair Margaret A. Williams Vice Chair TERM TRUSTEES David C. Barclay P 10 Caroline Baumann J. Scott Burns Ilene Chaiken 79 GD / P 18 Erica Gerard Di Bona P 11 Kim Gassett-Schiller P 14 Joe Gebbia 05 GD/ID + HD 17 Robert W. Glass P 11 Karen Hammond Jon Kamen P 09 Vikram Kirloskar P 12 Mary Lovejoy Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Nicole J. Miller 73 AP Steven G. Perelman Lisa Pevaroff-Cohn 83 TX Tavares Strachan 03 GL Roland V. Sturm P 17 EX OFFICIO TRUSTEES Stephen A. Metcalf Chair, Emeriti Trustees Michael Rock MFA 84 GD member, President’s Alumni Advisory Council William Schweizer P 19 Co-Chair, RISD Parents Council Rosanne Somerson 76 ID President, Rhode Island School of Design EMERITI TRUSTEES John H. Beug P 05 Anthony C. Belluschi BArch 66 / P 95
Jane Chace Carroll HD 06 Clara M. Dale BArch 75 Susan W. Dryfoos P 01 Bayard C. Ewing Louis A. Fazzano HD 01 Anne B. Fordyce 67 SC Peter B. Freeman Katherine Freygang 80 IA/MFA 81 GD
Corwin Frost 59 AR / P 97 Wilfrid L. Gates, Jr. 65 LA Paula Koffler Granoff HD 10 William R. Hammer BArch 65 Ronne Hartfield Dorothy Hebden-Heath 57 PT Erma W. Leavitt 44 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 96 J. Terrence Murray Dana M. Newbrook 63 AR Joan Ress Reeves M. Kate Rittmann P 95 Merrill W. Sherman Philip E. Tobey BArch 66 William J. Watkins P 83 Patricia A. White 64 IL / P 96
Museum Board of Governors GOVERNORS J. Scott Burns Chair Karen Hammond Vice Chair Andrew Green MD Vice Chair Vincent (Vinny) Buonanno Joseph (Joe) A. Chazan MD Hannah Metcalf Childs Glenn M. Creamer Allison Dessel Erica Gerard Di Bona P 11 Paula Koffler Granoff HD 10
Muriel Jobbers Tony Longoria Judy Mann Ann (Ewa) Metcalf Pauline C. Metcalf 74 AE Stephen A. Metcalf Zesty Meyers Meghan Reilly Michaud 01 GD Helene J. Miller Alan Nathan Carol Nulman Steven G. Perelman Clay Rockefeller Adam Silverman BArch 87/MArch 88
Tavares Strachan 03 GL Toots Zynsky 74 GL HONORARY GOVERNORS Jane Chace Carroll Kathryn M. Parsons EX OFFICIO MEMBERS Dan Cavicchi Interim Provost John W. Smith Director, RISD Museum Rosanne Somerson 76 ID President, Rhode Island School of Design Michael Spalter P 22 Chair of the Board of Trustees
RISD Parents’ Council CO-CHAIRS Alison Schweizer P 19 William Schweizer P 19 MEMBERS Eli Abbe P 11 Grimanesa Amoros P 18 Jessica Arner P 11 Alla Belenkov P 19 Elliot Belenkov P 19 Drew Bernstein P 19 Wendy Bernstein P 19 Mark Bye P 16 Simone Bye P 16 Eva Clarke P 20 William Clarke P 20 Jim Conley P 21 Liz Conley P 21 Sharon Cooperman P 21 Tod Cooperman P 21 Tali Diamond P 21 Chris Durbin P 21 Portia Durbin P 21 Inés Elskop P 15 Genevieve Fairbrother P 21 William Fleischer P 18 Marika Formoso P 20 Hector Formoso-Murias P 20 Douglas Freedman P 21 Lauri Freedman P 21 Joe Gallo P 15 Francesca Hetfield P 20 Dana Johnson P 22 Peter Kutzer P 21 Rebecca Kutzer P 21 Claire Levesque P 17 Deborah Mankiw P 22 Greg Mankiw P 22 Frances Marchant P 20 Jeffrey Marchant P 20 Sharon McCarthy P 22 John McIntosh P 20 Pastor Medina P 21 Antonio Molestina P 22 Sean Mullaney P 21 Stacy Mullaney P 21 Mark Nelson P 22 Wei Ni P 19 Stacey Nicholas P 21 Ayako Okuno P 16 Dale Okuno P 16 Sree Sajja P 21 Vijay Sajja P 21 Christopher Scholz P 15 Chris Sheldon P 21 Debbie Sheldon P 21 Marina Shevelev P 19 Jianpeng Shi P 19 Shanming Shi P 21 Dan Slipkovich P 21 Lisa Slipkovich P 21 Mingyuan Song P 21 Charlie Spielholz P 19 Bill Tyler P 17 Lizzette Villeda P 21 Laurie Volk P 99 P 04 Cassandra Whittington P 19 Reed Whittington P 19 Heidi Young P 17 Todd Zimmerman P 99 / P 04
RISD Alumni Club Leaders BEIJING* Catherine McMahon BArch 03 GULF REGION (QATAR/UAE/SAUDI ARABIA) Saba Qizilbash MA 04 HANGZHOU* Desmond Delanty BArch 13 HONG KONG Donald Choi BArch 82 / P 07 President Frank Chow BLA 92 Secretary Rex Wong BArch 03 Treasurer INDIA Durga Gawde 15 SC Soaib Grewal 11 ID Akshat Raghava 09 ID Malvika Vaswani 11 ID INDONESIA Ramin S. Satyahadi 99 ID KOREA Chaeyeon Songyi Han 01 GD President Seung Hwan Hwang 11 IA Vice President Tae June Kwon BArch 08 General Manager Janet Gihyun Lee 03 FD Vice President Jennifer Seyoung Park 16 PT Accounting Manager
AUSTIN Jonas Criscoe MFA 08 PT Laura Worrick 08 IL COLORADO/DENVER Phillip Mann MFA 09 FD Patrick Marold 97 ID HOUSTON Falon Mihalic MLA 12 Katie Schon 05 ID LOS ANGELES Liz MH Lanphear 04 FAV Marisa Murrow 00 PT MIAMI Jayda Knight Uras 99 IA NEW YORK Elisabeth Krisel 75 ID Will McLoughlin BArch 09 PHILADELPHIA Marty Henry BArch 87 Michael Martella BArch 91 RHODE ISLAND Christina Rodriguez 03 IL SAN FRANCISCO Mary Banas MFA 09 GD Heather Phillips MFA 10 GD
President’s Alumni Advisory Council Lindsey Adelman 96 ID Ashleigh Axios 08 GD Ilene Chaiken 79 GD / P 18 Donald Choi BArch 82 / P 07 Ryan Cunningham 02 FAV Yvonne Force Villareal 88 PT Michael Glancy 77 SC / MFA 80 GL Anthony Grant 80 IL Jill Greenberg 89 PH Michael Koch 87 TX Mary Murphy MA 86 Mike Neff 04 PH Krista Ninivaggi BArch 02 Michael Rock MFA 84 GD Marie-Louise Sciò BArch 99 Ian Stell MFA 12 FD Rex Wong BArch 03 James Wynn 98 GD
Jesse + Helen Rowe Metcalf Society CHAIR Stephen A. Earle 82 TX
RISD Fund CO-CHAIRS Norman Chan BArch 85 Ryan Cunningham 02 FAV
WASHINGTON, DC Dave Ramos MFA 06 GD
SHANGHAI* Brendan Kellogg 06 FD Lawrence Wu 07 ID SINGAPORE* Priscilla Tey 15 IL * new chapters
a publication from Institutional Engagement Rhode Island School of Design © 2018 photos by Jo Sittenfeld MFA 08 PH with additional photos by Matthew Clowney MFA 08 PH, David O’Connor, Kendra Xu 18 GD
risd.edu/giving giving@risd.edu p 401 454-6403 toll-free 1 844 454-1877
Institutional Engagement at RISD The Institutional Engagement team is dedicated to advancing RISD’s core mission by strategically fostering lifelong relationships with alumni, parents, friends and organizations that strengthen goodwill and philanthropy. Rhode Island School of Design Two College Street Providence, RI 02903 USA
