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

Meet our students
Meet our alumni
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 man's head amid a jungle of plants
5–6 pm  |  Nov 26
Visiting Artist Tammy Nguyen

The Painting department welcomes the multimedia artist and founder of Passenger Pigeon Press, an independent venture that joins the work of scientists, journalists, creative writers and artists.

the artist looking at objects that appear to be floating in space
5:30–7 pm  |  Nov 20
Visiting Artist Nick Dong

The Jewelry + Metalsmithing department welcomes the conceptual metalsmith, mixed-media sculptor and socio-commodity engineer. 

black-and-white photo of a statue of Karl Marx
11:30 am–1:30 pm  |  Nov 21
Humanities Forum: Damian White

The RISD professor, sociologist and political theorist delivers a talk about the just transition, a foundational concept of labor-environmentalism and progressive climate politics. 

See All Events

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.

two students work together in the BEB wood shop to glue up a jig
Yearlong Engagement with RISD’s Sustainability Design Lab Probes the Many Uses of Wood

Students are building a traditional boat out of wood and investigating the material’s environmental, ecological and sociocultural impacts.

Two music staffs break into squiggly lines
RISD Students Use Video and Animation Techniques to Bring Graphics to Life

Students in a fall studio are exploring a wide range of motion design techniques, from stop-motion animation to film title sequencing.

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.

intentionally glitchy image of tropical fish
Grad Students at RISD Discover, Invent and Repurpose Creative Camouflage Strategies

A fall Digital + Media studio focuses on art and artists who intentionally deploy camouflage and invisibility in their chosen disciplines.

cube with photographs mounted on each side
RISD Photography Studio Explores Notions of Space and Time

Students consider how their photographic imagery exists within three-dimensional space and when to take risks and push boundaries in their work.

see more stories

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.