"The first graduate program at RISD was established in 1957 with the MS in Art Education with the first MFA programs starting in 1961. We now have 16 graduate programs with 2 more being added in 2018.The core of any graduate program is concentrated and advanced study in an academic or professional field. Compared with undergraduate studies, graduate education is focused on producing original contributions to a field, based on research and advance practice. Graduate programs also provide the opportunity for more applied experience via internships, teaching or research. This is essential for RISD’s commitment to furthering the importance of art and design in the world and in producing distinguished professional and academic leaders." -Pradeep Sharma, RISD Provost 2014-2017
This collection presents student Masters Theses submitted and approved as graduation requirements from each of the 16 departments offering a graduate degree: Architecture, Ceramics, Digital + Media, Furniture Design, Glass, Graphic Design, Industrial Design, Interior Architecture, Jewelry + Metalsmithing, Landscape Architecture, Painting, Photography, Printmaking, Sculpture, Teaching + Learning in Art and Design, and Textiles. Postgraduate writing and research is also included.
These works are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Theses from 2017
Impractical community, Zixin Xiong
Poetic features beyond functions, Lu Xu
Twilight revelation, Shuwen Xu
Grid in landscape architecture, Ying Xu
Design syncopations, Mary Yang
The untold tale, Yan Zeng
Expressionism in furniture, Zihan Zhang
[DE]construction and [RE]construction : a promenade theater, Jingjing Zhao
Thrive in sea level rise, Xiang Zhao
A tale of lights : light as the visual construct of the ephemeral space, Alice M. Zhen
Similarity in a distance, Ran Zhuo
The emotional intelligence of machines, Lokesh Zope
Theses from 2016
Hyphen nation: a reconciliation, Lynn Amhaz
Once there was there wasn't, Svetlana Bailey
Memory: tangible decay & growth, Rebecca J. Buglio
Through magic glasses, Katie Bullock
Rapid response, James Chae
Li remembered, Meredith (Yue) Du
Modus operandi, Nabil Gonzalez
Eulogy, Luci Jockel
Empathic exchange, Yu-Jung Kim
Verb things: changing the conversation, Kendra Kirchmer
Continuum of significance, Diane Lee
Live edges: all possible adjacencies, Rebecca Leffell Koren
Miles away, Ziqing Liang
A place for family: support health through community, Jiaqi Li
Hybrid spaces in the city, Zhihao Li
Origami condition design, Yin Lu
Between material and landscape, Martin McDermott
We can be heroes: enriched spaces for men of color, Ann McKinnon
Practice makes practice, Gabriel Melcher
Dimensional flatland: Beamer, drone, flash drive, Scarlett Xin Meng
Traversing languagescapes, Desmond Pang
Frequency, Andrew Pick
& surface, Adam Mickey Porter
Walking in a place : walkestra, Hyemi Song
Context clues, Brynn Trusewicz
Curating architectural spaces : a way of architecture production, Cheng Yang
Obsessed with obsessions: design for obsession, Vara Yang
Interplayable surface: an exploration on augmented GUI that co-exists with physical environments, Hoon Yoon
Above the urban surface, Xirui Zhang
Interior mountains & distant clouds, Ping Zheng
Theses from 2015
Equilibrium: public spectacle for social integration, Reem Al Thani
A slight hysterical tendency, Allison Baker
Community in a post-diest world, Kirby Benjamin
The post office reimagined : restoring healthy living in America, Mallory Buck
Neoplastic therapy : on violence and aesthetics, Mengyu Chen
Untitled, Esme Choi
The complexity of plainness, Michael Clouse
Faith in phases, Linyi Dai
F(r)iction, Rami Hammour
Multiple influences: from witnessing language to performing it, Viviane Jalil
Power shift: a catalyst for architectural transformation : rapid transit, Cincinnati, Dachamont Kaewket
Objects in mind, Leah Kenttämaa-Squires
Redefining liminal spaces through natural phenomena, Hanna Kim
Mid-, Elise Kirk
Speculative politics -fictionalized spectacle, Prin Limphongpand
[Nos]otros, Lucia Monge
The self reconfigured, Soe Yu Nwe
Make every day count: longing, vision, & painting, Sarah R. Pater
Handle, Wei Lah Poh
In light of light, Chen Sun
Mealspace : beyond the table, Lauren Tedeschi
Rising with the water, Xi Yang
Theses from 2014
Speculative archives : an index, Sameer Farooq
Learning to live in thick interface, Jonathan Hanahan
Not not real : exercises in styling, Sophie Mascatello
Material | adventure, Diana Wagner
Material Potential | Recontextualizing Material Libraries, Diana Wagner
Theses from 2011
Seven Seas Without, Ambereen Siddiqui
Theses from 2009
Forming process : design through layered visual systems and multiple collection methods : a thesis, Jen Magathan