At Rhode Island School of Design, you’ll join a creative project that started in 1877

Student crouching and working on a large yellow and green painting in a painting studio.
Wooden architectural model being thrown into sky by one hand.
View of RISD’s main building, 20 Washington Place, at dusk. Building is a mix of traditional brickwork and contemporary architectural elements.

RISD is a college and museum located in Providence, Rhode Island

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Overhead shot of two hands placing blocks on a graphic wooden and painted architectural model.
Image of student dressed in black performing in a white studio space with a laptop, three microphones, two speakers. An orange sits next to the student.

An immersive, cross-disciplinary environment where making begins with a question

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We generate and challenge the ideas that shape our future

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Painting by alum Jon Key of a Black man in a purple suit in fetal position against a red background. The suit is composed of geometric purple squares.
Alum Tanya Aguiñiga in a suit and mask made of flesh-toned neoprene, glass and metal, walking the length of the border wall in the southern US.
Michael Maltzan - Architectural rendering of the Sixth Street Bridge which is made up of a series of arches over the Los Angeles river.
Painting by alum Jon Key of a Black man in a purple suit in fetal position against a red background. The suit is composed of geometric purple squares.
Alum Tanya Aguiñiga in a suit and mask made of flesh-toned neoprene, glass and metal, walking the length of the border wall in the southern US.
Michael Maltzan - Architectural rendering of the Sixth Street Bridge which is made up of a series of arches over the Los Angeles river.
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Upcoming events

a poster for the Unbound Book Fair at R I S D on April 5 from 11 A M to 5 P M at the Fleet Library
11 am–5 pm  |  Apr 5
Unbound Book Fair

Come and celebrate artists’ books, zines and other experimental printed matter created by RISD community members and local artists, designers and creatives.

a collage of photos including images of two swans, an antique clock, flowers, fine china plates and cups, and more
7–8:30 pm  |  Apr 1
Visiting Artist Carla Liesching

The Photography department welcomes the interdisciplinary South African artist and author of the award-winning book Good Hope (Mack, 2022), who will present the spring Gary Metz lecture.

Leila Philip
6–7 pm  |  Apr 10
Visiting Author Leila Philip

The Landscape Architecture department welcomes author Leila Philip, who will kick off their spring lecture series by discussing her latest book, Beaverland (Twelve, 2022).

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Civic Engagement and Conversation

Lifting Every Voice

Artists and designers play a key role in building more democratic and equitable societies. From events on campus to resources that support healthy discourse and ethical action, our civic engagement programs offer opportunities to listen, share and learn, and give us a deeper appreciation for how our community lives and experiences the world.

Learn about resources and programs

photo of risd banners across canal walk

Lifting Every Voice

Artists and designers play a key role in building more democratic and equitable societies. From events on campus to resources that support healthy discourse and ethical action, our civic engagement programs offer opportunities to listen, share and learn, and give us a deeper appreciation for how our community lives and experiences the world.

Learn about resources and programs

Latest stories

Hear more about RISD’s community of artists, designers and scholars.

students surround the live model as they put the finishing touches on their portraits in clay
RISD Students Create Portraits in Clay in Figure Modeling Ceramics Studio

Over the course of the spring semester, they will develop an eye for symmetry, proportion and anatomy. 

Two people hand up TEDxRISD lettering
2025 TEDxRISD Speakers Discuss Their Personal Recipes for Success

Talks by students and faculty members encouraged listeners to forge their own creative paths by tapping into life experiences.

the team poses for a group photo
RISD Printmaking Team Wins 10th Annual Iron Print Competition at MassArt

Led by faculty member Maxime Jean Lefebvre, RISD’s team came out on top for the second year in a row.

brainstorming session in Nature Lab with scientists and RISD faculty mentors
Research Scientists Use Art to Express Complex Ideas at Vis-a-thon 2025 in RISD’s Nature Lab

Event organizers Georgia Rhodes and Stewart Skylar Copeland encourage visiting scientists to embrace the weird and imperfect.

projection on the stairs outside Chace Center featuring women wearing makeup
RISD’s Movement Lab Spurs Students to Create Site-Specific Projections

Offered through the Film/Animation/Video department, the course explored the role of movement in public projections that breathe new life into the built environment. 

faculty member Max Pratt throws a sample-collecting bucket into the Blackstone River
New RISD Seminar Created as Part of Research Partnership with Hyundai Motor Group

Students in an interdisciplinary fall course learn to observe the living world in search of design strategies grounded in planetary health.

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Thank you to all of the artists and designers whose work is featured here. From top to bottom: Bhen Allen MFA 22 PT (photo by Jo Sittenfeld MFA 08 PH), Alexander Kern BArch 21, photo of 20 Washington Place by Bruce Damonte, Kaori Yasunaga 21 FAV, Kunyue Qi BArch 21 & Jen Chenyu Zhang BArch 21, Qihang Li 20 PR, Meredith Binnette 20 FAV, Miguel Enrique Lastra MFA 22 CR, Jon Key 13 GD, Nickole Klarou 21 FAV, Tanya Aguiñiga MFA 05 FD (photo by Gina Clyne), Jackie Oh 22 AP/FAV, Michael Maltzan BArch 85 (image courtesy of Michael Maltzan Architecture), Julia Chien 22 FAV.