I think it is totally cool that RISD was founded by a group of tenacious women, after several unsuccessful attempts by a number of groups in the years previous to 1877! You can hear the whole story and more during a presentation and panel discussion with several of the contributing authors of Infinite Radius: Founding Rhode Island School of Design, a compendium of rare archival photographs, scholarly essays, previously unpublished manuscripts and reproductions of early acquisitions in RISD’s impressive collection of art and design. The public launch celebration will take place on Saturday, October 10, beginning at 1pm in the Metcalf Auditorium, followed by a book signing from 2–3pm in the first floor lobby of RISD’s Chace Center at 20 North Main Street.

If you can’t wait till then to purchase the book at risd|works or the risd:store, it may be ordered online!

Do you still have the car you drove while you were at RISD?  Well I don’t, but Corky Frost ‘59 BArch does!  Here’s a photo taken of him recently behind the wheel. Sweet!  Corky is coming to his 50th reunion this year, not sure if he’ll be bringing the car along, though….

How about a rendezvous at the Tap Room to catch up with classmates from your decade, and to see work by fellow classmates?  Submit a jpg or tif file of recent work to Anj Shaw at risdalumniwork*at*gmail.com.  Then, show up at the times posted for your reunion year (see below) and view them along with friends work while enjoying snacks, drinks and music.  Here’s your chance to show + tell with fellow alums!

Show up anytime, but we’ve designated the following times for grads from

the 50’s and 60’s from 1:30-2:30pm

the 70’s and 80’s from 2:30-3:30pm

the 90’s and 2000’s from 3:30-4:30pm

I know it seems a bit early to have a late addition, but this one is too fabulous to wait to advertise!

Friday, October 3rd at 3:30pm

Gallery Talk on West & West: New Works by Joe Deal
The RISD Museum, 3rd Floor, Radeke Building

Join RISD Curator Jan Howard in the Bill and Nancy Tsiaras Gallery for a talk on this new body of work, featuring beautiful photographs from Kansas and Nebraska along the 6th Principal Meridian which was used to grid off real estate in that region.

We’ll be sending out a post RISD By Design event survey soon, but in the meantime would love to hear from any of you who may want to share some feedback about the weekend -  and if you didn’t come, maybe you’d like to let us know why. Post a comment here, or write to me directly at chartley*at*risd.edu. Thanks!

Hey, are you interested in purchasing a fine art print of those fabulous campus maps by Aaron Meshon ‘95 IL you saw on our materials, around campus, and on t-shirts (even our banner on this site) ?

Well, they’re still for sale, for $120 ($100 for the print and $20 for shipping).  Just contact me at crobinso **at** risd.edu for more information on how to go about getting your hot little hands on one!  For more information about brilliant artist Aaron Meshon, click here.

Friday, October 10
3:30 - 4:30pm
Moore Terrace

Come enjoy the cooler weather and local cider with visiting Professors Emeriti on our new Moore Terrace (between the Chace Center and Memorial Hall: access from Benefit Street stairway next to Mem Hall, Second floor of Chace Center, or College Building archway). We will supply the cider, hot coffee and snacks, and the Professors will supply the many years of priceless wisdom and beautiful memories of RISD.

Here’s a picture of Lorraine Howes and Linda Bowab I took at the Spring luncheon for Professors Emeriti!

Not to be missed! On Saturday, October 11, at 2:00pm, Baruch Kirschenbaum, Professor Emeriti, will present an exhibition and talk about the Lowthorpe School of Landscape Architecture, Gardening and Horticulture for Women.

The exhibition of lantern slides, books and printed material in the library reveals a piece of RISD’s history which has not generally been known. The material on exhibition came to RISD from the Lowthorpe School, which became part of RISD in 1945. The School was founded in 1901 in Groton, Massachusetts specifically for the professional education of women in the landscape professions at a time when such education was not otherwise readily available. In conjunction with the exhibition, Professor Kirschenbaum will review the history of the RISD/Lowthorpe connection and explain how he became engaged with it.

This event is free and open to all, and will take place in the Fleet Library at RISD, second floor, in room 228. For questions or more info, contact Laurie Whihtehill Chong, Special Collections Librarian, at lwhitehi**at**risd.edu.