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 senior level course is offered to those interested in pursuing work for an interior end use, such as furnishing fabric, wall covering, or carpeting to be produced by hand or industrially. At the start, students select an architectural space as a framework. Through analysis and sampling, they will arrive at their own design solutions, which will be showcased as a collection at the end of the class. Researching the design field will generate topics for discussion in class. Techniques include surface pattern, printing, weaving and knitting, along with invented techniques.

Estimated Cost of Materials: Varies based on use of advanced equipment; additional fees may incur.

Elective

This advanced knitting course investigates the design and creation of knit fabrics using specialized software and a computerized, industrial knitting machine. Students deepen their understanding of a wide range of knit constructions, learn new structures, and experience a different method of creating knit fabric and forms through weekly sampling work and then a final project that is a collection of fabrics for interior or apparel applications, or art pieces. The intended end use will guide students' pattern and material studies. Students are introduced to the knitting industry and exciting examples of contemporary and historical knitting and encouraged to forge new paths in the medium.

Elective

This course focuses on issues in the professional textile field, such as the effect of production parameters and end use on design decisions. While helping students become more familiar with the wide ranging market, from the most innovative to the traditional, this course aims at providing an awareness of how one's own work fits into this context. Lecturers include professionals from the field, who advise on the studio work required in this class.

This course is a requirement for second-year Graduate Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Textiles

This hands-on course will prepare Seniors for life after RISD and the start of their professional careers. With a focus on discovering and articulating each individual's personal goals in connection with students’ selected senior studio (Interior Fabrics, Fine Art Textiles, Apparel Fabrics), students will develop strategies to put them on course towards a fulfilling, sustainable and growth-oriented career. Students will be engaged with many of the concerns a practicing designer faces, financial, social, legal and other-wise as they navigate the various industries they derive their livelihood from. A primary concern of the course will be developing skills and materials that students can use in the pursuit of opportunities, including design or art portfolio, design briefs, grants and residency applications, work and process documentation and archiving, and website development. Additionally, guest speakers and Textile alumni will provide students access to experts in relevant fields.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.

The first semester of Theory and History of Art and Design introduces students to artistic traditions and ways of making, building, crafting, and thinking from across time and space. This course explores a diverse array of materials, makers, traditions, sites, and periods from the histories of art, architecture, and design, with attention to histories of race, gender, labor, technology, the environment, and colonialism. Lectures are organized roughly chronologically but change annually with the expertise of lecturing faculty.

Registration for first-year students is processed by the Division of Liberal Arts.