To read previous issues of risd views click on the links (to .pdf files) below. By clicking on the highlighted headlines, you will see a text version of each feature article (without imagery). If you would like a printed version of the magazine, please e-mail the editor, Liisa Silander.

Fall 2006 | Spring 2006 | Fall 2005 | Spring 2005 | Winter 2005 | Fall 2004 | Winter/Spring 2004 | Fall 2003 | Summer 2003 | Winter/Spring 2003 | Fall 2002 | Summer 2002 | Spring 2002 | Winter 2002| Fall 2001 | Summer 2001 | Spring 2001 | Winter 2001

The (.pdf) pages below are in their original (published) size; you can print on 8 1/2 x 11" paper by scaling down in Acrobat Reader before printing.

Fall 2006: future by design campaign tops goal
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bold move pays off
Author/illustrator David Macaulay ’69 AR understands the way things work, and as national campaign chair for the Future by Design fundraising effort, learned much about the power of shared ideals.

towards a new heart of campus
New campaign-funded facilities are beginning to pull the campus – and the RISD community – together in a more cohesive and comfortable manner.

fresh finds: celebrating the new
The addition of the museum’s first-ever Contemporary Art Department has expanded programming to include breakthrough exhibitions such as this fall’s Wunderground.

access to success
Both donors and the students who are benefiting from endowed scholarships recognize the importance of outside funding to giving talented students of any means access to RISD.

Spring 2006: what matters most
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new library invites a whole new way of being
Students will discover that the Fleet Library at RISD is more integral to their lives than they could have imagined.

catalytic converter?
Art critic Arthur Danto and painter Alexis Rockman came to RISD last fall to discuss whether works of art can actually spur social change.

tackling the big stuff
En route to making a real impact once they graduate, students in Charlie Cannon’s interdisciplinary Innovation Studio challenge themselves to address society’s toughest problems.

Fall 2005: working it out (.pdf)
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adventures in furniture design
When Furniture Design Department faculty teamed up to design a line of green furniture for RISD’s new 500-bed dorm, they rediscovered the value of venturing outside their habitual terrain.

ode to amateurism
Nationally known critic, journalist and radio show host Kurt Andersen urges artists and designers to remain true to “the amateur spirit,” arguing that risk-taking and vision are more important than mere credentials in today’s world.

finding what works
Leaving their first careers behind, Tucker Houlihan MFA ’02 FD and Suzi Cozzens ’99 GD have each found enormous satisfaction in creating a life in the arts.

Spring 2005: possibilities (.pdf)
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a question of degree
Provost Joe Deal defines the meaning and value of research in art and design, and considers the potential for PhD programs at American art schools.

next in design
From developing robots that look and act human to conceiving of buildings grown from living tissue, RISD designers are pushing their knowledge and talents into the unknown.

fly me to the moon
Students in this year’s Designing for Extreme Environments studio wrapped their brains around a lot of alien concepts as they offered NASA new ideas for helping people to adjust to extraterrestrial living.

Winter 2005: beyond borders (.pdf)
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exploring other ways
This look at the educational value of learning to understand other cultures and contexts uses various RISD studios to illustrate the challenges and benefits.

mixing it up at the museum
Judith Tannenbaum, the Richard Brown Baker Curator of Contemporary Art at The RISD Museum, discusses trends in the international art market in conjunction with a recent show featuring art from the Caribbean.

(nifty) new world design
Designers Jozeph Forakis ’85 ID, Edward Ng BAR ’99 and Yuh Okano ’91 TX lend a hint of cultural flavor to products with a clear universal appeal.

alternative views: lost and found in rome
An architect and RISD faculty member, Nick De Pace BAR ’95 is currently working on a Fulbright-funded project in Rome, where he also studied via RISD’s European Honors Program. His essay and photographs give a sense of what he’s (re)discovering this year in the Eternal City.

Fall 2004: does size really matter? (.pdf)
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grand examples
For fine artists Do-Ho Suh ’94 PT, Mari Shields ’70 PT and Julie Mehretu MFA ’97 PT size is a variable like any other, but one they use to great effect to convey meaning in their work. Click here to view a gallery of artwork by the featured artists.

a matter of size
While size tends to be more of a given in the design fields, project scope is very telling. Here we compare and contrast the design of a stamp, a paper clip, an airport gateway and a national monument.

the importance of the proper pond
Big city or remote retreat? RISD artists Noah Fischer ’99 SC and Joshua Abelow ’98 PT talk about why they prefer to live and work in New York, while ceramist Adrian Arleo MFA ’86 CR champions a lifestyle far from the madding crowd.

Winter/Spring 2004: urban context (.pdf)
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Meaningful Relationships
President Roger Mandle analyzes the connection between colleges and the cities they call home, focusing on the RISD-Providence partnership.

New Hope
In reaching out to Providence’s public schools, RISD students and faculty are helping to develop an arts-based curriculum for Hope High’s new Arts Small Learning Community.

City as Studio
Faculty are looking beyond the confines of campus for projects that enable students to test their problem-solving skills while applying design solutions in a larger human context.

Fall 2003: building momentum (.pdf)
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Front + Center
Gifted architect José Rafael Moneo offers a design for the RISD Center that melds disparate program priorities into a dramatic complex where art will be made, studied and enjoyed.

A New Way of Life at RISD
With the acquisition of a 300,000-sf former bank building in downtown Providence, RISD will create an entirely new way of life for students in a mixed-use living/learning center.

Integrating Technology
RISD’s new Center for Integrative Technologies is nearing completion, thanks to public and private support. A nexus for interdisciplinary studies involving new media, the CIT and its sister facility, the Fletcher Building next door, also provide a hub for graduate students in fine art and design disciplines.

Facilitating the Future
While RISD has worked to identify sufficient resources to address facilities needs, it must rely heavily on philanthropy if its plans are to succeed.

Summer 2003: eye on the environment (.pdf)
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Keep it Simple: Ken Hunnibell Remembered
Known for his honesty and integrity, this longtime Industrial Design professor inspired generations of students to become environmentally aware and socially responsible designers.

Going Green
Sustainable design specialist Iris Amdur ’88 IA/BAR ’90 writes about the advantages of the integrated design approach and efforts to expand green building practices in the US.

Recycling Revisited
This sampling of alumni artists and designers focuses on people who work with recycled materials, suggesting alternatives to our culture of unbridled consumption. Philosophy Professor Yuriko Saito also contributes her thoughts on the issues confronting designers in today’s ecologically precarious world.

Winter/Spring 2003: RISD at 125 — going forward (.pdf)
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A Beacon of the Future
As one of the most visible aspects of The Future by Design campaign, the RISD Center complex represents the vision and philosophy guiding the institution into the 21st century.

Making an Impact
RISD alumni validate the college’s relevance and reputation, demonstrating the importance of art and design to society.

Defining the Design in RISD
Design critic Nancy Austin explains how the founders’ notions of design enabled RISD to evolve with the times and remain as vital today as it was 125 years ago.

Opening Doors to a Multicultural Future
RISD is backing its commitment to diversity with endowed scholarship funds that are helping to recruit more minorities and ensure a more multicultural future.

Rites + Rituals: Unorthodox Traditions (Take 2)
In the conclusion to this photo essay, Mike Fink looks at the RISD Commencement tradition and other rites of spring.

Fall 2002: RISD at 125 (.pdf)
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What a Beginning is Worth
RISD owes its existence to the vision of a group of determined Rhode Island women.

Progressive Women, Egalitarian Ideas
Helen Metcalf and her daughter Eliza Radeke shepherded the school and museum through their critical formative years.

Legacies: Shaping the Academic Program
Hundreds of phenomenal faculty members have dedicated themselves to creating the best in academic programming.

Beyond Wunderkammer: RISD’s Key Collections
The Museum, Library and Nature Lab have become indispensable resources for art and design students.

Revitalizing Roots
RISD’s history of adaptive reuse – of old banks, churches, warehouses, homes – has helped to revitalize Providence.

Charismatic Characters
For all their quirks and foibles, RISD’s staff is no less singular or superb than its students and faculty.

Rites + Rituals: Unorthodox Traditions
Forget the hazing, tailgating and sophomoric shenanigans of other campuses. RISD has its own alternative traditions.

Summer 2002: Global Outlook (.pdf)
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A World-Class Community
Despite world tensions, RISD’s international reach is growing, with a significant foreign student population adding depth and dimension to life on campus.

RISDsphere
Alumni from various parts of the world talk about what initially drew them to RISD and where their experiences have taken them since.

Diverting the Global Mainstream
Progressive film director Siraj Jhaveri ’94 FAV finds “universal commonalities” in a multi-dimensional world culture free of national boundaries.

Spring 2002: Cityscapes (.pdf)
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Reorienting RISD
After a lot of rehabbing, retrofitting and new construction, RISD will emerge from an ambitious urban design project with a more usable and welcoming campus.

Architecture of Ambiance
Architects Jeffrey Beers BAR ’79, Anthony Belluschi BAR ’66 and Eric Engstrom ’64 IL talk about the art of infusing atmosphere into restaurants and retail centers to create some of America’s favorite urban oases.

Vast Views / Intimate Relationships
As an avid portraitist of urban life, Yvonne Jacquette ’56 PT explores the soul of the city.

Winter 2002: Artists as Social Activists (.pdf)
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Why Look to Art?
In a world still struggling to eradicate hunger, inequality and countless other social ills, Sculpture Professor Ellen Driscoll explores where artists and designers fit in.

After 9.11.01
Members of the RISD community respond to a day few will ever forget.

Reflection + Remembrance
Professor Friedrich St. Florian, the architect responsible for the World War II memorial now being built on the National Mall, talks about public art designed to soothe our collective soul.

RISD Reaches Out
Although public service and social responsibility have long been part of a RISD education, a resurgence in interest has led a new Service Learning Task Force to explore ways to expand this component of the curriculum.

Fall 2001 (.pdf)
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CyberWork
Gravitating toward digital design comes naturally to many graduates. But why? Is it their RISD education? The marketplace? Serendipity? To find out, digital artist Anne Morgan Spalter MFA ’92 PT talked to alumni at Motivo, S.O.S. and Tellart.

Diving into Digital Learning
With the technological landscape in constant flux, RISD is experimenting with new courses while debating the best approach to preparing the designers of the future.

Planned Evolution
As changing technologies influence every aspect of our lives, colleges are feeling the heat – needing to adapt to and anticipate their impact. RISD’s new academic plan looks at the parameters of change to outline where the school is going in the next five years.

Summer 2001 (.pdf)
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Hot Houses / Cool Designs
The principals at two alumni-owned architectural firms on the West Coast talk about the process, pitfalls and pleasures of designing highly personal private homes.

Mini Masterpiece
“Probably every idea I ever had is in this house”, says Franklin Salasky BIA ’75, 10 years after he first fell in love with a ramshackle little fixer-upper in the Hamptons.

Nesting
With RISD artists and designers feeding consumers’ hunger for good design, the objects we interact with every day are smarter and more appealing than ever.

Spring 2001 (.pdf version)
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Art Education and the Rugged Individual
Professor Deborah Bright writes about the state of studio art education in the US, changing demographics and the world art schools are preparing students to engage.

Finessing the Jeweler’s Touch
Professor Louis Mueller MFA ’71 ID head of RISD’s Jewelry + Metalsmithing Department, muses about the nature of contemporary jewelry and the joys of teaching students to create their own “stories”.

Shaping an Artist
Though far from easy, a life in the arts is about exploration and fulfillment, says RISD’s Provost Joe Deal. He talks about just why a fine arts education offers a path unlike any other.

Survival of the Fittest
Like so many other talented painters, Shahzia Sikander MFA ’95 PT/PR and Walton Ford ’82 FAV have discovered that recognition has as much to do with luck and timing as with vision, passion and technique.

Winter 2001 (.pdf)
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Curating Change
Judith Tannenbaum, curator of the Museum’s new Department of Contemporary Art, talks about innovations and the value she places on it.

Idea Exchange
With help from organizations spawned at RISD, alumni, students and faculty are following separate paths to bring their innovative ideas to the marketplace.

Immaculate Conception
With her emphasis on humor, process and performance, Janine Antoni MFA ’89 SC picks up where ’70s feminist artists left off.

Inside Out Upside Down
Michael Gabellini BAR ’89 takes a thatrical approach to space, maximizing on minimalism as he works to confound gravity.