department fact sheet

RISD’s graduate program in Jewelry + Metalsmithing cultivates individual excellence through rigorous research and creative practice. It allows for a wide range of approaches, from the goldsmith’s tradition to contemporary modes of experimentation. Critical thinking and writing are promoted through active participation and discourse; in order to achieve meaningful work, graduate students must be willing to question and investigate their motivating forces.

The department offers two paths to the MFA: a two-year program for candidates who have earned a BFA with a concentration in the field and a three-year option for students with various levels of experience and technical and conceptual proficiency. Admission to either path is contingent on an applicant’s commitment, technical competence, and desire to pursue ideas and aesthetics at a professional level.

The department’s small size and high ratio of faculty to students promote individual attention, free exchange of information and positive support. Faculty assist students in defining their methodologies within a larger cultural context by exploring the intersections between art, craft and design. Graduate research yields uncharted results and exemplifies high levels of competence, setting the standard for the department as a whole.

The graduate seminar course, an important supplement to studio classes, addresses issues particular to the field along with broader concerns in contemporary art. The seminar is structured around analysis of readings, presentations and field trips, with the resulting discourse creating a bridge between theoretical concerns and the hands-on making that goes into individual work. In the final semester of their studies, graduate students undertake a thesis project with written and studio components, and exhibit a final body of work in RISD’s Graduate Thesis Exhibition.

The Jewelry + Metalsmithing visiting artist program offers students valuable opportunities to attend lectures and work with artists from the US and abroad. In addition to exposing students to professional realities and postgraduation options, visiting artists and critics provide a multifaceted perspective on the creative process.

Admission to the two- or three-year graduate program is contingent on your commitment, technical competence, and pursuit of your ideas and aesthetics on a professional level. Assistantships and fellowships are determined by merit and need.

Alumni active in the field include Anna Chan ’95, Philip Crangi ’94, Noam Elyashiv MFA ’94, Sandra Enterline ’83, Donald Friedlich ’82, Jonathan Glatt ’04, Priya Himatsingka ’00, Dahlia Kanner ’96, Katherine Koehler ’04, Seo-Hee Koh ’03, Hongsock Lee ’03, Seung-Hea Lee MFA ’98, Elise Moran ’90, Jessica Starkel ’05, and Martina Windels MFA ’88