Laine Rettmer

Assistant Professor

Laine Rettmer is a video artist and opera director whose work has been presented in museums, galleries, theaters, film festivals, academic institutions, concert venues, barns, fields and the occasional bar. Their work reinterprets and investigates history, mythology, storytelling and notions of a Western utopia by imagining new interventions or concentric, nonlinear and non-hierarchical narratives. Venues include the Brooklyn Museum’s Brooklyn Artist’s Movie Night, curated by Enrique Mendia; Vizcaya Museum in Miami with IlluminArts; Manifesta 11, curated by Christian Jankowski; MoMA Public, curated by Mel Logan and Jakob Boeskov; the Museum of Fine Art, Boston; CreaTures Festival, Seville, Spain; MassArt, Brant Gallery, curated by Hellen Miller; Silvermine Gallery, QueerWerks, curated by Stamatina Gregory; Wonzimer Gallery, Los Angeles, CA; Massachusetts Institute of Technology Museum for the exhibition, Hot Steam; the Illuminus Festival; the Yuan Art Museum; Yve Yang Gallery; Perkins and Ping; Present Company; NADA NY, NADA Presents; and AREA gallery, among others.

Alongside their visual artwork, Rettmer maintains a dual practice in opera direction. For the past decade, they have reinterpreted and championed classical and contemporary opera as a medium for critical feminist and queer dialogues. Their operas have been praised as “wickedly smart” and “devastatingly funny” by The New York Times and “not only profound but also shattering” by the Observer. Most recently, Jennifer Pyron wrote for OperaWire, “Rettmer’s work is making a huge difference in the world of performance art right now.” Their first La bohème was named one of the best operas of the decade by the Observer, while their most current La bohème, a feature film adaptation co-produced by Opera Omaha and Boston Lyric, enjoyed a commercial run across Japan this past October through Toho Cinemas. This January, they directed the premiere of Adoration by Mary Kouyoumdijian and Royce Vavrek, produced by Beth Morrison Productions for the Prototype Festival, which tours to LA Opera next season.

Awards include two National Endowment for the Arts Grants, a Warhol Foundation Grant, and a MAP Fund grant for Standby Snow: Chronicles of a Heat Wave and the multimedia opera Ellis, constructed from first-person accounts of immigration to the US. Rettmer has also been awarded an Art Alliance Fellowship from HFBK Hamburg and a research fellowship from the Center for Arts Design and Social Research, and they have been an Invited Artist in Residence at MassArt in Boston, Vermont Studio Center, Skaftfell Center for Visual Arts in Iceland, and Robert Wilson's Watermill Foundation on Long Island.

 

Courses

Fall 2024 Courses

FAV 5193-01 - SENIOR STUDIO: OPEN MEDIA
Level Undergraduate
Unit Film/Animation/Video
Subject Film/Animation/Video
Period Fall 2024
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

FAV 5193-01

SENIOR STUDIO: OPEN MEDIA

Level Undergraduate
Unit Film/Animation/Video
Subject Film/Animation/Video
Period Fall 2024
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-09-04 to 2024-12-11
Times: M | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Laine Rettmer Location(s): Auditorium, Room 625 Enrolled / Capacity: 15 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

This path, within the senior studio options, allows for the exploration of a broad range of hybrid practices. Through the structural support of this year-long studio, students will produce a project that synthesizes their understanding of and aspirations for media art practice. Works produced use media as their point of departure, but may take a variety of forms including performance, installation, public art, intervention, networked/collaborative production, print publication, activism, etc. The course prepares students to work with depth in their use of media and as contemporary artists in a complex art world, in which media is often only one component in a larger project. Students receive weekly individual guidance from the instructor and peers, as well as two critiques by prominent working artists or related practitioners. During the spring semester, each student explores the notion of distribution intensively, resulting in the crafting of individualized forms of presentation. Each student also develops a portfolio of their work, focused on communicating their core interests to a defined group. Class meetings are devoted to presentations of related artists works, individual meetings and group critique. Fall semester includes field trips to events in the NY/New England area.

Estimated Materials Cost: Varies considerably with production design. Deposit: $150.00

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.

Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video | Open Media

PHOTO 532G-01 - GRADUATE CRITIQUE I
Level Graduate
Unit Photography
Subject Photography
Period Fall 2024
Credits 9
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

PHOTO 532G-01

GRADUATE CRITIQUE I

Level Graduate
Unit Photography
Subject Photography
Period Fall 2024
Credits 9
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-09-04 to 2024-12-11
Times: T | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Brian Ulrich, Laine Rettmer Enrolled / Capacity: 7 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

This course is an ongoing discussion of individual work with special reference to current issues and concerns in contemporary art. Each student will be required to show and discuss work. Grades by participation.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate Photography Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Photography

PHOTO 536G-01 - GRADUATE CRITIQUE III THESIS
Level Graduate
Unit Photography
Subject Photography
Period Fall 2024
Credits 9
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

PHOTO 536G-01

GRADUATE CRITIQUE III THESIS

Level Graduate
Unit Photography
Subject Photography
Period Fall 2024
Credits 9
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-09-04 to 2024-12-11
Times: T | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Brian Ulrich, Laine Rettmer Enrolled / Capacity: 7 Status: Closed

SECTION DESCRIPTION

This course is an ongoing discussion of individual work with special reference to current issues and concerns in contemporary art. Each student will be required to show and discuss work. Grades by participation.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate Photography Students.


Major Requirement | MFA Photography

Spring 2025 Courses

FAV 5194-01 - SENIOR STUDIO: OPEN MEDIA
Level Undergraduate
Unit Film/Animation/Video
Subject Film/Animation/Video
Period Spring 2025
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

FAV 5194-01

SENIOR STUDIO: OPEN MEDIA

Level Undergraduate
Unit Film/Animation/Video
Subject Film/Animation/Video
Period Spring 2025
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2025-02-13 to 2025-05-23
Times: M | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Laine Rettmer Location(s): Auditorium, Room 625 Enrolled / Capacity: 15 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

This path, within the senior studio options, allows for the exploration of a broad range of hybrid practices. Through the structural support of this year-long studio, students will produce a project that synthesizes their understanding of and aspirations for media art practice. Works produced use media as their point of departure, but may take a variety of forms including performance, installation, public art, intervention, networked/collaborative production, print publication, activism, etc. The course prepares students to work with depth in their use of media and as contemporary artists in a complex art world, in which media is often only one component in a larger project. Students receive weekly individual guidance from the instructor and peers, as well as two critiques by prominent working artists or related practitioners. Class meetings are devoted to presentations of related artists works, individual meetings and group critique. During the spring semester, each student explores the notion of distribution intensively, resulting in the crafting of individualized forms of presentation. Each student also develops a portfolio of their work, focused on communicating their core interests to a defined group. Spring Semester features speakers, working with related practices, who meet with students to prepare them for their professional future.

Estimated Cost of Materials: varies considerably with production design; average $1,000.00 to $3,000.00.

Deposit: $150.00

Please contact fav@risd.edu for permission to register.


Major Requirement | BFA Film/Animation/Video | Open Media

PHOTO 535G-01 - GRADUATE CRITIQUE II
Level Graduate
Unit Photography
Subject Photography
Period Spring 2025
Credits 9
Format Seminar
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

PHOTO 535G-01

GRADUATE CRITIQUE II

Level Graduate
Unit Photography
Subject Photography
Period Spring 2025
Credits 9
Format Seminar
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2025-02-13 to 2025-05-23
Times: T | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Eduardo L Rivera, Laine Rettmer Location(s): Fletcher Building, Room 606 Enrolled / Capacity: 7 Status: Open

SECTION DESCRIPTION

This course is an ongoing discussion of individual work with special reference to current issues and concerns in contemporary art. Each student will be required to show and discuss work. Grades by participation.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate Photography Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Photography

PHOTO 537G-01 - GRADUATE CRITIQUE IV THESIS
Level Graduate
Unit Photography
Subject Photography
Period Spring 2025
Credits 6
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

PHOTO 537G-01

GRADUATE CRITIQUE IV THESIS

Level Graduate
Unit Photography
Subject Photography
Period Spring 2025
Credits 6
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2025-02-13 to 2025-05-23
Times: T | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Eduardo L Rivera, Laine Rettmer Location(s): Fletcher Building, Room 606 Enrolled / Capacity: 7 Status: Closed

SECTION DESCRIPTION

This course is an ongoing discussion of individual work with special reference to current issues and concerns in contemporary art. Each student will be required to show and discuss work. Grades by participation.

Enrollment is limited to Graduate Photography Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Photography

PHOTO 540G-01 - GRADUATE THESIS PROJECT
Level Graduate
Unit Photography
Subject Photography
Period Spring 2025
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

PHOTO 540G-01

GRADUATE THESIS PROJECT

Level Graduate
Unit Photography
Subject Photography
Period Spring 2025
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2025-02-13 to 2025-05-23
Instructor(s): Laine Rettmer Enrolled / Capacity: 7 Status: Closed

SECTION DESCRIPTION

This period is dedicated to the development and presentation of a body of work supported by a written thesis in consultation with the student's Thesis Committee. The final exhibition and written thesis will be evaluated by the Thesis Committee which will submit a final grade to the Graduate Coordinator.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. Enrollment is limited to Graduate Photography Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Photography