The end-of-semester rite of passage teaches students to discuss their work, give and receive constructive criticism and push the boundaries of their burgeoning practices.
RISD Students Share Thought-Provoking Work at Final Fall 2025 Critiques
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For interdisciplinary artist Meka Tome MFA 27 GL, whose work combines molten glass and gelatin silver plates used in photography, the element of mystery is part of the process. “Every pour is different,” she explained at an early December final critique, “so the element of chance becomes part of the work.”
Tome presented her work to Glass department students and faculty members along with visiting critic Richard Klein, former exhibitions director at The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum. The group had just finished critiquing work by Tome’s classmate, grad student Abby Sunde MFA 26 GL, whose installation We Survive incorporates Arduino circuit boards that trigger the sound of the Earth’s magnetic field when touched. Klein was taken with the installation and wondered if she could set it up so that the audio was activated by the magnetic fields of nearby viewers. But Professor Rachel Berwick 84 GL appreciated the need for touch, noting that “it makes the viewer complicit in the work.”
On the other side of the Providence River, the Furniture Design department was also hosting guest critics: curators Michelle Fisher and Emily Orr. They joined a team of faculty members to review pieces by seniors in the department working toward their thesis projects. Noah Kanner 26 FD has been building a new visual identity using a subtractive process to create carved wooden pieces with hidden inlays. “The starting point was nature,” he explained, “the interaction between the natural and built environments.”
Julian Rodriguez 26 FD shared a series of intricately decorated pieces incorporating marquetry work inspired by traditional carvers as well as American quilting patterns. The critics appreciated the evidence of Rodriguez’ hand in the works and encouraged him to find his place within the greater historical trajectory of the craft by bringing in his own point of view.
Seniors in the Apparel Design department are also working toward final thesis projects and shared nascent collections with peers, professors, and visiting designers and stylists Ilona Gaynor, Dominik Halas, Rodney Patterson, and Michal Plata. “With every collection, I want to build a world from the ground up,” said Liam Rounds 26 AP as he presented a group of models decked out in wild, interplanetary garb and showed the fabrics he is considering for the final versions. The critics praised his freewheeling attitude and references to sci-fi film masterpieces like Brazil and The Fifth Element.
Fellow senior Ellia Baldwin 26 AP said her collection was inspired by her “disenchantment with the world” and turned to nature for inspiration. Her models wore costumes incorporating branches, mud, and animalistic headpieces.
In the Photography department, senior Maggie Wong 27 PH shared slides and Polaroids unearthing “the beauty beneath the surface. I work with long exposures and make photos that reflect my desire for balance,” she told the gathering of photographers at the crit. Graduate Program Director Laine Rettmer was moved by her endeavor to “show the unseen,” and Department Head Steven Smith described her work as “otherworldly and animated.”
Meanwhile, juniors in Furniture Design gathered feedback from peers and visiting critics, including RISD President Emerita Rosanne Somerson 76 ID. She shared thoughtful notes with the young designers, including Brown | RISD Dual Degree student Tiffany Huang BRDD 26 ID, who showed an ornate metal piece with elements referencing Christian prayer benches and retro forms of communication. “This piece shows a lot of energy and exploration,” Somerson said. “I wonder if editing back your initial impulses and moving from exuberance to a measure of control would get closer to the essence of what you’re trying to say.”
Juniors in a Graphic Design studio called Designing with Purpose also expressed their points of view, via multimedia ad campaigns focused on critical issues of their choosing. Several of the students cautioned against AI and the overconsumption of social media, including Tim Kim 27 GD, whose campaign warned viewers about spreading misinformation, and exchange student Maria Garcia Velasco, who made videos and posters imploring viewers to appreciate the world around them. Assistant Professor Kelsey Dusenka, who taught the section, appreciated her posters’ matte finish and said that Velasco “nailed the pacing in the videos.”
Professor Angela Dufresne offered conceptual guidance as well as specific advice in her critique with sophomore Painting students. “Don’t get too mired in your process and the rules you set up for yourself when you begin a painting,” she told the class. “Paintings are fictional constructs, and embedding them with contradictions makes them more interesting to look at.”
Top image: grad student Meka Tome presents work to the Glass department and visiting critic Richard Klein.
Simone Solondz / photos by Kaylee Pugliese and James Jones
December 22, 2025
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