On Saturday, June 4 2016 at 10:30AM, 491 undergraduate and 217 graduate students from Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) received their diplomas at RISD’s 2016 Commencement. The ceremony took place at the Rhode Island Convention Center in downtown Providence, where the annual RISD Graduate Thesis Exhibition was also on view.

This year RISD presented three honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degrees. Writer and critic Hilton Als is accepted an honorary degree and also delivered the Commencement keynote address. Artist and writer Martha Rosler and educator and journalist Esther Wojcicki accepted honorary degrees at the ceremony as well. In addition, painter and educator Bunny Harvey ’67/MFA ’72 Painting, ’71 Masters of Arts in Teaching was honored with the 2016 Alumni Award for Artistic Achievement.