Founders Day
RISD, always something of a maverick, was founded and nurtured by a small group of women more than 40 years before women in America gained the right to vote.
RISD was founded on March 22, 1877
In 1877, the Rhode Island Women’s Centennial Commission, led by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, had a surplus of $1,675. They decided to use the funds to found an independent school of art and design (instead of building a public fountain—one of the other options on the table), a bold and somewhat controversial choice at the time. Despite the fact that only a few such schools existed in the US at that time and many people publicly doubted that the endeavor could be successful, Metcalf and her peers forged ahead. Nearly 150 years later, Rhode Island School of Design is still a place for innovation and experimentation.
Students trained in arts and design since 1877
114,000+
Pre-College Program alumni since 1971
10,500+
Visitors to RISD Museum 2023-2024
130,584
2026 On-Campus Events
In honor of its entrepreneurial founders and rich legacy, RISD celebrates Founders Day in March with a series of events and service activities that reflect and carry forward the institution’s mission.
March 14
E'Ship Founders Sandbox
Spotlighting RISD alumni and industry leaders who have reimagined the landscape of their fields and expanded the potential of their creative practices—championing new ways of thinking, making, and innovating.
Keep an eye on INVOLVED for more details coming soon!
March 15
Nonlinear Journeys: Alumni Reflections on Life After RISD
This panel brings together RISD alumni whose careers didn’t follow a single, straight line. Some pursued successful paths far from what they studied, while others built sustainable, meaningful lives within their field. Through candid reflections on change, uncertainty, and perseverance, panelists will offer a realistic perspective on life after RISD.
FEATURED PANELISTS
Tod Babick 92 ID Industrial designer and expert in biophilic design.
Ciril Hitz 91 ID Senior Instructor at the College of Food Innovation and Technology at Johnson & Wales University
Tina McCurdy 97 IL Fine artist and graphic designer
Tori Hong MFA 25 IL Remixes heritage craft traditions—such as paj ntaub (Hmong embroidery) and bojagi (Korean patchwork quilt)—into contemporary fine art.
WHERE
ProvWash/Washington Place Auditorium, 20 Washington Place
SUNDAY MARCH 15
Time: 1–3 pm
The panel will be followed by a networking reception with students, alumni and light refreshments.
March 17–18
Connected: A Student Collaborative Line Drawing Project
Back for a second year! Our Founders Day student project represents the spirit of our RISD community and the threads that connect us, tracing back into our past and forward into the future. Throughout the week as we unroll our scroll, students will take up where the previous student left off, creating an ongoing line drawing connected to, and growing from, the previous creator but unique to each.
Together, we will create something new, something different, and something that will continue into the future.
WHERE
The Met
TUESDAY, MARCH 17
5 pm–7:30 pm
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18
11 am–2 pm
March 17–18
Founders Day Celebration at The Met
WHERE
The Met
TUESDAY, MARCH 17
5 pm–7:30 pm
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18
11 am–2 pm
March 18
Giving Day
On RISD Giving Day, join the global RISD community in supporting transformative art and design education! Every gift strengthens the college and museum, advancing new solutions, innovative works, and a deeper engagement with the ideas that illuminate the past and shape our future.
March 21–22
RISD Museum Free Admission
The RISD Museum is offering free admission to all guests in honor of Founders Day.
March 22
RISD Store Discount
The RISD Store is offering a discount of 18.77% on Founders Day, Saturday, March 22, 2025.
Online purchases of RISD-branded merchandise and alumni collection items may be discounted with code FOUND1877.
March 26–28
RISD Founders Day Alumni Pop-up Exhibition
The RISD Alumni Association is thrilled to have our first on-campus Founders Day Alumni Pop-up Exhibition opening on March 26. Featuring the work of over 80 alumni artists from the New England area, the exhibition will run through March 28 and is open to the public.
WHERE
ProvWash/Washington Place Auditorium, 20 Washington Place
MARCH 26
Opening Community Breakfast Celebration
9–11 am
RSVP coming soon!
MARCH 28
Closing Reception
3–6 pm
RSVP today!
EXHIBITING ARTISTS
Aleksandra Azbel MArch 14, Hailey Bae 09 IL, Jim Barfoot 73 ID, Harry Bartlett 84 PH, Sandra Belock-Phippen 72 PT, Susan Bennett 87 AP, Pamela Berkeley 76 PT, Jay Bibel 17 PR, Sarah Bohorquez 90 TX, Michael Boroniec 06 CR, Richard Bradley 84 JM, Steven Branch 77 SC, Stephan Brigidi MFA 76 PH, Lorraine Calouro 84 PT, Maxie Chambliss 72 GD, Amy Cohen MFA 90 PR, Maura Conron MAT 88, Barbara Crane 68 PT, Amber Czesnolowicz 18 IL, Tom D'Amore MAT 23, Oded Daniely MFA 25 PR, Jennifer Davies 68 IL, Alfred De Angelo MFA 76 PT, Mia de Bethune 83 FAV, Abbey Dehnert 01 SC, Elissa Della-Piana 65 IL, Ralph DiMarco 85 IL, Arlene Distler 68 PT, Aaron Distler 99 IL, Kara Dunne MFA 09 PR, Philippe Dwyer 12 GD, Dan Elia 24 PH, Jil Fillette 04 IL, Sophie Foulkes 23 IL, Suzanne Gainer MFA 94 PH, Emily Gauger 10 AP, Yekaterina Ginzburg-Bram 04 IL/MAT 05, Brooke Erin Goldstein 03 TX, Tim Hallinan MLA 96, Faith Hyde 68 PT, Kobe Jackson MFA 24 GAC, Bradford Johnson 85 IL, Anna Koon 93 IL, Tracy Korneffel 88 PT, Molly Kugler Dickinson 89 IL, Kirstin Lamb MFA 05 PT, Shengqi Li MArch 23, Lilly Manycolors MA 22 GAC, Michelle Martins 05 IL, Tina McCurdy 97 IL, Heather McLeod 16 IL, Caely Melford MacKay MFA 24 FD, Michele Mennucci 78 PT, Sarina Mitchel 15 IL, Brian Murphy 82 IL, Byron Olson 12 IL, Alison Plump 95 PT, Vivian Poey MFA 95 PH, Jennifer Polan 01 IL, Ana Popescu MFA 25 CR, Bridget Provan 20 GL/MA 22 AE, Della Reams MFA 05 TX, Sarah Greene Reed 94 PH, Charles Reyburn 78 PT, Juri Rhyu MA 17 AE, Shey Rivera Rios MFA 23 GAC, Pamela Rohland 89 PT, John Ruggieri 88 PT, Patricia Sargent 77 PH, George Sargent 76 PT, Jeremy Schilling 07 IL, Lee Ann Scotto Adams 03 IL, Malda Smadi MFA 23 PT, Polly Spenner 10 TX, Eliza Squibb 13 TX, Mike Stoddard 10 IL, Carey Stoudt 00 TX, Kyle Strack 19 CR, Alecia Underhill 88 IL, Ziyan (Mia) Wang 24 FD, Milo Winter 68 PT, Beatrice Witzgall MArch 02, Lilan Yang MFA 22 DM, Yinghan Zhang MFA 25 PR, Cheri Zhou 22 ID.
Alumni Global Days of Service events
In honor of Founders Day, many of our regional clubs participate in activities supporting their communities. Take a look at what events are happening this year, and get involved where you can!
March 8
Club of New York City at Project Cicero Book Drive
Every year, Project Cicero collects new and gently used books for children and young adults. At our annual service day with the organization, the Club of New York City helps Project Cicero sort, organize, display and distribute gently-used children's books to teachers from under-resourced public schools in the city. With our help Project Cicero will process over 150,000 books this year!
Space is limited. Register today!
March 14
Club of the Netherlands Founders Day Volunteer Event in Amsterdam
Join the Club of the Netherlands in celebrating RISD’s Founders Day with a community service day in Amsterdam. We will be meeting in Amsterdam’s Wittenburg district at Plukbos to work on the 1,000-meter public food harvest, helping finish the vegetable beds. Spring’s the perfect time to finish planting and sow large quantities of seed.
March 14
Club of Atlanta BeltLine Trail Clean-up
Join the Club of Atlanta for a community service event with the Atlanta BeltLine Trail Cleanup Project.
We will be helping to clean up the Eastside Trail. We are meeting at 10:45 am to distribute grabbers, gloves, and trash bags. We should start walking the trail at 11 am. Volunteers should plan to spend 1.5 hours walking along the trail, picking up litter. They should then return to the starting location within the last 30 minutes.
Keep the Beltline beautiful for everyone and make a difference while enjoying these renowned trails with fellow alumni!
Registration for our day of service is free. You must register by Thursday, March 12, and early sign-up is encouraged. After you register, your confirmation email will contain a link to complete a waiver directly with the Atlanta BeltLine Partnership. You must complete their form to participate in the cleanup.
March 20
Club of Chicago at Nourishing Hope Food Pantry
Celebrate RISD’s Founders Day with the Club of Chicago as we spend the afternoon volunteering at Nourishing Hope Food Pantry. Together we will help unload, inventory, and sort through donations of food arriving at their warehouse, “The Hub.”
Registration is limited to 15 volunteers. In order to secure your spot you must register by March 17. After March 17, Nourishing Hope will release unfilled spots. In your confirmation, there will be a link to an agreement for you to fill out in order to volunteer as well as information on clothing requirements and some helpful volunteer information.
March 25
RISD Art + Design Educators virtual event Through the Lens of the Designers: You Belong Here
Join RISD Art & Design Educators (RADE) and local RISD alums Tatiana Gómez MFA 18 GD and José R. Menéndez MFA 17 GD of Buena Gráfica Social Studio for virtual tour of the Downtown Providence Parks network wayfinding banner system designed by the Pawtucket-based studio. Spanning over 28 acres and totaling 208 banners, the system serves as both a navigational tool and a reflection of Providence’s rich cultural and historic heritage.
March 28
Club of Colorado “Walking Together” at the the Stiles African American Heritage Center
Join the Club of Colorado for an afternoon at the Stiles African American Heritage Center (SAAHC). SAAHC was recently awarded a “Walking Together: Investing in Folklife in Communities of Color” grant from the Regional Arts Organizations (US RAO), which aims to support folklife and traditional arts rooted in communities of color by investing in artists/practitioners and the community organizations that care for them.
Get to know RISD
Learn our history, values, leadership and more about what makes us who we are.
As one of the first independent colleges of art and design in the US, RISD has always stood out as something of a maverick.
See what our students, faculty and alumni are up to at RISD and beyond.