This course is an ongoing discussion of individual work with special reference to current issues and concerns in contemporary art. Each student will be required to show and discuss work. Grades by participation.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate Photography Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Photography

This course is an ongoing discussion of individual work with special reference to current issues and concerns in contemporary art. Each student will be required to show and discuss work. Grades by participation.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate Photography Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Photography

This six-credit course is designed to provide the necessary production time for the realization of the Degree Project, culminating in a well-organized and installed public exhibition of a project or body of work in the department's Red Eye Gallery. The Degree Project must be approved by photography faculty and accompanied by a written Degree Project Thesis. Attendance at all departmental visiting artist lectures is required.

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

Major Requirement | BFA Photography

A Graduate Thesis is to be determined in consultation with faculty advisor by the beginning of the first semester of the second year.

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

Major Requirement | MFA Photography

This period is dedicated to the development and presentation of a body of work supported by a written thesis in consultation with the student's Thesis Committee. The final exhibition and written thesis will be evaluated by the Thesis Committee which will submit a final grade to the Graduate Coordinator.

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

Major Requirement | MFA Photography

The Graduate Seminar works in complement with Graduate Critique to provide a forum in which students assemble in discussion, analysis and reflection around a set of ideas, practices and histories that are of substantial relevance to photography, its history and its contemporary forms. The content of the seminar will vary from year to year, but students will be expected to read, research, discuss, write about and/or present on the material addressed in class. The seminar will interact with the department's Visiting Artist lecture series, with the SEI Lecture Series, and with MCM events at Brown. Attendance at those lectures is highly recommended.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate Photography Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Photography

Throughout history, artists have used symbols as stand-ins to represent stories, communicate ideas, or allude to hidden meanings. Imagery such as birds, flowers, and insects carry specific connotations that add layers of meaning to artwork. This course will delve into the use of such symbols in art, and explore how personal experiences as well as historical or cultural context can inform meaning.

Using photo and aluminum plate lithography, students will develop their own symbology and exercise their critical thinking skills during the printmaking process. Classes will include brief introductions of historical examples of symbolism in art to serve as inspiration, followed by demonstrations of technical aspects of the lithographic printmaking process. Over the span of the course, students will be expected to complete two studio projects based on each lithographic process, as well as a final assignment synthesizing technique and concept. Individual and group critiques will be used to help develop each student’s ideas and technical skills.

By the end of the course students will be able to transfer and print both hand-drawn and photographic imagery using photoplate and aluminum plate lithography techniques. They will also have developed their own visual language and symbol vocabulary, be able to articulate their ideas clearly, and have gained a deeper understanding of symbolism in art.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $150.00

Elective

This course offers an introduction to intaglio printmaking techniques and explores the medium of storytelling as a narrative art form. Students will develop both technical and conceptual skills as they learn traditional intaglio processes, including Drypoint, Etching, and Aquatint, to build a cohesive body of work rooted in personal or collective narratives.

Through lectures, demonstrations, studio practice, and critiques, students will gain hands-on experience in preparing plates, inking, printing editions, and signing prints. The course culminates in a collaborative Print Exchange Project, where each student contributes to a class portfolio—highlighting their individual growth and creative vision while working in a communal artistic setting.

In addition to technical instruction, the course emphasizes storytelling as a tool for expression, cultural reflection, and communication. Students will be encouraged to draw from diverse experiences and cultural influences to craft meaningful and inclusive visual narratives.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $175.00

Elective

Expanding on the fundamentals of Intaglio, this course will explore the Mezzotint technique that was developed in the mid- seventeenth century. This technique is unique because it achieves tonality by roughening a metal plate with thousands of little dots made by a metal tool with small teeth, called a "rocker". The plate will print with a strong and even velvety black. At this point, the burs created by the rocker are then scraped and burnished away to create arrange of tonality. Students will learn how to rock a plate, develop their drawings, transfer their designs on a copper plate, use a rocker, sharpen a rocker and printing methods. Mixed Media etching methods with mezzotint images will be explored as additional mark making possibilities and color layering. Emphasis will be placed on sound technical execution, image making, and the development of students’ personal artistic language.  Technical demonstrations, individual and group critiques will be used throughout the semester to encourage students’ artistic practice. Let’s “Rock” and “Roll”!

Estimated Cost of Materials: $120.00

Elective

Ceramics and printmaking have a shared ethos in the production of multiples and process-driven technical methods. This is reflected in industry but is not often explored in an academic context. This course would be the first at RISD to explore the rich resources of the Ceramics and Printmaking Departments to promote research into innovative ways to combine the disciplines. For almost three centuries ceramics have been enhanced by printed elements. The combination of ceramic and print technologies have tremendous potential for new applications in functional and sculptural approaches to ceramic multiples and printed editions. RISD has all the facilities in ceramics and printmaking required to pursue research in this field. Students will learn ceramic techniques such as hand-building and slip casting to create forms to hold screen printed, intaglio, relief, and digital images. Historical techniques will be presented and new methods and combinations will be developed.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $200.00

Elective

The Sculptural Print looks to the multiple as a material (rather than a form) for the construction of one-of-a-kind works. The primary technical focuses will be in photo-emulsion based screenprinting, polymer-plate etching/intaglio, and basic relief printing. Students will be asked to design unique image vocabularies, transform and translate them to various matrices, and then to alter, manipulate, reimagine, and finally to build structural pieces using the printed matter. In the first half of the term, class sessions will begin with a presentation of artist precedents and technical demonstrations. In the second half, classes will still begin with a short presentation, and will then focus largely on in-progress critique and technical troubleshooting/consultation. Works completed for midterm will be based on provided prompts with detailed parameters and require students to work in series and at a large-scale. The final will be fully self-directed.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $125.00

Please contact the instructor for permission to register. Preference is given to Junior, Senior or Graduate Students.

Elective

Intaglio: Alternative Practices builds bridges from experience in the medium of intaglio by presenting advanced and innovative platemaking and printing processes using copper, plexiglass, and polymer plate types. Coursework will cover topics such as: custom stop-outs, extended etches, ink interfacing, toner transfers, and extensions into the digital realm utilizing the Benson Hall “Tech Lab” resources. Demonstrations and assignments will focus on the virtues of plating material, not solely as printable matrices, or carriers of transferrable visual information, but also as finished objects. The semester will be driven by demonstration, guided in-class work, independent work focused on experimentation, and conversation geared toward alternatives to substrate (paper), matrix (copper, polymer, plexi), and medium (ink). The semester will culminate in a self-directed final project that requires students to generate a grouping of works that successfully combine a selection of the processes covered which includes a substantial set of proofs, studies, plating tests, and pertinent supplementary visual/technical research.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $125.00

Elective

Pattern and print have been closely linked since the development of printing techniques in East Asia in the 600s. Since then, printed patterns have enriched pictorial art, textiles and wallcoverings - any surface that can take a print. All printmaking methods have been used to create patterns, from the earliest woodblocks to digital printing today.

 This course explores a handmade approach to pattern through drafting on graph paper, working with gouache, carving wood blocks in relief and printing with distemper paints. Emphasis will be placed on developing structures that exploit the fixed size of a block to make patterns that are satisfying when spread over a large area. The potential of the carved and printed mark and impact of layering with a small number of colors will be explored in individual and group projects. Students with prior printmaking experience will be free to execute designs in a range of media such as screenprint, intaglio and letterpress.

The hands-on approach will provide a foundation for exploration of design and printing methods introduced in the second half of the course. Students will work through a series of self-directed projects and apply appropriate computer programs as needed.

 A final portfolio/collection of patterns will employ and potentially combine techniques and methods learned in class. Readings about the history and theory of pattern design will be presented throughout the class and RISD Museum and Fleet Library collections will be consulted for historical background and inspiration.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $120.00

Elective

In today’s competitive higher education landscape, MFA graduates must go beyond artistic excellence to secure a full-time teaching appointment. MFA Forward: From Studio to Professorship equips emerging art professionals with the essential tools for thriving in academia. Through a focused blend of workshops and practical exercises, students will learn how to build compelling cover letters, refine portfolios of both personal and student work, write impactful teaching philosophies and diversity statements, and secure powerful references to support their candidacy.

Students will also receive in-depth guidance on crafting a polished curriculum vitae that highlights their unique blend of creative and pedagogical strengths. Interactive sessions on acing the job talk and navigating the campus interview process prepare students to present confidently to search committees. Finally, the course addresses how to sidestep the “adjunct trap” and plan a more sustainable, long-term career trajectory. By synthesizing these professional development strategies with each student’s creative vision, MFA Forward cultivates artists who can seamlessly transition from the studio to the classroom—and ultimately, into full-time professorships that recognize and reward their investment in artistic and academic excellence.

Elective

Papermaking takes over five stages and runs between wet and dry environments. This course will introduce the traditional western papermaking methods and contemporary artistic usage of handmade paper. The first week focuses on the basic sheet formation, including fiber preparing, cooking, making, pressing and drying. The second week introduces contemporary methods of working with pulp and building three-dimensional constructions. The rest of the weeks will be open to the individuals to interpret papermaking in one's language. By the end of the class, you will truly appreciate this beautiful material and combine papermaking with your media. This course is designed for people at all levels in papermaking.

Elective

Introduction to Silkscreen Printing will introduce students to the entire image-making process, from stencil making (digital/photographic stencils, CMYK, hand-drawn positives, paper & ruby-lith stencils, drawing fluid, laser cutting, and so on) and hand-pulled silkscreen printing techniques for beginning students. The final project 'Metamorphosis' will be a collaborative project using collage-like methods and various printing techniques such as drawing into prints, digital and/or photographic stencils as well as repeat patterns. Silkscreen is a time-based art making process. Students will experiment with many layers, and create multi-color layered variations. Independent and self-motivated projects will be encouraged using both traditional and nontraditional printmaking methods.

Elective

Printmaking and The Politics of Protest examines the role of prints and printed matter in the context of political protest, the power of images, and how artists as well as non-artists have asserted and supported social justice and sustainability issues through art. While exploring the historical and structural basis of inequality, students will learn different theoretical paradigms and techniques for visual analysis in order to understand how visual media can inscribe and dismantle power and be a catalyst for change while mediating numerous social, economic, cultural and political differences. More importantly students will form recognition of their positions in an increasingly pluralistic world while fostering an understanding of social and cultural differences. This will be investigated through some of the following methods: lectures, exhibitions, guest lectures, video, historical art and media, group research initiatives, and the discussion of and creation of images that define and explore issues impacting our lives.

Major Requirement | BFA Printmaking

Technical fundamentals related to each of the basic intaglio processes will be demonstrated throughout the semester. Traditional and contemporary intaglio applications will also be presented and experimentation will be encouraged. A series of monotypes, small editions in each process and a larger technical combination plate will comprise the final portfolio assignment. Imagery, concept and content will represent a primary course element as technical facility is mastered. Individual critiques will be the standard throughout and two group critiques at the midpoint and end of the semester will also be scheduled. This course is not available to Sophomore Printmaking Students.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00

Major Requirement | BFA Printmaking

This course offers basic black and white lithographic technical applications on lithostone and lithoplate to those students who are at the beginning level. Contemporary techniques, and technical short-cuts will elaborate on traditional processing. Experimentation is encouraged throughout the semester while emphasis is placed on the development of personally innovative imagery and concept. Informal group and individual critiques are conducted in conjunction with group mid-semester and final critiques. A professionally portfolio of assigned prints is due at the end of the course. Course may be repeated for credit.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00

Major Requirement | BFA Printmaking

Students will stretch their own screens and will be introduced to a wide range of stencil techniques (cut film, paper stencil, crayon and glue, tusche and glue, and photo). Students are urged to experiment with stencil and printing techniques to produce a portfolio of editioned prints.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $175.00

Major Requirement | BFA Printmaking