Students in this introductory course will learn the basic techniques of machine knitting and explore the possibilities of structural effects, color, pattern, and material quality within those techniques. They will also learn about finishing methods--such as felting, dyeing, and simple printing--that can be used on knitted fabric. Students will create a knitted fabric or finished piece for an end use, be it apparel, furnishings, or art pieces.

Elective

While learning about the technical possibilities of the manually operated knitting machine, students explore color, pattern, materials and structure. Finishing techniques, such as felting and dyeing are introduced. Through weekly assignments, students develop a sample library that serves as a resource for subsequent work. A final project involves planning and sampling for a final garment of the students own design, that is then executed at the end of the course. Consideration of the garment form, its proportion to the body, and the coherence of these elements are integrated into the course.

This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Texti

While learning about the technical possibilities of the manually operated knitting machine, students explore color, pattern, materials and structure. Finishing techniques, such as felting and dyeing are introduced. Through weekly assignments, students develop a sample library that serves as a resource for subsequent work. A final project involves planning and sampling for a final garment of the students own design, that is then executed at the end of the course. Consideration of the garment form, its proportion to the body, and the coherence of these elements are integrated into the course.

This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Texti

Through drawing and painting we will investigate different subject matter in the development of a personal vision and point of view to create meaningful and moving work. We will work from live models, still-lifes and objects, and explore the use of icons, symbols and images through experimentation with a wide range of media and processes including charcoal, pen and ink, acrylics, objects and collage. Beyond this, the main goal of the course is the development of a working process to strengthen conceptual and expressive abilities. This approach will allow students to communicate concerns with originality and creativity in ways that can later be applied to work in any discipline and medium.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Textiles

Through drawing and painting we will investigate different subject matter in the development of a personal vision and point of view to create meaningful and moving work. We will work from live models, still-lifes and objects, and explore the use of icons, symbols and images through experimentation with a wide range of media and processes including charcoal, pen and ink, acrylics, objects and collage. Beyond this, the main goal of the course is the development of a working process to strengthen conceptual and expressive abilities. This approach will allow students to communicate concerns with originality and creativity in ways that can later be applied to work in any discipline and medium.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. This course is a requirement for Sophomore Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Textiles

This course, a major component in the student's can entail two types of activity: 1. Participation in sophomore, junior or senior level courses to strengthen technical skills and design vocabulary; Including Design for Printed Textiles and Fabric Silkscreen and 2. Individual projects undergraduate advisors to clarify personal concepts and format of the work. This semester's emphasis is on enlarging and solidifying the student's background and defining direction for the work.

Please contact the department for permission to register. This course is a requirement for Graduate Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Textiles

This elective course is intended for those whose main interest is pattern but who also want to acquire skills to apply this to woven structures. Using both handlooms and dobby looms, students will explore structural possibilities for building patterns in weaving. Material quality, color, and potential end use will be part of the criteria for analyzing work. Exercises in drafting -- both by hand and on the computer -- as a means of understanding woven structures in a three-dimensional way and generating new structures for patterns will be a strong part of this course.

Prerequisite: TEXT 4802 - WEAVING I

Elective

This is an elective course for students who want to continue studying woven pattern. Using the NedGraphics software for pattern and Point Carre jacquard software for drafting woven structures, students will develop patterns through experimentation with material and color. The intended end use of the fabric will be a consideration throughout in the design decisions.

Prerequisite: TEXT-4820 and TEXT-4826

Elective

In this second-year course, the emphasis is on clarifying student's specific area of interest, format of the work, its context, and personal concepts. Students will begin to develop a writing style and practice that parallels the richly developed language of their visual work, laying the foundation for their graduate written thesis.

This course is a requirement for second-year Graduate Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Textiles

This course approaches the development of machine knit fabrics and forms as one process, where aspects of form are developed along-side fabric patterns and structures. Students learn advanced construction techniques and knit structure drafting and shaping, in order to further develop their design processes and ideas for knits. Emphasis is placed on experimentation, careful consideration of materials, and research. Ideas about color, pattern, texture, drape, concept and working large scale are explored. Fully-fashioned garments are the primary three-dimensional forms to which students apply their ideas. Throughout the semester, students bring their experience of garment building and shaping, their range of knitting skills and techniques, and their ability to express ideas in knitting to a higher level of resolution. Hand knitting, embellishment, dyeing, printing, finishing, felting and other processes are encouraged and can be integrated into the fabric design and construction.

Prerequisite: TEXT-4820 and TEXT-4826

Elective

The course continues an established collaborative project between RISD and MIT, focused on the history of and recent advances in textile design and technology. Its goal is to introduce students from each institution to knowledge outside their primary field, and clarify the connections between them. RISD students participating in the class will bring their specific knowledge of woven and knitted fabrics and design fundamentals into group discussions and learn new skills in programming, physical computing and design of advanced fabrics. Participants will have opportunities to contribute to ongoing collaboration between the departments. 

The course trajectory will progress along two lines of inquiry: computation and fabrics. Providing a perspective on the rich heritage of fibers and fabrics on the one hand and the emergence of digital logic, electronic systems, and the role of software on the other. We will explore and develop appreciation for the design and engineering degrees of freedom in fiber and fabric materials as well as in circuits and software. The course is a first of its kind, setting the stage for the future of fabrics as computational environments, new products and new business models.

Elective

This project represents the culmination of a student's study in the Graduate Program. The design projects can encompass various textile fields in the areas of interior or apparel textiles. A specific architectural context, an area of apparel design, an investigation of a particular technique, or a visual design sensibility and language can provide a framework for the project. The work, executed using any established textile techniques or technique that a student has developed, should manifest advanced original concepts, high quality of execution, and a strong commitment to the field. Written documentation and analysis of the sources of the work, how it relates to the textiles tradition or larger field of art and design, and of the development of the project should accompany the studio work.

Estimated Cost of Materials: varies depending on student projects.

Please contact the department for permission to register. This course is a requirement for Graduate Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Textiles

This advanced knitting course investigates the design and creation of knit fabrics using specialized software and a computerized, industrial knitting machine. Students deepen their understanding of a wide range of knit constructions, learn new structures, and experience a different method of creating knit fabric and forms through weekly sampling work and then a final project that is a collection of fabrics for interior or apparel applications, or art pieces. The intended end use will guide students' pattern and material studies. Students are introduced to the knitting industry and exciting examples of contemporary and historical knitting and encouraged to forge new paths in the medium.

Prerequisite: TEXT-4832 and TEXT-4826.

Elective

In this course you will learn about the material properties and design possibilities of fiber. We will explore how sustainable design practices are integral to the eventual end use of textiles, be it as yardage, fully fashioned garments, interior applications, structural use, or sculptural material. Via case studies from regional and international sustainable designers, we will investigate fibers. As a guidepost for our syllabus we will learn about the 17 sustainability goals articulated by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. With our focus on the textile industry, this course will introduce the theory and practice of circular design, regenerative agriculture, TEK, biomaterials, and manufacturing processes with reduced environmental impacts. Lectures and readings will be enlivened with in-class experimentation, guest speakers, weekly design assignments, and a materials journal. Over the semester we will investigate opportunities and solutions for creating art with a more positive legacy for our planet.

Elective

This course focuses on issues in the professional textile field, such as the effect of production parameters and end use on design decisions. While helping students become more familiar with the wide ranging market, from the most innovative to the traditional, this course aims at providing an awareness of how one's own work fits into this context. Lecturers include professionals from the field, who advise on the studio work required in this class.

This course is a requirement for second-year Graduate Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Textiles

This course continues from Textile Seminar I and focuses on issues in the professional textile field, such as the effect of production parameters and end use on design decisions. While helping students become more familiar with the wide ranging textile market, from traditional work to the most highly innovative, this course aims to provide an awareness of how one's personal expression fits in to this context. Lecturers include professionals from the field, who advise on the studio work required in this class.

Please contact the department for permission to register. This course is a requirement for Graduate Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Textiles

This is a required senior-level studio taken in the semester prior to the Degree Project. Emphasis is placed on the development and definition of individual projects within the chosen context—Fine Art or Design—with a rigorous focus on concept development. Students' work may range from installations to two-dimensional pieces and fabric collections, utilizing various techniques and materials, including weaving, printing, knitting, or other improvised construction methods.

Estimated Cost of Materials: varies by individual project.

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

The student's project, designed in consultation with the faculty, can be in one of the textile areas or in combination with other disciplines at the school. The project, which will be evaluated by the faculty and visiting critics at the end of the semester, can entail a collection of designs or fine arts work representing the current conclusive state of student's work or an investigation of a new area. The level of concepts, skills, and commitment constitute a major part of the criteria in the evaluation of the work.

Mid-year graduates should seek department permission to fulfill 9 credits in Fall and Wintersession.

Estimated Cost of Materials: Varies based on use of advanced equipment; additional fees may incur.

Majors are pre-registered for this course by the department. This course is a requirement for Senior Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | BFA Textiles

This written portion of the Thesis Project helps students to analyze their working process and its results, as well as inform future work. While the length and style of the written thesis may vary, the paper should contain: an identification of the project goals and an analysis of the sources of inspiration; the context in which the work fits into the textile area and larger field of art and design; a description of the working process, techniques, and materials used and their connection to application and end use; and finally, an evaluation of the project. Accompanying the paper will be visual documentation of the project.

Please contact the department for permission to register. This course is a requirement for Graduate Textiles Students.

Major Requirement | MFA Textiles

Rugs and floor-coverings from different counties and cultures, both historical and contemporary, will be shown as examples of how material and design are developed within a cultural and functional context. This will serve as a foundation for students to develop their own vision and sources of inspiration. Each student will design and execute a woven rug intended for a specific use and/or space. Students will learn to set up the loom and will experiment with a variety of rugmaking techniques for both flat and pile surfaces. Exploration with a wide range of materials, from wool to reeds to plastics, are encouraged to find new solutions for each project. Special yarn dyeing techniques will be taught as a way to expand the range of color effects.

Elective