This will be my 20th reunion - a landmark. I can’t believe the time has gone by so fast! Sure don’t feel any older, but all I have to do is look around me: the Chace Center, President Maeda, the renaissance of downtown Providence: and I see an exciting evolution. I’ve always looked forward to coming back to RISD, but this is going to be an exciting weekend — hope to see a lot of classmates from ‘88. It’ll be a great time!

I just came back from a VERY exciting weekend at RISD and…I’m not exaggerating…you’ll hate yourself if you don’t get up there and see the new Chace Center (where the parking lot was on Main St), and the special Chihuly show and David Macaulay show. 

The spaces created by the Chace Center are so beautiful, functional and remarkable I want to sign up as a student again. There is now a gallery for student work, classrooms for freshmen, a spectacular gallery for contemporary art, special exhibits, an auditorium, works on paper….and the stairs up to Benefit St. are bigger and already are a collecting place for students. The back wall of Mem Hall has been exposed and is a work of art in itself. The views out the windows frame the Providence landmarks. I was really impressed ! 

The Chihuly exhibit is something that you can get immersed in. The lighting, colors, shadows and shapes surrounded me with such drama and beauty. There’s a wall of his drawings which are masterpieces in themselves.

Here are two iPhone photos…..one of my classmate, Stuart Murphy ( Sorry, Stu, I didn’t consult you! ) at the Chace Center opening last week and one from the Chihuly exhibit.

See you next week !

What are you most excited about doing at the Nature Lab this October?  Let us know below!

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Liz Collins  ‘91 TX/MFA ‘99 just gave us a little update about her Knitting Nation project for RBD weekend, and I can’t wait to see it! She spent part of last weekend testing a method to incorporate mylar balloons into knit fabric as it was being constructed. Here is what she had to say about the results: “The look of it is amazing, hanging down, with the balloons looking like giant metallic floating polkadots on a white knit ground. They move in the wind, yet are securely and closely attached by their connecting ribbons, which are knit right into the base cloth. We will be constructing a large piece, which is made of of 5 vertical lengths of continuous knit yardage and the balloons, that slowly grows and falls down the building.”

In case you missed the earlier posting, Liz and her army of knitters will be located on the roof of the Radeke Building at the RISD Museum on Saturday, October 11.  When you are on campus, be sure to look up!

Clay Gordon ‘83 PH, author of Discover Chocolate, The Ultimate Guide to Buying, Tasting and Enjoying Fine Chocolate, celebrates his 25th reunion at RISD By Design this year, and will speak to parents and alumni on Friday afternoon as a panel of alumni talk about Life After RISD.  As alumni, we all have our own stories, and can share those of friends, who have traveled some unexpected paths since graduating from RISD, and that is what this panel is all about.  In this video of a talk at Google last year, Clay talks about his own journey from photography major at RISD to his current passion, The Chocolate Life. Check out his website at http://www.thechocolatelife.com/. Come to RISD BY Design to hear more stories of exploration, creation and adventure!

Need an affordable place to stay during RISD By Design? You might want to check out Airbed and Breakfast,  a new web venture launched by San Francisco-based entrepreneurs Joe Gebbia ‘05 ID/GD,
Brian Chesky ‘04 ID and Nathan Blecharczyk (a recent Harvard grad). The site allows travelers to book cheaper rooms with local residents instead of hotels and pay for the transaction seamlessly online.  Joe hopes to be able to help RISD alums connect with other alums living in the Providence area during the RBD weekend.

We know you’re all aware of the opening of the Chace Center and the Chihuly at RISD show, but what, you may ask yourself, is going on with Glass at RISD today?  Well, here’s your chance to find out!  Come check out a FREE and LIVE Glassblowing Demonstration, going on Saturday, October 11th from 10 am to 6 pm in the Metcalf building, on the 4th floor, in the Hot Glass Studio!

Sean Salstrom MFA ‘06GL and his students will demonstrate the intricacies of  the glassblower’s skills.  Glassblowing techniques were fully developed two thousand years ago and still serve as the most demanding of glassmaking processes.  Hot glass working is just one aspect of why RISD Glass is a world wide leader in training contemporary artists.

You’ve all heard repeatedly by now that there have been alot of changes on campus, and as I walked through this area the other day I was struck by just how dramatic some of those changes are.  I’m guessing that anyone who hasn’t been to campus in awhile will not recognize this walkway - who can tell me where I am?

Warm days, cool evenings, falling leaves and lots of enthusiasm, memories and connection. A love of learning and exploration. I come back to see RISD constantly evolving, yet savor the excitement of the creative process that I explored when I was here. I’ve been working in the field of catalogue design and doing some web work; but I’m looking forward to this October weekend as an opportunity to see what’s going on in other areas. I can’t wait to see the new Chace Center — what a gateway to the campus! And I’m looking forward to seeing classmates that I haven’t seen in 20 years.

Love of graphic design.

Passion for chocolate.

Pursuit of a fine art career.

Blending of technology, products and architecture.

These career paths reflect the wonderfully varying perspectives of this year’s Life After RISD panel. Please join us for this popular program which takes place on Friday, October 10^th at 1:45PM as we hear from alumni who have forged their creative paths from the foundations of their RISD education.

Sloan Kulper (MID/06), Clay Gordon (PH/83), Becky Fong (GD/05) and Henrik Soderstrom (FD/08) will describe what life’s been like since they left RISD and provide helpful insights for parents, students and fellow alumni. Parents have especially enjoyed this panel as they gain a further understanding of their students’ creative pursuits. Come discover how these artists and designers found their first opportunities out of RISD. What challenges they’ve faced. And, why they wouldn’t live their creative lives any other way.