Rebecca Allen (B.F.A 1975) – pioneer of early computer art, installation art, interface design, professor and chair for the UCLA Design Media Arts
Ricky Allman (M.F.A 2007) – painter, professor
Deborah Berke (B.F.A. 1975, B. Arch 1977, Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts 2005) – Dean and Professor at Yale School of Architecture
Preston Scott Cohen (B.Arch 1983) – architect; Director of the Architecture degree program at the Harvard Graduate School of Design
Nader Tehrani (B.F.A. 1985, B.Arch 1986) – Dean, The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of the Cooper Union, founding principal of NADAAA
Brian Chesky (B.F.A 2004) – entrepreneur, CEO of Airbnb
Joe Gebbia (B.F.A 2004) – entrepreneur, CPO of Airbnb
Samuel Azzinaro – member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives
John Cebrowski – member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
Michael Dante DiMartino (B.F.A. 1996) – animator, known for his work on Avatar: The Last Airbender and Family Guy
Dan Golden (B.F.A. 1994) – filmmaker, composer of Oscar-nominated film Feral
Bryan Konietzko (B.F.A. 1998) – animator, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Invader Zim, and Family Guy
Seth MacFarlane (B.F.A. 1995) – animator, actor, filmmaker, comedian and singer; creator of Family Guy, American Dad!, The Cleveland Show and writer-director of Ted and its sequel Ted 2
Leah Shore (B.F.A. 2009) – animator, film director, known for multiple award-winning short films Old Man and I Love You So Much
Daniel Sousa (B.F.A. 1994) – animator, director of Oscar-nominated film Feral
Deborah Berke (B.F.A. 1975; B.Arch 1977; D.Hon. 2005) – Dean of Yale School of Architecture; Principal of Deborah Berke Partners.
Preston Scott Cohen (B.Arch 1983) – Gerald M. McCue Professor in Architecture at Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD); Principal of Preston Scott Cohen, Inc.
Michael Gabellini (B.Arch 1981) – architect and interior designer, teacher at the Parsons School of Design
Glenn Gissler (B.Arch 1984) – architect
Richard Levine (B.Arch 1962) – professor, green architect, and sustainability pioneer
Michael Maltzan (B.Arch) – Principal and founder of Michael Maltzan Architecture
Ira Rakatansky (B.Arch 1942) – Providence-based architect
Nader Tehrani (B.Arch 1986) – professor and head of the Department of Architecture, MIT; Principal and founder of NADAAA
Forcefield
Jim Drain (B.F.A. 1998) – artist
Matt Brinkman (B.F.A. 1997) – artist
Ara Peterson (B.F.A. 1997) – artist
Art collectors and art dealers
Mary Boone (B.F.A. 1973) – gallery owner of Mary Boone Gallery
David Whitney (B.Int. Arch. 1963) – art collector and curator; longtime companion of architect Philip Johnson
Jason Lutes (B.F.A. 1991) – cartoonist
Paolo Rivera (B.F.A. 2003) – comic book artist
Diana Eng (B.F.A. 2005) – fashion designer; contestant on Project Runway
Katie Gallagher (B.F.A. 2009) – fashion designer
Robert Geller (B.F.A. 2001) – fashion designer; recipient of the GQ/CFDA Best New Menswear Designer Award 2009
Mary Katrantzou – fashion designer
Nicole Miller (B.F.A. 1973) – fashion designer
Jill Stuart – fashion designer
Film and television
Ben Coccio (B.F.A. 1997) – film director of Zero Day
Martha Coolidge (B.F.A. 1968) – film director, Valley Girl (1983), Real Genius (1985), The Prince and Me (2004), Material Girls (2006)
Michael Dante DiMartino (B.F.A. 1998) – co-creator and executive producer, Avatar: The Last Airbender
James Franco (M.F.A. 2012) – actor, artist
Sam Hyde (B.F.A. 2007) – actor, writer, comedian and co-creator of Million Dollar Extreme Presents: World Peace
Jemima Kirke (B.F.A. 2008) – artist, actor, tv show Girls
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) – filmmaker, actor, animator, comedian and singer; creator of Family Guy, American Dad!, The Cleveland Show and writer-director of Ted and its sequel Ted 2
Martin Mull (B.F.A. 1965, M.F.A. 1967) – actor, comedian, painter
Ben Powers – actor
Joanna Priestley (attended 1972-1973) – animator
Robert Richardson (B.F.A. 1979) – Academy Award-winning cinematographer
Charles Rocket (ca. 1967-1972) – former Saturday Night Live 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
Amy Devers (M.F.A. FD 2001) – furniture designer; television personality
Brodie Neill (M.F.A. FD 2004) – furniture designer
Josh Owen (M.F.A. FD 1998) – furniture designer
Matthias Pliessnig (B.F.A. FD 2003) – furniture designer
Rosanne Somerson (B.F.A. ID 1976) – furniture designer; RISD professor, FD department head, provost, and President (2015–present)
Martin Blank (B.F.A. 1984) – glass artist
Dale Chihuly (M.F.A. 1968) – glass artist; founder of glass art program at the Rhode Island School of Design; co-founder of Pilchuck Glass School
Paul Housberg (B.F.A. 1975, M.F.A 1979) – fused and kilnformed glass artist
Therman Statom (B.F.A. 1974) – studio glass artist
Tobias Frere-Jones (B.F.A. 1992) – type designer
Tom Geismar (B.F.A.) – identity designer and corporate identity pioneer; designed marks for NBC, Mobil, Chase, Xerox, and MoMA
Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland (Carl Philip Edmund Bertil) (2007-2008, no degree) – Graphic Design studies for one year
Michael H. Riley – Emmy Award-nominated designer and founder of design company Shine
Michael Rock (M.F.A. 1984) – founder and partner of 2x4; Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award recipient
Jessica Walsh – partner at Sagmeister & Walsh studio; Art Directors Club "Young Gun"
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) – street artist, graphic designer
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
Sonny Liew (B.F.A. 2001) – comic book writer, artist
Grace Lin (B.F.A. 1996) – writer, illustrator
David Macaulay (B.Arch. 1969) – writer, illustrator, 2006 MacArthur Fellow
David Mazzucchelli – comic artist and author of Asterios Polyp
Kelly Murphy (B.F.A. 1999) – writer, illustrator
Ryan Jude Novelline (B.F.A. 2012) – contemporary artist; fashion designer
Paolo Rivera (B.F.A. 2003) – comic book artist
Brian Selznick (B.F.A. 1988) – writer, illustrator
Mark Shasha (B.F.A Ill. 1983) – writer, illustrator
Walt Simonson (B.F.A. 1972) – comic book writer, artist
Chris Van Allsburg (B.F.A.) – children's book illustrator, Caldecott winner
David Wiesner (B.F.A. 1977) – illustrator, Caldecott winner
David Hanson (B.F.A. 1997) – robotics designer
Stuart Karten (B.F.A. 1979) – industrial designer
Charlotte Perkins Gilman (attended 1878) – author of The Yellow Wallpaper; 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
Janine Antoni (B.F.A. 1989) – artist, 1998 MacArthur Fellow
James Carpenter (B.F.A. 1972) – glass sculptor, designer, 2004 MacArthur Fellow
David Macaulay (B.F.A. 1969) – writer, illustrator, 2006 MacArthur Fellow
Josiah McElheny (B.F.A. 1988) – artist, sculptor, 2006 MacArthur Fellow
Julie Mehretu (M.F.A. 1997) – artist, 2005 MacArthur Fellow
Anna Schuleit (B.F.A. 1998) – artist, 2006 MacArthur Fellow
Shazia Sikander (M.F.A. 1995) – artist, MacArthur Fellow
Kara Walker (M.F.A. 1994) – artist, 1997 MacArthur Fellow
Romeo Alaeff (M.F.A. 1996) – artist, author, animation/film editor
Janine Antoni (M.F.A. 1989) – artist
Nicole Bartelme (B.F.A. 1989) – artist, film festival creator
Ib Benoh (M.F.A. 1980) – artist
Sarah Bostwick (B.F.A. 2001) – artist
Brian Bress (B.F.A. 1998) – artist
Dan Colen (B.F.A. 2001) – artist
Cheryl Donegan (B.F.A. painting) – contemporary artist
Jim Drain (B.F.A. 1998, sculpture) – artist
Benjamin Edwards (M.F.A. 1997) – artist
Shepard Fairey (B.F.A. 1992) – street artist, graphic designer, activist and illustrator
Lauren Geremia (B.F.A. 2004) – interior designer
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
David Kracov (B.F.A 1990) – sculptor, painter, and animator
Mike Libby (B.F.A. 1999) – artist
Marcus Reichert (B.F.A. 1970) – artist
Mark Shasha (B.F.A. 1983) – artist
Shahzia Sikander (M.F.A. 1995) – artist
Do-Ho Suh (B.F.A. 1994) – artist
Ryan Trecartin (B.F.A. 2004) – artist
Katie Vida (B.F.A. 2004) – interdisciplinary artist and curator
Kara Walker (M.F.A. 1994) – artist
Andrea Zittel (M.F.A. 1990) – artist
Kevin Zucker (B.F.A. 2000) – artist
Oliver Ackermann (B.F.A. Industrial Design) – musician, A Place to Bury Strangers
Paul Curreri (B.F.A. 1998) – songwriter / guitarist / producer
Chris Keating – musician, Yeasayer
Justin Lo (B.F.A. 1999) – Hong Kong singer, composer and record producer
Seth MacFarlane (B.F.A. 1995) – singer, actor, filmmaker, animator and comedian; creator of Family Guy, American Dad!, The Cleveland Show and writer-director of Ted and its sequel Ted 2
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. 1989) – singer/songwriter
Musical bands formed by students while attending the school:
Black Dice – band formed in 1997
Hisham Bharoocha (B.F.A. 1998) – artist and musician, former member of Black Dice and Lightning Bolt
Sebastian Blanck (B.F.A. 1998) – artist and musician, former member of Black Dice
Fang Island – band formed in 2005
Les Savy Fav – band formed in 1995
Lightning Bolt – band formed in 1994
Hisham Bharoocha (B.F.A. 1998) – artist and musician, former member of Black Dice and Lightning Bolt
Brian Chippendale (no degree) – artist, founded Fort Thunder
Brian Gibson (B.F.A. 1998) – artist
Rubber Rodeo – band formed in 1980
Talking Heads – band formed in 1974
David Byrne (no degree)
Chris Frantz (B.F.A. 1974)
Tina Weymouth (B.F.A. 1974)
Daniel Arango (M.F.A. 2010) – painter, visual artist
David Bowes (attended, late 1970s) – painter
Arthur S. Douglas (enrolled 1878) – member of the inaugural class; student teacher
Nicole Eisenman (B.F.A. 1987) – painter
Herbert Cyrus Farnum – 19th- and early 20th-century painter in RI
Aaron Gilbert (B.F.A. 2005) – painter
Håvard Homstvedt (B.F.A. 2000) – painter
Julie Mehretu (M.F.A. 1997) – artist, densely layered prints and paintings
Richard Merkin (M.F.A. 1963) – painter, The New Yorker contributor, Prof. Emeritus RISD
Laura Owens (B.F.A. 1992) – painter
Sonya Sklaroff (B.F.A. 1992) – artist, painter
Anne Morgan Spalter (M.F.A. 1992) – new media artist
Andrew Stevovich (B.F.A. 1970) – artist
Taravat Talepasand (B.F.A, 2001) – Iranian-American artist
Kurt Wenner – anamorphic street painter
Mabel May Woodward (c. 1897) – impressionist
Zio Ziegler (B.F.A. 2010) – muralist and painter
David Akiba (M.F.A.) – photographer and teacher in the Boston area
Linda Connor (B.F.A.) – large-format photographer, currently teaches at the San Francisco Art Institute
Emmet Gowin (M.F.A. 1967) – photographer
Jill Greenberg (B.F.A 1989) – photographer
Kathy Grove (B.F.A. 1970) – photographer
Henry Horenstein (B.F.A. 1971, M.F.A. 1973) – photographer, author, currently teaches at Rhode Island School of Design
Deana Lawson (M.F.A. 2004) – photographer, currently teaches at Princeton
David Benjamin Sherry (B.F.A. 2003) – landscape photographer
Francesca Woodman (B.F.A. 1978) – photographer
Val Britton (B.F.A. 1999) – artist, works on paper and installations
Brian Chippendale (no degree) – musician with Lightning Bolt (band), graphic artist, poster artist
Jane Kim (artist) (B.F.A. 2003) – scientific illustrations and murals promoting advocacy of the natural world.
Sonia Romero (artist) (B.F.A. 2002) – printmaking, murals and public art in Los Angeles
Pippi Zornoza (B.F.A. 2001) – poster artist and co-founder of the Dirt Palace feminist artist collective.
T Barny (B.F.A. 1980) – stone carving and bronze casting artist
Howard Ben Tré (M.F.A. 1980) – glass sculptor
John Benson (artisan) – studied sculpture, known for stone carving and typeface design
Huma Bhabha (B.F.A. 1985) – sculptor in New York
The fine arts department includes the following academics; ceramics, film/animation/video, glass, illustration, jewelry and metalsmithing, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, and textiles.
Otto and Vivika Heino – ceramics
David Macaulay (B.Arch. 1969) – illustrator and author
Barry Moser – illustrator
Janet Perlman – animator, Oscar nominee for The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin
John Prip – silver design
Andrew Raftery – engraver; has taught in the printmaking and painting department since 1991
Brian Shure – master printmaker, realist painter, teaching since 1996
Steven Subotnick – professor in animation
Chris Van Allsburg – (M.F.A. Sculpture 1975) children's book author/illustrator, Caldecott winner for Jumanji and The Polar Express
Carol Wax – printmaker, visiting artist and faculty in the printmaking department
Richard Merkin (M.F.A. 1963) – Professor Emeritus, painter
George William Whitaker – first instructor of oil painting
Mabel May Woodward – painting faculty for over 20 years; during the early 20th century. introduced the "action class," in which students studied the human figure as a machine rather than as a stationary object
Diane Arbus – photographer
Harry Callahan – photographer, former Chair of the Department of Photography
Henry Horenstein – photographer
Aaron Siskind – abstract expressionist photographer who, with Callahan, founded the photography department at RISD
Design and architecture department
The design and architecture department includes the following academics; apparel design, architecture, furniture design, graphic design, industrial design, and landscape architecture.
Thomas Bosworth – former Chair of Department of Architecture; Seattle architect; Professor Emeritus University of Washington
Tage Frid – professor of woodworking and furniture design from 1962-1985
Norman Isham – Rhode Island historical architect
Karim Rashid – industrial designer, formerly of industrial design department in 1992
Jens Risom – furniture design
Friedrich St. Florian – architect, designer of National World War II Memorial
Monica Ponce de Leon – architect, designer of the Fleet Library
Malcolm Grear – Professor Emeritus, graphic designer
Mihai Nadin – theorist, semiotics, computational design, HCI
Ootje Oxenaar – Dutch graphic designer, designer of acclaimed but now vanished Dutch currency
Michael Rock – graphic designer; writer; design professor at Yale University MFA graphic design program
Nancy Skolos – graphic designer, co-founder of Skolos-Wedell studios, teaching at RISD since 1989
Mark Milloff – painter, foundations faculty
Mairéad Byrne – poet
Jhumpa Lahiri – creative writing, author of the novel The Namesake
