One of the many perks of being an Admissions Officer is that we usually get some free time to explore while we are on the road. While in Philadelphia this week for the National Portfolio Day, I decided to use a free afternoon to explore the famed Eastern State Penitentiary (ESP). For those of you who are not familiar with this historical ruin, ESP is the world’s first true penitentiary.  It was constructed in 1829 and has imprisoned some of history’s most infamous criminals, including Al Capone.  I was particularly intrigued by ESP because I had heard that many artists flock there to be inspired by its haunted and crumbling beauty. In fact, the prison has many partnerships with local artists who visit regularly to capture their impressions in various media. If you find yourself on a self guided audio tour of the facility, you will see nine site-specific artist installations.  One of my favorite installations, entitled The Ghost Cats  belongs to RISD alumni, Linda Brenner. The installation is peppered throughout the prison in the form of white, life-size feline sculptures which represent the colony of cats that took up residence at ESP after its closing in 1971.  You will notice them in your peripheral vision as you explore the many cell blocks and halls.

If you are in Philadelphia, I highly recommend visiting!

Lee Ann Scotto, Admissions Officer

Contact me at lscotto@risd.edu

Visiting high schools across the country (and occasionally internationally) is one of the ways us RISD Admissions Officers occupy ourselves during the fall.  One of the places my travels took me this year was to Dr. Bob O’Boyle’s advanced art class at Hopewell Valley Central High School in New Jersey.   The art program there emphasizes observational drawing and painting, but students have a lot of freedom to experiment with different types of media and find a personal voice within their work.  While I was at HVCHS, I reviewed two portfolios.  Both students had nice work - one was very graphically inclined; the other much more interested in fine arts.  I was particularly taken with these self portraits, done by one of the two students  (a senior in Dr. O’Boyle’s class).

We come to high schools to talk with students, art teachers and guidance counselors about all the things we think make RISD a great place to go to college.  Usually these visits entail a presentation that highlights student work from all of the different departments here, and, if time allows, giving students feedback on the portfolios they are putting together.  Our travel season is winding down for the year, but if you are interested in having RISD visit your school next fall, have your art teacher or guidance counselor get in touch with us to request a visit.  We try to honor visit requests whenever possible, and we are always interested in having an opportunity to travel to new places.

Meryn Hall, Admissions Officer

Contact me at mhall@risd.edu

On Saturday, I went to the massive portfolio review at Pratt in Brooklyn, NY.  This is our biggest portfolio day of the year.  We have a giant crew of admissions officers and alumni to help us get through the incredibly intense line.

The event is CRAZY with a capital C.  Held in the cavernous Pratt gym, tables face each other, lines intertwine and tangle, and sometimes people don’t know which line they are standing in.  To keep our lines a little shorter (in hopes that we wouldn’t get mixed up with Cooper at the other end), we decided to begin with 8 lines, and then merge them into four.   Can you tell where the RISD lines are in this picture?  I can’t.  Thankfully, we also had 2 excellent student crowd controllers to keep things in check.  For most of the day, we had four RISD lines for 17 reviewers.

That’s right, 17 reviewers!  We have an amazing group of alumni in the NYC area who are very excited to give back to RISD in any way that they can.  They are practicing artists and designers who bring to the reviews the benefits of both their RISD experience and their professional experience.   Our alumni make it possible for us move through our lines and see many more people than we would be able to otherwise.  This year’s crew was especially great, and included a faculty member from our foundation studies department.

Through the deafening crowd, and the fast paced reviews, we managed to review everyone who made it to our line by 3:30.  This is an amazing feat, considering that in some years we’ve had to cut off the line at 2pm.

So my thanks to our brilliant alums and faculty, to the fine folks at Pratt who organized and aided the whole event, and most especially to the students who were committed enough to show up.

Lucy King, Assistant Director of Admissions

Contact me at lking@risd.edu

RISD Exhibits! One of the best parts about making all this great art + design is showing it off. RISD’s galleries all over campus have their openings every Thursday night. The epicenter tends to be the Woods Gerry Gallery found in (you guessed it) the Woods Gerry Building at 62 Prospect Street. Every department has an opening here, pictured is the Illustration Department show being installed (my old major and my old work study job). As a student you too can get an on campus work study job with Mark Moscone (director of exhibitions) and Gunner Norquist (exhibitions coordinator). They will teach you the inns and outs of hanging, nailing, gluing, lighting, positioning, and strapping everything from 15 foot canvases to ceiling hung kinetic sculptures. Check out the gallery scene at RISD here! Check out the amazing Graduate Studies Exhibition (the time-lapsed video of the set up is mesmerizing).

Now for Exhibit B…what have openings have you been to?Let me know!

Leon Paul Hovanesian II

Admissions Officer

lhovanes@risd.edu

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