This studio course is based on the premise that the narrative shaping of information is fundamental to human communication. As active participants in cultural production, graphic designers naturally collaborate within varied areas of expertise, assuming a documentary role in how society views itself. Narrative methods enable us to speak to (and through) any content with a sense of the story it has to tell - visually representing historical, curatorial, scientific, and abstract ideas and events. Students will explore design as a process of storytelling that includes linear and non-linear relationships, with an emphasis on developing formal strategies for multiple approaches to shaping a narrative experience from given as well as self-generated content. Particular emphasis is on sequence, framing, cause and effect, the relationships between elements, and the synthesis of parts into wholes. With text and image, and across media, we employ narrative methods to make sense of complex content meant to be shared and understood.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Graduate Graphic Design Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Graphic Design (2yr)

History is a powerful tool; a basic understanding of the history of design and familiarity with important design movements and designers is essential for thorough design work. By examining the work of other designers, we are better able to identify our own interests and concerns, and avoid repeating mistakes that have been navigated in the past. This lecture-based class will present the history of Industrial Design in a way that links it to today's studio work, and offers connection points to link past innovation and design activity with future design success. The lectures present a chronological overview of the profession of Industrial Design and its antecedents. Topics discussed will include major design movements, significant designers, manufacturers, and design-related companies, innovations in technology and material use, the development of sales, marketing, and user-focused designing, and the history of design process. Coursework includes extensive reading, in-class presentations based on independent research, projects, and writing.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Preference is given to Sophomore Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

History is a powerful tool; a basic understanding of the history of design and familiarity with important design movements and designers is essential for thorough design work. By examining the work of other designers, we are better able to identify our own interests and concerns, and avoid repeating mistakes that have been navigated in the past. This lecture-based class will present the history of Industrial Design in a way that links it to today's studio work, and offers connection points to link past innovation and design activity with future design success. The lectures present a chronological overview of the profession of Industrial Design and its antecedents. Topics discussed will include major design movements, significant designers, manufacturers, and design-related companies, innovations in technology and material use, the development of sales, marketing, and user-focused designing, and the history of design process. Coursework includes extensive reading, in-class presentations based on independent research, projects, and writing.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Preference is given to Sophomore Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

History is a powerful tool; a basic understanding of the history of design and familiarity with important design movements and designers is essential for thorough design work. By examining the work of other designers, we are better able to identify our own interests and concerns, and avoid repeating mistakes that have been navigated in the past. This lecture-based class will present the history of Industrial Design in a way that links it to today's studio work, and offers connection points to link past innovation and design activity with future design success. The lectures present a chronological overview of the profession of Industrial Design and its antecedents. Topics discussed will include major design movements, significant designers, manufacturers, and design-related companies, innovations in technology and material use, the development of sales, marketing, and user-focused designing, and the history of design process. Coursework includes extensive reading, in-class presentations based on independent research, projects, and writing.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Preference is given to Sophomore Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

History is a powerful tool; a basic understanding of the history of design and familiarity with important design movements and designers is essential for thorough design work. By examining the work of other designers, we are better able to identify our own interests and concerns, and avoid repeating mistakes that have been navigated in the past. This lecture-based class will present the history of Industrial Design in a way that links it to today's studio work, and offers connection points to link past innovation and design activity with future design success. The lectures present a chronological overview of the profession of Industrial Design and its antecedents. Topics discussed will include major design movements, significant designers, manufacturers, and design-related companies, innovations in technology and material use, the development of sales, marketing, and user-focused designing, and the history of design process. Coursework includes extensive reading, in-class presentations based on independent research, projects, and writing.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Preference is given to Sophomore Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

This is a theoretical seminar course that will be concerned with ideas and architectural knowledge that may be cultivated and tested through discourse. The course discussions will focus on an expansive role of architectural tools. While acknowledging a wealth of disciplinary conventions, histories and theories, this course recognizes that the forms of representation within the discipline of architecture have the capacity to affect the discipline of architecture and are not fixed. Students in this course will be expected to build upon their previous architectural education through a series of directed projects aimed at advancing architectural theories, ideas and methods. Some of the questions that students will be expected to address are: What are the practical, theoretical, and creative implications of a drawing that functions as architecture? How do architects change the way we make and think thanks to digital media? How do architects represent and model natural forces? How do architects express political or social agendas? What is the nature of an architectural contribution to interdisciplinary discourse? How can representation enable new kinds of artistic and research-based practices for architecture? Students will be expected to self-direct their process while framing their work intellectually in a seminar environment.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $150.00

This course is limited to first-year MArch (2yr) Architecture Students.

Major Requirement | MArch: Architecture (2yr)

Furniture design is concerned with meeting the needs of a body in the context of its environment, but must that body and environment belong to a human? Homo sapiens compose 0.01% of the Earth’s biomass. In this class we will explore the other 99.99%, the nonhuman world. Drawing upon the concept of umwelt, the unique sensory experience of a particular organism, students will deeply interrogate the life history and sensory world of nonhuman organisms in order to explore what it means to design as an animal. Through lectures, readings, discussions, and guest speakers, topics in biology will be introduced and their relevance to design discussed and analyzed. Students will develop their own intuitive approach to making and undertake a research and design project centered around an organism of their choice, culminating in a final presentation with accompanying visuals, diagrams, and models. The concepts of design and furniture will be explored beyond the purview of humanity in order to expand our circle of consideration when making. Students will be introduced to basic biological concepts like evolution, metabolism, development, and genetics. Contact with scientific literature and guest researchers will expose students to how science works in the real world and how they can use it effectively in their own creative practice. No prior knowledge of biology is required, only curiosity.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $150.00

Elective

-What are some differences between classic Western Philosophy and Native American Philosophy?

-How do we tell the diversity and variety of philosophical concepts amongst Native American tribes and regions?

-What kinds of ideas and stories outline philosophical guidelines for culture and background in certain Indigenous communities?

These are some of the questions and ideas that will be explored in this course. This course will examine American Indian philosophy through introductory and culturally specific contexts using a variety of sources, both historical and contemporary. Sources will range from being recorded texts from archives, books, journals, and other audio/visual materials, as well as online websites, journals, and other repositories of knowledge. It is designed to give people who have very little familiarity with indigenous, philosophical concepts, in a broad overview. Interaction with these ideas in conjunction with other western philosophical concept will by no means be a comprehensive coverage of philosophy, but it will be complementary to western academic fundamental philosophical, and well-known European and American philosophy concepts for deeper conversations for people to examine further in class discussions.

A version of this course was taught previously as an S101: Topics in History, Philosophy, and the Social Sciences. If you took this topic as your S101, please do not enroll in this course.

Elective

This 3-credit elective course, offered by the Industrial Design department, focuses on foundational 2D and 3D milling techniques using the Camaster Panther 4x4 CNC router table. The course is open to students from any department, who meet the course prerequisites/co-requisites , or equivalent, as determined by the instructor.

Students engage in hands-on assignments that progressively build their skills throughout the course. These include designing and producing a flat pack stool using 2D profiling, creating 2.5D models for mold-making applications, executing a multisided operation assignment for a full 3D object, and culminating in a final portfolio piece that demonstrates individual creativity and proficiency in CNC machining.

The course's learning outcomes include mastering an understanding of machining principles, utilizing CAD and CAM software, and Designing within the limitations of machinery. The course aims to equip students with practical skills and knowledge essential for utilizing CNC machining tools in diverse design applications. The course's process-oriented approach ensures students acquire skills beyond just design mastery, seamlessly aligning with real-world CNC workflows. This holistic perspective prepares them for professional design and fabrication.

Note: ID 2453-XX Wood II is a pre or corequisite for this class.

Elective

This is an introductory course in digital photography. It covers all the basic techniques of digital workflow: capture, photo editing, and inkjet printing. You will learn how your camera works and how to control it to get the results you want. You will also learn how to download and manage your image files, edit them for best results, backup them religiously, and make excellent inkjet (digital) prints. Beyond technique, there will be at least one visiting artist, regular lectures covering the history of photography, an optional weekend field trip to Boston, and regular group and individual crits geared toward developing your style, focusing your ideas, and making better pictures. Most students use a DSLR (digital single-lens-reflex) camera, which you must provide, but other types are also OK, such as a good point-and-shoot or an ILC (interchangeable lens compact) model. We will discuss cell and tablet phones, but a dedicated camera such as one of the above models, will give you better results and more control. While this course is an introduction to photography, and assumes no prior knowledge, students with some photography background or those with analog-only experience may also benefit.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00 - $150.00

Elective

What if buildings could breathe, furniture could grow, and materials could heal themselves? What if the future of design wasn’t plastic or concrete—but alive? This hands-on, immersive course explores the fascinating world of bio-materials, pushing the boundaries of what is possible in sustainable design.

Students will delve into natural materials like bamboo, mycelium-based products, algae-based substances, and hempcrete—materials that not only reduce ecological footprints but also offer innovative structural and aesthetic potential. Through field visits, lab experiments, real-time material testing, and design challenges, they will explore how these materials evolve, decay, and adapt in response to different conditions.

A key component of this course is hands-on experimentation. Students will cultivate mycelium, mix and pour hempcrete, and bend bamboo to its limits. They will analyze the origins, properties, and life cycle impacts of these materials, gaining a deeper understanding of their role in environmental sustainability and innovation.

By the end of this course, students will have developed foundational knowledge of bio-materials and their applications, equipping them with the skills to rethink materiality in design. Whether creating artworks, products, or structures, students will be encouraged to use imagination to break boundaries and design for a future where nature and innovation collide.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00

Elective

The development of new biodegradable materials is a crucial step in creating a sustainable future, but what processes are involved in making these materials and what role can fine artists play in their creation? In this hands-on course, we will delve into the essential techniques for producing biomaterials while emphasizing play and experimentation. Within the context of the lab and the studio, we explore three specific biomaterials: algae (sodium alginate), kombucha leather, and bioconcrete. Students will explore these materials through sculptural processes including but not limited to moldmaking, slipcasting, and wet forming. This class will familiarize students with established techniques while emphasizing experimentation, creating opportunities to develop new methods and materials. This class will visit the Edna W. Lawrence Nature Lab and the Materials Collection within the Visual + Material Resource Center to gain an understanding of natural materials and existing biomaterial innovations. As an important and growing field in both regenerative design and contemporary art, students will be prompted to consider sustainability, environmental stewardship, and material sourcing within their practice. Through practical hands-on instruction, this course will demystify biomaterial processes. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the knowledge needed to continue biomaterial experimentation with confidence.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $30.00

Elective

Building on the methods of research and synthesis learned in Junior Sculpture: Research Studio, this is an intensive semester designed to strengthen students’ knowledge of professional practices for maintaining a creative practice past graduation. Students will develop a packet of materials which include a portfolio of work, artist statement, resume, and artist CV. This course will advance their research into a range of opportunities specific to the discipline of sculpture and their own individuated practices. 
 
Each week students will be introduced to a variety of resources and skills necessary in preparing for upcoming and future opportunities such as residencies, granting organizations, graduate schools and fellowships. Additionally, topics of exhibiting works in various spaces such as galleries (artist-run, for-profit, university, etc.), museums, alternative art organizations and public art venues will be presented. There will also be workshops for preparing project budgets, archival storage of work and formatting for digital organization. This seminar aims to give students a strong foundation for professional practices prior to their final semester at RISD so they can focus on their body of work in Senior Degree Project and feel prepared to graduate.   

Estimated Cost of Materials: $300.00

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Senior Sculpture Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

Building on the methods of research and synthesis learned in Junior Sculpture: Research Studio, this is an intensive semester designed to strengthen students’ knowledge of professional practices for maintaining a creative practice past graduation. Students will develop a packet of materials which include a portfolio of work, artist statement, resume, and artist CV. This course will advance their research into a range of opportunities specific to the discipline of sculpture and their own individuated practices. 
 
Each week students will be introduced to a variety of resources and skills necessary in preparing for upcoming and future opportunities such as residencies, granting organizations, graduate schools and fellowships. Additionally, topics of exhibiting works in various spaces such as galleries (artist-run, for-profit, university, etc.), museums, alternative art organizations and public art venues will be presented. There will also be workshops for preparing project budgets, archival storage of work and formatting for digital organization. This seminar aims to give students a strong foundation for professional practices prior to their final semester at RISD so they can focus on their body of work in Senior Degree Project and feel prepared to graduate.   

Estimated Cost of Materials: $300.00

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Senior Sculpture Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

This seminar/studio course is centered around a series of invited artists, writers, scientists who work at the intersection of diverse identities and lived experiences to model their specific perspectives on making as a counterpoint to historically euro-centric and monolithic approaches that have burdened glass as a creative medium. Readings, discussions and class activities prioritize issues of identity, culture, gender, race, colonialism - questioning past cannons of making and proposing challenging alternatives. The participatory and collaborative work done for this class is fundamental to our thinking and making community; a willingness to share ideas and make earnest attempts to connect and support one another is central. Our lecturers and HotNights participants set a broad and challenging spectrum of topics which are built on by the research and perspectives of everyone in the class. In each case, we will strive to address topics, discussions and shop time problem solving in a manner that is respectful to all individuals.

Junior Glass Students register for GLASS-4316 (Fall) and GLASS-4318 (Spring).

Senior Glass Students register for GLASS-4320 (Fall) and GLASS-4322 (Spring).

Major Requirement | BFA Glass

This seminar/studio course is centered around a series of invited artists, writers, scientists who work at the intersection of diverse identities and lived experiences to model their specific perspectives on making as a counterpoint to historically euro-centric and monolithic approaches that have burdened glass as a creative medium. Readings, discussions and class activities prioritize issues of identity, culture, gender, race, colonialism - questioning past cannons of making and proposing challenging alternatives. The participatory and collaborative work done for this class is fundamental to our thinking and making community; a willingness to share ideas and make earnest attempts to connect and support one another is central. Our lecturers and HotNights participants set a broad and challenging spectrum of topics which are built on by the research and perspectives of everyone in the class. In each case, we will strive to address topics, discussions and shop time problem solving in a manner that is respectful to all individuals.

Junior Glass Students register for GLASS-4316 (Fall) and GLASS-4318 (Spring).

Senior Glass Students register for GLASS-4320 (Fall) and GLASS-4322 (Spring).

Major Requirement | BFA Glass

Play is a radical act of imagination, joy, and liberation. In this hands-on, interdisciplinary design course, students of all backgrounds will explore the power of play as a tool for social change. Using a liberatory design framework, we will center equity, co-creation, and critical reflection to design playful experiences that challenge norms, foster belonging, and inspire transformation for all ages.

Students will engage in research, prototyping, and testing as they create interactive experiences—ranging from toys and games to storytelling, movement, and immersive play. We will examine play across cultures, ages, and abilities, learning from grassroots movements, augmented realities, and kid powered creations. Through collaboration and iteration, students will develop projects that activate joy, disrupt oppression, and expand possibilities for more just and playful futures. This Industrial Design course is open to junior, seniors, and grads from RISD and Brown and encourages experimentation across disciplines. Participants must want to have fun, have curiosity for play and a commitment to social change.
 

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design, MID (2.5yr): Industrial Design

The Rights of Nature movement is organized around the belief that all lifeforms have equal and intrinsic value and that non-human lifeforms and the ecosystems that support them should have standing in the development, operation and impacts of human legal and cultural systems. This seminar will investigate strategies for using the philosophical and ethical arguments surrounding the Rights of Nature and related movements as a framework for integrating the ecological processes and extended successional timeframes of natural systems with the design, management, and formal outcomes of designed cultural landscapes. Students will discuss and debate contemporary theories calling for a fundamental recalibration of our relationship with nonhuman lifeforms and, through drawings, models, and other media, consider how these abstract arguments might be expressed in the ecological, spatial, and experiential design of the built environment. The reading workload for this seminar will be significant and all students will be expected to actively participate in discussions and debates about the readings. Written assignments will be limited to brief reading responses. In parallel with the readings and class discussions, students will develop sketch design proposals that explore the potential implications and impacts of these ethical frameworks and theories on the patterns and materials of the built environment.

Elective

This course has two primary goals: cultivating an in-depth, hands-on knowledge of a topic in indigenous art history and developing a diverse set of writing tools for documenting lived experience. First, this course will explore the history, anthropology, and overall context of the development of traditional indigenous American textile production methods. Our examination of these textiles will involve critical readings of key texts, lectures and discussions. However, above all, we will be employing a hands-on approach to reproduce the process involved in making these textiles. Focusing on the specific example of Navajo blanket and rug weaving, together we will create our own woven tapestries, replicating traditional methods from cleaning wool straight off the sheep, to dyeing with natural dyes, to building and weaving on our own traditional-style Navajo tapestry looms. The second goal of this course is to explore a variety of approaches toward documenting through writing students' own experiences in the field - ranging from more creative and artistic approaches to more formal or technical descriptions. The intention is to expose students to a variety of writing methods that may come in handy in their professional careers, be they artists' statements or grant applications. To this end, students will be keeping a semester-long field journal detailing their hands-on experiences in this course, culminating in the production of a final presentation of their work.

Elective

Did you know that the red signals of traffic lights are inspired by the warning colors found in red species in nature? Nature is rich with messages conveyed through visual, auditory, olfactory, tactile, and even chemical signals; yet humans often overlook them. This interdisciplinary course invites art and design students to explore how understanding these natural messages can inspire more regenerative creative practices.

Through discussions, readings, and observational experiments, we will investigate the evolution of communication and ecological interactions in nature and their influence on art and design. Hands-on activities at the Nature Lab and in natural environments around Providence will provide opportunities to engage directly with the world’s inherent systems of communication. Students will also explore how cultural ecological perspectives shape interpretations of nature’s signals and synthesize their learning into a final visual and written project.

This course encourages curiosity and openness to observing and interpreting nature’s messages, fostering creative practices rooted in sustainability, cultural understanding, and scientific principles. No prior science background is required. Whether you’re sketching patterns, designing systems, or crafting narratives, this course will help you bridge the gap between art, design, and the natural world.

Elective