Originally from Arizona, Sara Ossana is an artist and designer with an MDes in Interior Architecture from RISD and a bachelor’s in fine art and English literature from Rice University. She teaches in RISD’s Furniture Design and Interior Architecture departments and was a full-time faculty member in the Theatre Arts and Performance Studies department at Brown University.
Ossana is a founding partner and former co-owner/creative director of O&G Studio, an award-winning furniture company focusing on American-made contemporary furniture and accessories. Her design work has garnered International acclaim and was featured in the London Design Museum as a Beazley Design of the Year recipient in 2017, was a Best of the Year Award finalist with Interior Design Magazine for product design in 2018, and was also nominated for a Best of Year award by the German Design Council in 2018. She is a member of the New York-based Female Design Council and has had design partnerships with Williams-Sonoma and Tommy Hilfiger. She has been published extensively both domestically and abroad in shelter and design magazines including The World of Interiors, Architect’s Newspaper, Dwell, The New York Times, The LA Times, Interior Design Magazine and Architectural Digest and was named one of Ten Contemporary Designers to Collect Today by Vogue.
Early in her career Ossana worked in architecture firms focused on high-end residential, retail, restaurant and hospitality design. As a multidisciplinary designer she has worked in the art departments of films including Brokeback Mountain. She founded her own design studio in 2005 and has an extensive professional career as a theatrical set designer, designing more than 50 productions and working as a visiting artist at Brown University, Connecticut College and many professional theaters, including the Public Theatre in New York City.
In 2019 Ossana founded Studio MO, named after her father who passed unexpectedly of cancer in the summer of 2018. The studio focuses on research and development and cross-industry connectivity and explores initiatives balancing business development and social responsibility. A recent project rethought the assisted living housing model, drawing attention to the aging population in society.
An academic all-American and Division I collegiate basketball player, Ossana has been a lifelong athlete. Currently living in the East Bay of Rhode Island, she is proud to also be a living index of all oyster bars in the region.
Academic areas of interest
Design identity in the contemporary media landscape
Design as a driver of social change
Issues of female and female-identified individuals in the design industry
Domestic manufacturing
Design for production
Fostering design critique discourse both in academia and professional practice
Exploring the ability of design to reframe perceptions of social issues impacting underserved populations, such as women and the elderly
Innovation in healthcare design
Courses
Fall 2023 Courses
FD 2580-01 - ADVANCED FURNITURE STUDIO
LevelUndergraduate
UnitFurniture Design
Subject Furniture Design
Period Fall 2023
Credits 6
FormatStudio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
FD 2580-01
ADVANCED FURNITURE STUDIO
LevelUndergraduate
UnitFurniture Design
Subject Furniture Design
PeriodFall 2023
Credits6
FormatStudio
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: TTH | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PMInstructor(s): Pete Oyler, Sara OssanaLocation(s): Washington Place, Room 237Enrolled / Capacity: 14Status: Open
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This is a required studio for seniors that develops advanced theory and practice in furniture design. Projects include experimental seating design and an introduction to upholstery techniques. Seniors develop a Degree Project Proposal along with a project that explores and tests the proposal.
Prerequisite: FD-2521
Major Requirement | BFA Furniture Design
FD 2580-02 - ADVANCED FURNITURE STUDIO
LevelUndergraduate
UnitFurniture Design
Subject Furniture Design
Period Fall 2023
Credits 6
FormatStudio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
FD 2580-02
ADVANCED FURNITURE STUDIO
LevelUndergraduate
UnitFurniture Design
Subject Furniture Design
PeriodFall 2023
Credits6
FormatStudio
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: TTH | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PMInstructor(s): Pete Oyler, Sara OssanaLocation(s): Washington Place, Room 237Enrolled / Capacity: 14Status: Closed
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This is a required studio for seniors that develops advanced theory and practice in furniture design. Projects include experimental seating design and an introduction to upholstery techniques. Seniors develop a Degree Project Proposal along with a project that explores and tests the proposal.
Prerequisite: FD-2521
Major Requirement | BFA Furniture Design
FD 2581-01 - FURNITURE DESIGN SENIOR SEMINAR
LevelUndergraduate
UnitFurniture Design
Subject Furniture Design
Period Fall 2023
Credits 1
FormatSeminar
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
FD 2581-01
FURNITURE DESIGN SENIOR SEMINAR
LevelUndergraduate
UnitFurniture Design
Subject Furniture Design
PeriodFall 2023
Credits1
FormatSeminar
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: F | 9:00 AM - 10:30 AMInstructor(s): Sara OssanaLocation(s): Washington Place, Room 237AEnrolled / Capacity: 15Status: Open
SECTION DESCRIPTION
In this course we examine individual studio practices in depth through collecting, drawing, and writing. We approach writing as a mutable medium, one that can be built up, torn apart, cobbled together, patch-worked, polished, shined, exploded, and altogether constructed in a way that is not dissimilar to the way an object emerges in the studio. We examine the ways that writing as a part of making can spark ideas for visual work, enrich subliminal visual narratives, connect ideas that may seem disparate, collect a wide variety of sources in a small space, act as a place for reflection, and ultimately be an active and integral part of making. In the process, we will unearth themes that permeate students' artistic work in a way that forges future paths for creative exploration while protecting some of the mysteries that are particular to an embodied practice. Students will begin to develop a personal vocabulary that parallels the richly developed language of their visual work, laying the foundation for their Senior Degree Project. The primary aim of this class is for students to develop a better understanding of their own practice and its context through writing and archiving influences and inspirations, laying the conceptual foundation and establishing a specific theme for the spring semester Senior Degree Project Report.
Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Senior Furniture Design Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Furniture Design
FD 2581-02 - FURNITURE DESIGN SENIOR SEMINAR
LevelUndergraduate
UnitFurniture Design
Subject Furniture Design
Period Fall 2023
Credits 1
FormatSeminar
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
FD 2581-02
FURNITURE DESIGN SENIOR SEMINAR
LevelUndergraduate
UnitFurniture Design
Subject Furniture Design
PeriodFall 2023
Credits1
FormatSeminar
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: F | 11:00 AM - 12:30 PMInstructor(s): Sara OssanaLocation(s): Washington Place, Room 237AEnrolled / Capacity: 15Status: Open
SECTION DESCRIPTION
In this course we examine individual studio practices in depth through collecting, drawing, and writing. We approach writing as a mutable medium, one that can be built up, torn apart, cobbled together, patch-worked, polished, shined, exploded, and altogether constructed in a way that is not dissimilar to the way an object emerges in the studio. We examine the ways that writing as a part of making can spark ideas for visual work, enrich subliminal visual narratives, connect ideas that may seem disparate, collect a wide variety of sources in a small space, act as a place for reflection, and ultimately be an active and integral part of making. In the process, we will unearth themes that permeate students' artistic work in a way that forges future paths for creative exploration while protecting some of the mysteries that are particular to an embodied practice. Students will begin to develop a personal vocabulary that parallels the richly developed language of their visual work, laying the foundation for their Senior Degree Project. The primary aim of this class is for students to develop a better understanding of their own practice and its context through writing and archiving influences and inspirations, laying the conceptual foundation and establishing a specific theme for the spring semester Senior Degree Project Report.
Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Senior Furniture Design Students.
Major Requirement | BFA Furniture Design
FD 2582-01 - PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
LevelUndergraduate
UnitFurniture Design
Subject Furniture Design
Period Fall 2023
Credits 3
FormatLecture
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date
FD 2582-01
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
LevelUndergraduate
UnitFurniture Design
Subject Furniture Design
PeriodFall 2023
Credits3
FormatLecture
ModeIn-Person
Start and End2023-09-06 to 2023-12-13
Times: T | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PMInstructor(s): Sara OssanaLocation(s): Washington Place, Room 237AEnrolled / Capacity: 28Status: Open
SECTION DESCRIPTION
This course will prepare Juniors for life after RISD and the start of their professional careers. With a focus on discovering and articulating each individual's personal goals, 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 a resume and website. Additionally, guest speakers will provide students access to experts in relevant fields including: licensing, media and publishing, retail and legal.
Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Junior Furniture Design Students.
