Project Open Door
Since its founding in 2004, Project Open Door (POD) has
been connecting RISD students with local teenagers from low-income families,
providing them with free, after-school arts education and helping them to prepare
for college and creative careers. As a program housed within the
department of Teaching + Learning in Art + Design, POD not only gives underserved
teens access to a high-quality arts education, it provides aspiring
artist-educators and in-service teaching professionals with a demonstration
project and learning laboratory.
Teenagers from urban public schools come to RISD after
school – from one to four days per week – to learn about drawing and the fundamentals
of design, and to prepare solid portfolios for applying to art schools and
other colleges. POD volunteers teach and advise these high school students on
portfolio preparation and make use of RISD’s resources –
especially the RISD Museum, the Fleet Library at RISD and the Edna Lawrence Nature Lab – to give them a safe and inspiring workspace in which to
prepare for applying to college. Since 2006 more than 500 teenagers have
participated in Project Open Door and all seniors in the program apply to
college, with the vast majority going on to earn a degree.