This beginning sculpture studio encounter is organized to train students to workshop their ideas and concepts with the basic materials and processes of the sculpture studio. In this department we teach visual vocabulary on the basic principle of, Thinking while making and making while thinking. The assignments in the Fall Sophomore studio parallels the exercises in technical skills taught in Wood and Metal Shop Practice I. Students will begin working in sculpture specific metal fabrication methods. Students may expect to gain proficiency in gas, TIG and MIG welding techniques, along with hot and cold forming methods. The second half of the fall semester is focused on sculpture specific wood fabrication methods. Students will acquire skills in methods of cutting and joining alongside methods of forming and lamination.

Estimated Cost of Materials: Students are required to purchase a substantial selection of tools.

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Sophomore Sculpture Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

This beginning sculpture studio encounter is organized to train students to workshop their ideas and concepts with the basic materials and processes of the sculpture studio. In this department we teach visual vocabulary on the basic principle of, Thinking while making and making while thinking. The assignments in the Fall Sophomore studio parallels the exercises in technical skills taught in Wood and Metal Shop Practice I. Students will begin working in sculpture specific metal fabrication methods. Students may expect to gain proficiency in gas, TIG and MIG welding techniques, along with hot and cold forming methods. The second half of the fall semester is focused on sculpture specific wood fabrication methods. Students will acquire skills in methods of cutting and joining alongside methods of forming and lamination.

Estimated Cost of Materials: Students are required to purchase a substantial selection of tools.

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Sophomore Sculpture Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

The Spring semester of Sophomore Sculpture Studio is organized to continue training students to workshop their ideas and concepts while learning basic materials and processes of the sculpture studio. In this department we teach visual vocabulary on the basic principle of, Thinking while making and making while thinking. The assignment projects in the Spring studio parallels the exercises in technical skills taught in WOOD AND METAL SHOP PRACTICE II. Advancing from basic fabrication methods learned in the previous semester, students will progress into workshops in modeling, molding and casting. Students will learn the basic language of form through the lens of basic mold-making methods working in wax, plaster and clay advancing to contemporary silicones and plastics. This workshop will culminate with lost wax ceramic shell casting in our foundry.

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

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

The Spring semester of Sophomore Sculpture Studio is organized to continue training students to workshop their ideas and concepts while learning basic materials and processes of the sculpture studio. In this department we teach visual vocabulary on the basic principle of, Thinking while making and making while thinking. The assignment projects in the Spring studio parallels the exercises in technical skills taught in WOOD AND METAL SHOP PRACTICE II. Advancing from basic fabrication methods learned in the previous semester, students will progress into workshops in modeling, molding and casting. Students will learn the basic language of form through the lens of basic mold-making methods working in wax, plaster and clay advancing to contemporary silicones and plastics. This workshop will culminate with lost wax ceramic shell casting in our foundry.

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

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

Students present a body of work supported by a written thesis to a thesis committee for evaluation.

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

Major Requirement | MFA Sculpture

This course is an introduction to the six major practices that are essential to the study of Sculpture. These practices include an introduction to wood, digital imaging, plaster, performance, installation, and metal. Over the course of the year, students will be exposed to four week intensives designed to augment their major studio experience. The course begins with wood to expedite the speed of moving from ideation to physicality. From wood, the group moves to digital imaging where basic skills in video editing, photographic documentation, and projection within the built environment are explored. Plaster as a medium is paired with performance as an activity, both of which underscore the importance of the body within the field of Sculpture. Once students have produced objects, videos, and performances, the group moves into considering the fundamentals of installation and metal fabrication so that the architectures that house myriad artworks can be understood as part of the modality of Sculpture. Students can expect to learn proficiency and safety in all of these areas. Students can expect to expand these skills in advanced studio electives in the Junior and Senior years. This course is required for all Sophomore Sculpture majors.

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Sophomore Sculpture Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

This course is an introduction to the six major practices that are essential to the study of Sculpture. These practices include an introduction to wood, digital imaging, plaster, performance, installation, and metal. Over the course of the year, students will be exposed to four week intensives designed to augment their major studio experience. The course begins with wood to expedite the speed of moving from ideation to physicality. From wood, the group moves to digital imaging where basic skills in video editing, photographic documentation, and projection within the built environment are explored. Plaster as a medium is paired with performance as an activity, both of which underscore the importance of the body within the field of Sculpture. Once students have produced objects, videos, and performances, the group moves into considering the fundamentals of installation and metal fabrication so that the architectures that house myriad artworks can be understood as part of the modality of Sculpture. Students can expect to learn proficiency and safety in all of these areas. Students can expect to expand these skills in advanced studio electives in the Junior and Senior years. This course is required for all Sophomore Sculpture majors.

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Sophomore Sculpture Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

This course is a continuiation of Sculptural Practices I. Students are introduced to the six major practices that are essential to the study of Sculpture. These practices include an introduction to wood, digital imaging, plaster, performance, installation, and metal. Over the course of the year, students will be exposed to four week intensives designed to augment their major studio experience. The course begins with wood to expedite the speed of moving from ideation to physicality. From wood, the group moves to digital imaging where basic skills in video editing, photographic documentation, and projection within the built environment are explored. Plaster as a medium is paired with performance as an activity, both of which underscore the importance of the body within the field of Sculpture. Once students have produced objects, videos, and performances, the group moves into considering the fundamentals of installation and metal fabrication so that the architectures that house myriad artworks can be understood as part of the modality of Sculpture. Students can expect to learn proficiency and safety in all of these areas. Students can expect to expand these skills in advanced studio electives in the Junior and Senior years. This course is a requirement for Sophomore Sculpture Students.

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

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

This course is a continuiation of Sculptural Practices I. Students are introduced to the six major practices that are essential to the study of Sculpture. These practices include an introduction to wood, digital imaging, plaster, performance, installation, and metal. Over the course of the year, students will be exposed to four week intensives designed to augment their major studio experience. The course begins with wood to expedite the speed of moving from ideation to physicality. From wood, the group moves to digital imaging where basic skills in video editing, photographic documentation, and projection within the built environment are explored. Plaster as a medium is paired with performance as an activity, both of which underscore the importance of the body within the field of Sculpture. Once students have produced objects, videos, and performances, the group moves into considering the fundamentals of installation and metal fabrication so that the architectures that house myriad artworks can be understood as part of the modality of Sculpture. Students can expect to learn proficiency and safety in all of these areas. Students can expect to expand these skills in advanced studio electives in the Junior and Senior years. This course is a requirement for Sophomore Sculpture Students.

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

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

This seminar connects sophomore Sculpture majors to significant parts of the ever-expanding discipline of contemporary sculpture. Over the semester the class will explore how methods of artistic production, materials of artistic transformation, and practices of makers participating in various artistic movements have created and sustained the conversations so integral to contemporary sculptural practice. Through a series of film screenings, assigned readings, slide talks, and discussions, students will gain a familiarity with the historic events and trajectories that continue to produce associative canons and relational movements, forming the foundation of their chosen discipline. The course trajectory is coordinated with topics covered in Sculptural Practices I and II and Sophomore Sculpture: Studio I.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $50.00

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Sophomore Sculpture Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

This seminar connects sophomore Sculpture majors to significant parts of the ever-expanding discipline of contemporary sculpture. Over the semester the class will explore how methods of artistic production, materials of artistic transformation, and practices of makers participating in various artistic movements have created and sustained the conversations so integral to contemporary sculptural practice. Through a series of film screenings, assigned readings, slide talks, and discussions, students will gain a familiarity with the historic events and trajectories that continue to produce associative canons and relational movements, forming the foundation of their chosen discipline. The course trajectory is coordinated with topics covered in Sculptural Practices I and II and Sophomore Sculpture: Studio I.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $50.00

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Sophomore Sculpture Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

This course utilizes experiential learning and hands-on research to connect sophomore Sculpture majors to resources held in the collections the RISD Museum, the Nature Lab, and the holdings of the Fleet Library, including the Visual and Material Resource Center. Over the course of the semester, students will select, compare, research, and contextualize objects of study from these collections as part of the larger material and conceptual framework of their trajectory in Sculpture. In addition to supervised, hands-on study, students will deepen their relationship to the themes and discourses including the relationship between Modernism and Imperialism, politics and aesthetics, digital communication and global image distribution, museum collections and cultural appropriation, power and knowledge, economic superstructures and available material resources, among others.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $150.00

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

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

This course utilizes experiential learning and hands-on research to connect sophomore Sculpture majors to resources held in the collections the RISD Museum, the Nature Lab, and the holdings of the Fleet Library, including the Visual and Material Resource Center. Over the course of the semester, students will select, compare, research, and contextualize objects of study from these collections as part of the larger material and conceptual framework of their trajectory in Sculpture. In addition to supervised, hands-on study, students will deepen their relationship to the themes and discourses including the relationship between Modernism and Imperialism, politics and aesthetics, digital communication and global image distribution, museum collections and cultural appropriation, power and knowledge, economic superstructures and available material resources, among others.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $150.00

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

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

In Junior Research Studio students will be guided through a series of experiences and encounters in the community, at large that help them understand the local manifestations of larger systems. Along the way, we will ask questions and learn inquiry methods that enable an understanding of how these encounters, the conversations they spawn, and assigned readings we take on help anchor, shape, and guide the aesthetic, material, and media choices we make in our artwork. A continuation of the use of research methods in the context of a studio setting is exercised individually and in groups. Reflection is used as a tool for development. Students are challenged to explore relationships between chosen materials, subject matter, processes, and display in order to establish research practices that help them make the work they want to make.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $200.00

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Junior Sculpture Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

In Junior Research Studio students will be guided through a series of experiences and encounters in the community, at large that help them understand the local manifestations of larger systems. Along the way, we will ask questions and learn inquiry methods that enable an understanding of how these encounters, the conversations they spawn, and assigned readings we take on help anchor, shape, and guide the aesthetic, material, and media choices we make in our artwork. A continuation of the use of research methods in the context of a studio setting is exercised individually and in groups. Reflection is used as a tool for development. Students are challenged to explore relationships between chosen materials, subject matter, processes, and display in order to establish research practices that help them make the work they want to make.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $200.00

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Junior Sculpture Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

Junior Seminar: Critical Issues is an intermediary level course designed to facilitate and support an intense study of themes relevant to art practices and conversations today. Through a series of readings, films, classroom discussion, group, and independent work, students learn to contextualize myriad discourses using the frames of art history, critical theory, philosophy, ethics, and politics. In this studio-centered seminar, students will develop a critical literacy that is applicable to their working practices and the attendant process of using materials to make meaning. This course supports discourse around the formation of the artist in an effort to figure out meaningful strategies for the development and maintenance of sustainable artistic and intellectual practices.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $50.00

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

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

Junior Seminar: Critical Issues is an intermediary level course designed to facilitate and support an intense study of themes relevant to art practices and conversations today. Through a series of readings, films, classroom discussion, group, and independent work, students learn to contextualize myriad discourses using the frames of art history, critical theory, philosophy, ethics, and politics. In this studio-centered seminar, students will develop a critical literacy that is applicable to their working practices and the attendant process of using materials to make meaning. This course supports discourse around the formation of the artist in an effort to figure out meaningful strategies for the development and maintenance of sustainable artistic and intellectual practices.

Estimated Cost of Materials: $50.00

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

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

Building on the methods of research and synthesis learned in Junior Sculpture: Research Studio, this is an intensive semester designed to strengthen students’ knowledge of professional practices for maintaining a creative practice past graduation. Students will develop a packet of materials which include a portfolio of work, artist statement, resume, and artist CV. This course will advance their research into a range of opportunities specific to the discipline of sculpture and their own individuated practices. 
 
Each week students will be introduced to a variety of resources and skills necessary in preparing for upcoming and future opportunities such as residencies, granting organizations, graduate schools and fellowships. Additionally, topics of exhibiting works in various spaces such as galleries (artist-run, for-profit, university, etc.), museums, alternative art organizations and public art venues will be presented. There will also be workshops for preparing project budgets, archival storage of work and formatting for digital organization. This seminar aims to give students a strong foundation for professional practices prior to their final semester at RISD so they can focus on their body of work in Senior Degree Project and feel prepared to graduate.   

Estimated Cost of Materials: $300.00

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Senior Sculpture Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

Building on the methods of research and synthesis learned in Junior Sculpture: Research Studio, this is an intensive semester designed to strengthen students’ knowledge of professional practices for maintaining a creative practice past graduation. Students will develop a packet of materials which include a portfolio of work, artist statement, resume, and artist CV. This course will advance their research into a range of opportunities specific to the discipline of sculpture and their own individuated practices. 
 
Each week students will be introduced to a variety of resources and skills necessary in preparing for upcoming and future opportunities such as residencies, granting organizations, graduate schools and fellowships. Additionally, topics of exhibiting works in various spaces such as galleries (artist-run, for-profit, university, etc.), museums, alternative art organizations and public art venues will be presented. There will also be workshops for preparing project budgets, archival storage of work and formatting for digital organization. This seminar aims to give students a strong foundation for professional practices prior to their final semester at RISD so they can focus on their body of work in Senior Degree Project and feel prepared to graduate.   

Estimated Cost of Materials: $300.00

Students are pre-registered for this course by the department; registration is not available in Workday. Enrollment is limited to Senior Sculpture Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture

Students are expected to continue the independent work developed in the fall senior studio. Over the course of the degree project semester students will present their work in the context of Duet shows. These "Duets" will be accompanied by a short video-taped interview between the partners based upon vetted questions germane to each others work. Seniors are expected to produce a significant group of work commensurate with the departments senior degree level criteria.

Prerequisite: Senior Sculpture Students must be in Good Academic Standing.

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

Major Requirement | BFA Sculpture