We RISD Admissions Officers have been on the road traveling the country the past couple months. Amongst our many destinations you’ll often find us at National Portfolio Days. These are events that range in from a sizable gathering to a huge spectacle. Regardless of size we are there ready to give you feedback on your portfolios. This is your chance to meet with Admissions Staff or chosen alums to get a face-to-face opportunity to talk about your work. We can give you pointers on what your strong pieces are and what you should work on. This is a great jump into figuring out what to include and what to leave out. The excitement and high energy level at Portfolio Day is worth the trip, and we look forward to meeting all of you who are interested in applying to RISD.

Find a portfolio day near you here.

There are more Portfolio Days then there are of us, so we can’t make it to every one. Don’t let this stop you! There is plenty of good advice to find at Portfolio Day and you can use the many opinions on your work to steer you in the right direction.

For more info on Portfolio Day in general, please check out the website for the National Portfolio Day Association here. 

Got questions? I have answers! Contact me:
lhovanes@risd.edu
(401) 454-6310
Leon Paul Hovanesian II

The Woods-Gerry gallery - one of many places students can exhibit their work on campus - runs shows throughout the year that feature each different department at RISD.  Currently the gallery is home to work from RISD’s glass department.  There is a remarkable range of talent on display, from functional glassware to installations that incorporate video, light and sound.     

 If you find yourself in Providence, the show is well worth a look!  The Woods-Gerry gallery is located at 62 Prospect Street, and is open from 10am – 4pm Monday through Saturday, and 2pm – 5pm on Sunday.   The glass exhibition will be on display until November 20^th.  You can find a list of upcoming shows at Woods-Gerry here.

 Antonio Peters

Admissions Officer

Meryn Hall

Admissions Officer

Questions or Comments?  Contact us at apeters@risd.edu or mhall@risd.edu.  

Art thinkers are always listening to their inner muse, but are also learning from the world around.  At RISD, that world around is pretty large and there is much to absorb and enjoy.  There are numerous galleries showing student work but also the knockout resources of our Museum of Art.

The Museum has 84,000 objects in the collections and is used by students, faculty and classes daily.  Right now, there are several great exhibitions, offering insights for all but especially for students in several disciplines.  Printmaking students are learning more about engraving from The Brilliant Line, co-curated by faculty member Andrew Raftery; you should check out the interactive feature for this show.  Photography lovers are enjoying the recent work of Joe Deal and students from Ceramics and other 3-D disciplines have Inner City, an installation by Arne Zimmerman to inspire their efforts.

All RISD students are full members of the Museum and have their chance to absorb, absorb, absorb as they build and develop their own work.

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

The admissions committee made a few changes to the application requirements for freshman and transfer students.  The changes are as follows:

The three required drawings

For the third drawing, we ask applicants to consider something (anything you wish) from three different perspectives.  The three different perspectives should relate to each other on the page.

The other two drawings are the same as last year - a bicycle, and a drawing of any subject matter that uses both the front and back of the page.

Each drawing should be done on 16″ x 20″ paper, in graphite.

The two writing samples

For the first, discuss your interest in/preparation for an education at RISD.

For the second, write about one of the following:

-What do you find most compelling in the world right now?
-What is the greatest risk you’ve taken, and what was the outcome?
-You can eliminate one thing from the world.  What is it/what effect would its absence have?

Each writing sample should be 200 - 400 words.

Sketchbook submission

You may submit reproductions of two or three pages from a sketchbook/journal as part of your portfolio.

You can find a full list of the application requirements for freshman students here and transfer students here

If you got started early and have already completed the three drawings based on last year’s assignments, fear not.  In a year where we change over, we still accept drawings based on the requirements from the previous year.

Good luck and happy drawing, designing and constructing to anyone working on their application!

Meryn Hall
RISD Admissions officer
Questions or Comments?  Email me at mhall@risd.edu

Convocation: (Latin ’calling together’) is a group of people formally assembled for a special purpose.

Every year RISD starts anew with Convocation where sights are set on the coming year and there is a reaffirmation of our collective goals. Many of the new freshmen were in attendance along with the rest of the returning community of undergrads, grads, faculty, and staff.  

There is energy in the air (along with a hint of Fall) as the many members of the RISD family return on Providence to pick up their brushes, charcoal, wood planers, light pens, and mice. This energy was carried into the doors of the packed RISD auditorium. The day’s events had many highlights including a poetry reading that was written by our Liberal Arts faculty as well as inspirational narratives spoken by members of the RISD community.

The Convocation also included an honored tradition: an awards ceremony for our Freshman Foundation students who excelled in their first years. They were highlighted not just for their technical and conceptual abilities; but their dedication, perseverance, and leadership. They are great examples of students who had the drive and ambition to apply to RISD and carry that drive throughout the application process and beyond. They were not so different than you are right now- if you have the drive and set the goal- then maybe you too can join us at next year’s convocation. 

 you can see more images of Convocation here.

want to know more? Ask me!

Leon Paul Hovanesian II

Admissions Officer

lhovanes@risd.edu

For students enrolling in the next couple of weeks (where did the summer go?), a RISD tradition will come your way only a few weeks after you arrive on campus.  RISD By Design is a great combination of alumni and parent events and takes place this year from October 9th to 11th.

Even if your family won’t be able to get to Providence to join the fun, plan to dive in yourself.   One event of special note is the Alumni Cafe taking place on Saturday from 5 to 7 in The Met.  You’ll get a chance to meet some alums, recent and less recent, hear various unusual stories about RISD and Providence and make some connections that may serve you well as you move along the RISD path and beyond.  Some alums will bring examples of their work to share, so you can also.  The RISD “family” has strong bonds, so why not add this event to your list of networking things-to-do.

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

I have been maintaining a RISD admissions facebook group for almost two years now, and have really enjoyed answering questions from prospective students on the wall, and in the discussion boards.  One of the very first members of my group was a student named Rob.  He didn’t end up coming to RISD as a freshman, but this past year, reapplied as a transfer student.  Once he was admitted and decided to enroll, he became actively involved in the transfer community at RISD.

Not long ago he e-mailed me asking me why we didn’t have a RISD fan page on facebook.  I e-mailed our Director of Interactive Media, Eric Meyer, and suggested it to him.  3 days later the page appeared.  It now has over 3,000 members, and is a great source of information about things happening at RISD, and what our alumni and students are up to.

If you happen to be on facebook, check it out.

Contact me:

Lucy King

Assistant Director of Admissions

lking@risd.edu

Summertime on the RISD campus means that the Pre-College Program must be here as well. The RISD Pre-College Program is designed to give high school students an introduction to the college art school experience. For six weeks, you follow a college-like studio curriculum, and live in RISD residence halls. The course of study is focused, serious, challenging, and a lot of fun. Basically it’s a chance to be a RISD student for six weeks, see if you like our campus, and make some great artwork.