This experimental sculpture and performance course explores the profound connections between objects and memory (both collective and personal). Guided through regular performance exercises, students will develop their own sculptural-performance artworks within a supportive, workshop-oriented framework. Through these exercises, students will discover that both human bodies and the everyday objects they encounter contain rich histories that are in constant dialogue with each other. We will begin this course by pulling inspiration from the histories of found objects, utilizing them as sculptures/sculptural materials.

This course will then encourage students to explore the reciprocal relationship between these objects and performance. This intertwining of sculpture and performance will open new temporal, spatial, corporeal, and haptic dimensions, expanding the possibilities of both art forms.  This course will also explore the connections between this interdisciplinary practice and theater modalities. We will investigate the  other potentialities that emerge when sculpture functions as “prop” and architecture or site functions as “set”.

This course prioritizes process, discovery, and exploration over refined completed work, with students being encouraged to maintain an improvisational approach in both individual and group assignments. We will investigate the philosophical, social, and political implications of performance, engaging questions of agency, labor, gaze, and spectatorship. As each student’s own distinctive performative language emerges, lectures and artistic research presentations will help to situate their voice within and outside of the historical and contemporary global art worlds. In this course we will foster an open environment where students are encouraged to work collaboratively, exchange ideas, and share performances.

Elective

This course provides a cultural history of landscape and landscape architecture through various voices, lenses, and built examples. Following a loose chronology, this seminar will trace the shifting trajectory of landscapes at multiple scales, including lawns, gardens, and suburbs; roads and sanitary infrastructure; agricultural and energy landscapes; rivers and waterfronts, among others. As the second history-theory course in the sequence, we will continue to build upon key concepts explored in History-Theory 1, such as the relationship between Nature and culture, land ethics, systems thinking and ecology, and how landscape architecture has operated as a site for unequal, racialized distributions of power. To that end, we will study, define, critique, and attempt to make sense of the multiplicity of actors that shape environments, including the role of the Designer and the inextricably intertwined forces of colonization and capitalism, federal policies, non-humans, shifting attitudes about Nature, etc. 
 
To provoke critical thinking about the development of landscape form and ideas, readings will be drawn from various perspectives, including landscape architecture, social and environmental history, anthropology, science and technology studies, queer and feminist studies, and geography. These fields will help us understand history as a foundation for thinking about the landscape’s relationship between past and present and center and margin. By critically probing landscape architecture’s canon and its counter-narratives, we will consider how we can be better poised to understand and articulate our own contributions to the field as future practitioners.

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

Major Requirement | MLA-I Landscape Architecture

How we die says as much about us as how we live. As a result, much can be learned by exploring America's changing attitudes toward death and dying, funeral rites, burial practices, and mourning rituals. Part personal tragedy, part communal experience, and part political event, our individual and collective responses to death should be treated as socially constructed artifacts, offering valuable insight into complex cultural, historical, and socio-economic forces. Buried within the American way of death are clues to understanding how this nation's physical, spiritual, economic, scientific, and political landscapes have changed over time. Rituals and practices surrounding death reflect the realities of class conflict, gender politics, race relations, and an increasingly diverse population. So often, deathcare has often been at the forefront of major cultural shifts and national debates over who belongs here, the role of government, the shape of our cities and towns, patterns of consumption, and, more recently, the future of our planet. Growing interest in green burials suggests not only a burgeoning concern with the carbon footprint of human remains, but shifting ideas about our individual legacies and what we leave behind. A discussion-based course, student engagement and active participation are key. Each student will be required to select a portion of the assigned reading to present to the class. In addition, students will work in small groups to craft a 20-minute oral presentation that examines and contextualizes the funeralization practices of a particular segment of the American people. Finally, each student will complete a 5 - 7 page research paper using a combination of primary and secondary sources (to be approved by the instructor) that elucidate and interrogate a specific aspect of the American way of death.

Elective

How we die says as much about us as how we live. As a result, much can be learned by exploring America's changing attitudes toward death and dying, funeral rites, burial practices, and mourning rituals. Part personal tragedy, part communal experience, and part political event, our individual and collective responses to death should be treated as socially constructed artifacts, offering valuable insight into complex cultural, historical, and socio-economic forces. Buried within the American way of death are clues to understanding how this nation's physical, spiritual, economic, scientific, and political landscapes have changed over time. Rituals and practices surrounding death reflect the realities of class conflict, gender politics, race relations, and an increasingly diverse population. So often, deathcare has often been at the forefront of major cultural shifts and national debates over who belongs here, the role of government, the shape of our cities and towns, patterns of consumption, and, more recently, the future of our planet. Growing interest in green burials suggests not only a burgeoning concern with the carbon footprint of human remains, but shifting ideas about our individual legacies and what we leave behind. A discussion-based course, student engagement and active participation are key. Each student will be required to select a portion of the assigned reading to present to the class. In addition, students will work in small groups to craft a 20-minute oral presentation that examines and contextualizes the funeralization practices of a particular segment of the American people. Finally, each student will complete a 5 - 7 page research paper using a combination of primary and secondary sources (to be approved by the instructor) that elucidate and interrogate a specific aspect of the American way of death.

Elective

Violence threatens and impedes human civilization. As the world becomes more connected through high-speed internet, artificial intelligence, and the global economy, people's peace of mind and inner connection may get less attention. Someone who lacks the understanding and practice of peace and nonviolence may resort to violence when conflict arises in our competitive world. Above all, even a single act of violence may cause long-lasting harm to society. But, as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, we can choose: nonviolent coexistence or violent co-annihilation." Unlike outbursts of violence, peace and nonviolence require creative study, practice, effort, and courage. Thus, the study of nonviolence and peace is emerging as a critically important field of scholarship, research, and training in both academic and non-academic settings. This course aims to provide introductory but crucial knowledge in the field of Nonviolence and Peace Studies. The course focuses on philosophical, social, and psychological factors contributing to violence and the creation of peace and nonviolence, particularly relevant to personal, interpersonal, and global mental health and well-being. Students will learn about ancient and modern nonviolence and peace philosophies and well-known thinkers, including Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., the Dalai Lama, Maha Ghosananda, and Aung San Suu Kyi. We will also explore nonviolent strategies and tactics applied to social change movements, and contemporary research studies on nonviolence and peace. Course assignments will include applied learning opportunities to personal and community settings of violence and peacebuilding. Students must demonstrate comprehension of fundamental philosophy and practice perspectives of nonviolence and peace. This course employs a cooperative group study format focused on a problem-based learning approach to peacebuilding. The semester will conclude with a group presentation by the students on a selected personal or social issue and its remedy through nonviolent interventions.

Elective

Rivers are layered landscapes that reflect how different societies have related to the land, natural resources and to one another. Shifting values about stewardship, control, extraction, and restoration have become physically manifested in the landscape through the intentional and unintentional shaping of the river landscapes. In this interdisciplinary studio, students will be asked to consider the relationship between textiles and landscape architecture practices to address, reconcile and interpret the complex ecological and cultural histories of rivers. Weaving and other structural textile techniques will be explored as both a metaphor and a physical strategy to weave together the multiple cultural narratives of a river as well as consider how to support the diverse river ecologies and the unique experiential qualities of being at the water's edge. The Blackstone River will provide the geographical, cultural and ecological lens for the studio. Some of the overarching material, formal and performative questions we may ask in the studio are: How can fibers be used to stabilize the water's edge, direct flows and provide habitat for riparian plant and animal species? Can the woven materials become unglued from the ground plane to shape the human aesthetic experience of the water's edge? Can textiles be used to interpret or reveal the multiple stories, histories and layers of the landscape? How can basket weaving traditions inform the way we manage the landscape? How can woven materials be integrated with living plant material, mycelium, and soil? How can the density of a textile aggregate and disperse to respond to different site conditions or to shape the pattern of plant growth? How long should the materials persist? Could they be designed to degrade overtime? What is the relationship between traditional craft practices and digital fabrication or scripting? Can community groups be involved in the construction and installation of the textiles as a way of rebuilding a connection between people and place?

Estimated Cost of Materials: $200.00

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday.

Major Requirement | MLA-I, MLA-II Landscape Architecture

This course with its focus on curriculum development and pedagogical practices for students in grades 7-12 has been designed as the companion to TLAD-611G, where the focus is students in grades PK-6. In this manner, this pair of courses provides graduate students with an essential foundation to teaching the Visual Arts (art and design) from pre-K to 12th grade. This course explores the development of a conceptual framework for studio-based teaching and learning for students in grades 7-12 that aligns with the National Visual Arts Standards (NVAS). The course is guided by the belief all middle and high school students have creative capacity and that visual arts education plays an extraordinarily important role in its development. Further, the course places emphasis on instructional design that encourages curiosity, discovery, creativity and importantly personal point of view. Throughout the course, there is a focus on curriculum development and pedagogical strategies crafted to meet the cognitive and social development of learners as well as the personal interests of students while simultaneously introducing the work of a diverse range artists from historic to contemporary as models of practice. The course introduces an approach to pedagogy for art and design education that is informed by the graduate student's personal artistic practice combined with their understanding of the rich diversity of human visual expression. The course places special emphasis on the development of studio-based learning that centers on the intersecting domains of making and responding. In this way, curriculum and instruction is designed to deepen secondary students' (7-12) understanding of art and design as expression of enduring ideas. Graduate students examine these concepts through their own studio practice, critical readings, the development curriculum maps and lesson plans and through an integrated practicum experience that provides an authentic opportunity to implement instruction with high school students in the TLAD-Studio Lab.

Enrollment in this course is limited to Teaching + Learning in Art + Design Students.

Major Requirement | MA, MAT Teaching + Learning in Art + Design

NASA's Artemis 2025 Lunar mission aims to return U.S. astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 - when the Apollo 17 mission first landed there. This time, it will not be only men making the journey, as NASA has promised a lunar moondust walk for the first woman and the first person of color. As part of this historic endeavor, NASA is redesigning the spacesuit for the first time in 40 years to accommodate Women and meet the challenges of lunar exploration.

Spacesuits, essential for survival in the harsh environment of outer space, are meticulously engineered to shield astronauts from dangers such as radiation, micrometeoroids, extreme temperatures, and dust. An EVA Suit, or Extra-Vehicular Activity suit, is a marvel of engineering and design, essentially a miniature spaceship tailored to fit the human form, providing life support and mobility in the vacuum of space.

In this interdisciplinary course, students will delve into the intricacies of spacesuit design and technology. Leveraging CLO3D, a cutting-edge fashion design software specializing in 'true-to-life' 3D garment simulation, students will reimagine and redesign NASA's next-generation EVA Suit. Through collaborative projects, teams will conceptualize, pattern, and 3D model innovative spacesuit designs, addressing the unique needs of future lunar explorers.

Students will venture into the metaverse, exploring space in virtual reality using Oculus Quest headsets. Immersed in simulated environments such as the International Space Station, taking Space Walks, and viewing images taken by the Hubble Telescope, students will gain firsthand experience of space exploration. Gravity Sketch, a collaborative VR design tool, will facilitate the creation of the Hard Upper Torso (HUT) in a collaborative VR space, integrating soft designs crafted in CLO.

Drawing from critical design methodologies and informed by research, students will negotiate the complexities of spacesuit design, balancing functionality, mobility, and aesthetics. At the culmination of the course, students will present their finalized spacesuit designs to NASA, contributing to the ongoing evolution of spacesuit technology.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $40.00

Elective

NASA's Artemis 2025 Lunar mission aims to return U.S. astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972 - when the Apollo 17 mission first landed there. This time, it will not be only men making the journey, as NASA has promised a lunar moondust walk for the first woman and the first person of color. As part of this historic endeavor, NASA is redesigning the spacesuit for the first time in 40 years to accommodate Women and meet the challenges of lunar exploration.

Spacesuits, essential for survival in the harsh environment of outer space, are meticulously engineered to shield astronauts from dangers such as radiation, micrometeoroids, extreme temperatures, and dust. An EVA Suit, or Extra-Vehicular Activity suit, is a marvel of engineering and design, essentially a miniature spaceship tailored to fit the human form, providing life support and mobility in the vacuum of space.

In this interdisciplinary course, students will delve into the intricacies of spacesuit design and technology. Leveraging CLO3D, a cutting-edge fashion design software specializing in 'true-to-life' 3D garment simulation, students will reimagine and redesign NASA's next-generation EVA Suit. Through collaborative projects, teams will conceptualize, pattern, and 3D model innovative spacesuit designs, addressing the unique needs of future lunar explorers.

 Students will venture into the metaverse, exploring space in virtual reality using Oculus Quest headsets. Immersed in simulated environments such as the International Space Station, taking Space Walks, and viewing images taken by the Hubble Telescope, students will gain firsthand experience of space exploration. Gravity Sketch, a collaborative VR design tool, will facilitate the creation of the Hard Upper Torso (HUT) in a collaborative VR space, integrating soft designs crafted in CLO.

Drawing from critical design methodologies and informed by research, students will negotiate the complexities of spacesuit design, balancing functionality, mobility, and aesthetics. At the culmination of the course, students will present their finalized spacesuit designs to NASA, contributing to the ongoing evolution of spacesuit technology.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $40.00

Elective

Throughout the 1980’s, São Paulo was still reeling from the aftermath of a 21-year military dictatorship as well as the modernist architecture project of Brasilia. Left with an abundance of modernist buildings that had fallen into disrepair, compounded by the need for state-funded services, architectural practices around adaptive reuse exploded onto the newly democratic scene. Within two decades, former industrial buildings like factories became the framework for new architectural development for social services like housing, museums, and community centers. Of the many successful examples of adaptive reuse throughout Brazil, this course will focus on the prolific work of architect Lina Bo Bardi, which she developed from the 1960s through the 1990s in São Paulo and Salvador de Bahía. 

Adaptive reuse is the practice of rehabilitating existing, and often obsolescent, buildings. Obsolescence in buildings happens when a structure is no longer able to function as designed, either technically or socially. Technical obsolescence occurs when a building’s systems are unable to operate efficiently, while social obsolescence occurs when a building no longer serves the needs of the publics that occupy the space. Contemporary discourse around adaptive reuse affirms that the most sustainable building is one that already exists; as a practice for building, adaptive reuse produces less carbon emissions than new construction, while simultaneously retaining the identity and memory of a place. 

Through our travels, we will encounter a number of adaptive reuse projects in São Paulo and Salvador de Bahía, including SESC Pompéia, Teatro Oficina, Centro Cívico LBA, and Museum of Modern Art of Bahia to name a few. Each of these projects address technological and social reuse; they imbue new cultural significance into existing and vernacular buildings. In the case of SESC Pompéia, Bo Bardi converts a decommissioned factory into a cultural and sports center. Teatro Oficina is Bo Bardi’s rehabilitation of a historic office building that was destroyed in a tragic fire into a community theater. Each of the projects will investigate the unique, place-based history of the existing structure and its respective public. 

Lina Bo Bardi (1914 - 1992) was an Italian-born Brazilian architect whose work combined a Modernist sensitivity with a profound commitment to the preservation of the vernacular and a design process guided by social responsibility. Today, Lina Bo Bardi is considered one of the most prominent and consequential Modernist architects, and her body of work is appreciated for its ability to reflect the common, the vernacular, and the artisanal as an intrinsic part of a contemporary culture. 

Though today we can easily point to her work as examples of successful reuse, Lina Bo Bardi never explicitly described her practice or projects as adaptive reuse. Instead, she was particularly interested in thinking through human interfaces as a method for the reclamation of new public spaces. Her inherent knowledge of and appreciation for traditional and local methods of building had profound effects on her realized projects; her work is distinguishable from other examples of adaptive reuse precisely because she was able to focus on local knowledge that had been previously marginalized through the advent of modernism. 

Bo Bardi often developed her projects in-situ, opting to design and work on a live building site, which allowed her to develop collective and experimental relationships with local craftsmen, artists and builders. Furthermore, Bo Bardi’s office never produced standard technical drawings and plans for construction. Most of her drawings were understood as a collection of singular ideas that existed within a wide range of scales, patterns, relationships, and themes. She often crafted colorful and expressive drawings using a plethora of pens, paints, watercolors and brushes. Together, we will investigate the strategies in which Lina Bo Bardi communicated and implemented these feminist ideas and practices within the urban contexts of São Paulo and Salvador de Bahía. 

Estimated Cost of Materials: $250.00

Registration is not available in Workday. Students must complete an application through RISD Global Summer Studies. A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required for all RISD students. Failure to remain in good academic standing can lead to removal from the course, either before or during the course. Additional information including deadlines and travel costs can be found on the Global Summer Studies website.