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AUGUST 2005

Careers in Fine Arts, Architecture & Design:
Rhode Island Has Designs On You

By Jan Aaron

If you admire it, wear it, or laugh at it, chances are it may have started at the Rhode Island School of Design ([RISD;] 2 College Street, Providence, RI 02903; write here to Admissions for appointments to visit or phone 401-454-6100; www risd.edu/). Some famous grads nurtured here include glass artist Dale Chiuli, fashion designer Nicole Miller, and animator, Seth McFarland, originator of Fox TV’s hit, “Family Guy.”

Having recently toured the sprawling campus with 41 buildings, 34 historic properties, a world-class museum, galleries, library, and a nature lab all displayed under towering trees on sculpture-studded grounds, I wanted to know what goes on inside. Enrolled are 1883 undergraduates and 399 graduates. Founded in 1877, RISD is the preeminent design school in the country, attracting students from the US and 47 other countries. I wondered how they are selected and what challenges they face.

“We look for applicants with interesting portfolios, technical and thinking skills, what art ideas make them stand out, sets them apart from others, and how the applicant looks at the world. They also need the traditional skills, those fundamentals that are generally taught in secondary schools,” said Ed Newhall, director of admissions, in a phone interview.

As for challenges, he cited the intensity of the experience here. “They come from a varied program to spend an extraordinary amount of time on art in the studio or outside. That can mean 7 1/2 hours in a drawing class. For freshmen, This takes adjusting to. It’s also very enjoyable and so is being among people interested in what they’re interested in,” he said.

Undergraduates and graduates can seek degrees in fine arts, architecture, design disciplines and art education. Academic programs range from research and design initiatives to art criticism and international exchange programs. In addition to 482 full and part time faculty members, RISD hosts many guest critics and lecturers each year. The average undergraduate class size is 14, graduate 10.

Students are encouraged to think outside the box, by considering a wealth of issues, including environmental and global and to study other cultures and their beliefs to gain the necessary perspective to shape our world. RISD’s Continuing Education offers nearly 200 courses each year for adults and children at various levels.

The RISD Museum, (401-454-6500; 224 Benefit St. www.risd.edu/museum/cfm; Tues.-Sun 10-5 until 9, the third Thursday each month) a teaching tool for students, is Rhode Island’s finest and one of the best for its size in the country. Displayed in its permanent collection are nearly 80,000 works of art from virtually every culture and period. Renowned for Etruscan, Greek and Roman art, British watercolors, 19th century French art, and textiles, I was drawn to elegant ancient jewelry, old silver and Japanese works, though there is fine modern art as well as special changing exhibits.#

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