May 18–June 2, 2012
Open daily, 12–5pm (June 2, 12–6pm)
Opening: May 17, 6–8pm
Rhode Island School of Design’s 2012 Annual Graduate Thesis Exhibition opens at the Rhode Island Convention Center on May 18. Graduate student work across 16 disciplines will be featured in a showcase of more than 180 RISD artists and designers. The work of graduate students in Architecture, Ceramics, Digital + Media, Furniture Design, Glass, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interior Architecture, Jewelry + Metalsmithing, Landscape Architecture, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture and Textiles, Teaching and Learning in Art and Design will be on exhibit from May 18–June 2, 2012.
The exhibition, located in Hall A of the Convention Center in downcity Providence for the sixth consecutive year, is free and open to the public daily from 12–5pm (12–6pm on June 2, the day of RISD’s Commencement), with a public opening reception on May 17 from 6–8pm.
The work selected represents the culmination of each student’s unique experience in RISD’s dynamic, diverse, and demanding graduate programs. The 28,000-square-foot space will be custom-constructed, with more than 1500 linear feet of walls forming a network of smaller galleries. This arrangement provides students ample space, allowing each the opportunity to showcase multiple pieces, or large installations from their individual thesis work—the manifestation of two or three years of research, experimentation, critical thinking and finely-honed skills.
The student work can also be viewed online in a gallery featuring images and statements of students’ work, enabling viewers to gain insight into the thought process behind each student’s thesis work. The portfolio section will go live in April at www.risd.edu/thesis.
A selection of work by second-year graduate students will also be showing at Sol Koffler Graduate Student Gallery at 169 Weybosset Street. The installation will open to the public on May 30 at noon and will remain on view through June 3 from 12–6pm (6–8 with RISD ID).
About RISD’s Graduate Programs
Graduate Studies at RISD includes 16 discipline-specific master’s degree programs in three divisions: architecture, fine arts, and design. Setting the standard for RISD’s 1,900 undergraduates, approximately 400 graduate students are enrolled in individual programs that range in size from 7 to 98 students.
Graduate students come to RISD to be part of an extraordinary creative community and to connect with exceptional faculty, who are both dedicated teachers and leading artists and designers in their respective fields. They come to work in some of the best facilities and access some of the best resources in the country, to develop an individual vision and voice, and to create work that matters.
To complement studio majors, the divisions of Graduate Studies and Liberal Arts offer interdisciplinary seminars that enable students to explore the intersections between history, theory, research, and contemporary culture. RISD’s diverse graduate programs are further enriched by sponsored research and internships with partners in business and industry, and by the incomparable insights of countless visiting artists, scholars and guest critics who come to campus from throughout the world. The college’s collaborative relationship with Brown University gives RISD students access to an even larger array of lectures, events, and courses.
In short, graduate study at RISD is invigorating, challenging and demanding. It requires a deep commitment, the willingness to take risks and an openness to give and take. In return, students discover the lifelong rewards of belonging to a passionate creative community and of learning to articulate their vision with consummate power and grace. To learn more, click here.