RISD Hosts Largest Pre-College Class in its History

Pre-College students, friends and family members packed into the RISD Auditorium in early August for a raucous end-of-session fashion show. Organized by instructors Jamall Osterholm 17 AP and JasonPaul McCarthy, the event showcased work by 35 high school juniors and seniors, who created sparkly, hoop-skirted, over-the-top looks that would fit right in on the sets of The Hunger Games or Star Wars. 

“With 561 students on campus through July, this is the biggest Pre-College class RISD has hosted in Continuing Ed’s 50-year history,” says CE Executive Director John Murphy. “They come to Providence from across the country and around the world to be immersed in RISD’s pedagogy.”

Maya came from Ohio and selected sculpture as her Pre-College major. “What I love about sculpture is that it’s such a versatile medium,” she explains at the opening reception of the Pre-College Foundations exhibition in the lobby of 20 Washington Place. “I’m sad that she’s been away from home for so long,” her mother adds, “but I know she’s in heaven here.” 

Up the hill at Woods-Gerry Gallery, an even larger exhibition features work created by the students in their major programs of study. The Interior Design class is having a last-minute critique before the show opens, considering a creative space for kids designed by Beverly that includes a play area, a garden and a massive aquarium. “You’ve created a whole world within the space,” one visiting critic notes. Another adds, “The model you made is as whimsical as your plan, and these pipe-cleaner chairs are particularly nice.”   

Students who majored in Film/Video or Animation (all 39 of them!) are screening their final projects in RISD’s Metcalf Auditorium. “Animation is so labor intensive,” instructor Zev Chevat tells the assembled audience before introducing the shorts. “We started with character design and storyboarding and worked all the way through to compositing in just five weeks!”

“We started with character design and storyboarding and worked all the way through to compositing in just five weeks!”

Animation Instructor Zev Chevat

As impressive as the Pre-College program is, it represents only a small portion of the educational opportunities available through RISD Continuing Ed. Students enrolled in the virtual version of Pre-College, Advanced Program Online, also produce outstanding work, connecting with instructors one-on-one and in small groups through a mix of live and recorded video sessions.Local teens have access to online and live programming on campus throughout the summer, and Murphy hopes to reintroduce in-person adult extension programs next spring. “We’re also continuing our partnership with Creatives Want Change,” he adds, “a wonderful organization dedicated to the promotion of Black creative talent, and continuing to offer Rhode Island youth free summer enrichment courses through our collaboration with the Rhode Island Department of Education.”

And on the other side of the globe, teens who want to experience a taste of RISD are enrolling in the Summer Teen Art Institute in Shanghai, China. The residential program (taught in English by RISD faculty members and facilitated by on-site RISD alumni instructors) allows them to develop their skills and creative visions while building their portfolios and considering the next steps in their visual arts education.

In the adult learning space, the boom in Certificate Program classes that RISD experienced during the onset of the pandemic seems to be holding steady. “We’re seeing the highest number of completions and enrollments ever,” notes CE’s Andy Jacques, director of Children, Youth and Pre-Collegiate Programs. “The Residential Interior Design certificate is the most popular right now, but Graphic Design and Natural Science Illustration are pretty close behind.”

Adult learner Darrel Sutton is working on a Painting Studies certificate and says this about the experience: “I’m on the quest of becoming a better painter, but Applied Color was the first art class that I had taken since middle school. I’m amazed at the amount of personal attention that I’ve received, and I have definitely seen a marked improvement in my art.”

—Simone Solondz / photos by David O’Connor, Adam Mastoon and Kaylee Pugliese
August 26, 2024