This combined studio and seminar forum supports Digital + Media first-year graduate students during their second semester as they research and develop the theoretical, social, material, technical, and contextual aspects of their emergent arts practices. Students are encouraged to break comfort zones and practice through experimentation. Students pursue and refine individual interests, as well as collaborative projects within the department. Students conceptualize and discuss their work and their ongoing practice. Readings in critical cultural theory, media art theory, philosophy, semiotics and other areas further support the contextualization and grounding of the innovative practical and conceptual approaches of students. Each student is responsible to select readings and works important as references in individual research and to co-lead a discussion on a set of self-chosen readings and artists' works during the semester. The course is a mix of group discussions, group critiques, and individual meetings. Guest lecturers and visiting critics may also become involved with this class in terms of critical/research aspects. Each student will practice articulating their art process and work towards their thesis, and will contribute to the dialogue concerning the research and work of their classmates.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00 - $300.00

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Digital + Media Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Digital + Media

In this historical survey, we analyze the aesthetic conventions, narratives, and formats of works in new media. We examine the impact digital technologies and new media have had on existing media, as well as the ways in which new media function as a unique system of communication. While investigating the aesthetic conventions, economic conditions and infrastructures that affect the production of new media, we address the social and political contexts in which new media are disseminated, interpreted and privileged. We make connections across decades by focusing on the recurring themes of language, futurism, simulation, hyper-reality, transnationality and information.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Digital + Media Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Digital + Media

The course supports the exploration of theoretical, social, material, technical, and contextual research and concerns in new media arts practice during the final semester of the DM MFA program. It is a combined studio and seminar forum for Digital + Media second-year students. (Students conceptualize and discuss their work and their ongoing practice and thesis process). The course is a mix of individual meetings, group discussions and group critiques. Guest lecturers and visiting critics will also become involved with this class in terms of critical/research aspects. Each student will practice articulating their art process and work towards their thesis and will contribute to the dialogue concerning the research and work of their classmates.

Estimated Materials Cost: $100.00 - $300.00

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Digital + Media Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Digital + Media

This course supports the practical, conceptual, theoretical and historical development of the M.F.A. thesis (exhibition and written document). Students are required to work independently and in individual consultation with their thesis committee to develop and finalize the thesis exhibition and written document for presentation at the end of the year. The exhibition and written thesis should articulate one's personal studio art / design practice in an historically and theoretically informed context. Formal group critiques are required at the midterm and end of the semester. A major final critique with visiting critics is held in the context of the final MFA Exhibition. The accompanying written thesis is expected to be of publishable quality and is also placed within the public sphere through electronic publication and filing with the RISD Library. Final submissions for this course include the presentation of a final exhibition, submission of the final written thesis, and timely completion of work for preliminary deadlines throughout the semester (draft theses, exhibition plans and press materials). Please see Digital + Media Thesis Timeline for a clear sequence of required deadlines. Please refer to the DM Thesis Guidelines and Policies for clarification of the goals and expectations of the RISD DM MFA.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00 - $300.00

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Digital + Media Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Digital + Media

This seminar course analyzes the aesthetic conventions, narratives, and formats of works in new media. As a group, we will examine the impact digital technologies and new media have had on existing media, as well as the ways in which new media function as a unique system of communication. While investigating the aesthetic conventions, economic conditions and infrastructures that affect the production of new media, we will address the social and political contexts in which new media are disseminated, interpreted and privileged. Within this course, students will be expected to identify, analyze, and critique readings that critically inform and underwrite the foundations of their written thesis and studio practice. Students will contribute to the focus of the course through discussions and writings that contextualize their own work as it relates to critical theory. Class time will be mainly used for discussion of readings and concepts, critique of work and to introduce methods and theory.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Digital + Media Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Digital + Media

Over thousands of years, the materials and methods of drawing have evolved in response to the needs of artists and designers. Technical manuals, patents and other texts record specific drawing techniques. Research into these sources will lead to making actual drawing materials - inks, quill pens, grounds for metal point, chalks, etc. - which will be tested through a range of personal drawing projects and copies of historical works. Trials of newly available drawing materials will yield information about potential uses and permanency. Best practices for care and display of drawings will be covered throughout the course.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $90.00

Elective

The goal of Independent Drawing Projects is for students to develop a distinct, carefully conceived, and self-directed body of works through a process of investigation, critical assessment and production. Through a rigorous studio practice, students are expected to identify and develop their own conceptual interests and material approaches. Individual and group critiques support, facilitate, and intensify this process. While drawing concentrators will be given priority, interested students outside of the concentration and beyond the sophomore level may take this course.

For the drawing concentrator, the work created for the Independent Drawing Project serves as the culmination of the Drawing Concentration program.

Elective

The goal of Independent Drawing Projects is for students to develop a distinct, carefully conceived, and self-directed body of works through a process of investigation, critical assessment and production. Through a rigorous studio practice, students are expected to identify and develop their own conceptual interests and material approaches. Individual and group critiques support, facilitate, and intensify this process. While drawing concentrators will be given priority, interested students outside of the concentration and beyond the sophomore level may take this course. For the drawing concentrator, the work created for the Independent Drawing Project serves as the culmination of the Drawing Concentration program.

Elective

The course is designed as a drawing exploration of the relationships between various drawing media and as an introduction to strategies in developing a flexible dialogue between concept and process. Starting with large collaborative group drawings and responding to a series of visual and media prompts, this course challenges students to reconsider their drawings each week through various studio constraints, whether with different media, temporal, or physical limitations. Students will be guided through a generative production of drawings, which they can apply to their own studio practice in the later weeks.á Rather than starting with an idea, students will practice finding imagery and creating drawings that build on previous drawings. The course demands energy to engage with physically large drawings, a dedicated and consistent work ethic, and an openness to change and invent. Students are expected to work from both observation and imagination, draw in the studio both independently and collaboratively, attend class lectures, and participate in group discussions. Participants should be ready to experiment and be prepared for their work to go through several surprising transformations.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $200.00

Elective

For the first two weeks class will be held from 9:00am-9:00pm Thursday, January 7, through Monday January 11, then Thursday January 14 through Sunday January 17. The next three weeks, classes will take place three days a week during the Monday through Friday timeline. Please see Workday for complete schedule. A rigorous investigation of drawing from the model and/or large set-up sprawling across classroom during the first two weeks. Deeper contact to the drawing experience through sustained exposure. Opportunity for re-invention, change. Confront problems of drawing, build on strengths. Emphasis on drawing consolidation, concentration, stamina, persistence. Regular critiques, slide talks, RISD museum trips. The goals of this course are to facilitate and maintain a continuous flow of drawing energy and examination. Students will re-examine the way they make drawings, in a progressive drawing environment. Through sustained contact with their drawing/s, students will make personal advancement.

Elective

This course is a drawing studio class designed for students who want to expand drawing beyond observation into abstraction, systems-based thinking, and the development of a personal visual language. Building on foundational skills such as observational drawing, perspective, material exploration, and mark-making, the course emphasizes process over depiction, and drawing as a tool for thinking, transformation, and inquiry.

Students will begin with observation, drawing from architecture, objects, bodies, and environments, but will progressively move away from literal representation through strategies of abstraction, distortion, translation, and loss of control. Exercises will include automatic drawing, rule-based systems, diagrammatic space, procedural constraints, collaborative drawing, and improvisational methods that intentionally interrupt authorship and precision.

Throughout the semester, drawing will be treated as both a record of perception and a generator of imagined worlds, allowing students to access internal visual logics not dictated by the external world. Assignments will encourage students to invent their own drawing systems, question habitual mark-making, and embrace uncertainty, failure, and unpredictability as productive forces.

The course situates drawing in relation to other media, including painting, sculpture, digital tools, animation, and installation, positioning drawing as a flexible, generative practice rather than a preparatory one. Group critiques, discussions of historical and contemporary artists, and sustained independent work will support students in articulating a rigorous, experimental drawing practice aligned with their broader artistic goals.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $100.00 - $150.00

Elective

This course explores the animation medium as a tool for community engagement, documentary storytelling and advocacy. Working closely with local organizations, students will produce animated works around themes that are rooted in Providence. With an emphasis on co-creation and participatory models of production, the semester will culminate in a screening that is open to the public. Students will also develop a deeper foundation of research practices, pre-production methods, creative collaboration strategies, time management, event promotion, and production pipelines.

Elective

This course will explore ways of creating original live puppet performance, drawing from a variety of performance traditions; including object performance, shadow play, and Bunraku-style puppetry. Students will work independently and in groups to develop new works in short exercises, while gaining the fundamentals in puppet construction and performance techniques. This course culminates in a final live performance project, and in-class showing, to demonstrate new skills and utilize students' pre-existing artistic practices.

Elective

Production Design for the Moving Image: This practical film study course aims to equip students with professional techniques in Production Design and Art Direction, fostering a deeper understanding of visual storytelling. By unpacking the works of notable visual filmmakers such as Wes Anderson, Spike Jonze, and Bong Joon Ho, the course examines how design shapes the cinematic experience. Through discussion, film analysis, and hands-on exercises, students will learn to conceptualize and produce visual environments that communicate meaning effectively, while also enhancing their own art-making practices.

Elective

Have you ever watched in fascination as a caterpillar metamorphizes into a chrysalis? Do you observe the formations of migrating geese with curiosity? Are you captivated by the way a cuttlefish's skin scintillates with its brain signals?

In this course we will be visually analyzing the movements and patterns of creatures within the animal kingdom -- from insects and microorganisms to elephants and blue whales -- and creating work inspired by our findings. How does a creature's anatomy affect its locomotion? How do organisms move differently according to their size and habitat? What common patterning can we find within the movements of a hive of bees, a flock of geese, a school of fish? The goal of the course is to see how we as artists can learn from observing animals, and become inspired by their biology.

Prior experience animation is not required for this course. We will look at some basic animation techniques and materials, but students are encouraged to explore and solve the weekly topics from any media perspective they choose. Subjects and methods of study will include animated and live action films, listening and reading material, and field trips to the Nature Lab and beyond.

Elective

In this course, students learn to design and implement audio for games and interactive media. Students build not only the sounds of an experience but the underlying systems that trigger them. Working in Unity and Wwise, students learn how to make audio respond to the player, the space, and the changing state of the game — and how to mix for non-linear outcomes. The course provides a hands-on introduction to the technical foundations that interactive audio depends on: DAW-based workflows, recording, processing, and the physics of sound. It then applies them directly to implementation. Through a series of technical exercises and a final project, students build complete audio for a playable game or interactive piece, and leave able to think about sound as an interactive system rather than a fixed sequence.

Elective

Each week our goal will be to make and finish an entire film from start to posting online - during class - as a studio team. We will use  whatever media form works for our film that week - whether live action fiction, documentary, animation, or something we invent.  This class is not about perfection - it's about learning from risk, constraints, and collaboration.  Students will learn teamwork and how to get something done rather than worry about getting something done.  We will have fun, we will fail, but we will have stories to tell.  Hyphenates welcome, nerves embraced, guts admired.

Prerequisite: You must have taken one of the following courses: FAV 5100 Film Practices, FAV 5103 Video Practices, FAV 5105 Animation Practices, ILLUS 3960 Animation Practices, or FAV 5115 Digital Practices.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $30.00

Elective

This course will cover how to translate scripts into visual images with clarity and creativity.  Students will study the language of film - both animation and live action- including different kinds of shots and approaches to editing.  We will cover how to interpret and visualize both acting and actions, as well as staging shots for the dramatic content they contain.  The course will focus on developing the conceptual strengths and technical capabilities needed to visualize from the written page.

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

Elective

This course will cover how to translate scripts into visual images with clarity and creativity.  Students will study the language of film - both animation and live action- including different kinds of shots and approaches to editing.  We will cover how to interpret and visualize both acting and actions, as well as staging shots for the dramatic content they contain.  The course will focus on developing the conceptual strengths and technical capabilities needed to visualize from the written page.

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

Elective

Okay, you have an idea! What do you do with it? We'll take you through the steps: from writing a logline, developing a pitch deck, pitching and selling. Through lectures, demos, discussions, and weekly assignments, students will develop a hands-on understanding of professional elements of pitching your idea in a professional, industry context, learning from a renowned leader in the field.

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

Elective