Rhode IslandSchool of Design

Picture RISD

Bachelor’s D

egree Programs:

Apparel D

esign. Architecture. C

eramics.

Film/A

nimation/V

ideo. Furniture Design.

Glass. G

raphic Design. Illustration.

Industrial Design. Interior A

rchitecture. Jew

elry + M

etalsmithing. Painting.

Photography. Printmaking. Sculpture.

Textiles.

RISD is easy to imagine but harder to fully grasp.

Rhode Island School of Design—better known as RIZ-dee (for the acronym

RISD)—is widely considered to be one of the world’s best colleges of art and design.

Yet, in many ways, what goes on in our studios every

day is a bit mysterious, almost magical. It’s an ongoing exchange of focused energy that’s

stimulating, contagious and unlike anything you’ve ever

experienced.

R E M A R K A B LE TH I N G S H A PPE N when RISD students come together at our urban campus in Providence. Curious and creatively motivated, they see and feel themselves get better as artists—and are often drawn to mediums they didn’t even know existed.

Working closely with fellow students and faculty invested in your progress, you’ll learn to push your own limits and trust your instincts. You’ll feel your concepts get stronger, your mastery of craft improve and your comfort level with presenting personal work increase. As part of a caring community committed to fostering individual growth, you’ll develop a solid sense of confidence that lasts a lifetime.

You’ll find an exhilarating environment for exploration

and experimentation.

In the studio, you’ll talk about ideas and bring them to life.

AT R I S D YO U ’ LL LE ARN TO U N D E R STAN D MATE R IAL S by making things by hand and thinking about, analyzing and criticizing what you’re making. RISD’s extraordinary faculty — all practicing professionals — work with and mentor 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students who inspire each other through an immersive, hands-on, studio-based education.

RISD is a place where fine artists and designers come together, where you can learn the art of intaglio printmaking, polish a product prototype in the metal shop or design a website to explain climate change. When art and design mix together like this in the studio — naturally, every day — amazing things happen.

“Creating solutions for conditions no one has ever experienced is the ultimate challenge. But imagining life beyond the planet also helps students move beyond their own assumptions.” Michael Lye Industrial Design faculty member

Studio-based learning means working with your hands while

using your head.

LE ARN I N G TH RO U G H MAKI N G is really different from learning online or from books, lectures and taking tests. Here it starts with a first-year experience known as Experimental and Foundation Studies, a total immersion in three core studio areas: drawing, design and spatial dynamics. Studio work is enriched through an infusion of literary studies, along with art and cultural history, among other liberal arts courses.

Focused studio learning continues sophomore year as you choose one of 16 majors and learn to express your ideas using specific materials (glass, metals, film, fonts, fabric, photography, etc.). RISD’s extensive studio facilities, along with shops, labs and top-quality specialized software and equipment, help facilitate the work students produce.

You’ll learn to think big and make connections.

TH R O U G H A C O M B I NATI O N O F studio classes and liberal arts courses, you’ll be encouraged to question assumptions, experiment, take risks and stretch creatively with each challenging new assignment. RISD stands out among art schools for its emphasis on liberal arts courses that provide context, creative research skills and the knowledge needed to develop strong conceptual and critical thinking abilities. A third of the credits needed for graduation are earned in the departments of Literary Arts + Studies, the History of Art + Visual Culture, and History, Philosophy + the Social Sciences.

There’s also a lot of discussion and interpersonal exchange at RISD. In studio critiques (crits), you’ll present work in progress to professors, visiting critics and peers as a means of getting helpful feedback every step of the way. This fosters individual creative growth by teaching you to better articulate your thinking and ultimately, create more compelling work.

RISD’S STRONG REPUTATION AMONG EMPLOYERS and creative leaders continues to be a door-opener for graduates. Alumni confirm that employers are increasingly looking for people who can think creatively and communicate visually, making a RISD education more relevant and valuable than ever before.

Learning at RISD is focused and intense, but at the same time our studio-based model is versatile enough to lead to rewarding work in a wide range of creative fields and well beyond —

from educational reform to entertainment, art therapy to alternative energy research, niche start-ups to sustainable systems design. In fact, the 25,000 graduates around the world who are proud to call themselves RISD alumni offer the best examples of possible paths for living a rewarding creative life.

RISD sticks with you for life.

“At RISD ‘creativity’ and ‘innovation’ are more than just buzzwords. They’re more like a mantra, demanding that we combine our ideas and passions to make meaningful work. The world desperately needs what our alumni can do.” Rosanne Somerson RISD’s president/BFA 76 ID

1

Everyone who comes to love the place calls it RISD [RIZ-dee].

2

You’ll need to submit drawings to get in (but you don’t need to

draw like daVinci).

3

Late nights in the studio feel natural here.

4

You’ll spend so much time drawing with charcoal the first year that you’ll

get “the RISD tan.”

5

Creativity is refreshingly contagious at RISD.

10 things worth remembering:

6

You’ll stand out and fit in.

7

RISD students can take classes up the hill

at Brown.

8

We’re an art school with sports teams (and names worth googling).

9

With a total of five colleges, Providence is a great place

to go to school.

10

You will leave totally changed but more intensely yourself.

After RISD you’ll have the creative flexibility

to choose future work in…

advertising, animation, app design, architecture, arts administration, art criticism,

art therapy, automobile design, books design, branding, cartooning, character design,

children’s books, cinematography, communications, costume design, curating,

documentary filmmaking, editorial illustration, exhibition design, fabrication, fashion,

furniture making, gaming, graphic design, graphic novels, healthcare communications,

hospitality design, info graphics, interactive media, interior design, jewelry design, landscape design, lighting design, marketing, metalsmithing, murals, music,

package design, papermaking, performance art, photojournalism, pottery, print design,

product design, public art, public service, publishing, puppetmaking, robotics, set design,

sound design, special effects, studio art, surface design, sustainable design, systems

design, tableware, teaching, theater, toy design, type design, tv production, urban planning, user interface design, weaving, web design, woodworking, writing, your heart’s desire.

Beyond the studio: R

ISD’s C

enter for Student Involvem

ent supports shared student experiences, both on and off cam

pus. Students get involved in everything from

team sports and cultural clubs, to

governing groups like the Student Alliance,

to playful events like the Zombie W

alk, the A

rtists’ Ball and an instant Law

n Party involving plenty of sod.

Just over 2,000 undergraduates and 435 graduate students come come together at RISD from throughout the US and the world. This makes for an incredibly rich and diverse community united by a love of art and design, and a healthy appreciation for cross-cultural communication.

RISD students are clearly individuals, yet they share certain characteristics — curiosity, visual acuity and a type of intelligence that can’t necessarily be measured by tests or grades. And no matter which language they speak or where they grew up, they’re driven to make art.

One visit to RISD and you’ll immediately discover how much this shared interest unites our creative community. Come see for yourself.

risd.edu/visit

© 2015 Rhode Island School of Design

R I S D M E D I A G R O U P

D E S I G N Micah Barrett [BFA 12/Graphic Design]

W R ITI N G/ E D IT I N G Liisa Silander

PR I NTI N G Meridian Printing, East Greenwich, RI

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