Rhode Island School of Design

09/08/2026

As the fall semester gets underway and the community prepares to celebrate 150 years of art and design education, RISD welcomes four new full-time faculty members and one librarian.

Adding their unique passions for creative thinking and making to the collective pool are librarian and archivist Eli Peters, Assistant Professor of Illustration and alum Allison Cole, Assistant Professor of Graphic Design and alum Anther Kiley, and—in the Experimental and Foundation Studies (EFS) division—Associate Professor Baris Gokturk (Barış Göktürk) and Assistant Professor Edgar Serrano.

The Fleet Library, Experimental and Foundation Studies division, and Graphic Design and Illustration departments welcome world-class new hires.

09/03/2026

Industrial Design alum Skye Ray designs for outer space. After attending NASA’s Space Camp as a kid, he studied at RISD under the mentorship of faculty member Michael Lye 96 ID. Ray then went on to work in NASA’s Soft Goods Lab, where he helped design a crew survival kit for the Orion capsule and a dust-proof camera cover used on the moon. He recently launched Homewood Systems, his own aerospace design firm.

Read the risd.edu interview below, in which Ray discusses finding inspiration in unexpected places and the lessons learned at RISD that still shape how he solves extraterrestrial problems today.

The aerospace designer and entrepreneur discusses his passion for prototyping and what RISD taught him about pushing through self-doubt to find a solution.

09/02/2026

Viola Davis and her sister Dr. Deloris Grant were recently honored by Central Falls School District with the opening of the Davis Family Auditorium.

During the ceremony Viola was gifted with a poster designed in her honor by Project Open Door students in a Teaching + Learning in Art + Design (TLAD) studio taught by TLAD faculty member Kristina Sansone and community arts educator Jacques Bidon.

Learn more about the studio: https://www.risd.edu/news/stories/project-open-door-alums-return-risd-print-and-design-collaboration

08/27/2026

Two group exhibitions on view this summer offer an inside look at the singular yet overlapping creative visions of 17 recent Painting and Photography MFA grads.

Learn more about the exhibitions below.

Work by the RISD MFA Painting Class of 2026 is on view through August 28 Uffner & Liu gallery.

Work by the RISD MFA Photography Class of 2026 is on view through September 3 at BAXTER ST gallery.

Two group exhibitions on view this summer offer an inside look at the singular yet overlapping creative visions of 17 recent grads.

08/26/2026

Launched in tandem with the Computation, Technology and Culture (CTC) department in fall 2025, Experimental Unreal is the brainchild of Daniel Lefcourt 97 PT, a professor of Art and Computation and a celebrated contemporary fine artist.

“The examples of artworks, books, and digital media pieces shared in class were so valuable in helping me break away from fixed assumptions about what the Unreal Engine can create." Hanyi Wang MFA 26 DM

Read more about Experimental Unreal and CTC in the latest issue of RISD Alumni & Friends Magazine: https://connect.risd.edu/page/magazine-humans-and-technology

08/25/2026

From advocating for Asian American history in public schools with Evanston ASPA to exploring Indigenous-led publishing with Taller Leñateros, students are taking their creative practices beyond the studio this summer through the RISD Maharam Fellowship.

"I have been so inspired by this summer's Maharam fellows and the extraordinary range of their experiences,” says RISD Careers Director Kevin Jankowski 88 IL, who manages the program. “Their RISD education is serving them very well as they employ their skills and knowledge in supporting communities, improving lives, protecting the environment, and preserving cultural traditions. Their commitment to the work of these nonprofits has been truly outstanding."

Sponsored by New York textile manufacturer Maharam, the fellowship supports students interested in summer internships with local and global organizations focused on advancing social progress and safeguarding the environment.

Members of the 2026 cohort are putting their art and design skills to work in humanitarian and environmental organizations worldwide.

08/20/2026

Glass alum T***s Zynsky set her sights on RISD when she was 11 years old. She was one of the college’s first Glass majors and went on to assist in the founding of the Pilchuck Glass School with RISD faculty member Dale Chihuly. Zynsky lived and worked in Europe for many years developing her unique “filet-de-verre” glass-forming process. She is currently showing work in multiple exhibitions and prepping for two solo shows that will launch next year.

Read the accompanying edu interview below where T***s reflects on the genesis of RISD’s Glass department and her ongoing obsession with the versatile material.

Stay tuned for more alumni features highlighting RISD graduates who are shaping culture and industry in bold, unexpected ways.

The award-winning, internationally recognized glass artist reflects on her obsession with the medium and the early days of RISD’s Glass department.

08/18/2026

Across the healthcare landscape, RISD alumni are reimagining how we care for one another.

Some invent life-altering medical devices that bring safety and dignity to patients and their families. Others apply design thinking and problem-solving to improve wellness, access, and the human experience of care.

The alumni featured below, Jules Sherman, Justin Hai, Tate Sager, Sloan Kulper, and Aceil Halaby prove that art and design have the power to heal, drive innovation, and transform lives.

https://connect.risd.edu/page/magazine-when-design-heals

08/13/2026

This summer students are taking part in internships across the country working to gain experience in the art and design world that they’ll take with them after Commencement. RISD Careers has helped to place more than 300 students in a wide variety of programs.

“What we hear from many of the companies we work with is that RISD’s hands-on curriculum produces students who make great interns able to think about the projects they work on as a whole, rather than just being worker bees,” says Internship Coordinator and alum Karen Harris.

RISD Careers has helped hundreds of current students garner relevant experience in the art and design world that they’ll take with them after Commencement.

08/12/2026

Four research projects in the works led by faculty members and recent alums have earned backing from RISD’s Somerson Sustainability Innovation Fund. From adapting regionally sourced, recycled container glass for use in studio-based glassmaking to bringing landscape-inspired educational workshops to underserved area youth, the projects focus on collaboration and inclusive design.

Four research projects in the works led by faculty members and recent alums focus on collaboration and inclusive design.