Around the RISD campus at this time of year, there are many wonderful, small, earth moments to enjoy as the natural world begins to quiet down for the resting season. For those of us who can slow down a little bit, there are a lot of different things to see. Leaves, pods, seeds – color and form – are coming into view from many quarters and students are observing, collecting, saving, and drawing all of this natural inspiration.

So, what are you observing and drawing today?

Ed Newhall, Director of Admissions, contact me at enewhall@risd.edu

November is here, and the application year has suddenly kicked into overdrive.  The reality of college applications is upon us, and questions are coming fast and furious.  My mantra is that the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked, so no one should feel shy about asking a question, no matter how strange you think it is.  Since everyone likes to ask their questions in their own way, here’s a few places where you can get your questions answered:

The Facts + Figures section of the RISD website is a great source of number-ish type information.

In the same area, you can find an FAQ

Call us.  Our office hours are 8:30 to 4:30 Monday through Friday East Coast time.  The main number is 401-454-6300 or 800-364-7473.

E-mail us.  The office e-mail address is admissions@risd.edu.

Finally, I run a facebook group called Lucy’s RISD Admissions 101.  The wall is full of useful information, and every time someone posts, everyone benefits.  I let group members know when our deadlines are coming up, when the notifications have gone out, and when I see interesting things going on around the school.

So if you have questions about RISD, the application process, or anything ask in any way that suits you!

Lucy King, Assistant Director of Admissions

Contact me at lking@risd.edu

Students from RISD and Brown are organizing the A BETTER WORLD BY DESIGN conference, which will take place in Providence from November 7-9.

A Better World frames the types of questions today’s designers, engineers and economists need to be asking: How can we use technology to improve the world? What are the responsible roles for designers to take in developing new solutions?

Dozens of world-class professionals and academics will attend this milestone conference, which will change the way we think about global issues and push the boundaries of user-centric, affordable design.

Ed Newhall, Director of Admissions. Contact me at enewhall@risd.edu

Final details are being polished at the Chace Center, RISD’s soon-to-be newest addition to the campus.  The building, designed by award-winning architect Rafael Moneo, opens as the academic year gets underway in September.  The inaugural exhibition in the new Museum galleries will celebrate some of RISD’s great alums from the Glass Department, with a centerpiece installation created by Dale Chihuly (RISD MFA ‘68) noted master of the contemporary glass movement.

You’ll find a lot “new” at our Museum of Art as you begin your RISD adventure this fall. First, a fabulous gallery just opened that presents masterworks of painting, sculpture, furniture, ceramics, drawings, photographs, costume, textiles, and industrial design from 1900 to 2000, all drawn from the Museum’s permanent collection.

While design arts are often shown separately from fine arts, this exhibition weaves them together to explore how artists in all media reacted to world wars; the advent of the automobile, television, and space travel; new materials; and revised notions of what constitutes art itself.

From the antiquities of Greek and Roman culture through the contemporary works of the 20th century, your visits to the Museum will play a frequent role in your understanding of the past in the work you’ll be creating today.

Then, mark your calendar for late-September and join the party as the Chace Center opens with new Museum galleries, a student-run gallery and new studios for Foundation Studies.

At RISD, we’ve always known about the high satisfaction and great success of our own graduates (see my earlier post, “The Nineties”) but now the National Endowment for the Arts has broadened the perspective in a new report on the impact of creative people on our country.

From the report, Dana Gioia, Chair of the NEA, says: “Without denying the higher purposes of the artistic vocation, it is also important to remember that artists have an important role in America’s cultural vitality and economic impact”

Visit the NEA to see the report. Your impact is about to be and we’re looking forward to your arrival and working together as you continue your journey.