Megan Callahan
Raised in the great state of Oklahoma, Meg Callahan earned her BFA from RISD in Furniture Design. She founded M.Callahan Studio in 2011, a design studio centered on creating objects that focus on the beauty and complexity of traditional construction. Her work has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, Metropolis, The Wall Street Journal, Dwell and Elle Decor and exhibited at Matter, Colony, Sight Unseen, ICFF and Wanted Design Fair. Callahan was named one of Forbes’ 30 Under 30’ in 2015, and her work is part of private collections throughout the US and abroad.
Courses
Fall 2023 Courses
FD 2451-01
WITNESS TREE PROJECT
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Witness trees, as designated by the National Park Service, are long-standing trees that have witnessed key events, trends, and people in history. In this joint studio/liberal arts course, students have the unique opportunity to study and work with a fallen witness tree, shipped to RISD from a national historic site. The course will involve three components:
1) a field trip to the tree's site at the beginning of the semester
2) classroom-based exploration of American history, memory, landscape, and material culture
3) studio-based building of a series of objects from the tree's wood, in response to both the site and students' classroom study
Overall, the course will explore both how material artifacts shape historical understanding and how historical knowledge can create meaningful design.
This is a co-requisite course. Students must register for HPSS-S732 and FD-2451.
Open to Sophomore, Junior, Senior or Graduate Students.
Elective
FD 2510-01
DRAWING FURNITURE 2-D
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Drawing for Furniture 2D will focus on the ways in which drawing can help generate, evaluate and communicate design concepts. Students will be introduced to the conventions and techniques of technical drawing for Furniture Design while pursuing experiments that supplement and challenge established practices. Focus will be on two drawing systems, orthographic and paraline projection, working by hand and with computers.
Open to Sophomore Furniture Design Students only.
Registration by the Furniture Design Department; this course is not available via web registration.
FD 2510-02
DRAWING FURNITURE 2-D
SECTION DESCRIPTION
Drawing for Furniture 2D will focus on the ways in which drawing can help generate, evaluate and communicate design concepts. Students will be introduced to the conventions and techniques of technical drawing for Furniture Design while pursuing experiments that supplement and challenge established practices. Focus will be on two drawing systems, orthographic and paraline projection, working by hand and with computers.
Open to Sophomore Furniture Design Students only.
Registration by the Furniture Design Department; this course is not available via web registration.
Spring 2024 Courses
FD 2502-01
SOPHOMORE DESIGN/PRACTICE
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This sophomore studio expands basic principles of furniture design and material skills, exploring how the made objects interact with the human body. Intermediate skills will be demonstrated and practiced as students further explore materials and their applications in design.
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Sophomore Furniture Design Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Furniture Design
FD 2502-02
SOPHOMORE DESIGN/PRACTICE
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This sophomore studio expands basic principles of furniture design and material skills, exploring how the made objects interact with the human body. Intermediate skills will be demonstrated and practiced as students further explore materials and their applications in design.
Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Sophomore Furniture Design Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Furniture Design