At Rhode Island School of Design, you’ll join a creative project that started in 1877

Student crouching and working on a large yellow and green painting in a painting studio.
Wooden architectural model being thrown into sky by one hand.
View of RISD’s main building, 20 Washington Place, at dusk. Building is a mix of traditional brickwork and contemporary architectural elements.

RISD is a college and museum located in Providence, Rhode Island

Explore Our Programs
Online Info Sessions
Overhead shot of two hands placing blocks on a graphic wooden and painted architectural model.
Image of student dressed in black performing in a white studio space with a laptop, three microphones, two speakers. An orange sits next to the student.

An immersive, cross-disciplinary environment where making begins with a question

Undergraduate
Graduate
Continuing Education
Pre-Collegiate
Museum

We generate and challenge the ideas that shape our future

Meet our students
Meet our alumni
Painting by alum Jon Key of a Black man in a purple suit in fetal position against a red background. The suit is composed of geometric purple squares.
Alum Tanya Aguiñiga in a suit and mask made of flesh-toned neoprene, glass and metal, walking the length of the border wall in the southern US.
Michael Maltzan - Architectural rendering of the Sixth Street Bridge which is made up of a series of arches over the Los Angeles river.
Painting by alum Jon Key of a Black man in a purple suit in fetal position against a red background. The suit is composed of geometric purple squares.
Alum Tanya Aguiñiga in a suit and mask made of flesh-toned neoprene, glass and metal, walking the length of the border wall in the southern US.
Michael Maltzan - Architectural rendering of the Sixth Street Bridge which is made up of a series of arches over the Los Angeles river.
Resume motion

Upcoming events

red show poster with image of woman's face
8–9 pm  |  Feb 6
Student Performance: The Saint of the Slaughterhouses

Faculty member Josh Short invites the RISD community to a performance developed collaboratively in his LAEL Theatre Production Workshop.

 

show poster with kiln illustration
6–7:30 pm  |  Feb 12
Ceramics Triennial Closing Reception

The Ceramics department welcomes the RISD community to Woods-Gerry Gallery for conversation and refreshments.

See All Events

It Starts with a Question

It Starts with a Question, a new video interview series hosted by RISD President Crystal Williams, features conversations with thought leaders, art and design luminaries, and other notable creatives and changemakers. In the latest episode, award-winning author, illustrator, and alum Brian Selznick and President Williams sit down to discuss the importance of queer representation, bravery in the face of censorship, and finding inspiration and motivation.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Life After RISD: Anina Major

The award-winning Bahamian artist and educator discusses the creative breakthroughs that drove her to pursue her calling as a professional artist.

Read the Interview

Anina Majors

Life After RISD: Anina Major

The award-winning Bahamian artist and educator discusses the creative breakthroughs that drove her to pursue her calling as a professional artist.

Read the Interview

Latest stories

Hear more about RISD’s community of artists, designers and scholars.

the curatorial team for Black Biennial 2026
RISD’s Third Black Biennial Celebrates Cross-Diasporic Community

Please Catch Me When I Fall, curated by RISD students Karma Johnson, Khalil McKnight, and King Meulens, highlights joy, vulnerability, and the many stories to be told about the Black experience.

a painting that says keep creating
RISD Careers’ “Art of Business” Series Teaches Skills for Creative Career Longevity

From taxes and contracts to managing money and staying true to oneself, the webinar series teaches students and alumni how to sustain their creative businesses. 

faculty member Adam Thabo and students gather around a model of the exhibition in progress
Wintersession Exhibition Design Course at RISD Emphasizes Real-World Problem Solving

Working collaboratively, students are designing and building exhibits in preparation for an immersive show in the Center for Integrative Technologies.

RISD Presidential Fellows pose for a photo at welcoming event in early September 2025
New Cohort of RISD Presidential Fellows Hits the Ground Running

Graduate students selected for the Society of Presidential Fellows are pushing creative boundaries as architects, sculptors, industrial designers, painters, textile artists, and global scholars.

a blue map of Asia and Europe showing the eight countries in which RISD Fulbrights are currently working
Eight RISD Alums Advance Cross-Cultural Dialogue as Fulbright US Student Awardees

The largest Fulbright cohort in RISD’s history is currently conducting research in host countries across Europe and Asia.

two students mix bioplastics on top of a hotplate
RISD-HMG Research Partnership Explores Tangible Futures in Advanced Biodesign

Fall 2025 Regeneration Studio focuses on biomimicry research in structures, materials, mechanisms, and interfaces. 

see more stories

Thank you to all of the artists and designers whose work is featured here. From top to bottom: Bhen Allen MFA 22 PT (photo by Jo Sittenfeld MFA 08 PH), Alexander Kern BArch 21, photo of 20 Washington Place by Bruce Damonte, Kaori Yasunaga 21 FAV, Kunyue Qi BArch 21 & Jen Chenyu Zhang BArch 21, Qihang Li 20 PR, Meredith Binnette 20 FAV, Miguel Enrique Lastra MFA 22 CR, Jon Key 13 GD, Nickole Klarou 21 FAV, Tanya Aguiñiga MFA 05 FD (photo by Gina Clyne), Jackie Oh 22 AP/FAV, Michael Maltzan BArch 85 (image courtesy of Michael Maltzan Architecture), Julia Chien 22 FAV.