Critical Curating will offer an in-depth and immersive introduction to curatorial practice, examining the art of exhibition-making from cultural and theoretical perspectives. The course looks at current and historical exhibitions that engage a range of public platforms, as well as artist practices invested in exhibition-making. The course also has a practical component, which will be an opportunity for students to develop and implement a public exhibition. 

The first half of the course will introduce students to the critical analysis of the curatorial field. We will experiment with writing for various curatorial activities including exhibition reviews, curatorial proposals, and research presentations; as well as conduct site visits to different exhibition platforms. The second half of the course will focus on the production of an exhibition collectively conceived and managed by the student cohort, which will take place in the President’s House and Memorial Hall’s gallery. Coursework will involve workshopping curatorial proposals, soliciting an on-campus open call for work, and overseeing the installation and design of the exhibition. Additionally, visiting curators and artists will give lectures throughout the course, as well as activities such as studio visits, screenings, and research.

Preference will be given to Painting Students.

Elective

How does visual art influence our relationship with the land and with each other? This seminar course explores various forms of landscape representation and its ties to creating and perpetuating ideas around ownership and identity. We will focus on the ways that mediums such as photography and film have been used to reinforce systems of oppression and uphold power dynamics that have led to our current climate emergency. Students will learn about the relationships between extraction, displacement, and visual material, and gain knowledge around past and contemporary artists whose work has influenced environmental movements. The course will also present crucial debates about the relationships between aesthetics and politics, and the role of the artist in an age of ecological collapse.

Comparative works will be drawn from a global context on climate action, indigenous rights, natural resource extraction, and more, but will focus primarily on American colonization and imperialism. In addition to weekly assignments and film screenings, students will develop and present their own final project using historical visual strategies to develop an open call for proposals for a future exhibition related to art and the climate crisis.

This course does not require prior knowledge or photographic experience. Students will develop practical visual analysis skills and conceptual acuity that will strengthen their authentic voice and respective practices as artists and environmental stewards.

Elective

In this class, we will delve into the realm of digital design and fabrication, specifically within the context of contemporary art. We will primarily focus on exploring the varied potential of sculptural techniques using a Digital Plotter, Laser Cutter and 3D Printers. Through the use of CAD software, digital tools and traditional making practices, students will enhance their comprehension of how to incorporate digital fabrication into their own art practice.

While our course content revolves around acquiring highly technical skills, its core goes beyond mere technicality. Our objective is not to achieve mastery in a particular software application or fabrication technology. Instead, we aim to cultivate a flexible knowledge of how to adeptly employ a few fundamental digital fabrication processes within one's artistic studio.

Students are expected to investigate each skill-set by way of experimentation and research, extending their practice well beyond scheduled class time. It is crucial that students make time outside the scheduled meetings to develop familiarity with the processes and tools taught in class and continue to develop knowledge outside of class.

Sophomore Sculpture students have registration priority followed by all other Sculpture students. Non-majors require department permission to register via the Request Course Section Prerequisite Override task.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $300.00

Elective

This course will focus on the cultural and artistic activities which came into being as a result of contacts between the civilizations of Europe and Asia (China in particular). Among the topics explored will be: the ancient world, the Silk Route and Buddhism, the nomads of Eurasia as agents of cultural exchange, early European travelers to China (Marco Polo), the Jesuits at the court of the Chinese emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and finally the Western colonial experience.

Elective

This graduate level wintersession studio course will be comprised of two external faculty that are professional artist working in the field. Activities will include studio visits, lectures by each visiting critic, group-critique, potential field trips, all in direct engagement with graduate student practice. It will culminate a final critique at the end of the five week session. 

This course is open to second-year Painting Graduate students.

Elective

This course will focus on the cultural and artistic activities which came into being as a result of contacts between the civilizations of Europe and Asia (China in particular). Among the topics explored will be: the ancient world, the Silk Route and Buddhism, the nomads of Eurasia as agents of cultural exchange, early European travelers to China (Marco Polo), the Jesuits at the court of the Chinese emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties, and finally the Western colonial experience.

Elective

Glass IIB is the second half of a two-semester intermediate studio course in which students will continue their ongoing investigation of material processes. Emphasis is on developing personal concepts, imagery, and visual research skills through investigations of regularly assigned topics. Students develop a substantial idea sketchbook, participate in scheduled class activities, and group critique.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $200.00

Major Requirement | BFA Glass

This course offers an introduction to the many artistic and technical aspects of designing and producing characters, environments and props for 3D games. Among the topics we will explore are the design of effective low-polygon characters and scenes, texturing and UV mapping, simple character rigging and effective collaborative design and execution. Software used: Photoshop and Maya (PLE). Knowledge of Photoshop, basic computer skills. Some familiarity with 3D computer modeling is helpful, but not essential.

This course fulfills the Computer Literacy requirement for Illustration Students.

Elective

The class aims to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the art of mural painting. The course will explore the historical significance of murals, examine different mural styles and techniques, and encourag­e students to express their own ideas through the creation of murals. Through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, and hands-on workshops, students will develop the neces­sary skills and knowledge to conceptualize, plan, and execute murals of various scales. The course will culminate in a real world mural installation for the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra and School including three walls designed and painted by students. 

Elective

As a stimulus to the imagination, method of investigation, or as a basic means of communication, drawing is a fundamental process of human thought. This class will examine various kinds of drawings from the history of art and visual culture moving chronologically from the medieval to the post-modern. Our studies will have a hands-on approach, meeting behind the scenes in the collections of the RISD Museum. Working from objects directly will be supplemented by readings and writing assignments as well as active classroom discussion. This seminar is recommended for THAD concentrators and students especially interested in drawing.

Elective

This course identifies core principles of digital production, to enable students to continually adapt to the ever-changing world of software. Students research and produce artworks that demonstrate their understanding of these principles. This primary knowledge includes digital film and video formats, project asset management, compression techniques, understanding program interface design, color spaces, channel mixing and filters, and the creation and use of extra channels (such as alpha and depth).

Estimated Cost of Materials: $30.00

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video

This course identifies core principles of digital production, to enable students to continually adapt to the ever-changing world of software. Students research and produce artworks that demonstrate their understanding of these principles. This primary knowledge includes digital film and video formats, project asset management, compression techniques, understanding program interface design, color spaces, channel mixing and filters, and the creation and use of extra channels (such as alpha and depth).

Estimated Cost of Materials: $30.00

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video

Oil painting is one of the richest, most powerfully expressive mediums that exist. It offers a vast diversity of approaches and provides the most flexibility of all the painting materials. To take advantage of that variety, certain technical knowledge is essential. This class is geared as a thorough introduction to the newer oil painter. Our early class focus will be on understanding materials through a variety of life study exercises. Focus on color and composition will promote effectively orchestrated images. Our ultimate goal will be to make powerful images that marry appropriate approaches to oil painting with personal vision. The class emphasis will balance the technical mastery of materials with the clarity of effective visual communication.

Elective

From its humble origins in LiveJournal and the woman-rating origins of Facebook, social media has come a long way to reach its current iterations. This course will look at the emergence and development of social media platforms, asking how we construct ourselves online and how being online constructs us. Paying particular attention to race, class, gender, and sexuality, we’ll examine issues such as how attention has become a commodity, the politics of emotion and The Algorithm™, and the benefits and limits of online activism. You’ll never look at your FYP the same way again. 

Elective

This course, a major component in the student's can entail two types of activity: 1. Participation in sophomore, junior or senior level courses to strengthen technical skills and design vocabulary; Including Design for Printed Textiles and Fabric Silkscreen and 2. Individual projects undergraduate advisors to clarify personal concepts and format of the work. This semester's emphasis is on enlarging and solidifying the student's background and defining direction for the work.

Please contact the department for permission to register. This course is a requirement for Graduate Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Textiles

This class uses Adobe After Effects as a tool to achieve the students' individual goals as artists. Starting with the basics of creating imagery in After Effects, the course moves through compositing, special effects, puppet animation and time manipulation. There is an overarching focus on core concepts such as quality of motion, layout and composition, color and form that surpass this single class. The first 6 weeks contain homework assignments that allow the students to grasp individual components of this highly technical toolset, while during the second 6 weeks the students concentrate on a final project. This project stresses the students' knowledge and forces them to grow as a digital animator as they find unique problems and solve them with instructor supervision.

Elective

Philosophically, the ID Department believes that students become better designers when they have an intimate knowledge of a range of natural and synthetic materials. In this course, students will learn about the properties of natural wood and engineered wood-based materials, investigate the related technical processes, and evaluate how this information is both connected to and influenced by the design process. Students will work with materials directly and master skills needed to manipulate these materials. They will develop projects that allow them to engage in the design and development process, promote creativity, problem solving, and the correct use of materials. Facility procedures, safety, and care and use of tools and equipment will be stressed.

Enrollment is limited to Sophomore Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

Philosophically, the ID Department believes that students become better designers when they have an intimate knowledge of a range of natural and synthetic materials. In this course, students will learn about the properties of natural wood and engineered wood-based materials, investigate the related technical processes, and evaluate how this information is both connected to and influenced by the design process. Students will work with materials directly and master skills needed to manipulate these materials. They will develop projects that allow them to engage in the design and development process, promote creativity, problem solving, and the correct use of materials. Facility procedures, safety, and care and use of tools and equipment will be stressed.

Enrollment is limited to Sophomore Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

Philosophically, the ID Department believes that students become better designers when they have an intimate knowledge of a range of natural and synthetic materials. In this course, students will learn about the properties of natural wood and engineered wood-based materials, investigate the related technical processes, and evaluate how this information is both connected to and influenced by the design process. Students will work with materials directly and master skills needed to manipulate these materials. They will develop projects that allow them to engage in the design and development process, promote creativity, problem solving, and the correct use of materials. Facility procedures, safety, and care and use of tools and equipment will be stressed.

Enrollment is limited to Sophomore Industrial Design Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Industrial Design

The course incorporates both the development physical and UI/UX design elements combined. The digital transformation and the way people interact with products is currently changing the consumer product landscape and the design opportunities its use brings. During the course students develop ideas that by the end of the course will build high-fidelity prototypes. Some knowledge of 3D modeling software and or UI/UX design software such as Figma or Adobe XD allows students to focus their time on the design subjects they are researching and developing for the course. 3D printing and UI/UX simulations will be iteratively evolved throughout the semester to final prototypes.

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