December 2023 Newsletter
Dear Alumni,
Looking at the calendar, I can’t believe crits concluded this week, wrapping up a semester filled with exploration, innovation and unbridled imagination.
Here in Hong Kong, I was honored to join Martin Lo BID 84 and Donald Choi BArch 82 in welcoming Crystal Williams on her first trip to China as RISD’s president. We thoroughly enjoyed showing President Williams and Dallas Pride, executive director of Alumni + Family Relations, around our city and celebrating with them and local alumni at a dinner in Central Market. Hong Kong was the first stop for President Williams in a busy RISD travel schedule this November and December, connecting her with our RISD communities in Korea, Thailand and state-side in Miami, with more cities to come next year.
Back in Providence, with students departing for winter break, things are slowing down, but the creativity never stops. If you are near campus, I encourage you to visit the Gelman Student Exhibitions Gallery for the current exhibition, The Major Survey Show, which focuses on the discourse and inquiry integral to the student experience across RISD’s 16 undergraduate majors. The exhibition will be on view through January 2024.
As we look forward to 2024, I hope you will seek out the many opportunities to celebrate our community in the coming year. Connect with alumni at a club or group event in your region or online. Take advantage of the extended deadline and nominate an alum who inspires you for an Alumni Association Award. If you have always wanted to participate in RISD Craft, now is your chance to send in your application for the spring jury selection. If you are celebrating your reunion this year, keep an eye on your inboxes for details of the exciting events we have planned for June’s Commencement + Reunion Weekend. And, wherever you are, keep a little bit of RISD with you.
Warm wishes for the coming year,
Rex Wong BArch 03
President
RISD Alumni Association
Photo caption: RISD President Crystal Williams, Executive Director of Alumni + Family Relations Dallas Pride, Alumni Association President Rex Wong BArch 03 and Alumni Association President Emeritus Donald Choi BArch 82 with members of the Club of Hong Kong and friends.
Save the Date: RISD Reunion
Are you ready to celebrate? RISD invites alumni from the classes of 1964, 1969, 1974, 1979, 1984, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2009, 2014, 2019 and 2022 to return to campus for an activity-filled weekend of reconnecting with friends, traditions old and new, family-friendly community events and so much more!
Nomination Deadline Extended
Deadline extended to January 7, 2024
We are still seeking nominees for the 2024 Alumni Association Awards. Our past winners come from diverse backgrounds and their creative journeys may have taken many paths—but they share a common thread: a commitment to innovation, education and community-building through art and design.
At the Museum: The Artistry of Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Through April 7, 2024
Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797–1861) was one of the most influential Japanese printmakers of the 1800s. He began his career illustrating cheaply produced multi-volume novels known as gōkan 合巻. He received his big break designing warrior prints, creating images of legendary and historical Chinese and Japanese heroes in dynamic poses and expressive forms.
The Past, Alive in the Present
On November 16, the Bayard Ewing Building lecture hall was filled with current and former Architecture students and faculty for the inaugural Rodolfo Machado lecture, “From the Archive: A Conversation with Rodolfo Machado.” The crowd spilled into the adjacent Gallery, where artifacts from Machado’s tenure as department head were displayed.
Affinity Group Spotlight: RISD Founders & Entrepreneurs
RISD Founders & Entrepreneurs members benefit from connecting with our worldwide community of alumni who have founded their studios, businesses, non-profits or other organizations. Starting in January, join them in person in NYC for their brand new 2x2 Happy Hours every second Tuesday of the month
Kirloskar Visiting Scholar Mithu Sen Brings Lingual Anarchy to RISD
The conceptual artist was invited to campus as part of the Kirloskar Visiting Scholar in Painting program, established by Vikram and Geetanjali Kirloskar, to connect the RISD community with South Asia-based artists and practices. Sen explores myths of identity and their intersection with the structures of our world, primarily through performance.
Curl Up With A Good Book
The winter season is the perfect time to grab a warm drink and curl up with a good book. RISD Reads, our alumni-led book club, invites you to join us in reading our next selection: Twyla Tharp The Creative Habit.
RISD Craft: Spring 2024
Deadline: January 7, 2024
Free to apply!
Applications are now open for RISD Craft: Spring 2024. Always a community favorite event and attended by thousands of people from across New England, it is a highlight of our Commencement + Reunion Weekend festivities. We would love to see your work there!
Travel Spotlight: Greece
May 21–June 3, 2024
Join alumni and friends on a journey to discover the grandeur and beauty of Greece and the Aegean. Classical Greece comes to life at unmatched archaeological sites, idyllic islands and alongside contemporary life in Athens.
RISD Interior Architecture Students Propose Designs for Tomaquag Museum’s New Archival Center
In an advanced Interior Architecture studio co-taught by Assistant Professor Francesca Liuni and Tomaquag Museum Assistant Director Silvermoon Mars LaRose (Narragansett), students presented theoretical designs for an archival research, collection and storage center to be a part of a new campus currently being built for the museum.
Newsletter image credits: Reunion by Matthew Watson 09 FAV; reunion and alumni awards by Thad Russell MFA 06 PH; Kuniyoshi exhibition courtesy RISD Museum; Rodolfo Machado and RISD Craft by Jo Sittenfeld MFA 08 PH; Affinity group spotlight: courtesy of Amity Hall; Campus image, Expanded Education, RISD Craft and campus by Jo Sittenfeld MFA 08 PH; travel spotlight courtesy Odysseys Unlimited; Intar work by Jiamin Yang MDes 24.
