Building on the skills and knowledge developed during the first year in the Department, undergraduate students will focus their attention on a project which requires the hypothetical remodeling of an existing building of some complexity for a proposed new use.

Major Requirement | BFA Interior Studies

This course is an interactive lecture class. A series of distinctly varied individuals active in the field of jewelry will be invited to make presentation about their professional development. These diverging presentations are intended to offer a catalyst to stimulate questions, and encourage group discussion. Among the subjects to be presented are: individual studio practice, designing for industry, gallery connections, non-profit opportunities, partnerships, global opportunities, curatorial and journalistic prospects, wide world of the web, post graduation educational options, support systems for RISD alumni, residency prospects, and technology as resource for design and production. Students will be asked to keep an active journal of weekly observations and fulfill 3 class assignments connected with their ambitions and career interests.

Major Requirement | BFA Jewelry + Metalsmithing

This 6-credit advanced elective studio centers around the Sustainability Lab, an initiative between LDAR and INTAR departments to explore creative material approaches to sustainability. Looking specifically at materials common to the New England region, this hands-on research studio asks students to question current attitudes towards exploitative land uses and material cultures and push the boundaries of material use and techniques in professional architecture and landscape architecture design practices.

This studio focuses on New England's material cultures' environmental, geological, and socio-cultural influences and the impact of current land use and manufacturing practices on the professional design industry. This studio will explore one selected material each year through three main components. First, students will study the histories and stories of the selected material and land use and how they have shaped different regions of New England and become entangled in power relations, value systems, and wider networks of material exchange. Second, they will explore the selected material’s behavior, its unique property dynamics, and how they have influenced its different uses. Finally, using both digital and analog fabrication, students will develop iterative creative processes that explore sustainable ways of drawing and making with the selected materials as modular and in-situ techniques.  

This is a co-requisite course. Students must register for LDAR/INTAR-500G - Sustainability Lab: Advanced Research Studio and LDAR/INTAR-501G - Sustainability Lab: Material Explorations.

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Landscape Architecture and Interior Architecture Graduate Students.

Elective

The use of light-based print processes is ubiquitous in contemporary printmaking. Light to Ink will lay a foundation of knowledge within the printmaking medium for using light as a part of the image-making process. The class is designed to introduce students to the basics of Printmaking using either hand made, digital or photo-made matrixes. The class will learn to make prints using the traditional print methods of intaglio, lithography and screenprint and build a base of information about the production of the film transparencies from which the matrix is made. Students will be taught the skills necessary to take the photo, computer, or handmade image from a one or a series of positive transparencies to a finished print. From Light to Ink is a starting point for growth and exploration in photo printmaking and an introduction to printing in intaglio, lithography and screenprint. No prior knowledge of printmaking is required. This class is most appropriate for sophomores, juniors and first semester seniors.

Open to Junior, Senior or Graduate Painting Students. 
 

Major Requirement | BFA Printmaking

The second semester is a development of the ideas and work begun in the first. Students are available and pursue active contact with the faculty. Students also attend supplemental department presentations.

Major Requirement | MFA Ceramics

The course continues an established collaborative project between RISD and MIT, focused on the history of and recent advances in textile design and technology. Its goal is to introduce students from each institution to knowledge outside their primary field, and clarify the connections between them. RISD students participating in the class will bring their specific knowledge of woven and knitted fabrics and design fundamentals into group discussions and learn new skills in programming, physical computing and design of advanced fabrics. Participants will have opportunities to contribute to ongoing collaboration between the departments. 

The course trajectory will progress along two lines of inquiry: computation and fabrics. Providing a perspective on the rich heritage of fibers and fabrics on the one hand and the emergence of digital logic, electronic systems, and the role of software on the other. We will explore and develop appreciation for the design and engineering degrees of freedom in fiber and fabric materials as well as in circuits and software. The course is a first of its kind, setting the stage for the future of fabrics as computational environments, new products and new business models.

Elective

This course builds on the foundations gained in previous studio and course work to further design development abilities. The studio will require the integration of the student's emerging knowledge of site analysis, mapping & documentation, innovative tectonics and systems, applicable theoretical issues, relevant cultural precedents, and material investigation into a cohesive design agenda.

Major Requirement | MDes Interior Studies

This course builds on the foundations gained in previous studio and course work to further design development abilities. The studio will require the integration of the student's emerging knowledge of site analysis, mapping & documentation, innovative tectonics and systems, applicable theoretical issues, relevant cultural precedents, and material investigation into a cohesive design agenda.

Major Requirement | MDes Interior Studies

This course builds on the foundations gained in previous studio and course work to further design development abilities. The studio will require the integration of the student's emerging knowledge of site analysis, mapping & documentation, innovative tectonics and systems, applicable theoretical issues, relevant cultural precedents, and material investigation into a cohesive design agenda.

Major Requirement | MDes Interior Studies

This course will study the presentation of information in a designed environment: the exhibit. The theme, context, and conditions of this exhibit will be assigned. Study emphasis will be on integrative communication activity of all elements involved, e.g., time, space, movement, color, graphics, 3-D forms, objects, instructions, text, and constructions.

Elective

In this collaborative studio between furniture design and architecture, students will create furnishings that respond to and engage with a particular, culturally significant setting: the architecture of Louis Kahn. Louis Kahn is considered to be one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, known for a unique vision of Modernism — monumentality with material austerity. Students will study the life and works of Kahn, which included both architecture and furniture. The class will visit nearby significant Kahn projects, which may include the Yale Art Gallery, the Yale Center for British Art, and the Phillips Exeter Academy Library. A regional Kahn building will be selected as the architectural context for students to respond to. Although the emphasis of the class will be on designing and making furniture, it will operate as an interdisciplinary collaboration between furniture design and architecture students, with each discipline contributing its distinct expertise, skills, techniques, and knowledge. The studio is offered in partnership with Form Portfolios, a local design business that works with the estates of renowned designers, including Louis Kahn, to steward their legacies. Representatives from Form Portfolios will contribute their knowledge and expertise of Kahn specifically, and the design industry more generally, in supporting the development of student projects.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $150.00

Elective

The traditional people of Ghana’s Ashanti region had a time-worn tradition of collective sculptural plastering on buildings. This is one of the most unique cultures of relief sculpture with earth in the world, developed over hundreds of years – a creative practice quickened during the intimate community experiences of maternity (pregnancy and child-rearing). Despite their cultural importance, however, pregnancy and child-rearing are serious risk-taking activities, especially in rural villages, due to the lack of maternity health clinics and other basic infrastructures that allow mothers to access health care education and services when necessary. 

What is the experience of maternity in a modernized Ghana? Is it still collective, culturally rich, and creative? Is this not the most creative time in the collective lives of women – as they prepare for childbirth? Has the influence of the Modern International Style – and the systematic replacement of rich local materials and traditions with poor quality imported materials and construction methods negatively impacted the local experience of maternity? What might be the best practice in designing and constructing future maternity health clinics in rural villages while applying vernacular wisdom and tradition with contemporary knowledge?              

Earthen construction and the manipulation of clay have been one of the most direct forms of creative expression in vernacular cultures all around the world. This is especially the case with relief sculpture. Building with the earth also – despite the false stigma propagated by modern Euro-centric development work is one of the healthiest materials in the built environment. Concrete and steel cannot boast the same thermally self-regulating, humidity-modulating, and bio-climatically optimal material for construction. Where earth – and bio-climatic design – result in optimal human comfort and habitation patterns, modern materials often lead to poor health from thermal dysregulation, mold growth, and toxic materials in the home.

Should a modern maternity clinic not be an example of a new “vernacular material modernism”? This Wintersession proto-design studio will grapple with what this means for the women of modern, post-colonial Ghana. Students will work with the village community and local women – both those expressing the need for a modern maternity clinic – and those who still practice the dying art of clay plastering.

Can the deep material intelligence of the earth and of the vernacular building technologies be brought to bear on the modern experience of maternity in Ghana? What is the modern exchange passed from mother to daughter that can suggest a way forward for a participatory, owner-driven conception of the maternity clinic and ward?

The course will draw on expertise in earthen heritage and tangible knowledge from a variety of sources working in this region, including the International Center for Earthen Construction (CRAterre), UNESCO World Heritages Sites Commission (WHEAP), and the World Monuments Fund.

During the trip, students will visit traditional and modern buildings in the coastal and inland areas, conduct soil tests in fields, study and develop a catalog of local building materials and methods, and produce proto-designs for a future maternity health clinic.

This is a co-requisite course. Students must also register for LDAR 1520 - *GHANA: VERNACULAR MATERIAL MODERNISM - DESIGN RESEARCH IN GHANA.

Registration is not available in Workday. All students are required to remain in good academic standing in order to participate in the Wintersession travel course/studio. A minimum GPA of 2.50 is required. Failure to remain in good academic standing can lead to removal from the course, either before or during the course. Also in cases where Wintersession travel courses and studios do not reach student capacity, the course may be cancelled after the last day of Wintersession travel course registration. As such, all students are advised not to purchase flights for participation in Wintersession travel courses until the course is confirmed to run, which happens within the week after the final Wintersession travel course registration period.

Elective

The traditional people of Ghana’s Ashanti region had a time-worn tradition of collective sculptural plastering on buildings. This is one of the most unique cultures of relief sculpture with earth in the world, developed over hundreds of years – a creative practice quickened during the intimate community experiences of maternity (pregnancy and child-rearing). Despite their cultural importance, however, pregnancy and child-rearing are serious risk-taking activities, especially in rural villages, due to the lack of maternity health clinics and other basic infrastructures that allow mothers to access health care education and services when necessary. 

What is the experience of maternity in a modernized Ghana? Is it still collective, culturally rich, and creative? Is this not the most creative time in the collective lives of women – as they prepare for childbirth? Has the influence of the Modern International Style – and the systematic replacement of rich local materials and traditions with poor quality imported materials and construction methods negatively impacted the local experience of maternity? What might be the best practice in designing and constructing future maternity health clinics in rural villages while applying vernacular wisdom and tradition with contemporary knowledge?              

Earthen construction and the manipulation of clay have been one of the most direct forms of creative expression in vernacular cultures all around the world. This is especially the case with relief sculpture. Building with the earth also – despite the false stigma propagated by modern Euro-centric development work is one of the healthiest materials in the built environment. Concrete and steel cannot boast the same thermally self-regulating, humidity-modulating, and bio-climatically optimal material for construction. Where earth – and bio-climatic design – result in optimal human comfort and habitation patterns, modern materials often lead to poor health from thermal dysregulation, mold growth, and toxic materials in the home.

Should a modern maternity clinic not be an example of a new “vernacular material modernism”? This Wintersession proto-design studio will grapple with what this means for the women of modern, post-colonial Ghana. Students will work with the village community and local women – both those expressing the need for a modern maternity clinic – and those who still practice the dying art of clay plastering.

Can the deep material intelligence of the earth and of the vernacular building technologies be brought to bear on the modern experience of maternity in Ghana? What is the modern exchange passed from mother to daughter that can suggest a way forward for a participatory, owner-driven conception of the maternity clinic and ward?

The course will draw on expertise in earthen heritage and tangible knowledge from a variety of sources working in this region, including the International Center for Earthen Construction (CRAterre), UNESCO World Heritages Sites Commission (WHEAP), and the World Monuments Fund.

During the trip, students will visit traditional and modern buildings in the coastal and inland areas, conduct soil tests in fields, study and develop a catalog of local building materials and methods, and produce proto-designs for a future maternity health clinic.

This is a co-requisite course. Students must also register for ARCH 1515 - *GHANA: VERNACULAR MATERIAL MODERNISM - DESIGN RESEARCH IN GHANA.

Registration is not available in Workday. All students are required to remain in good academic standing in order to participate in the Wintersession travel course/studio. A minimum GPA of 2.50 is required. Failure to remain in good academic standing can lead to removal from the course, either before or during the course. Also in cases where Wintersession travel courses and studios do not reach student capacity, the course may be cancelled after the last day of Wintersession travel course registration. As such, all students are advised not to purchase flights for participation in Wintersession travel courses until the course is confirmed to run, which happens within the week after the final Wintersession travel course registration period.

Elective

In the first semester, graduate students begin their investigation and produce clay works that allow the faculty to assess their approach and capabilities. Students are available and pursue active contact with the faculty. Students also attend supplemental department presentations.Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate Ceramics Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Ceramics

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

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

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

Glass IIA is an intermediate studio course in which students continue their ongoing investigation of material processes. Emphasis is on developing personal concepts and 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 Materials Cost: $200.00

Major Requirement | BFA Glass

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