List of Rhode Island School of Design people

This is a list of notable people from the Rhode Island School of Design.

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

Contents 1 Notable alumni 1.1 Academia 1.2 Artists 1.3 Animation 1.4 Architecture 1.5 Art Collectives 1.6 Collections 1.7 Fashion 1.8 Film and Television 1.9 Furniture Design 1.10 Glass 1.11 Graphic Design 1.12 Illustration 1.13 Industrial Design 1.14 Literature 1.15 MacArthur Fellowships 1.16 Music 1.17 Painting 1.18 Photography 2 Notable current and past faculty 3 References

Notable alumni

Academia

• Ricky Allman (M.F.A 2007) - Painter, Professor
• Preston Scott Cohen (B.Arch 1983) – Architect; Director of the Architecture degree program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design
• Ann Gale (B.F.A. 1988) - Painter; Professor at the University of Washington School of Art

Artists

• Romeo Alaeff (M.F.A. 1996) – Multimedia Artist, Television Writer, Animation & Film Editor
• Janine Antoni (M.F.A. 1989) – Artist
• Nicole Bartelme (B.F.A. 1989) - Artist, Film Festival Creator
• Howard Ben Tre (M.F.A. 1980) – Artist
• Dan Colen (B.F.A. 2001) - Artist
• Benjamin Edwards (M.F.A. 1997) – Artist
• Jenny Holzer (M.F.A. 1977) – Installation Artist
• Roni Horn (B.F.A. 1975) – Artist
• Elliott Hundley (B.F.A. 1997) - Artist
• James Jaxxa (attended 199?) – Multimedia Artist
• Mike Libby (B.F.A. 1999) - Artist
• Julie Mehretu (M.F.A. 1997) - Artist
• Mark Shasha (B.F.A. 1983) - Artist
• Shahzia Sikander (M.F.A. 1995) - Artist
• Scott Snibbe (1991) - Media Artist^[1]
• Ryan Trecartin (B.F.A. 2004) – Artist
• Kara Walker (M.F.A. 1994) - Artist
• Andrea Zittel (M.F.A. 1990) – Artist
• Kevin Zucker (B.F.A. 2000) - Artist

Animation

• Seth MacFarlane (B.F.A.) - Animator, Creator of Family Guy
• Lance Wilder (B.F.A. 1990) – Animator, known for his work in The Simpsons and The Critic

Architecture

• Michael Gabellini (B.Arch 1981) – Architect & Interior Designer, Teacher at the Parsons School of Design
• Glenn Gissler (B.Arch 1984) – Architect
• Richard Levine (B. Arch 1962) - Professor, Green Architect & Sustainability Pioneer
• Mary Katrantzou - Fashion Designer

Art Collectives

• Forcefield
  • Jim Drain (B.F.A 1998) - Artist
  • Matt Brinkman (B.F.A 1997) - Artist
  • Leif Goldberg (B.F.A. 1997) - Artist

Collections

• Mary Boone (B.F.A. 1973) – Gallery Owner
• David Whitney (B.Int. Arch. 1963) - Art Collector and Curator, long time companion of influential American Architect Philip Johnson

Fashion

• Katie Gallagher (B.F.A. 2009) – Fashion Designer
• Diana Eng (B.F.A. 2005) – Fashion Designer and Contestant on Project Runway
• Robert Geller (B.F.A. 2001) – Fashion Designer, Recipient of the GQ/CFDA Best New Menswear Designer Award 2009
• Jennifer Kellogg (B.F.A. 1993) – Jewelry Designer
• Nicole Miller (B.F.A. 1973) – Fashion Designer

Film and Television

• Martha Coolidge (B.F.A. 1968) – Film Director: Valley Girl (1983), Real Genius (1985), The Prince and Me (2004), Material Girls (2006)
• Ben Coccio (B.F.A. 1997) – Film Director of Zero Day
• Michael Dante DiMartino (B.F.A. 1998) Co–creator and Executive Producer, Avatar: The Last Airbender
• JuliAnne DeChaine (B.F.A. 1979) - Costume Designer, Artist
• Bryan Konietzko (B.F.A. 1998) Co–Creator and Executive Producer, Avatar: The Last Airbender
• Ellen Kuras cinematographer
• Mary Lambert (B.F.A 1974) – Film Director: Pet Sematary (1989), The In Crowd (2000)
• Seth MacFarlane (B.F.A. 1995) – Creator of the animated series Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show
• Martin Mull (B.F.A. 1965, M.F.A. 1967) – Actor, Comedian, Painter
• Joanna Priestley (attended 1972–1973) – Animator
• Robert Richardson – (B.F.A. 1979) Academy Award winning Cinematographer
• Charles Rocket (196?) – former SNL Cast Member, Actor
• Mark Shasha (B.F.A. 1983) - Artist, Author, Illustrator, Actor
• Helen Stickler (B.F.A. 1991) – Film Director
• Charles Stone III (B.F.A. 1988) – Film Director: Drumline (2002), Creator of Whassup? Anheuser–Busch Budweiser commercial campaign
• Gus Van Sant (B.F.A. 1975) – Film Director: My Own Private Idaho (1991), Good Will Hunting (1997), Finding Forrester (2000), Elephant (2003) Last Days (2006), Milk (2008)
• Todd Verow (B.F.A. 1989) – Film Director

Furniture Design

• Brodie Neill (M.F.A. FD 2004) - Furniture Designer^[2]
• Josh Owen (M.F.A. FD 1998) - Furniture Designer^[3]
• Matthias Pliessnig (B.F.A. FD 2003) - Furniture Designer^[4]
• Rosanne Somerson (B.F.A. ID 1976) - Furniture Designer, RISD FD Department Head + Professor

Glass

• Dale Chihuly (M.F.A. 1968) – glass artist, co–founder of Pilchuck Glass School
• Martin Blank (B.F.A. 1984) – glass artist
• Paul Housberg (B.F.A. 1975, M.F.A 1979) – fused and kilnformed glass artist
• Therman Statom (B.F.A. 1974) - American Studio glass artist

Graphic Design

• Tobias Frere-Jones (B.F.A. 1992) – famous American type designer
• Tom Geismar (B.F.A.) – Renowned identity designer and corporate identity pioneer. Designed marks for NBC, Mobil, Chase, Xerox, and MoMA amongst others.
• Michael McPherson (M.F.A. 1979) – Graphic Designer, principal of CMN.
• Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland (Carl Philip Edmund Bertil) (2007–2008) – Graphic Design studies
• Michael Riley (B.F.A. 1991) – Hollywood film and television title designer, Founder of Shine, D&AD Gold Medal Award recipient.
• Michael Rock (M.F.A. 1984) – Founder and Partner of 2x4, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award recipient.

Illustration

• David Mazzucchelli - Comic Artist and Author of Asterios Polyp
• Roz Chast (B.F.A. 1977) - Cartoonist
• Christopher Denise (B.F.A. 1990) - Illustrator of children's books, including many in the Redwall series
• Shepard Fairey (B.F.A. 1992) – Graffiti Artist, Graphic Designer, creator of the Obey Giant campaign, creator of the iconic Barack Obama "Hope" campaign poster
• Jon Foster (1989) – Illustrator
• Steven Kellogg (B.F.A 1963) – Children's book Illustrator
• Bryan Konietzko (B.F.A. 1998) - Co-creator and executive producer, Avatar: The Last Airbender animated series
• Jarrett J. Krosoczka (B.F.A. 1999) – Writer, Illustrator
• Grace Lin (B.F.A. 1996) – Writer, Illustrator
• David Macaulay (B.Arch. 1969) – Writer, Illustrator, 2006 MacArthur Fellow
• Kelly Murphy (B.F.A. 1999) – Writer, Illustrator
• Mark Shasha (B.F.A Ill. 1983) - Writer, Illustrator
• Walt Simonson (B.F.A. 1972) – Comic Book Writer, Artist
• David Wiesner (B.F.A. 1977) - Illustrator, Caldecott Winner

Industrial Design

• David Hanson (B.F.A. 1997) - Robotics Designer
• Stuart Karten (B.F.A. 1979) – Industrial Designer

Literature

• Charlotte Perkins Gilman (attended 1878) – author of "The Yellow Wallpaper" and feminist
• Kenneth Goldsmith (B.F.A. 1984) – poet, WFMU DJ, founding editor of UbuWeb
• Manjushree Thapa (B.F.A 1989) - Writer, "Forget Kathmandu", "Tilled Earth", "Tutor Of History"

MacArthur Fellowships

• Janine Antoni (B.F.A. 1989) – Artist, 1998 MacArthur Fellow
• James Carpenter (B.F.A. 1972) – Glass Sculptor, Designer, 2004 MacArthur Fellow
• Josiah McElheny (B.F.A. 1988) – Artist, Sculptor, 2006 MacArthur Fellow
• David Macaulay (B.F.A. 1969) – Writer, Illustrator, 2006 MacArthur Fellow
• Julie Mehretu (M.F.A. 1997) – Artist, 2005 MacArthur Fellow
• Shazia Sikander (M.F.A. 1995) – Artist, MacArthur Fellow
• Anna Schuleit (B.F.A. 1998) - Artist, 2006 MacArthur Fellow
• Kara Walker (M.F.A. 1994) – Artist, 1997 MacArthur Fellow

Music

• Paul Curreri (B.F.A. 1998) – songwriter / guitarist / producer
• Hisham Bharoocha (B.F.A. 1998) – artist and musician, former member of Black Dice and Lightning Bolt
• Justin Lo (B.F.A. 1999) – Hong Kong singer, composer and record producer.
• Marissa Nadler (M.F.A. 2003. M.A.T. 2004)– singer/songwriter
• Heather Nova (B.F.A. 1989) – singer/songwriter
• Jesse Sykes (B.F.A. 199?) – singer/songwriter
• Oliver Ackermann (B.F.A. Industrial Design) – musician, A Place to Bury Strangers
• Chris Keating - musician, Yeasayer

A number of musical bands were formed by students while attending the school:

• Black Dice – formed in 1997
• Les Savy Fav – formed in 1995
• Lightning Bolt – formed in 1994
  • Brian Chippendale (B.F.A 1997) – artist, founded Fort Thunder
  • Brian Gibson (B.F.A. 1998) – artist
• Rubber Rodeo - formed in 1980
• Talking Heads – formed in 1974
  • David Byrne (dropped out)
  • Chris Frantz (B.F.A. 1974)
  • Tina Weymouth (B.F.A. 1974)
• Fang Island - formed in 2005

Painting

• Arthur S. Douglas (Attended 1878) – First year student of RISD, Douglas, at the age of 18. He was also a student teacher at RISD. While a student at RISD, he also exhibited at the Providence Art Club along with S. Burleigh, and Edward Bannister. George Whitaker, in the December 3, 1881 issue of the Providence Journal reported, Arthur Douglas of the Rhode Island of Design showed meritorious work. Douglas was also a pupil instructor while attending RISD. For examples of his artwork you can go to^[5]
• Håvard Homstvedt (B.F.A. 2000) – Painter
• Sonya Sklaroff (B.F.A. 1992) – artist/painter
• Kurt Wenner (Attended 19??) – anamorphic street painter
• Richard Merkin (M.F.A. 1963) - Painter, New Yorker contributor, Prof. Emeritus RISD

Photography

• Linda Connor (B.F.A. 19??) – large–format photographer, currently teaches at the San Francisco Art Institute
• Henry Horenstein (B.F.A. 1971, M.F.A. 1973) - photographer, author, currently teaches at Rhode Island School of Design
• Emmet Gowin (M.F.A. 1967) - photographer
• Francesca Woodman (B.F.A. 1978) – photographer
• Jill Greenberg (B.F.A 1989) – photographer

Notable current and past faculty

• Whitney Anderson (2005) – professional ventriloquist
• Thomas Bosworth - former Chair of Department of Architecture, now Seattle architect, Professor Emeritus University of Washington
• Mairéad Byrne - poet
• Harry Callahan – photographer, former Chair of the Department of Photography
• Aaron Siskind - abstract expressionist photographer who, with Callahan, founded the photography department at RISD
• Henry Horenstein – photographer
• Norman Isham - Rhode Island historical architect
• Jhumpa Lahiri – creative writing, author of The Namesake (film)
• David Macaulay (B.Arch. 1969) – Illustrator and author
• Richard Merkin (M.F.A. 1963) – Professor Emeritus, painter, appears on the cover of The Beatles album, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
• Barry Moser - illustrator
• Mihai Nadin – theorist, semiotics, computational design
• Ootje Oxenaar – Dutch graphic designer, designer of acclaimed but now vanished Dutch currency
• Janet Perlman animator, Oscar nominee for The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin^[6]
• Karim Rashid – industrial designer, formerly of industrial design department (1992)
• Michael Rock – graphic designer, writer, now design professor at Yale University MFA graphic design program
• Diane Arbus – photography
• Steven Subotnick – professor in animation
• Friedrich St. Florian – architect, designer of National World War II Memorial
• Chris Van Allsburg (M.F.A. Sculpture 1975) – children's book author/illustrator, Caldecott winner for Jumanji and The Polar Express

References