Biography

Anais Missakian is Professor at Rhode Island School of Design’s Textile Department where she also serves as Department Head.  A design consultant for the textile industry, she has spent the last 25 years designing textile collections for the interior market. 

Recent work includes design and production of printed and woven interior fabrics for Laura Lienhard, Inc.  In addition, she and Laura Lienhard 87 TX/MFA 95 created jacquard and printed upholstery fabrics for the Kreiss Furniture Company in San Diego, CA.  Missakian’s other clients have included Sunbury Textile Mills, Quaker Fabric Corporation, Malden Mills, Martex, Macy’s and Westpoint/Stevens. She had a partnership with Elise Contarsy 84 TX in New York City, from 1990-95, where their clients included: German firm Taunus/Zimmer Rhode, Japanese company Fujiie Textiles, and US companies Lenox China, Dansk and Greff Fabrics.

Missakian has also served as Director of Industry on the Board of the Surface Design Association.  An honors graduate of RISD in 1984, she also attended Central/Saint Martins in London, and Michigan State University.  Before returning back to RISD to start her teaching career, Missakian spent six years in New York working as a designer for textile companies that include Decorator’s Walk and China Seas.  In the summer of 1993, Missakian taught textile design to art and design professionals at the Universities of Porto Alegre in Brazil.  In the summer of 2001, she traveled with RISD Architecture faculty, to help lead a travel course through western Turkey.  At RISD, Missakian served as Graduate Coordinator from 2000-04, and has been Department Head since 2004. Her extensive committee service includes work on RISD’s Instruction Committee, Academic Standing Committee, Financial Aid Committee, European Honors Committee, the Committee for Faculty Appointments  and numerous faculty and administrative search committees

Anais A. Missakian

Acting Dean Fine Arts
amissaki@risd.edu
401-454-6162

• BFA, Rhode Island School of Design

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