Gelman Student Exhibitions Gallery

people gather in a spacious gallery for The Black Biennial

Working individually or in small teams, students gain valuable curatorial experience by proposing, planning and mounting group exhibitions at this venue and the Dryfoos Gallery for new media housed within it. Students whose proposals are accepted then work with guidance from RISD professionals to bring a show to fruition.

Current exhibition

Symbio/Split
Nov 1–Dec 8, 2024
Curated by Claire Shay 26 PT and Ali Sutton 25 PT with special thanks to Sarkis Antonyan BRDD 27 IA 
Opening reception: Oct. 31, 6–8 pm

black and white poster with cracks
see images of the current show

Inside the gallery

The Gelman Student Exhibitions Gallery and the Dryfoos Gallery for new media are located at the heart of campus and offer students great learning experiences and space for showing student work. They are also accessible to museum visitors and the general public.

a life-sized adult human marionette among paintings and other works in a gallery
a wide-angle view of artworks staged inside a gallery
a painting of two pink human figures among other works staged in a gallery
a wide-angle view of photographs, projections and other artworks inside a gallery
apparel designs dressed on five mannequins among other works in a gallery

Location and contact

Gelman Student Exhibitions Gallery
Chace Center, 2nd floor
20 North Main Street
Providence, RI
Gallery desk: 401 709-8660
Email: exhibitions@risd.edu

Gallery hours

Tues–Sun, 10 am–5 pm

Want to curate a show?

If you are interested in curating a group exhibition in either the Gelman or Dryfoos galleries, send us an email to get started. Proposals are reviewed by the director of Campus Exhibitions alongside a committee that includes representatives from the Student Gallery Board and the Grad Student Alliance.

If we approve your exhibition, you will work with gallery staff to select work, design the exhibition, prepare supporting materials, hang the show, publicize it and host the opening.

Email Campus Exhibitions for details

Past exhibitions

New Contemporaries 2024
Jul 12–Oct 20, 2024
Selected work by the Class of 2024

Sonder: The Black Biennial
Apr 19–Jun 2, 2024
Curated by Amadi Williams 25 PT and Isaiah “Prophet” Raines 25 SC

Living Urn
Mar 8 – Apr 7, 2024

Rubrica
Feb 2 – Mar 3, 2024

Major Survey Show
Dec 1 – Jan 28, 2024

Safe in My Garden
Oct 27 – Nov 26, 2023

New Contemporaries 2023
Jul 1 – Oct 15, 2023

Playing House
Apr 28 – Jun 4, 2023
Curated by Kira Wilson 24 FD and Aydan Huseynli 24 FD

Water Seeks the Lowest Ground
Apr 7 – 23, 2023
Curated by Julia Hames 23 PT, Katherine Hofmann 23 PT, Connor Kay 23 PT and Olivia Springberg 23 PT

Bliss Information
Mar 3 – Apr 2, 2023
Curated by Chloe Ng-Lun Gardner 23 FD, Daphne Knouse 23 PT, Ruby Rodgers 23 TX and Luke Teigen 23 AP

Go Thither
Jan 20–Feb 26, 2023
Curated by Gwynna Dille 23 PT and Mason Tepper 23 PT

No Longer Transparent
Nov 4–Dec 11, 2022
Curated by Yuxuan An MFA 23 SC

New Contemporaries ’22
July 6–Oct 16, 2022
Selected work by the graduate class of 2022

Residual Hauntings
May 6–June 5, 2022
Curated by Sarah Goldman 23 PR and Emma Florance 22 PT

I’d Rather Go Blind
April 16–May 1, 2022
Special exhibition by first-year MFA candidates

The Black Biennial
March 12–April 10, 2022
Curated by Rey Londres 22 PH and Melaine Ferdinand-King

Of Soiled Bodies
January 22–March 3, 2022
Curated by Veronica Bello 22 TX and Corina Dorrego 22 PT

Faculty Exhibition
October 28–November 21, 2021

New Contemporaries: Selections from the Class of 2021
July 14–October 10, 2021

Memories and How We Hold Them
April 10 – 14, 2021
Curated by Ethan Murakami 21 GD and Kasia Hope 21 TX

Feminized
March 13 – April 3, 2021
Curated by Mariano Ramos Ortiz MFA 21 PR and Breslin Bell MFA 21 PR

RISD Grad Show 2020
Oct 17 – Nov 7, 2020

The Color of My Land
Mar 6 – Apr 5, 2020

{re}position
Jan 23, 0020 – Mar 1, 2020
Curated by Namrata Dhore BArch 21, Jisu Yang BArch 21, Cherry Yang BArch 20

Black: Color/Context/Meaning
Dec 6, 2019 – Jan 19, 2020
Curated by Sarah O’Brien MFA 20 CR

Land//Fill//Land
Oct 18 – Dec 1, 2019

New Contemporaries 2019
July 2 – Oct 13, 2019