RISD’s graduate program in Jewelry + Metalsmithing cultivates individual excellence by emphasizing rigorous research, material experimentation and creative practice. Graduate students produce meaningful work by being encouraged to question and investigate the forces that motivate them and to engage in critical discourse with the creative community within and beyond the department.In the final semester, degree candidates focus on creating a comprehensive body of work under the guidance of a thesis committee. All MFA candidates produce a written thesis and participate in the RISD Graduate Thesis Exhibition, a large-scale public show held annually.

“Our graduate program in Jewelry + Metalsmithing is both a bastion of tradition and a vanguard of innovation. We offer students individualized support from diversely skilled and experienced faculty members, along with distinguished guest critics who propel them along personal lines of research. We cultivate professional curiosity as well as empathy, encouraging students to respect otherness and reject cultural and aesthetic appropriation.” - Timothy Veske-McMahon, Graduate Program Director

Graduate Program Director: Timothy Veske-McMahon