Rhode Island School of Design: A Legacy of Notable Alumni

The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), a private art and design college in Providence, Rhode Island, has consistently produced influential alumni across various disciplines. EduRank places RISD at 459th in the world, 181st in North America, and 167th in the United States based on aggregated alumni prominence. This article aims to highlight the achievements and diverse contributions of some of RISD's most notable graduates. RISD is affiliated with Brown University, whose campus sits immediately adjacent to RISD's on Providence's College Hill. The two institutions share social and community resources and since 1900 have permitted cross-registration. Together, RISD and Brown offer dual degree programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

A Hub for Artistic and Intellectual Growth

The Rhode Island School of Design's founding is often traced back to Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf's 1876 visit to the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia. At the exposition, Metcalf visited the Women's Pavilion. Following the exhibition, the RI committee of the Centennial Women had $1,675 remaining in funds; the group spent some time negotiating how best to use the surplus. Metcalf lobbied the group to use the money to establish a coeducational, design school in Providence. On March 22, 1877, the Rhode Island General Assembly ratified "An Act to Incorporate the Rhode Island School of Design", "[f]or the purpose of aiding in the cultivation of the arts of design". Metcalf directed the school until her death in 1895. The school opened in October 1877 in Providence. For the first 15 years of its existence, RISD occupied a suite of six rooms on the fourth floor of the Hoppin Homestead Building in Downtown Providence. On October 24, 1893, the school dedicated a new brick building at 11 Waterman Street on College Hill.

RISD's curriculum emphasizes critical thinking and innovation, equipping students with the skills to excel in their chosen fields. Bartel notes, "RISD trains the eye and mind to critique anything and everything." This rigorous approach fosters a culture of creativity and experimentation, enabling graduates to chart new paths that connect culture and commerce.

Notable Alumni Across Disciplines

RISD alumni have made significant contributions to art, film, design, architecture, and various other fields. Here are some prominent examples:

Film and Entertainment

James Franco: An American actor and filmmaker, James Edward Franco has starred in films such as Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy, Milk, Eat Pray Love, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Spring Breakers, and Oz the Great and Powerful. He has also collaborated with Seth Rogen on multiple projects, including Pineapple Express, This Is the End, Sausage Party, and The Disaster Artist, for which he won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor. Franco's performance in 127 Hours earned him a Best Actor nomination at the 83rd Academy Awards. He took graduate classes at RISD in 2010.
Seth MacFarlane: Best known as the creator and star of the television series Family Guy and The Orville, and co-creator of American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. He also co-wrote, co-produced, directed, and starred in the films Ted and its sequel Ted 2, and A Million Ways to Die in the West. He graduated from RISD in 1995, having studied animation.
Gus Van Sant: An American filmmaker, photographer, painter, and musician, Gus Green Van Sant Jr. has earned acclaim as an independent filmmaker. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultures.
Ilene Chaiken: An American television producer, director, writer, and founder of Little Chicken Productions, Ilene Chaiken is best known as a co-creator, writer, and executive producer on the television series The L Word, and was recently an executive producer on Empire, The Handmaid's Tale, and Law & Order: Organized Crime.
Angus MacLane: An American animator, filmmaker and voice actor, Angus MacLane is best known for his work at Pixar Animation Studios. He co-directed the film Finding Dory (2016) and made his solo feature directorial debut with the Toy Story spin-off film Lightyear (2022).

Music

David Byrne: A Scottish-American musician, writer, visual artist, and filmmaker, David Byrne was a founding member, principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of the American new wave band Talking Heads. Three of the original four members of the band - David Byrne, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth- met at RISD.
Tina Weymouth: An American musician, singer, songwriter, and a founding member and bassist of the new wave group Talking Heads and its side project Tom Tom Club, Martina Michèle Weymouth co-founded the latter with her husband, Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz. In 2002, Weymouth was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Talking Heads.
Chris Frantz: An American musician and record producer, Charton Christopher Frantz is the drummer for both Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club, both of which he co-founded with wife and Talking Heads bassist, Tina Weymouth. In 2002, Frantz was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Talking Heads.
Heather Nova: A Bermudian singer-songwriter and poet, Heather Nova has released eleven full-length albums, six EPs and twelve singles as of 2022.
Marissa Nadler: An American singer-songwriter active since 2000, Marissa Nadler is currently signed to Sacred Bones Records and Bella Union, and released her ninth full-length studio album, The Path of the Clouds, in October 2021.

Art and Design

Dale Chihuly: An American glass artist and entrepreneur, Dale Chihuly is well known in the field of blown glass, "moving it into the realm of large-scale sculpture". He did his graduate work at RISD and is credited with starting the glass-blowing program there.
Shepard Fairey: An American contemporary artist, activist and founder of OBEY Clothing, Frank Shepard Fairey emerged from the skateboarding scene. In 1989, he designed the "Andre the Giant Has a Posse" (…OBEY…) sticker campaign while attending the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).
Kara Walker: An American contemporary painter, silhouettist, printmaker, installation artist, filmmaker, and professor, Kara Elizabeth Walker explores race, gender, sexuality, violence, and identity in her work. She is best known for her room-size tableaux of black cut-paper silhouettes. Walker was awarded a MacArthur fellowship in 1997, at the age of 28, becoming one of the youngest ever recipients of the award.
Julie Mehretu: An Ethiopian American contemporary visual artist, Julie Mehretu is known for her multi-layered paintings of abstracted landscapes on a large scale. Her paintings, drawings, and prints depict the cumulative effects of urban sociopolitical changes.
Jessica Walsh: An American designer, art director, illustrator and educator, Jessica Walsh was a partner of the design studio Sagmeister & Walsh (2010-2019), and the founder of the creative agency &Walsh (2019-present).
David Hanson: An American roboticist who is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hanson Robotics, a Hong Kong-based robotics company founded in 2013, David Hanson Jr. is also a sculptor.

Writing and Illustration

Chris Van Allsburg: An American writer and illustrator of children's books, Chris Van Allsburg is known for picture book illustration, for Jumanji (1981) and The Polar Express (1985), both of which he also wrote, and were later adapted as successful motion pictures. He was also a Caldecott runner-up in 1980 for The Garden of Abdul Gasazi.
Brian Selznick: An American illustrator and author, Brian Selznick is best known as the writer of The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007), Wonderstruck (2011), The Marvels (2015) and Kaleidoscope (2021).

Business and Entrepreneurship

Brian Chesky: An American businessman and industrial designer, Brian Joseph Chesky is the co-founder and CEO of Airbnb. Chesky is the 290th richest person in the world according to Forbes, with a net worth of $9.2 billion, largely due to his 10 percent ownership stake in Airbnb. He graduated in 2004.
Joe Gebbia: An American designer, entrepreneur, and co-founder of home rental company Airbnb, Joseph Gebbia Jr. is the 386th richest person in the world according to Forbes, with a net worth of $7.4 billion, mostly due to his ownership of 53 million shares of Airbnb.

Architecture

Deborah Berke: The founding principal of the New York-based architecture firm TenBerke and the dean of the School of Architecture at Yale University, Deborah Berke is deeply committed to advancing women in the profession. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and is the first recipient of the Berkeley-Rupp Architecture Professorship and Prize. Berke says, “I am a very proud RISD alumna and so grateful to have been surrounded by artists when I studied Architecture here."

Other Notable Figures

Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland: A member of the Swedish royal family, Prince Carl Philip of Sweden, Duke of Värmland is the only son and the second of three children of King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia. He studied at the Rhode Island School of Design in 2007-2008.
Robert Richardson: An American cinematographer, Robert Bridge Richardson, ASC is known for his trademark aggressively bright highlight as well as shapeshifting style. He is one of three living persons who has won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography three times.
Michael Dante DiMartino: An American animator, producer, writer, and director, Michael Dante DiMartino is best known, together with Bryan Konietzko, as the co-creator of the animated TV series Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, both on Nickelodeon.
Bryan Konietzko: An American animator, writer, producer and director, Bryan Konietzko is best known, together with Michael Dante DiMartino, as the co-creator and executive producer of the animated series Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra.
Martin Mull: An American comic actor whose career included contributions as a musician and painter, Martin Eugene Mull became known on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, its spin-off Fernwood 2 Night, and America 2 Night.

Recognition and Accolades

RISD's commitment to excellence is reflected in the numerous awards and honors bestowed upon its alumni. A total of 11 RISD graduates have been honored with the prestigious "genius grant" that supports the work of leading thinkers across many fields of art, science and beyond. Forbes Magazine just released its 2021 30 Under 30 list of young entrepreneurs, activists, athletes, scientists, artists, designers and entertainers making waves around the world, and RISD alumni are once again among the honorees. The panel of judges selected four RISD graduates this year, bringing the college’s 10-year running total to 45.

Addressing Contemporary Issues

RISD is not only focused on artistic and academic excellence but also on addressing contemporary social issues. In April 2023, after months of negotiations, the RISD employees union held a picket line protest in demand of better wages. RISD's current president is Crystal Williams. The institution has also announced plans to focus on social equity and inclusion in art and design education. Haitian-American entrepreneur Yelitsa Jean-Charles began developing her Healthy Roots Dolls while she was still a student at RISD, redesigning the omnipresent blond princess doll as a Black girl with curly, natural hair. “Every girl should feel empowered by the beauty of the kink of her curl and the color of her skin,” she says. Providence-based menswear designer Jamall Osterholm (who got his start as a designer in RISD’s Project Open Door program for underserved youth) was commended for his stunning, futuristic apparel inspired by his experiences as a Black, queer person.

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