Traci Williams

Traci Williams is academic coordinator for the Industrial Design department, one of the largest in RISD’s Architecture & Design division. With a background in mental health care, museum programming, teaching and higher education administration, Williams brings an interdisciplinary approach to her work. She focuses on building community and connecting individuals with resources that facilitate their growth and help them realize their goals.

Her master’s work centers on decolonizing the art historical canon, beginning with the reinterpretation of works by Edward Mitchell Bannister within the philosophical frameworks of German Idealism and American Transcendentalism. Her writing has been published in Locating American Art: Finding Art’s Meaning in Museums, Colonial Period to the Present, edited by Cynthia Fowler. Academically and professionally, Williams thrives when honing collaborative approaches to building knowledge and solving complex problems.