Davis Educational Foundation Grant Supports RISD’s Teaching & Learning Lab

In her foundational publication Killing Rage: Ending Racism, late social critic bell hooks wrote, “Beloved community is formed not by the eradication of difference but by its affirmation, by each of us claiming the identities and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the world.” Hooks’ words resonated deeply with RISD faculty members participating in a summer Teaching & Learning Lab (T&LL) workshop called Difficult Conversations and Collaborative Learning. Led by Professor Daniel Cavicchi, the three-day workshop is part of the expanded T&LL programming made possible by a generous grant from the Davis Educational Foundation, which was established by Stanton and Elisabeth Davis to support undergraduate programs throughout New England.

T&LL’s mission is to develop assets-based, equity-focused pedagogies and promote reflective, inclusive, and innovative teaching techniques through expansive peer-to-peer discussion. The Davis funding, which was awarded last summer in recognition of RISD’s groundbreaking developments in inclusive, critique-based pedagogy, has enabled the T&LL to grow and diversify its programming, support new professional development opportunities for RISD faculty, and begin developing a repository of shared materials for the broader community focused on inclusive teaching and critique.

It has also provided support for new programming, such as Faculty Summer Institutes and a New Faculty Inclusive Pedagogy Seminar, and the addition of Faculty Coordinator Liz Maynard, Seminar Leader Sara Ossana MIA 05, and several faculty fellows, who serve as liaisons for the T&LL. There’s also a digital newsletter that disseminates T&LL content to the larger RISD community. Taken as a whole, these resources create a climate in which faculty members can thoughtfully expand their teaching strategies through critical reflection, evidence-based best practices, and experimentation.

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“The Teaching & Learning Lab is doing important and innovative work defining new ways to think about inclusive pedagogy,” says Associate Provost Colin Blakely. “It has been amazing to see that work blossom with support from this grant.”

“The funding allows us to build communities of practice that will evolve and thrive beyond the two-year grant period,” adds T&LL Senior Instructional Designer Dimitris C. Papadopoulos. “It is also helping us create a deeper sense of belonging for new faculty members and break down communication gaps between departments and divisions.”

Last fall, Associate Professor of Printmaking Tyanna J. Buie led a Davis-funded workshop focused on critique called Crit for All: Supporting Black Voices in the Studio. Based on a 2022 study of the experiences of Black art students, the workshop offered practical tools for fostering more inclusive, culturally aware, and constructive critique environments that benefit not only BIPOC students, but all learners.

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Buie and guest speaker Nikole Barnes—a social worker who specializes in college-aged clients—walked participants through a number of action models, including the Mutual Aid Critique Model, that can be used before, during, and after critique. “Communities thrive through reciprocal care and collective responsibility, not competition,” Buie explained. “Crits should emphasize reciprocity, care, shared authority, and collective growth rather than hierarchy or judgment.”

She reminded fellow faculty members not to assume that students have bad intentions when they, for example, miss classes or come in late. “Maybe they are working multiple jobs to cover their tuition,” she posited. “The most important thing is recognizing that lived experience and cultural background play a role in everyone’s work, whether their background is the same as yours or different.”

The mix of ideologies, life experiences, and values in every classroom at RISD (and beyond) and their influence on group discussions will be the focus of an August workshop called Re-Imagining Critique, and it was also examined in Cavicchi’s summer workshop. “We focused on pedagogical methods that empower students, emphasize their learning assets, and create a shared sense of belonging and respect,” Cavicchi says. “Throughout the workshop, we considered concrete classroom techniques but also made time for more expansive discussions about our shared roles as teachers, facilitators, and mentors.”

Top image: workshop participants Caitlin Black and Jameka Hartley brainstorm ideas for bringing community engagement into the classroom during the summer workshop. 

Simone Solondz / photos by Kaylee Pugliese
June 29, 2026