2019 Graduate + Current Student Participants
We’re delighted to have these 2019 graduates + current students participating in this year’s sale!
Clar Angkasa 19 IL
Tomo Brais 22 SC
Natasha Brennan 20 IL
Harriet Cassell 19 FD
Jon Chen 22 GD
KyungHae Christine Park MFA 19 PR
Kaitlyn Cirielli 19 CR
Peter DeFrancesca 21 FD
Yangyang Ding MID 20
Stella Egelja 20 PT
Cecilia Emy 20 FD
Jack Halten Fahnestock 20 GD
Caffrey Fielding 21 ID
Rebecca Ford 19 FD
Lucy M Freedman 21 FD
Vienna Gambol 20 IL
Carley Gmitro 20 PT
Nailah Golden 21 GD
Nina Gregg 20 ID
Anya Gupta 19 FD
Mackay Hare 19 IL
Eileen Holland 19 IL
Chenlu Hou MFA 19 CR
Elizabeth Jweinat 22 SC
Grace Kauffman-Rosengarten 20 PT
Vanessa Kent 19 SC
Andrew Kim 20 AP/ID
Mishelle Kim 20 IL
Mary Kuan 19 PT
Chanel Aaliyah Lee 20 FAV
Maxime Lefebvre MFA 19 PR
Fangge Liao 23 EFS
Yini Luo MFA 20 PR
Natalie Ma 20 IL
Jacob Miller 19 FD
Mahala Miller 19 PT
Kimberly Nguyen MFA 20 GL
Jesi Nicoloro 19 SC
Sarah O’Brien MFA 20 CR
Eleanor Pereboom 21 CF
Siqi Rao MLA 21
Rowan Raskin 21 GL
Olivia Crowe Reavey 20 PH
Isabel Santos 20 FAV
Alison Sherpa 20 FD
Becki Shu 20 IL
Tiffany Tang MFA 20 CR
McKinzie Trotta MFA 20 PR
Stephanie Tyson MFA 19 PR
Allie Venegas 20 FD
Yihan Wang 20 FAV
Yu Wang 20 JM
Chia-Chi Wu MFA 19 CR
Leilei Xia 20 FAV
Emma Yang 20 IL
Tongyi Zhang MLA 19
Yushan Zhang 20 IL
Yiqun Zhou 20 IL
ANCHAL PROJECT
Colleen Clines
[2010, Master of Landscape Architecture]
Based in Louisville, KY
Anchal (on-chal) believes design can change lives. As a social enterprise, Anchal uses design thinking to create innovative products and sustainable employment for exploited women worldwide.
Anchal’s designs explore the synthesis of vernacular imagery, heritage artwork and a maker’s journey to empowerment. The contemporary graphic designs are defined by sophisticated patchwork and aggregated stitch patterns, revolutionizing traditional kantha quilting techniques. Anchal’s home goods and accessories are entirely hand-stitched by Anchal’s 130 artisans in Ajmer, India with layers of the softest GOTS certified organic cotton since 2010. All of Anchal’s heirloom quality pieces are artfully crafted with the highest quality and attention to detail.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Coming from a background in Landscape Architecture, I am still constantly inspired by the urban environment. When I am feeling stuck or uninspired, I walk the trails of local parks or neighboring streets and consciously look for things I normally overlook. This practice also translates into my time in India when I am working alongside Anchal’s artisans. Together we challenge ourselves to look at our surroundings through a different lens. This can be anything from the siding on a building to flowering trees to the earth that we walk on. The results are captured in photographs and become the inspiration for our textile-based products.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
We started Anchal with a dream that the brave women of Anchal could become designers. That dream is now a reality. The Curve Collection is the first series completely inspired by an Anchal artisan’s design – from photographs to textile art piece to the final quilt and complementary pillows. The Curve Quilt originated through the lens of artisan Seema and a view of an ordinary rooftop in India.
The results culminated in a bold modernist composition with layers of 100% organic cotton and activated by a radiating stitch pattern. The Curve Quilt and coordinating pillows bring Anchal’s mission full circle by encouraging the artisan’s creative confidence to express their personal identities through fabric while creating unique works of art that tell the story of empowerment and change.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
Anchal will be launching a special collaboration with the Guggenheim Museum Store this Fall. We were invited to design a collection of quilts, scarves, and bags inspired by the incredible abstract paintings of Hilma af Klint. The exclusive Guggenheim x Anchal will launch alongside the special exhibition of Hilma af Klint’s work in October 2018.
To see more from Anchal, visit anchalproject.org
SUSAN FREDA
Susan Freda
[1996, Sculpture]
Based in Warren, RI
Transparency, form, and flowing line, the play of cast shadows and light on a wall, sparkling, subtle states of being that invoke intimate, emotive responses. Freda imbues her pieces with an ephemeral presence and ability to catch and hold light and form. Created from hand woven wire and glass, her pieces envelope viewers in a seductive, entranced space. Their transparent and interconnected forms and jewel-like nature reference nature, fashion, and otherworldly phenomena.
Susan earned her MFA at the Massachusetts College of Art, following her degree at RISD. She has received numerous awards, notably a residency & exhibition at the de Young Museum & a Pollock Krasner Award.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Ritual. I love the ritual of the studio and of keeping certain hours there. Another important ritual is connecting with nature. I try to take regular walks in nature to let me mind wander and to experience nature.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
RISD was the first experience I had with having a studio and a place and time to make my work. It gave me the foundation for this practice which is integral to my life and which I use daily. The studio is a home to me and it is something I trace back to by very first studio at RISD
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
The detritus that I find in nature is something that fuels the forms, compositions, colors and the textures that I emulate in my work. I study marine botany and shell structures and plant forms on land. I also feel drawn to fashion and the expression of clothing on the body to reflect inner states of being.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I am creating a new body of work in porcelain. They are ocean like coraline structures that are wall mounted. They are a hybrid between bone, plant, and animal. Im very excited to explore this new material and I cant wait to show it at RISD Craft. Its always a treat to be able to get feedback on new work from people on the street.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I will be exhibiting at the NY Art Expo this year and also in the Hong Kong Art Fair. I am to be represented by 5 new US galleries this year and will be having a two person show with Allison Paschke in Feb at the Wheeler Gallery here in Prov.
To see more of Susan’s work, visit susanfredastudios.com
LAURA ZINDEL
Laura Zindel
[1985, Ceramics]
Based in Brattleboro, VT
Laura Zindel’s RISD Craft Gallery
Laura Zindel is an artist and designer who combines her passion for ceramics and naturalist illustration into unique housewares. Her work integrates techniques from the Arts & Crafts movement with modern industrial design practices and decorative arts inspired by the natural world.
A ceramist by training, Laura has always loved to draw with a pencil. Her initial drawings on the surface of clay with a glaze pencil ultimately led her to the transfer process. Her drawings are now silk screened and printed as enamel transfers on a wide variety of tableware pieces from platters to mugs. Her work is hand made in her studio in Brattleboro, Vermont.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Problem solving is an everyday thing. Clay is a material that doesn’t always do what you expect it to do. I have a studio now where I work with other artisans during every step of our process. There is always something new happening and we all work together as a team and I rely on all of them to use their talents to achieve what we do. We are always learning something new and trying to figure it all out. The thing that I value the most in my personal process is quiet time. It is hard for everyone to come by and when I don’t get enough of it, the creative process can shut down. I think it is important to let your mind have time to be able to wander where it needs to go.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
My current work is a progression from all of the work that I did while at RISD. I was a ceramic major and.. I took a lot of drawing classes. I didn’t actually combine the two processes until much later, but everything you do inspires what you do next. My ceramic work at RIDS was hand built and narrative. I have always loved low fire glazes and working with the surface of clay. I spent a lot of time making molds, mixing glazes and learned how to make my first ceramic transfers. I always thought of drawing as a side job as a student but now I am glad that I found a way to combine the two things that I love the most. The exposure I had at RISD to so many artists that shared their knowledge, techniques and different style of working with us as students is what I carry with me everyday.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Nature is my main inspiration. I feel like there will never have enough time to draw everything in the world that I find curious. I choose something that presents a challenge for me to draw like a new texture that I haven’t tried or things in the natural world that have a form or pattern to explore. Because I make tableware I look at what is going on in my industry. I also love fashion. I am not that fashionable but I find that fashion inspires and has an influence on almost everything that we use, put in our homes and want around us everyday. I read a lot of books, and I rip a lot of pages out of magazines..they litter my house.
My main goal is garnish the surfaces of everyday objects so that they will wind up in someone’s home and make them happy.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I just finished a Coastal Collection. It took me more than a year to complete. I found that I just couldn’t stop…I really don’t think it is complete, but I had to stop somewhere. I was inspired by so many experiences I have had by the ocean. I can’t remember a time in my life when being by the water was not the end goal. Spending time by the water with my family and friends is always where I am the happiest.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
This July we opened a showroom for the trade at the Americasmart in Atlanta. We have partnered with JK Adams, another family established Vermont company that makes wood cutting boards. We are very excited to bring our companies together and proud to both make handmade products in Vermont.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I am really looking forward to being at RISD Craft. It is always wonderful to be back in Providence. I love how much the city has changed and stayed the same over the years. Providence was a construction zone when I was a student in the 80’s. Now the canals are open and it is such a beautiful place and it continues to be one of the best places to eat and see music and art. I am also hoping to reconnect with old friends and to see some current students that that are the children of my favorite alumni.
To see more of Laura’s work, visit laurazindel.com
STUDIOSOPHIASOPHIA
Sophia Readling
[2010, MFA Jewelry and Metalsmithing]
Based in Binghamton, NY
Sophia Readling is the sole designer, creator and maker of StudioSophiaSophia, a color enthusiastic jewelry brand that caters to the lovers of bold adornment. She hand fabricates and casts metal into simple shapes that are thoughtfully placed and dangled off each other, then filled with resin in an electric, eye-catching palette. Her work is inspired by freshly cut citrus fruit, textiles, contemporary fashion design, rainbow makers, Cirque Du Soleil, summer memories, mismatched socks, 60s modernist jewelry, Zumba, and most importantly, color! StudioSophiaSophia is known for her unapologetic use of loud color and daring shapes. She views her work as wearable small paintings meant for starting conversations and making statements, not for wallflowers.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
The creative process for me is usually just getting right down and dirty at the bench! I really don’t do too much sketching or planning beforehand, I start with a vision of a finished piece in my head I want to make and then just start making. From there, the design tends to change a bit depending on whether it is working mechanically or looks as good on the body as I thought it would. Also, music and coffee is a must. There is never a time when I’m working in silence in the studio- Coffee might have become a weird OCD thing but I just like to always have a cup to sip on throughout the day!
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
My current creative practice is based on being 100% true to me and what I’m passionate for/inspired by, not being influenced by what’s trending or what other people are doing at the moment. At RISD I learned to be my authentic self and to follow my individual and original vision for my work- that has carried through to this day.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
COLOR! But also a bit of everything- I’m really into contemporary fashion designers and what they are up to. Mobiles have been a big inspiration lately- I love making things that are able to balance and move together, so I’ve been looking at a lot of them on Pinterest- (For some reason they are all for babies!) I’m inspired by an overall style/aesthetic of people I think are cool (Rihanna, etc.). From a design standpoint I’ve been researching about Memphis Design and its founder Ettore Sottsass, a lot of my shapes and colors feel similar to what they were doing! Also kites- I love that they are so light and large and colorful- those are three things I focus on when making earrings.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
Just so many earrings. I can’t make enough of them!
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I just recently lent a ton of jewelry to a stylist shooting a new Gap campaign so I guess that’s kind of cool!
To see more of Sophia’s work, visit studiosophiasophia.com
NIKIMADE
Nicole Havekost
[1994, Printmaking]
Based in Rochester, Minnesota
I have always made doll-like bodies. These bodies have been a kind of self-portrait that explores different phases of my life and bodily experience. Some years ago I gave birth to a son and my relationship with my body and my world changed. I wanted to create dolls that embraced joy and innocence; figures that explored my son’s growing identity and experience. Using Paper clay, tissue paper, cotton thread and acrylic paint, I have sculpted another family of animals that stand on hoofed feet with human hands. These figures have both an awkwardness and beauty that both my son and I are learning how to grow into. These animal dolls are the small totems of a family.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
Showing up is the most important part of my creative practice. Some days I will make dumb things and other times I might make better things, but it doesn’t get done if I don’t show up to do it. Repetition and process are particularly important to me as well; I find slow, fussy and layered as a way of working to be meditative.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
The experience of my body has always been an inspiration to me. Motherhood and aging have also become areas of exploration for me.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I have been working on a series of anthropomorphic animal dolls over the last several years that I am excited to bring. I am hoping to create a few more with masks and capes to see how their character changes. Honestly, I am just really excited to see the work my fellow alumni bring and be immersed in that creative culture for a weekend.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
I am a 2018 fiscal year Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant recipient as well as a 2018 fiscal year Southeaster Minnesota Arts Council Advancing Artist Grant recipient. I have recently exhibited work in group exhibitions in New Orleans, Chicago and Dallas and will soon be sending work to an exhibition in Tasmania, Australia. I will have a solo exhibition at the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, California in March 2019.
To see more of Nicole’s work, visit nikimade.com
HINGE DESIGNS
Marge Hinge
[2011, Jewelry + Metalsmithing]
Based in Providence, RI
Marge Hinge’s RISD Craft Gallery
Drawn to the natural world, she strives to make work that responds to the materials in front of her. From rocks to feathers to metal, she studies materiality and works with color and form to create her evocative jewels. She has been collecting and making for as long as she can remember. As a child she was mesmerized by beads, cords and any other material she could get her hands on. Jewelry was the best outlet for this fascination, being able to take something handmade and carry it with you.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
Weather it was growing up in the woods of Upstate New York, I spent my days outside exploring creeks, finding wild orchids, and catching crayfish. Or our yearly pilgrimage to the Cape, where I would cart home every beach stone and shell I could find. I have always felt the most myself surrounded by the natural world. Today I am still constantly in awe of the incredible treasures that our mother earth creates and that I get to work with such incredible materials. There is also a giant orchid cactus that lives in my studio, its not mine, but my studio mates and I all come together when it blooms once a year. I love the anticipation of watching its bright red flowers come out as a sign of spring.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
I would have never thought a glass cold working class (which I took because I couldn’t get into the hot shop) I took my sophomore year would have translated into the work I do now. Going from glass to stone has transformed how I look at and work with materials today. I also really appreciate the critical thinking that I learned and use in my business and creative work daily.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
I work more in collections of materials rather than seasons, I have some incredible patterned and colorful stones that I am working with right now and I am excited to debut at RISD Craft. I also have been working with a whole stone and slicing it into slivers to create necklaces. It starts to tell a story with the colors and shapes that transform throughout the stone. I love finding new colors and lines that you can’t see from the outside.
To see more of Marge’s work, visit hingedesigns.co
MATTHEW FINGER
Matthew Finger
[1991, Illustration]
Based in Pawtucket, RI
Matthew Finger’s RISD Craft Gallery
The art in this body of work explores color, texture, and form through a variety of media– I call the work ‘assembled paintings’. By repeating various forms (often circles) I try to draw the viewer into the form through symmetry and the juxtaposition of colors, textures and shapes. The various forms within each painting are treated and painted separately and then reassembled in a puzzle like fashion. The finished work is then layered in resin lending it a glassy, tile-like feel. the pieces tend to work well in series or small grids. I find inspiration in the world around me from the worn patina of an antique toy to the colors found on a worn sidewalk or manhole cover. Candy labels and various vintage graphic design ideas also provide endless inspiration for this art.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
I’d say letting go of control a bit and listening to your gut. Letting materials work naturally and really create without preconceptions. I find when I’m able to get to this point in my work, good things happen. Discipline, taking risks and a solid work ethic are truly important.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
RISD was such a complete immersion in the creative process. The four years breathing in this creative environment prepared me to take the art I create to such an intense level. I learned to question everything in regards to the work and at the same time to hone my skills and let things become instinctual. The work and time spent at this great school allowed for pure focus on becoming the artist I am today. There was also the pure joy in learning along side many great artists and professors.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
I find inspiration in the world all around me from worn graphics on an antique sign, the weathered patina on a manhole cover, the graphics on a candy wrapper and even the colors of children’s toys. Much of the work is also inspired by nautical objects like boat hulls and nautical flags. I filter all these inspirations into what I hope is something new itself and that in the end can convey something original and beautiful.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
Working with materials like chip board,spray paint, acrylic paints, resin, and gessoed papers, I created a body of work that explores color and texture through repeated forms. As the work has evolved, I’ve slowly scaled the art up from 5.5 inch square paintings to 3 foot square paintings. As the pieces get larger, I’ve notice the art takes on a different energy. I am honestly the most excited I’ve ever been about being an artist and so curious as to where this career will take me next.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
One of my paintings receive second place in the mixed media category at the 2017 Warren Art Festival. I’ve also the pleasure of having my work on sale at RISD WORKS.
To see more of Matthew’s work, visit instagram.com/mattfingerart
RENEE MONTEIRO-BERNARD
Renee Monteiro-Bernard
[2000, Industrial Design]
Based in South Dartmouth, MA
Renee Monteiro-Bernard’s RISD Craft Gallery
Natural materials are used to create compositions that exhibit complementary interactions between forms. The natural forms may be hand painted, manipulated digitally in terms of color, or left in their original state. The natural forms are photographed by use of an open frame scanner in the dark. Natural forms whose parts lay directly upon the glass of the scanner reveal clear depictions and are the most focused, while other distant parts of the forms from the glass surface fall into the depth of the dark. The result is an ethereal representation of the natural worlds distinct forms.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
For me, as a multi-disciplinary artist and designer, I feel that in my creative process that not being afraid to experiment is vital. I have found some of the most amazing results with exportation. This inspires me to see what will be next in my creative journey, enjoying the surprises that both fail and succeed…because there is always something to learn from either.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
My time spent at RISD as both a student and an instructor has allowed me to grasp the importance of multi-disciplinary work in design and fine arts. A cross-pollination of techniques, skills and practices lend to appreciating and treasuring the process of experimentation, exploration and innovation as an artist and designer.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
The natural world has always remained my muse in design and fine art. The natural world has worked its elements into my mixed-media painting with natural found objects used as illusion, my design background with bio-mimicry, site-specific outdoor installation and my photography in the realms of macro and scanography.
Is there a work/body of work that you are particularly excited about sharing with us at RISD Craft this year?
A favored body of work is my most recent in the past year.. a collection of dramatic scanner bed photography that presents natural forms in a way that celebrates their “natural” beauty and at the same time begs the viewer to question its realism.
Any recent press, exhibitions, achievements or awards you’d like to share with us?
Recognized in education for STEAM Integration at the Secondary level in the New Bedford school district & Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I believe it is important – especially as an instructor in the arts, to “practice what you preach”. Process and exploration is extremely important. Without it, I would not have discovered my newest body of work in photography. I encourage both students and working artists and designers to work outside their comfort zones … I personally was amazed and excited about my findings in photography!! Hidden talents that I had not put into action, and when I did the results were inspiring.
To see more of Renee Monteiro-Bernard’s work, visit divinedarkroom.com
JEUNG-HWA PARK TEXTILES
Jeung-Hwa Park
[2000, MFA Textiles]
Based in Providence, RI
Jeung-Hwa Park’s RISD Craft Gallery
I combine knitting, felting and hand dyeing to create innovative three dimensional wearable scarves that bring sculptural sense of aesthetics to knitting.
What are some of the most important practices for your creative process?
In searching for new aesthetics of knitting, I adapted knitting with two other traditional techniques: resist dyeing and felting. This combination of techniques express three dimensional surface aesthetics beyond the traditional aesthetics of knitting. Therefore, by combining knitting, resist dyeing, and felting, I create three dimensional wearable art that brings a sculptural and textural sense of aesthetics to knitting.
How does your current creative practice tie into your time spent at RISD?
The most valuable lesson I have learned from RISD was “sharing”.
To me, the study of knitting is continuous, mutual process of discovery that sets out on a long journey whose final destination is “Harmony”. My philosophy in art is to make people themselves toward visual poetry by offering my own experience and demonstrating my spirit. With this philosophy in my mind, I want to share the artistic sensibility of Korean culture and expression of artistic emotion.
Tell us about some of your main sources of inspiration.
My knitting is inspired by Yin and Yang Philosophy. In my artistic interpretation, my knitting is transformed into a combination of opposites: east and west, traditional and modern, hand-craft and machine technology, sky and earth, spiritual and physical, ambiguous and factual, dream and reality, seen and unseen. The combination restores the proper balance and continual harmony between the opposites, as in a marriage. Through my knitting, I want to convey to others unceasing persuasions toward harmony, aesthetics, and imagination.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I would like to share my new fine art wall piece knitting. I would like to express my imagination between ambiguous and factual through knitting. I also want to bring an aesthetic communication of color, texture and volume.