Jewelry from the Decorative Arts and Design Collection

Emily Banas Curator The American and European jewelry collection at the RISD Museum, part of the Decorative Arts and Design Department, is made up of more than 800 works, including necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings from the medieval period to present day.

An Act of Necessary Transfiguration

Sam Nehila College Student Voices Artist Curatorial intern Sam Nehila uses collage to create abstracted forms and explore the trans experience of engaging with the museum’s collection of male nude bodies.

New Perspectives on the RISD Dainichi Buddha

Wai Yee Chiong Ingrid Neuman Conservation Curator 3-D technology expands the ways of seeing and studying RISD Museum's 12th century Dainichi Buddha.

On Full Display

Acts of Curation and Censorship Emma Vecchione Student Voices How are museum collections constructed? Producer Emma Vecchione searches for an answer in examining the police raid of a 1978 art exhibition, a collection of pictures at the RISD Museum, and the family photographs on top of her mother’s television set.

Message from Director John W. Smith

Dear Museum Friends, As the world bears witness to the recent tragedies of George Floyd’s death, the deaths of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the countless numbers of Black people before them, it’s difficult to feel like I have anything new to say on a subject that I should meet with respectful listening, but as the director of this institution it is my job to lead both in words and in deeds.

K-12 Virtual Visit

Nesmin and his coffin, 170-30 BCE MJ Robinson Mariani Lefas-Tetenes Educators K-12 Virtual Visits What can we learn about life in ancient Egypt by examining protective symbols on the coffin of a priest named Nesmin?

K-12 Virtual Visit

Lynda Benglis, Zita, 1972 and Shari Mendelson, Round Blue/Green Vessel, 2015 Lily Benedict Mariani Lefas-Tetenes Educators K-12 Virtual Visits How do Lynda Benglis and Shari Mendelson communicate ideas and messages through their sculptures’ forms and materials?

K-12 Virtual Visit

Aaron Douglas, Building More Stately Mansions, 1944 Lily Benedict Mariani Lefas-Tetenes Educators K-12 Virtual Visits Aaron Douglas was inspired by ancient and contemporary architecture, visual art and poetry. By exploring his painting and finding connections to poetry, what can we learn about how artists use different artistic styles and art forms to represent the many kinds of work it takes to build societies, both in the past and today?