Design the Night

Design your own summer night with mind-bending installations, quirky art-making, and treats from local makers.
On the Chace Plaza, watch the sparks fly as artists demonstrate metalsmithing techniques on the Steel Yard's mobile blacksmithing trailer. Grab a specialty cocktail from The East End, locally sourced food from Rhody Roots, or a cool treat from Millie's, while you groove to the sounds of Nova One with Roz Raskin and friends.
Step inside to immerse yourself in a space about representation⁠—or the lack thereof⁠—as Jess Brown re-envisions the Grand Gallery. Take part in a haunting storytelling game with Janaya Kizzie and the ritual art collective We Gather, and find a new creative voice with a hands-on encounter for the whole family led by Hernan Jourdan. Join a participatory experience designed by artist Andrew Oesch and members of the 2019 Summer Teen Intensive program, and take a peek behind the scenes with Site Specific and Ed Wojcik Architect Ltd. 
Free! Enter at 20 North Main Street for this event.
RSVP and see continuing updates on Facebook.
 
Full schedule of events:
The East End, Rhody Roots and Millie's 
5-9 pm
Nova One
8-9:30 pm
Night Forest: Memories in the Museum
5-8 pm
Ritual art collective We Gather hosts a special variation of the storytelling game Night Forest by Mo Golden and Ross Cowman, published by Night of the Deernicorn. In the Night Forest, participants become memories based upon on themes drawn from the RISD Museum's collection. Wandering the halls of the museum, what stories will unfold? What memories will return?
This Is MY House
5-8 pm
The European paintings in the Grand Gallery represent what was considered artistic achievement in Western art from around 1500 through the 1800s, but who was left out of being allowed to paint or to be immortalized on canvas? I was. This is MY House: an immersive space about representation—or the lack thereof. Join artist Jess Brown with The Glitter Goddesses and Sidy Maiga to explore under-represented art by Black artists of this period, experience performance art, see flash mob style "Voguing" the runway, hear music of another land, and experience works of art in surprising ways. 
The Summer Teen Intensive
5-9 pm
Join a participatory experience designed by artist Andrew Oesch and members of the 2019 Summer Teen Intensive program.
Un Vacío Lleno de Gente / A Void Full of People
5-9 pm
Well-come. We generally hear that people "hide behind a mask"—but how many times do we hide with our naked face? Perhaps a mask also lets us forget how other people see us. Join artist Hernan Jourdan to create your own mask and experience the world in a slightly different way, free from explanations.
Work in Process: Shaping Metal
5-8 pm
Watch the sparks fly as local artists demonstrate various metalsmithing techniques on the Steel Yard's mobile blacksmithing trailer. Step inside to see the results of these processes on view in Gorham Silver: Designing Brilliance 1850–1970. 
Work in Process: Behind the Scenes
5-9 pm
Take a peek behind the scenes with staff from Site Specific, Ed Wojcik Architect Ltd, and the RISD Museum, who recently completed a renovation of the Museum’s historic Metcalf Galleries. Chat with them to learn more about the design and construction process, to glimpse the past and future of these spaces, and to see what surprises they found in the walls!  
Design the Night is sponsored by Site Specific with additional programming support from the Zennovation Fund. RISD Museum is supported by a grant from the Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, through an appropriation by the Rhode Island General Assembly and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, and with the generous partnership of the Rhode Island School of Design, its Board of Trustees, and Museum Governors.