Winning 2025 RISD Museum Dorner Prize Installation Centers Queer Black Life

“As a queer woman of color, I know the fear of retribution for simply existing,” says senior Kailyn Bryant 25 FD. “The World Is on Fire underscores the urgency of protecting shared histories and fostering community in a time of division.”

Bryant is discussing her interactive, 12x8-foot painting, the winner of this year’s Dorner Prize competition. The prize is awarded annually to one or more RISD students whose proposed artistic interventions critique the RISD Museum’s collections, architectural idiosyncrasies, habits of visitation and/or web presence. This year’s jurors—Nancy Elizabeth Prophet Curatorial Assistant Gabrielle Walker and Schiller Family Assistant Professor of Literary Arts and Studies Naimah Pétigny—selected Bryant’s proposal out of dozens of submissions in part because of her unique choice of mediums and thoughtful critique.

On view in the Chace Center lobby through June 1, The World Is on Fire depicts a group of queer Black women sharing a meal as fires (wired with LED lights) blaze outside their dining room window. “Dining together is a universal experience that fosters connection,” Bryant explains.

The words “What’s something you wish you could say out loud?” appear at the top of the painting, and a nearby supply of sticky notes and pencils allows viewers to post their responses directly on the piece. “You are not alone” one note reads, and another simply says, “My heart is breaking.” Bryant says she wanted to erase the invisible line that normally separates museum visitors from the art, adding “I’ve always loved museums, but you’re never allowed to touch anything!” 

In early April, she spoke about the project with competition jurors in a panel discussion presented by the RISD Museum and shared images of the work in progress. The base for the painting was created out of OSB (Oriented Strand Board, a less expensive alternative to plywood), scraps of hardwood salvaged from the Furniture Design department woodshop and 6,000 nails. She worked with the museum’s installers to move the three large panels into the space before assembling them on site.

“I see art as a tool for saying what is necessary,” Bryant told the audience. “This project calls on the RISD Museum to fulfill its role as both a preserver of cultural histories and a space for public dialogue. As responses on the painting accumulate, I hope people will open up to each other and have vulnerable conversations of hope and resilience.”

The Dorner Prize, named for the distinguished early 20th-century RISD Museum Director Alexander Dorner, is made possible by a generous anonymous gift.

Simone Solondz
April 17, 2025