My Story

Katherine Cavanaugh

Painting ’15

The hardest thing to admit is that being disabled/chronically ill has meant that my art practice has been forced to take a backseat since I left RISD. I’ve put most of my energy into the struggle to meet my basic needs. I’ve had to leave jobs because I took too many sick days, I’ve been fired for using my cane or “looking tired.” And when I succeed in meeting my basic needs, I put whatever I have left into communist organizing, which I also see as part of my survival. As a disabled, working class woman I’m one of the people that capitalism deems disposable. When I live my life in this pattern, painting starts to seem like a luxury, but it’s not, it’s vital. These days I do a lot of small drawings of my neighbors, family, and comrades, on cardboard or butcher paper, whatever I can find. I like to think that each little portrait is both a gesture of love to its subject and gesture of defiance to systemic oppression.
Tim Duffy

Sculpture ’70

I was an adventurer, an instigator, and an assemblist for 30 years; a maverick in and out of the studio, when in an instant, a brutal stroke took my left side in 2002. It was only then that I grasped the word “strategy” that a nurse had given me as a tip. Only then did it sink in what Marc Harrison and the ID gang were probing so earnestly.

It’s been 17 years. Now I sculpt with one hand. I require mobile assistance in and out of the Tacoma foundry where I create. My bronzes are for the most part of people and gesture. I hope this reincarnation turns out to be real. I’m so informed these days.

www.timmduffy.com
Rebecca Erde

MA ID ’19

What is the equivalent of a cane for a psychological symptom? How does one create a crutch for persistent sadness? How can these objects feel stigma-free and desirable? These questions stem from a massive problem that is not adequately being addressed by society and the design community: mental illness and more importantly, mental health. Mental illness affects one in five people in the United States. There are very few products designed to help this ubiquitous population improve their mental health. And because mental illness is often not visible, the needs of those living with it are seriously underserved.

I came to RISD to create a conversation, to highlight and normalize discussions about the stigmatized topic of mental illness. My motivation to focus on this blind spot within design derives from my personal history with mental illness and my chosen study of design. I use design as a vehicle to de-stigmatize mental illness, to create education and to better communication. I have created a methodology for designing with people living with mental illness.

Through my personal experience with mental illness, my commitment to psychotherapy, ongoing conversations with specialists, my education in human centered design, and community-focused user research, I am in a unique position to design with a population that is regularly ignored and underserved. This is why I am designing commercial products to help myself and others cope with the day to day symptoms of a variety of mental illnesses, as well as to better navigate interpersonal connections with friends and family, because anyone can experience mental illness, at any time.

www.rebecca-erde.com
Katryn Livingston

Staff – Academic Events & Communications

People have a lot of misconceptions about ADD. They don’t realize that hyperactivity is not the only marker. You wouldn’t think that the quiet girl with her nose stuck in a book has ADD. But I definitely struggled with it a lot growing up.

I’ve had a lot of ups and downs with medicating my ADD. Medication that helps you focus can not only make you forget to eat or sleep, it can also muffle your creative impulses. There is always a fine balance between being functional (i.e. driving safely, being on time, holding a conversation) and making space to allow yourself a little freedom for creativity and exploration. I think I’ve found that balance now, but sometimes I wonder if I wouldn’t be more creative or artistic if I hadn’t been so (hyper)focused on perfectionism and fitting into what society deems as neurotypical.
Adelaide Mackintosh

MA Architecture ’18

There is an oral test for dyslexia I was once given by a psychologist. The test consisted of a speed round of word associations. When he said a word I had to state its pair as quickly as possible. For example, when he said peanut butter, I was probably supposed to say jelly, but instead I said bananas. Who doesn’t love a peanut butter and banana sandwich?

My learning disabilities make some things quite hard. I struggle to memorize lines or names, but never faces or places. When it comes to visualization I can remember everything about a place I’ve been to or an image I’ve seen. When drawing, I picture everything in my head. When I build models, I see myself walking through them. I design spaces based on the imagined viewpoints I visualize. My dyslexia might make it hard for me to stay focused on reading, but it has given me the ability to be present in my spatial imagination. Because of this I see being abled differently as an asset.

Growing up with severe learning disabilities I found comfort in artistic expression. I put all my energy into figure skating when school was not my strength. In my first studio at RISD I was tasked with designing a space for ritual; I designed a space for a figure skater. As I created the space, I visualized the view from the skater’s perspective. I sometimes have a difficult time articulating how I see the world, but I have a strong ability to visualize how the body moves through it. With that I am able to focus on designing spaces based on human interaction. I see this as a gift that I can continue to develop in my future practice.
Kasia Matlak

Industrial Design ’17

I am a researcher and a strategist with a background in industrial design. I am passionate about improving living conditions for people of all abilities. I focus on disability issues because I believe they are a gateway to a more inclusive and tolerant world. I enjoy getting to know the people that I design for and emphasize including them in the design process. I like to talk with and understand what people experience and feel.

We are each born with a particular set of physical characteristics; our bodies have different abilities and limitations. The conceptual prosthetic socket I designed is an interface between human and machine. The capabilities of a residual limb can be compromised due to an injury or physical limitation. This prosthetic socket contains a hybrid of flexible and rigid materials. The rigid materials provide support and correspond to the soft tissue of the body. The flexible materials provide comfort and protect the areas with hard tissue. With my designs I aim to create support and flexibility.

As humans we are all variable. Creating the world to accommodate people of varying abilities builds a more able and resilient society. I design to promote a more inclusive world.

http://www.kasiamatlak.com
Nancy Meagher

Painting ’78

Walking is extremely painful for me. Once, a high-powered Elementary School Art Specialist, I pounded school hallways, arms loaded with reams of splashy paintings made by children. I stapled work onto corridor length bulletin boards, checked my watch, grabbed a waxed carton of chocolate milk from the cafeteria fridge, and took the stairs two or even three at a time and settled into the Art Room.

All this joy came to an abrupt halt one morning, whilst moving sure footed across my day, I twisted my ankle badly and developed a disabling nerve disorder called RSD or today’s newer medical diagnosis, CRPS. I was no longer able to walk or stand without severe pain. Life can turn on an ankle. A rose by any name, Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy or Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, nerves damaged badly enough, don’t heal.

Pain ensues as nerve fibers react, and alarms go off manifesting as pain. Like a teacher who gently separates the challenging students on either side of the classroom, the nervous system creates a symmetrical pattern throughout the body. Now instead of one foot over heated and over stimulated, both feet are enraged. Up into the hands the pain goes attempting to balance it’s ever teetering boat.

The silver lining to my RSD disability is that I have been swimming each day for the past six years because I need to move, fast. I am and always will be a race horse. I developed and continue to manage a series of large splashy paintings of the Pool. I relish the lane markers, the blue and white flags that hover over the pool signaling to the swimmers that prefer backstroke to take caution that the edge of the pool is near. I revel in the sunlit waters during the day, and I am charmed by the underwater lights which flood the mint-colored water with chartreuse green. Who among us can immerse themselves in their favorite color every day?

https://nancymeagherart.com
Michael Menchaca

MFA Printmaking ’15

In recent years I have become aware of my emotional and mental health limitations, experiencing paralyzing immobility effects due to information overload while interacting as a person of color on popular social media platforms. I am comforted by my recent turn to drawing and painting as my way of coping with these increasing anxieties. As the level of responsibility and expectation within my art career continue to rise, along with my ethical qualms regarding social media’s negative affects on world democracies, I will no doubt rely on the activity of meditative art-making in order to maintain my mental health.

https://michaelmenchaca.com
Francisco Moreno

Painting ’12

I am a painter and I have deuteranomaly, a type of red-green color blindness in which the green cones do not detect enough green and are too sensitive to yellows, oranges, and reds. This has led me to create works in which I limit my palette. I may at time use color but in strategic ways.

I am also a Mexican-born American citizen. I think like many immigrants in America, we have a sense of displacement. We embody two different cultures and social histories, if not more. In my work, I try to collapse the source of imagery and create something that communicates that complexity.

These are my realities. When I have a hard time making sense of something in my life, it becomes interesting for me to work through it in my art. Perhaps, I will never find the answer, and so the question will only become more complex; but there is beauty in that. I am just trying to make sense of the world around me. When I realized I couldn’t see all the colors, I just had to think about color differently. Instead of painting with color to create a pictorial space, I use it conceptually or to lay a foundation in which I paint on top of with a grayscale palette.

https://www.franciscomoreno.net
Carrie Neiss

Architecture ’93

I graduated from RISD with a degree in Architecture in 1993. Soon after graduation, I started to witness my body whispering to me, telling me I was on the wrong track. This came about after a series of anxiety and depressive episodes, as I tried to work in an architect’s office. Rather quickly it became clear to me that my mission was to become a painter instead of an architect. The shift was diiﬃcult yet necessary. As soon as I picked up a paintbrush, I felt at ease and peaceful on my new journey as an artist.

As I took a deep look inside myself I began making portraits, which I‘ve done for many years now, depicting my inner world as I have journeyed through life. I’ve painted and draw my own spirit and others, as if in another realm or lifetime. I felt more at ease on an etheric plane than on the ground we all walk on. But at one point I began to feel very small and isolated from the rest of the planet. My immune system was depleted, and I became very sick. This forced me to look at my body. My pain brought me down to earth, back from the spiritual plane I was so comfortable on.

I went from doctor to doctor and it turned out that I had a very severe sensitivity to mold. During this time I always kept a portable studio, drawing on paper to document my inner journey. My portraits showed the suffering of my human experience, mirroring my own journey as I felt the pain that was necessary for the healing process to continue.

No longer stuck in my own head, I let life in a little at a time. Through these challenging years I have become more authentic, patient, and compassionate towards others. I am learning not to hide the person I truly am. My health is still challenged, but I trust that the healing which is necessary will bring me to a wiser place of understanding and compassion for life. I am grateful to have been able to express these changes through my drawings and paintings. Aware that I am only a conduit, I embrace the opportunity and ability to draw from within.

www.carrieneiss.com
Joy Raskin

Jewelry and Light Metals ’90

Being deaf and legally blind has its challenges. The struggle to understand people takes a toll on me daily. Being able to create my own art, on my terms, in my own way, is how I function best. Metal is my life. I eat, breathe, live and think metal.

But metalsmithing is a noisy profession, and repeatedly pounding on metal with hammers caused additional hearing loss at a time when I was already struggling with a 95% hearing deficit. Eventually I had to have cochlear implants put in my head in order to hear after loosing most of my very limited hearing. One of my cochlear implants is so old, that I am now considered a pioneer in the cochlear implant field. I was lucky to have a professor in graduate school with a cochlear implant who shared his experience of the device with me. Being deaf also has advantages; I don’t have to listen to the hammering or the high-pitched whine of power tools, in my studio. I don’t regret being a metalsmith, it’s a solitary profession, and really it’s ideal for me.

Being legally blind creates challenges too. As I get older, my eyesight is declining and this makes it harder to read and see fine details. Also my ability to see at night is mostly gone. Of course I had to pick a profession that requires a great deal of precision work using microscopes, Optivisors and jeweler’s loupes.

Still, being deaf and legally blind has also made me more empathic as a teacher. I can take my metalsmithing and jewelry-making students’ limitations into consideration with greater understanding.

As I get older, I retreat more and more into my silent world and create very labor- intensive artwork. I can also spend hours or even days just hammering sheet metal into small bowls or utensils as lose myself in the rhythm my hammer creates. It’s my meditation.

http://www.joyraskin.com
Diane Rolnick

Painting ’73, MAT ’84

My struggles with depression, attention deficit hyper activity disorder, and anxiety that began in childhood, have followed me through my adulthood. They often interfere in my life, my activities, and my creative process for long periods of time. These mental issues have made me feel inadequate, like a stranger to others, and have caused me excruciating pain over small problems and interactions. I have always felt that I have been hiding in plain sight. In spite of these issues and with help, I have persevered by recognizing how my enormous curiosity, desire to create, passion for teaching and helping others has enriched my life. My sense of the depth and intricacies of human nature inform my creative practice. They inspire me to create layers of complexity in my work, to look for the “other” in my compositions, and to never give up.

www.dianerolnick.com
Lily Siegel

Film Animation Video ’17

Being abled differently doesn’t impact my life. It is my life.

That’s the most straightforward way to explain being an amputee to an able bodied person. Being born with several limb differences set me on a specified path. I was adopted into an American Jewish family after being born in South Korea. I was raised and currently live in Birmingham, Alabama. I went to RISD because of the privileges of my American family. I strive to create honest and personal work because that is what’s most meaningful to me. Why should we create work for others, anyway?

https://vimeo.com/lilyahreesiegel
Nancy Cook Smith

Textiles ’74

I was born deaf. I did not have the same means of communication as other kids, so the creation of something physical and visual became my voice. I had an innate affinity with the tactile nature of things and a fine sense of color; these lead me to start working with fabrics. I began sewing when I was ten.

After graduating from RISD, I began my career in fashion creating hand-woven textiles, which became the basis for the fine art fabric collages I make today. I combine anything that works, store-bought fabric or materials I find in the alley on my daily walks; it doesn’t make a difference to me. In the end it’s all thread, each special in its own way. Every fabric and material carries its own history. I appreciate them for their unique traits. I use their individual characteristics to create my world, combining old and new to tell my story.

When I was designing fashion, the actress Anne Bancroft was my client. She told me “Talk in a deep voice…they will listen.” She was referring to my physical voice but this speaks to my artistic voice as well, which I stitch deep with layers and deep in reflection. The act of making art and the process of putting together each piece has the deepest personal meaning to me that I do not have the words to describe.

www.nancycooksmith.com
Allen Spetnagel

Illustration ’02

I’m an alumnus of the RISD Illustration class of 2002 and have been living in recovery from schizophrenia since 2004. I use the term “living in recovery” because schizophrenia is a mental illness that has no cure. The mere fact that I make any artwork at all is an act of rebellion against my disease. People with schizophrenia sometimes exist in what has been called a “secondary theater of operations,” which I would describe as a reality within the perceived reality that we all try to agree upon and adhere to. This unreal, secondary reality can lead one to interpret statements and events in a drastically different manner from his or her peers. It can lead to anger, fear, and anxiety that eventually express themselves in different form. My method for creating has become less concerned with content and quality and more concerned with regularity. I am interested in creating structure in my life to combat the intrusive feeling that nothing in life has positive consequences. That feeling of apathy is my schizophrenia taking control. I schedule time devoted to art making every day. I draw for at least an hour every morning as soon as I wake up. I try to paint or accomplish more free-form projects in the afternoons. Keeping up with my tasks of daily living and avoiding social isolation are equally challenging. A small bit of art–making, however, is a tangible sign that I am still making progress in my recovery.

https://allenspetnagel.blogspot.com
Shauna Summers

Counseling & Psychological Services

I have visual impairments, the remnants of congenital cataracts for which I had surgery as an infant. I’m told I was the first infant in the state of Indiana to have cataract surgery. I was three months old when the cataract was removed from my right eye and five months old when it was removed from my left. I can’t imagine how my parents must have felt handing me over to have a surgeon cut my eye open.

During the two months between surgeries, my right eye grew stronger while my left eye just floated around in the milky environment created by cataracts. My left eye has never quite caught up to my right. I don’t have depth perception so I see things in sizes rather than distances. 3-D movies are the closest I can come to experiencing depth perception. Also, I barely have any peripheral vision. Because of this I prefer to walk slightly behind people when we are walking together. I’ve been left behind so many times because the person I’m walking with turns or stops, and I have no idea until I sense that they are no longer with me.

I’ve adapted well, mostly due to the tremendous privileges I’ve had throughout my life: health insurance to cover surgeries, medical care, glasses, contacts, and magnifiers. My parents and grandparents did everything they could to provide me with excellent health care and support in school. Growing up they also provided me the opportunity to attend programs through the local League for the Blind.

People with 20/20 vision don’t need to be taught how to see, but that isn’t true for me. This has several side effects. I never quite learned to observe slight social cues the same way fully sighted people do. I sometimes miss when a friend starts to tear up ever so slightly. But I’ve learned that I just need to tell people about my vision, what I can see and what I miss. I also need to ask a lot of questions. The people in my life have always responded with care and love. Always. I appreciate artists and designers for so many reasons, and one is because you have also been taught how to see, maybe not in quite the same way that I had to learn, but in a way that makes me feel like I belong in this community.
Emma Werowinski

Textiles ’18

I am incredibly grateful to have excellent vision in my left eye.

However, I cannot see out of my right eye because of Coats Disease.

You wouldn’t know this unless I just told you. Here I pause for you to squint at your screen, tilt your head slightly and try to picture it, lifting up your hand to cover your right eye so that you can “see” what I mean, pun intended. But it doesn’t work that way.

I don’t often talk about this bilateral-half-blindness except to make jokes about it, or to apologize for bumping into someone. The reality of only seeing out of one eye, affects my life constantly, and yet it doesn’t. My work has nothing to do with it, and yet it has everything to do with it at the same time. In comparison to people who see out of both eyes, my eyesight might seem like a series of coping mechanisms. But I don’t feel compelled to analyze about how my day-to-day is different.

Recently, my mom shared that she knew she didn’t have a normal suburban kid when she realized that she couldn’t enroll me in soccer. Upper middle class suburban childhood + fewer seeing eyes = no flying objects. Probably the entire course of my life stems from being enrolled in ballet instead, no flying objects there either. Human society prizes vision above all other senses, but there are many types of vision. I love my eyes and I’m proud of them both ways.

Five year old me wanted to keep my right eye in a jar if I had to have it removed; this is common with Coats Disease patients. So if, and more likely when that happens, I guess I’ll have to make art about it. Until then, artists are asked to see the world differently, so I’ll just continue doing that.

https://www.emmawerowinski.com
Jennifer Woronow

Illustration ’06

Living with co-occurring mental health disorders has taught me a great deal about personal resilience. I am in recovery for Major Depressive Disorder, General Anxiety Disorder, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I also live with a type of obsessive-compulsive behavior called dermatillomania. I experienced psychiatric hospitalization when I was in my early twenties and have overcome suicidal feelings. Today I can successfully manage my symptoms with the aid of trauma-focused therapy, exercise, and medication.

There was a point at which depression and PTSD made me feel very detached from myself and from the world around me. During treatment in 2016, my therapist recommended that I reclaim my creative side as a way to help heal. I make mixed media paintings as a reminder that my mind has healed and is capable of producing creative, intuitive thoughts. I see myself as a changed person and never a broken one. I make art to affirm that my life is worth living. It’s important for differently-abled people to recognize their strengths and achievements. My mental illness informs how I navigate the world, but it does not define me as an individual. As a person in recovery, I want to tell others that finding self-acceptance and your place in the world is possible.
Chia-Chi Wu

MFA Ceramics ’19

I believe that everyone is unique and individual. I am a sensitive person. And being a sensitive person, I can feel overwhelmed easily. I’ve often been told that I think too much, which simply leaves me feeling different and unaccepted. But there are many positive aspects to being a sensitive person. Through working on my projects, which reveal my inner thinking, I discover and re-discover who I am, and learn how to embrace myself. In order to convert the concept of “sensitive people” into sculpture, I begin by observing people’s postures. I believe that personality can be revealed through body language, and that body language can sometimes be a more direct and honest way to express our feeling rather than words. The figures in my work are based on the postures of sensitive people.

https://www.chiachiwustudio.com

Portraits

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2015

Alina Perez

Painting '17

It’s taking me a while to become comfortable with identities that I feel I have been pinned to, but I am slowly learning that I am allowed to embrace them. Being Queer and Cuban, I usually get categorized and compared to qualities with bad connotations. I have found that the only way to navigate through these negative remarks and spaces is to speak up even more, even though it can feel pretty terrifying, especially when the comments are from family and friends. I am learning that the people who matter are the ones who listen, rather than speak over me. When speaking up, I have found many people who silence me in ways I’m not familiar with, but I have also found people who feel and experience similar issues I do, who cried when I cry, laugh when I laugh, and carry some of the heavy weight I hold with them. These are the people who have helped me figure out that my experiences are both real and important. That being silent only corners me into darker places. I have realized that to navigate, you need to find those who will navigate with you.

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2015

Annie Newman

Director | Campus Planning

“Life’s passed along to us empty. We have to make up the happiness part.”
Richard FordEvery day I wake up and marvel at how WONDERFUL my life is. I just wish it hadn’t taken me so long to get here.

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2015

Chelsea Tapla

Ceramics '17

You are not what you endure. You are the endurance through which you survive it.

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2015

Deanna Casanovas

Executive Assistant | Provost’s Office

Nobody ever guesses that I’m Cuban. Both my parents are of Cuban descent. My mother was born in Placetas, Cuba and came to the US at the age of 7 with her family. My father was born in NYC and lived in a small apartment in Hell’s Kitchen with a shared bathroom and makeshift shower in the kitchen.

My parents met in high school and have been married for 39 years – they dated for five years and all of their dates were chaperoned by one of my mother’s brothers. They are far from perfect but their love is perfect, profound, and true.

I am the oldest of three girls. My parents worked hard to afford us all of the luxuries they did not have as kids, and they raised three of the coolest gals around.

Their love for each other and for family will be carried on for generations to come – as will their compassion, kindness, and free-spiritedness.

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2015

Gwen Farrelly

Director | Global Partners + Programs

Go into the world as an active participant to create a better one for all.

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2015

ImSun Song

Film/ Animation/ Video '16

How do you answer the question WHO AM I? It’s impossible. But that doesn’t mean you should feel worthless. Trying to figure out who you are is a life long process that should be full of ADVENTURES, SURPRISES, and HARDSHIP, and in the end worth looking forward to.

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2015

Indhu Solayappan

Industrial Design '17

Being away from home, my family, my culture,

difficult is an understatement.

But time away from them has allowed my

relationship with each to become strong.

As I know, understand, and value their importance in

my life. They’ve made me who I am today.

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2015

Jack Silva

Vice President | Campus Services

REFLECT… on the past
Look forward… to the future
LIVE TODAY!
Be… the captain of your ship!

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2015

Jacob Vidal Seiferle-Valencia

Apparel Design '16

What you can’t tell by looking at me is how complicated my life has been. I’ve always existed in the in-between whether as a Mexican-American who is also Jewish and Swiss, whether as a queer person whose sense of love isn’t confined to cisgender, heteronormative or monogamous standards, or as a person who was raised in rural poverty where Velveeta cheese and generic peanut butter were dietary staples. I embrace the names and definitions of my identities, I love them. However, I accept wholly who I am first, without definition. My life has not been one with direct paths, I’ve always, been in the road, in the in-between, simultaneously both and neither, all of it yet none, the cosmic universe and singularly myself, my identity a torpid, changing beast like no other.

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2015

Karen Harris

Internship Manager | Career Center | Illustration '86

I am driven by

Honesty

Kindness

Trust

Hope

I believe in giving

Fate ~ Faith

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2015

Katherine Cavanaugh

Painting '15

Sick and disabled women are some of the strongest, most compassionate people around-mostly because we have to be. We often feel we need to prove we are no more dependent, no more burdensome, no less autonomous, and no less valuable than healthy people.But, my faith taught me that humans are INTERDEPENDENT and we have to accept that in order to fight oppressive structures of all kinds.I spend a lot of time trying to be worthy of love, but only recently figured out that I already am.

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2015

Khipra Nichols

Associate Professor | Industrial Design '78

Leo has taught me Diversity’s greatest secret: What looks like difference on the outside Is really Oneness on the inside.

RISD: The garden where Diversity and Creativity always Bloom together.

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2015

Lili Hermann

Professor | Landscape Architecture

I fear of mediocrity- and not living up to all I can be, and contributing all I can contribute. I believe in people, in their innate goodness, imagination, creativity and ability to act. I fight for people who have no voice- so they can be all they can be through unleashing their own imaginative powers and having the confidence, tools and frameworks for creative explorations and constructive production so they can fully embrace and create opportunities within whatever conditions define their lives.

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2015

Moriah Benton

Illustration '16

I LOVE SELFIES, And not just taking selfies, but looking at other people’s, too. Although obviously physical attractiveness is not the most important quality in a person, our media consistently tells us otherwise and so it can be difficult to combat notions that there’s something wrong with us. Which is bullshit because we’re all adorable. And I love when people refuse to let these bogus notions prevent them from loving themselves openly and loudly. News outlets love to mock millennials, but the wonder of “the selfie generation” is that we are taking several steps closer to recognizing our own self-worth and instilling the ide that everyone is allowed to love themselves.

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2015

Patricia Barbeito

Professor | Literary Arts + Studies

Capitalism does not permit an even flow of economic resources.

With this system, a small privileged few are rich beyond conscience, and all others are doomed to bepoor at some level.

That’s the way the system works. And since we know that the system will not change the rules,

We are going to have to change the system.
MLK Jr.

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2015

Rachel Himes

Illustration '15

No man is an island. Every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less. As well as if promontory were. As well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were; any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind. And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

(I think John Donne’s words ring truer now than ever. Black lives matter.)

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2015

Samantha Weiser

Illustration '15

No matter what I think of God, I am and always will be JEWISH.

Judaism is more than the Holocaust, more than bagels; it’s a culture, it’s repairing the world, it’s helping others not for a space in the afterlife, but because it’s our responsibility to do so.

It is RUACH (spirit)

It is SHIRA (song)

It is SIMCHA (joy)

Of course, I can’t be the one to define what Judaism is, but it is so, so much more than God and bagels.

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2015

Tara Sriram

Industrial Design '15

I share a name with my father and his father, I’d like to think they both still live through me. I have NO IDEA what happens next, but the world is BIG and KIND and there are plenty of new adventures out there. I am DETERMINED to do something ground with my life. Thank you RISD it’s been a blast!

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2015

Vaughan Carman

Apparel Design '18

I bring the energy. It’s something my parents have engraved into me since I was young. Bring the energy! It’s a process. Not just anyone can bring the energy. If you’re gonna bring the energy, you gotta step it up to a whole nother level. It’s the drive to work longer then necessary, run faster, jump higher, learn more than necessary. Bringing the energy is changing necessary to mandatory. I bring the energy everywhere I go. Maybe that’s why I’m always smiling so much.
My name is Vaughan Lewis Carman, and I bring the energy.

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2015

Won Bee Hwan

Illustration '16

“There’s more to you than meets the blinking eye…

Never doubted you for a moment

Move the moon by Will-power problem?

Mister, I thought – “ No problem”
from: Haroun and the Sea of Stories by Salman Rushdie

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2015

Yannik Stevens

Sculpture '17

Living on a tiny island in the middle of the Caribbean may seem ideal to most, but for me it was a very STIFLING experience. I found it difficult to connect to the people around me – particularly my family – as it felt like they were having completely different experiences from my own. I just couldn’t find a space for myself.

It’s taken a while for me to feel SAFE exploring my identity, but I’m finally beginning to find people I feel comfortable around who help me create that space for myself and others.

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2015

Yelitsa Jean-Charles

Illustration '16

At the age of 4, my parents began preparing me for life as a BLACK GIRL. They told me to work HARDER, be SMARTER, look NICER than the other kids. This wasn’t just because these are good things to be, but because people will not expect me to be ANY of those things. They still don’t.

I am a QUEEN Regardless.

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2015

Yves-Olivier Mandereau

Ceramics + Graphic Design '15

As a queer person, I have fought for myself all of my life. I have been told for too long who or how I “should” be. In resistance I’m very much who I am and commit to being myself.

However, I am still struggling with internalized homophobia and the tropes of ‘should.’ When I meet new people I find myself checking my behavior and curbing my attitude & mannerisms to fit-in for fear of being confronted w/ what ‘should’ once again.
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2014

Adam Blake

Apparel Design '16

IF I AM AS STEREOTYPICAL AS IT GETS. I am a fruity flouncy bouncy skinny white gay boy who would rather prance somewhere than drive. Growing up “different” in any sense is hard but it’s especially difficult when you are everything gay culture represents. Well, not everything. I barely thought I was anything other than a boy who wanted to do his hair differently and who had an unquestionable crush on Frederick from The Sound of Music. But then people put me on a billboard as “Gay!” A poster child spokesperson. Girls always came to talk to me about boys, and boys didn’t know how to talk to me about anything other than the fact that they like girls. I’m not saying that I’m upset that I fit a stereotype, cuz I’m not. I will not be upset that I am who I am. All I’m saying is that I’d prefer people to see me as the boy who skips everywhere rather than the gay boy who skips everywhere. I love being gay. Love it to pieces. But I love prancing and flitting about even more. People don’t always realize that it’s not cuz I’m gay, it’s cuz I’m Adam, who just happens to be a big fan of boys who are 6’3”.

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2014

Alicia Deyanira Luzón-Villamán

Employment Specialist | Human Resources

I am from wisdom

I am from love – AMOR

I come from painful history

Courage

Revolts

Dreams

y Determinación

Soy una danza de colores

Black

Red

White

I come from you!

Vengo de yucca

The ocean

Sugar

y limón

From Strength

blues and greens

music

rice and beans

Then FREEDOM gave birth to me

So I keep dancing…

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2014

Anayra García

Division Administrative Assistant | Media

She is clothed with

Strength

and

Dignity,

and she laughs

without fear of

the future.

Fuerza

y

Dignidad

son su vestidura,

y sonríe al futuro.

Proverbs 31:25

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2014

Babette Allina

Executive Director | Government Relations + External Relations

Change happens incrementally

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2014

Carol Terry

Retired

I want students at RISD to see the library as a place that brings them new insight and knowledge and also reflects their experience.

I would like to be remembered not only for my contributions that resulted in our splendid library building, but also for the collections I built.

I have bought 63,115 books in my 27 years… more than doubling the size of the library.

I am always looking for new ways to expand our coverage of visual art and design history and practice from diverse communities and cultures.

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2014

Christina (Chris) Hartley

Director of Alumni Relations | Institutional Engagement | Illustration '74

I am a first-generation college graduate. I adore my two sons and worked hard to help them through college.

I cherish my family, my friends, and my DOG!

I like to: bake cookies, travel, smell the roses, read Dickens, make jam, walk in the snow, doze by the fire, knit, say please + thank you.

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2014

Constance + Ernest Kirwan

Apparel Design '51 + Painting '56 | Int. Architecture '51 + Architecture '56

It was love at first sight when we saw each other in the stairwell of Memorial Hall.
That was in November of 1947.

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2014

Dennis Congdon

Professor | Painting '75

My dad was a dairy farmer in Southern Rhode Island and he told me many times about the Depression years when sad, hungry men would knock on his mom’s door and ask, hat – n – hand, for any work. They would stare at their feet, humiliated but too hungry not to have knocked. Their shoes were nearly worn out. All work on the farm was covered, but my Grandmother said to each one, “You come in and fix a plate, son.” They could not come in… too embarrassed. Dad’s mom brought food heaped high out to them. They ate on the stone doorstep. My dad gave away everything as his mother had taught him. We have a roof, we have our cows, we have our fields and garden. I have his heart behind me as I work, empathy and caring for others connects me to my family.

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2014

Devyn Park

Illustration '15

BEE YOURSELF!
I love so many different things. First and foremost my family and friends will always be the trueloves of my life because of their endless love and support. With that being said I also love movies, video games, cartoons, comic books, action figures, posters, collectables and so many other things. Never be ashamed to love the things you love, and never be afraid to be yourself!

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2014

Emily Chao

Industrial Design '15

I DREAM ABOUT TRAVELING THE WORLD. Ever since I was young, my dad would always bring my family on road trips, or overseas. As a young child, I never really appreciated going to places because I didn’t have an understanding. As I grew up, I became influenced by my dad’s spontaneity in traveling. I like to think that everywhere I go, each place is as unique as each individual is. I WANT TO CREATE ART REPRESENTING MY TRAVEL EXPERIENCES. I want to travel and explore the uniqueness of each place, the people that are there, how they interact with each other or with the environment, how the environment influences the people… The ART of interaction is what INTRIGUES ME.

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2014

Emily Wolter

Textiles '15

The truest thing I know about myself and others is that people are filled with all kinds of complexity and contradiction. DO NOT over-simplify the diverse and unique individuals around you. It is the root of ignorance and prejudice.

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2014

Eric Telfort

Critic | Illustration '05

I discovered one day I was in fact an x-man with the ability to control magnetism. Much like Magneto I’ve always had the ability to freeze time… whenever I enter a professional setting, bank, convenience store, or a classroom everyone and everything seems to stop. From time to time my telepathy controls the side of the street people walk on. My power also attracts people to a unique open-minded approach to re-inventing perceptions of race, gender, ideologies, and of course fashion preferences!!

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2014

Fritz Harryson

Public Safety Officer III | Public Safety

My diversity is my family, (West African meets Italian-French-Canadian). My children, beautiful, talented, and smart. My diversity is my creativity with art and my love of music (old school). My diversity is my passion for football, (GO BEARS), love of food and zest for life. My diversity is my wonderful wife for whom I would not have found without GOD’s help. Diversity is my smile, sense of humor, and laughter… (especially at myself). My diversity is knowing I will never be perfect but at least try to be right. My diversity is knowing I may be better “off ” than others but I am not better “than” anyone else. My diversity includes all people. My diversity is my personality: friendly, positive, and upbeat. What is your diversity?

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2014

George Delgado

Cook | Dining + Catering

All the kids love me. They ask for George when they come in. I love to cook for them. They ask me what days I’m off and they tell me not to leave school until they graduate.

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2014

Jennifer Prewitt-Freilino

Assistant Professor | History, Philosophy + Social Sciences

The truth is, people spend too much time worrying about what they are not and what they don’t have, rather than truly appreciating who they are and what they have. It is pretty difficult to feel anxious and depressed when you focus on what makes you LUCKY. I wish I could say I always knew this and that I always live by it. However, this kind of daily gratitutde takes practice and sometimes even effort.

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2014

Leah Benjamin

Critic | Apparel Design

Loss has been the greatest gift. When everything else was stripped away, all that was left was me.

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2014

Lucy King

Associate Director of Admissions Recruitment | Sculpture ’93

The TRUTH is hardly ever black + white. I’m intrigued by the sliding scale of PEOPLE. We encompass a very WIDE spectrum. I ask, “What’s the context?” I say, “That depends.”

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2014

Max Avi Kaplan

Administrative Coordinator | Intercultural Student Engagement

I look at the world with eyes wide open.

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2014

Mika Kanazawa

International Student Advisor | International Student Services

The Moment of Discovery
Looking back the days when I was an international student, I realize how far I have come to.

Imagining the next direction in my life, I hope myself Be the one who can Inspire Others.

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2014

Patrick Hamilton

Graphic Design '86

I would HOPE I’ve helped MAKE CHANGE, or helped someone love their home, or ADDED BEAUTY, or that I’ve helped MAKE A CONNECTION, or shared a part of my story or journey or vulnerability in a way that helped someone understand themselves, or their neighbor or son or husband better. I’d like to think I was the best version of myself I was capable of.

And I’d like a fancy wedding to a handsome man. Possibly in a kilt.

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2014

Pradeep Sharma

Provost

Curiosity is not only about being eager to know or learn something, but it is also about the strange and the unusual. I like this familiarity-unfamiliarity. I am fascinated by paradox. To me there is a link to creativity – how we can look at something and perhaps see something else – something different, something new.

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2014

Tiara Little

Film/ Animation/ Video '15

When I think about my life, I think about how I wouldn’t be here without all of the strong women in my family. In my eyes, I was raised by Queens and Goddesses because everything they do is flawless! All of them have taught me many great things that I use in my daily life. One of them being that nothing is impossible. My family always pushed me towards leadership positions, and it was for good reason. They wanted to prepare me for a world that would walk all over me if I allowed it. Thanks to my family, I not only learned how to be independent but also how to be strong. My physical size is nothing compared to the intensity and determination that flows through my body. I only hope that I can be a fraction of the woman my mom, grandma, aunts and cousins are, and I hope I continue to make them proud throughout life.

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2014

Zoë Chinonso Ene

Industrial Design 2017

I AM PROUDLY AFRICAN.
If one day God decided to hit the reset button, I would willingly want to represent the Motherland and all the pride and beauty that she possesses again. Being Nigerian & being Black are more than just boxes to tick for me; I consider myself an African ambassadoress and desire to put my continent in the good light that she deserves. Enough is enough of hearing half of Africa’s story; tales of famine, poverty, and pain. I want to use my gifts and talents to complete Africa’s narrative for the world’s ears, a story of innovation, color, and life.
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2013

Alexandra Blake

Textiles '14

The work that I do as an artist, activist, community organizer has the potential to shake up the world! This work is always, I hope, moving toward change – in my life, on a personal level, and in the larger scopes of the communities I am a part of. Most specifically, I am interested in shaking up the world of dress – what it means to wear what we wear, what impacts those decisions. Do we have access to decision-making in terms of clothing? If not-how can we take this part of our lives into our hands to positively impact our health and well-being? I approach this work while acknowledging its impact on mental health – trying to funnel that potential in an effective manner. Feeling fabulous about how we present ourselves to the world is a step towards recognizing our inherent greatness.

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2013

Ariel Bordeaux

Senior Library Assistant | Special Collections | RISD Library

Making comics helped me find my voice. Making art was a little meaningless until I started writing about my own life… Comics are great if you’ve got a lot of pent up frustration. If I go through a phase of not writing or drawing for too long I become a ball of repressed rage. It’s powerful to put your thoughts on paper… it’s healing.

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2013

Bill Cline

Computer Laboratory Technician | Industrial Design

My people are the African American community.

We are timeless innovators, artists, scientists, inventors and explorers who have endured and overcome almost insurmountable obstacles to gain the right to be treated as equals.

In spite of that, we as a group have made and continue to make significant and indelible contributions to American culture.

We are America!

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2013

Christina Rodriguez

Illustration '03

While I can “pass” for white, I am far from it. You can’t tell by looking at me that my ethnicity is predominantly Mexican and Korean. The “whiteness” is assumed by merit of inheriting my mother’s ivory skin. I make jokes about it, but there’s a whole world of pain surrounding this. It’s surprising the terrible things people have said to my face before realizing I’m not white, or worse, after they knew. But what can a child say in the face of such ignorance? I’ve carried that pain over the years and tried to turn it into something beautiful: the characters I paint in my books are often deliberately ethnically ambiguous. Children search for representations of themselves in books, and I feel like I’ve been painting for my childhood self for years.

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2013

Eduardo Duarte

Assistant Professor | Interior Architechture

I don’t drive my attitudes, dreams or ideas to change the world but to keep me awake so the world may come in to make me able to dream, act and think all over again.

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2013

Elias Ajaga

Film/ Animation/ Video '15

I was a slave to my past and will be paralyzed by the future. Right now I wish to be present.

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2013

Eric Estenzo

Industrial Design '13

The truth is a resounding heartbeat THAT I AM HUMAN.

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2013

Greg Victory

Executive Director | Continuing Education

“It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are.” e.e. cummings Never be afraid to share “you” with the world. Do so with abundant VIGOR and beaming PRIDE.

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2013

Joseph Bochynski

Apparel Design '16

My father was a care-taker of properties around Buffalo, NY. He would drive around and fix or replace things that broke or needed attention. As a kid I would usually just drive around with him and wait on the porch until he was finished. There were incredible forces of chaos in the world, usually personified in a broken doorknob or a stolen copperpipe. If at any moment he stopped tending to the landscape and community, things would begin to collapse. I understand what this means now, the fragility of the world, of how quickly we can fall through the ice, of how we need to continuously improve the world. If we can just keep things propped up long enough, everything will be okay.

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2013

Kelley Mills + Matt Bengochea

Trustee Relations Secretary + Project Coordinator | President's Office

What are you?

The prefix “multi” has always intrigued me. I think it is because the concept of a “multi” category allows one the freedom not to have to categorize. I mean, how awesome is it to have variety and not have to choose? My family has Native American, African American, and Caucasian heritage. And being from the Southern US, my parents were categorized as African Americans…despite their outward appearance. They graduated from segregated high schools and were treated as African Americans. I was born and raised in the same hometown where they grew up, and I was taught (and in some cases, forced) to identify as African American. Friends used to say to me…“But you don’t LOOK black.” Needless to say, I struggled with identity issues as a multi-ethnic person in an environment where choosing one category was important. Later in life, I finally felt the freedom to no longer fell as though I must categorize into one particular group. And though I have pride in identifying with my African American heritage from a social and cultural perspective, I fully embrace that I am multi-ethnic and multi-dimensional. So, now when people ask me, “What are you?” I answer with a simple response that begins… “I AM ME.”
— Kelley I always joked with my friends that I was “light” not “white.” Half Latino and half white. Just what does that mean? When the name Bengochea precedes me, I am always asked to explain. You don’t necessarily guess my Cuban roots by looking at me, but maybe you should look harder. As a person of mixed race/ethnicity, I have always wrestled with my identity. In certain contexts I feel that I am not Hispanic enough and in others, I feel like I am not expressing myself completely unless I reference my mixed ethnicity. As I get older, I become more comfortable in these situations and learn to embrace the fullness of who I am. In a black and white society I am the grey; I am other; I am what cannot be clearly defined.

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2013

Lisa Pevaroff Cohn

Board of Trustees Vice-Chair | Textiles '86

Be brave

Make noise

Make art

Dig in

Dream

Smile

Sing

Create

Celebrate

Dig in

Stand tall

Get dirty

Believe

Pray

Play

Love

Remember, no matter what we look like, we all have a story. Our stories are what make us diverse, our humanity is what makes us similar. Everyone has challenges. Rise to the occasion. Shine. I carry you in my heart always.

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2013

Lynne McCormack

Film/ Animation/ Video '83

I believe community and collective consciousness create a city And the sea of humanity is beautiful I believe everyone has a voice And that difference breeds understanding and difference is STRENGTH And that UTOPIA exists I believe LOVE transforms And the day is full of possibilities

I have four beautiful bi-racial children I have been misunderstood by people I love I worked my ass off to get where I am I’ve given, probably more than I should have

My heart is open I am compassionate connect people am a doer am a worker have sacrificed I am a cancer SURVIVOR

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2013

Malisa Suchanya

Illustration '14

All too often, I’m filled with fear & doubt about my Capabilities. I Question my Strengths & I Believe in my Weaknesses. I’m terrified that once I’m tossed out into the sea of life, I’ll Struggle, Drown & become a disappointment to those who believe in me. I do not want that to be the case. I want to be able to make those whom I love Proud. I know that Life is a struggle & a gamble. So, I’ve got no choice but to keep my fingers crossed & Keep Pushing On.

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2013

Manuela Jiminez

MFA Jewelry + Metalsmithing '13

In the city I am from: Bogotá, there was no space for my passion so I decided to come to the United States to fulfill my dream of becoming a jeweler. As a young student I believed that if there was no space for what I believed in, then I had to create it. If I did there would be someone to believe in me. At RISD, I have found beautiful people that not only share my interests in jewelry and art making but that complete my life. There is always a positive reception for different opinions but also strong convictions of people’s own philosophy. I think that following your dreams inspires others by showing that it is possible to do what you love. Keeping yourself positive will always make a big difference.

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2013

Nafis White + Garcia Cinclair

Sculpture '15

My wife is EVERYTHING to me!

We collaborate on sculptures and enjoy every moment of this wondrous journey together. Words cannot say how lucky we are. Recently we celebrated our 11th year together. We will celebrate many more. Living and learning with the person you LOVE makes the world shine brighter. It’s like eating dessert for every meal…

JUST DIVINE.

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2013

Nicole Buchanan

Photography '15

I am a PROUD African American WOMAN I am a STRONG African American Woman I am proud of myself, of how far I have come, and how far I still have to go. My DREAM is to become a National Geographic Photographer. I want to document cultural and social issues around the world. Many documentary Photographers today are outsiders trying to “give voices” to others without truly being connected or able to relate to the People being Photographed. I want to change the game by not documenting as an outsider but as someone who is deeply KNOWLEDGEABLE about the cultures and people that I photograph. I am Determined to be the Best that I can be. Photography is and will always be my Passion.

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2013

Nicole da Cruz

Administrative Assistant | Academic Affairs

It took a long time for me to feel safe in my own skin. I grew up a little black girl in a white, middle-class suburb. Picket fences. I suppressed who I was so that I could fit in… or at least not stand out and get bullied more than usual. I left for college and shed those fears little by little spending time alone, taking long walks through Philadelphia. I learned that if I could stand being alone – by choice or by circumstance then I could learn who I was, what I loved, I could be a WHOLE person.
I wear bright colors, bold patterns. My hair is big & kinky. I. Stand. Out.

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2013

Pamela Chávez

Illustration '15

My life story has blessed me with the ability to see STRUGGLES & HARDSHIPS as MOMENTS TO LEARN, LOVE, FEEL, PAIN & GROW. Some of the most important elements in my life relate to my upbringing as a child of Costa Rican migrant workers. I’ve moved around my whole life, learning that the life of a migrant is as TOUGH as it is FRUITFUL. Another important element is my sexual identity; I am a QUEER LATINA, living life as openly & honestly as I can CON TODO CORAZON. I decided a few years ago to focus my passion on storytelling – both my own & others like me. I hope and dream that I can carry the voices of my community in ways that are HONEST & TRUE. I hope that the creation of these stories will reflect the DIGNITY, TRUTH & RESPECT that communities of color deserve. I hope to change the way that people of color and queer people of color are regarded in the social & political narrative. I hope that all the intentions I seek remain TRUE POSITIVE and UPLIFTING.

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2013

Pascale Rihouet

Lecturer | History of Art + Visual Culture

To set a model + save The earth, I boldly decided against driving – ever. I was 14 then but to this day, I do not know how to drive. Unfortunately, my dream of a carbon footprint close to zero for individual transportation has not really concretized… I often find myself alone riding my bike in the Providence traffic, even + so when my bundle of joy Juliette sat on the co–pilot seat between the ages of 1 and 6. Now my daily sunshine rides her own bicycle. The new GENERATION?

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2013

Peter Tagiuri

Professor | Architecture

Please go and make a world of difference.

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2013

Rachelle Crosby

Landscape Architecture '14

i Love my sisters, my plants, and dogs. i Love my ZAMi. i Love my moms grey hair and my own. i Love my one and only brother. i Love my sisters smile and her signs. i Love cedar. i Love Red chile and deer meat in stews. Love my boo. i Love red lipstick and thick eyebrows, the sound of the train and the sky color of desert monsoon. i Love the touch, the calls, red wine, gold jewelry and stones. i Love that my dads hair is longer than mine. i Love my homegirls and staying up too late. i Love sex, fine tip pens and red wine, women with thick thighs and lip. i Love Tupac. i Love my granddaddy and his funny way of speaking. i Love my culture and our timeless dresses. i Love adjectives and my dads perspective. i Love black. i Love myself. i Love, Love.

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2013

Richa Kejriwal

Graphic Design '15

At this point in my life, the one thing that matters to me is having lots of experiences. I want to be satiated by life. I want to travel the world and meet new people, climb mountains and speak different languages. I want to fall in love and have my heart broken. I want to live to the fullest in reality rather than vicariously. I don’t want to ever look back and wish that I had tried harder or reached further.

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2013

Robert Brinkerhoff

Professor | Illustration

I feel a terrific sense of responsibility as a role model to our students, and particularly when I see a bit of myself in them as they begin to form their adult IDENTITIES. I owe them as much PERSONAL COURAGE as I can muster – as difficult and EMBARRASSING and RISKY as it may be sometimes. I especially want the disenfranchised, marginalized and fearful to know that I’VE GOT THEIR BACKS.

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2013

Soung Park

Glass '15

The truth is I wont ever be happy with the person I am. CHANGE has been my way of coping with myself and with the world around me. I will never stay the same because I refuse to ever be “ME.”

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2013

Yulia Gusarova

Architecture '16

I know that God has plans for me. I believe that I will become an architect and a citizen of the World, whose influences and creations will help build a better society in different places on our Planet.
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2012

Adan Gonzalez

Architecture '14

There are many things I hope to do, but at the top of my list is to celebrate the culture and identity of my Hispanic heritage. I hope that I can use my creativity to help those in need… I hope that I can become connected to an effort that solves problems around the world.

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2012

Agus Winangun

Custodian | Facilities

Got blues?
I am from Bali, but I was born and raised in Lombok, another island in Indonesia. I came to the United States when I was 20. Since then I learned how to play the “Blues” listening to a lot of Blues legends like B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Buddy Guy, Albert King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and my big influence of all time, Jimi Hendrix. My hope and dream is that we, my wife, my two sons and I will move to Bali together. I hope my wife gets a job at the Green School, and I dreamed of opening a café/bar where I can play the Blues and entertain tourists. Because what I truly love to do is play music. Music is my Soul.

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2012

Anais Missakian

Professor | Department Head | Textiles '84

I am Armenian American born in Switzerland. My father is from Egypt. My mother is from Detroit. They are both Armenian. My grandfather escaped the genocide (1915) in eastern Turkey; my great grandparents, sadly did not survive. My husband, Mark, is of German descent and our three sons Haig, Vartan, and Arani are then Armenian german Americans. My identity is deeply tied to being Armenian and American. Textile traditions are in my blood. I learned to knit and sew from my grandmother and mother before I was ten, and before I knew it was a serious field of practice and study. My hands are always making. My eyes are always looking.

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2012

Avishek Ganguly

Assistant Professor | Literary Arts + Studies

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2012

Becky Fong

Assistant Director | Admissions | Graphic Design '05

Sometimes I think I need to win the lottery, jet set around the world, quit my job, and live near the beach. It’s true it would be great to win the lottery but my real hope is to be a philanthropist, and actually I really like to work. I really like people, talking, helping, interacting. It’s a reward that I get to meet so many different people in my job and in the activities I participate. I feel good about my day when I do at least one good thing to benefit someone other than myself. I try really hard to keep my life in perspective. I am very fortunate and remain grateful and try to be humble. I am blessed with very loving parents, family, and siblings.

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2012

Beryl Bai

Graphic Design '15

Steadfast

relentless

resolved

enduring

intimidating

headstrong

RESILIENT

paramount

calm

rebellious

period.

exclamation!

loving

smiling

amiable

tolerant

soft

Lovely

understanding

compassionate

gentle

I AM

light to dark

and

EVERYTHING in

BETWEEN

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2012

Candace Baer

Vice President | Human Resources

Being a whole person is not about how many hands you have, whom you choose to love, how smart you are or the color of your skin… for many years, I went everywhere in public wearing a prosthesis. I believed that it made me more complete – more whole. Now when I wear my artificial hand it’s because my arm is cold or because I like the way it looks with my dress… My friends joke that whenever they ask if I’d like help with something I say – “I can do it!” And they say, “I know you can do it – and I can also help you!” I guess part of understanding or believing that we are whole means that sometimes we get by with a little help from our friends, regardless of how many hands we have…

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2012

Carmel Snow

Textiles '14

I am

A child

Of the moon

Adventuring

In the woven

Tidepools

Of the present

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2012

Francisco Moreno Taboada

Painting '12

In America I am free. In America I am not free. In America I feel watched. In America I am anonymous. In America there are illusions. In America I became an adult. In America I am always hungry. In America I am an alien. In America there is order. In America the police frighten me. In America I can see the future. In America I always have an outbound ticket. In America cigarettes are expensive. In America I think about my looks. In America I buy jeans. In America I walk the streets. In America I ride in cars. In America I eat quickly. In America I shit & shit. In America I never stop. In America I always shop. In America I question what I am doing. In America I’m never in shape. In America I feel alone. In America I’m not so successful. In America I’ll always fail. In America where are my friends? In America what are the rules? In America how do I break the rules? In America we are afraid of our sexuality.

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2012

Heeju Choi

Interior Architecture '14

I was always a common. I was invisible. I was wimid and quiet. I was too aware of what others thought of me.But Now it’s different. Being surrounded by so many dverse individuals who value themselves as who they are and what they are Ive learned to see myself as an individual. RISD has taught me to be brave and bold. Not to be afraif. To overcome my shyness and be myself. To be confident and to be me. What it means to be me. What it feels like to be “Heeju” I’ve learned to be a groundbreaker of my own life.

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2012

HeeSang Lee

Illustration '14

THIRD CULTURE KID (TCK): An individual who has experienced a significant part of his/her developmental years outside of the parent’s culture. A TCK would be open to connecting to all cultures while not possessing full ownership in any.

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2012

Jeung-Hwa Park

Senior Critic | Apparel Design | MFA Textiles '00

Life is transformed into a combination of opposites

Dream and Reality • Spiritual and Physical • East and West

Yin and Yang • Woman and Man • Tradition and Modern

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2012

Karan Mudgal

Industrial Design '13

Optimism is my modus operandi. I am always under the belief that the situations we are in have a silver lining, no matter how bad the going gets. While much of my outlook on life exists because of the luck of the draw I was given, it has only cemented in me the fact that I must use these wonderful gifts to help others. What is the use of a blessing not shared? I live each day knowing I will one day make waves. This overconfidence stems simply from the fact that I have been given all the right tools. Now I need only make something beautiful. I aim to bring light to dark places.

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2012

Keela Potter

Graphic Design '14

I am from the land of 10,000 lakes. I was born in South Korea. I am lactose intolerant. I believe in the power of education. I am an avid list maker. I swear a lot. My family cooks Korean food on Christmas Eve. I have a Minnestonian accent. My parents are my best friends. I write lots of letters. I play the viola. I sometimes forget to wear my retainer. I find beauty in just being.

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2012

Latrelle Maria Rostant

MA Architecture '12

Sometimes I hold back parts of myselff and keep people at a distance because I did not want to be hurt by their words and actions. BUT as I have gotten older I have come to the understanding that people are complex and at the end of the day it is our complexity that makes us UNIQUE and really AMAZING people.

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2012

Linda Murphy Church

Executive Director Planning + Assessment | Finance

DOA- Dead on Arrival- That’s what the doctors said my fate could have been. When I was a child I was thrown into the windshield of a car in an auto accident. I had severe bleeding and might have died except that a bystander knew the pressure point to control the bleeding. I wound up with facial scars and lost most of my vision with one eye, but I survived. I always thought my life had been saved for a reason, and I thought the reason was that I would save a a life someday. As the years went by there was no child under the ice or burning building to rush into. Then one day as a young mother, I was watching my three children play.It came over me like an epiphany that if I had died as a child , these three children would never have been borm. I had already given back three-fold what had been given to me. I knew then that my purpose in life was to raise these three children to be responsible, caring adults, and I have done that to the best of my ability. So what does that mean for me now. It means I am not afraid of dying. Every day I have had since day eleven has been a gift, and I am not greedy for more. And about these facial scars, I’d like to say that I think of them as my red badge of courage or as marks of my character, but actually I really hate them!

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2012

Michael Cooley

Industrial Design '15

I wear my heart on my sleeve. Everything Negative gets to me. Don’t try to use that against me.

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2012

Rakhshaan Gazi

Architecture '16

Coming from a society which is very conservative, coming to RISD was a big change,but change for the good. i felt I could explore so much that I hadn’t before. often females or women are looked as objects rather than humans in our culture, and I believe RISD gave me a completely different outlook on how to approach my place in society.The independence was a fresh feeling. Almost a new world. Art also helped a lot. RISD as a community made me realize about the cultural diversity, people from different backgrounds and experiences and that my unique qualities could add to that experience.

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2012

Rhoda Blakey

Lead Dining Experience Associat | Dining + Catering

I am obsessed with the color ORANGE- I <3 it!!! I have ORANGE furniture, ORANGE watch, anything ORANGE– Iv’e got it. I even had a dog whose name was ORANGES. I have an ORANGE butterfly tattoo. I just love ORANGE it makes me smile. I <3 to make people smile. I think a smile means LOVE. When I see people I greet them with a big ole smile of love. I think it brightens up the day!!

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2012

Steven J. Bailey

Assistant Registrar | Registrar’s Office

When I graduated from high school, I did not have the opportunity to attend college, instead my background led me to helping people, helping my country. Joining the military was important to me at that time, mainly because we had just withdrawn ourselves from a terrible war and I wanted to keep our country strong. I was willing to defend her, in case we were called into battle again. The flag is a very important symbol to me. I don’t only look at it as a piece of cloth flying in the wind, but a measurement of how important this country is to me and my fellow Americans. I stand proudly and face our flag with due diligence, mainly because I followed in our fathers’ footsteps to keep her flying and to defend her with all my might. *Deceased

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2012

Tammy Kwark

Illustration '13

I struggled with my faith as a Christian.

I still struggle with my faith.

People may not believe in the cross but I think everyone believes in hope.

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2012

Zoe Lohmann

Sculpture '15

What sustains me is knowing where I’ve COME FROM and where I am GOING. I finally feel that I am in the RIGHT PLACE at the RIGHT TIME. I find that I have begun to understand a lot about the world i live in, and these truths help me along and reassure me, no matter if they are good or bad. I feel somewhere between 1000 and 5 years old. I find the most calming feeling I can think of is that I AM ALONE WITH MYSELF IN THE UNIVERSE. I am responsible for my choices and my furture. When I achieve something, I can be PROUD OF MYSELF. When I FUCK UP it’s up to me to fix it. I believe that all you need is COMMITMENT & DETERMINATION. I have to love myself before I can have a healthy relationship with other people, so I embrace myself with my QUIRKS, WEIRD HABITS, UNIQUE BODY and SOUL. I have found friends who love me for being who I am. EVERYTHING WE BEGIN BECOMES WHAT WE MAKE OF IT.
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2011

Adam Taylor

Clerk | RISD Store

To me seeking happiness is the most important thing, and on that I always keep an eye. It may seem self-centered, but I believe being happy is the only way you are really yourself. I no longer have a tolerance for misery. If what I’m working toward does not give me peace then I move on.

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2011

Alexander Rowe

Illustration '14

I wish I was so lucky to know what path I should take. Sometimes that path is artist, sometimes just a guy who likes movies. A lot. Sometimes my heart says “Priest,” but other times it calls to a future along the “white – picket fence” variety – wife and kids, no room for the white dog collar. I learned the hard way not long ago that what you want is not always what is right; even if what you want is best for you. Sometimes you just need to sacrifice what you want most. If I had to follow one thing, it would be the constant effort for something greater that all can share. So whether my life leads to the pulpit or parenting, a career or a vow, I’ll be sure of one thing: it’s what the world needs.

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2011

Christina Bertoni

Professor | Foundation Studies

As I stand in the center of my knowing I am more and more able to understand that humans are simply no better and no worse than any other species. I learn a great deal from observing nature and understand my life and our culture better when I see our lives in the full context of nature and the larger universe.Nature is my constant inspiration. It refreshes me always. Most importantly it teaches me everything…or most of the BIG THINGS I need to understand. As I walk and look and smell and feel and observe, I see how all things abide with the cycles of life, and the inevitability of regeneration and change.

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2011

Claudia Ford

Director | Office of International Programs

When I practiced as a midwife I realized:Hey! We are ALL born naked and upside down! I have been circling the globe for thirty years with my four children in tow. I see the world through the eyes of a child- my children, other people’s children. That we humans see difference and fight with each other is ludicrous. How could we pretend that we are not all equal in worth and value? But then my life has also been one where I have been devalued, marginalized, discriminated against, pushed out because I am a woman of color, outspoken, nonconforming to the mainstream hegemonic values. Now I am dedicating my life (by studying for a PhD in Environmental Studies) to repairing the horribly damaged relationship between humans and Nature. I don’t have time to worry about whether people approve of me.

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2011

Deborah Bright

Professor | Department Head | Photography

Some of my identities are worn on the surface: white, middle-aged, woman (sort of butch), professional, educated creative type, (wears black). Others are claimed in particular contexts: artist, photographer, writer, educator, administrator, activist, queer, lesbian, aunt, mentor, friend, sister, agnostic, seeker. All of these identities evolved over time and cross-fertilize. I am not reducible to any one of them.

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2011

Duhirwe Rushemeza

MFA Printmaking '11

I believe that living in many different countries around the world – moving from one place to the next – has made me who I am today. Had the locations been reversed – or some omitted – I would be a radically different individual. I was born in RWANDA. Soon after my family moved to Bonn, GERMANY, then to the U.S.A. – Lubbock, Texas before moving to Ithaca, NY. We moved to Abidjan, CÔTE D’ IVOIRE when I was 14. A couple of years later, my twin sister Liliane, and I returned to the U.S.A. for school. We lived in Tennessee; Long Island, NY; and Atlanta, GA. I also resided in Florence, ITALY, Chicago, IL and New York, NY. My family has recently also called Rome, ITALY; Harare, ZIMBABWE; and Montreal Quebec, CANADA… HOME. Having lived in many diverse places, Global issues – such as those lead to war or environmental issues – are very important to me. Everything I do in my creative field, even subtly, reflects these concerns… I am especially interested in how different people from varying cultures around the globe relate to each other.

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2011

Elinor Nacheman

Cataloger/ Reference Librarian | RISD Library

One of the key foundations of Judaism is the concept of Tikkun Olam, or, ‘repairing the world,’ and that’s something that resonates deeply with me. For that reason, I have been involved with volunteer activities in various organizations for a very long time. I would like to believe that in some way my work with Ronald McDonald House, my synagogue’s Social Action Committee, and the John Brown House Museum, have made a difference and touched people’s lives in a tangible way. I also love the contact I’ve had with students over the years, in my daily work as a librarian at RISD. If as librarians we can inspire students with our collections and help instill lifelong learning skills in research and critical thinking, I would consider that a wonderful legacy.

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2011

Emily Albert

Graphic Design '13

I have 2, 5, & 10 year plans. I can only hope my future looks like none of them.

I want to be remembered as one whose ears were open to others, hands were busy with good work, & mouth was always quick to smile.

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2011

Gina Borromeo

Curator of Ancient Art | RISD Museum

Being in this community of creative people who appreciate art in all its forms is something I try not to take for granted. I love going around a corner and finding something completely unexpected. Just happening upon a surprise like that is very much like being given an unexpected gift. The crossing currents of creativity and constant learning around here have affected me positively. Since coming to work at RISD, I’ve taken classes in glass and ceramics. I think being here also played a huge role in motivating me to take piano lessons again at the age of 48. I took piano lessons as a child but my teacher quit on me early on. She told me I was tone-deaf. I carried that belief and the stigma around with me. In high school music class I mouthed the words to songs but never allowed my voice to come out. I’m even self-conscious about singing “Happy Birthday” too loudly at family gatherings. While my piano playing doesn’t produce beautiful music, the process of learning and practicing has been wonderful. I wonder what’s next?

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2011

HyoYoon “Brenda” Han

Illustration '14

There are so many girls who dream about becoming a ballerina. But I was different. The dance studio was my life. Every day I was in my own world practicing my pirouettes and choreography. People were amazed at how easily I danced on my toes like a professional. On a big performance day, as I was performing a split leap, I fell to the floor. My ankle had fractured once again, and my performance was over. My doctors and my parents told me to end my ballerina dream. I could not do anything until my ankle healed. I could not hop, skip, or run like the other children. But I decided to take the risk by continuing to do ballet classes. I would not live with regrets. After recovering, I returned to ballet classes. As I danced to the music, I began to draw in the air with the movements of my arms and hands. My love for the visual arts started to build off of my passion for ballet. As I drew my arms up and down, I could see a picture of the dance with an imagined pencil in my hands and a paper in front of me. I began to realize that all of this beauty was not limited to the stage. If I had not taken the greatest risk, I would not have realized my true and deep and full passion for the arts.

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2011

Janet Hoyte

Advisor | International Student Service

My aunt and my mom are my mentors and role models. My mom has taught me to be STRONG and always stay POSITIVE. They both taught me that there is no OBSTACLE too big or too much for me to overcome. They have always told me “What doesn’t break you makes you stronger” and to never regret any experience GOOD or BAD becaise it has lead me to the the person I can look in the mirror everyday at and be PROUD. They are always pushing me to be BETTER by the way they live their lives and to NEVER settle for “NO” when there is a possibility of a “YES” most important of all in EVERYTHING no matter how small give GOD thanks. My aunt is one of the strongest women I know. She LOVES hard and FIGHTS harder for what she BELIEVES in and NEVER gives up. She INSPIRED me to go to college, to NEVER stop learning and to be the BEST parent I can be.

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2011

Kevin McNulty

MA Architecture '14

Self-worth

Confidence

Perseverance

What whispering do I hear?

Understanding

Dream

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2011

Kristina Paglio

Crime Prevention Officer | Public Safety

The deepest truth I know about myself and others is that honesty and integrity are inherent in all of us. The question is, how and whether we choose to employ these all important facets that will impact our future. I employ honesty and integrity in all that I do – work and home – as it is the best way for me to empower myself and help others. *Deceased

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2011

Madhu Vishnu

Gift Processor | Institutional Engagement

Children are the best educators you can find. They speak without fear or prejudice. Children teach by asking questions. My husband & I field a lot of questions. Mostly from our five-year old, echoed by our three-year old. We keep our answers simple. And brace ourselves for more questions prompted by the answers.

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2011

Mara Hermano

Vice President | Integrated Planning

My grandmother, my mother and aunts, the women in my family have been strong role models for their courage to pursue their dreams, to serve others, and to be independent, self-made women. My mother and her siblings grew up during the Japanese occupation of the Philippines. For as long as I can remember, I heard stories of hiding in bunkers, of having to move from their home in the bombed – out city to the countryside, of not having enough to eat and waiting for planes to airdrop

cans of food. My grandfather had been imprisoned for collaborating with the Americans, so my grandmother did all of this on her own, with 6 young children. I can’t even imagine the courage and energy that took! My grandparents valued education and sent their children to study abroad. They became successful

professionals — dedicated to their own careers as well as the family businesses. My grandmother instilled in them a commitment to serve. Her favorite charity was a home for paraplegics. We welcomed the residents to our family gatherings and still support the home today. I left them in the Philippines to create my own story, but they are very much a part of my story and WHO I AM.

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2011

Mariana Botero

Architecture '14

TRUST. BELEIVE. DREAM. ENJOY. LIVE. CARE. LAUGH. ACHIEVE. LEARN. GROW. I am inspired by creativity and an open mind. I admire people who love life and accept it as it comes; without rules, stereotypes or prejudice. There are no rules. There isn’t one true truth Life is just meant to be lived. Everyone is afraid. So people who manage to LIVE following their heart and TRUE happiness are those whom I admire the most. LIVE.LOVE.LAUGH. BE! HAVE FUN!

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2011

Martin Almonte

Custodian | Facilities

I love to work hard. I want to be the hardest worker in my department. I don’t like people who are unmotivated and lazy. I hunt out problems and fix them. I am a skilled carpenter. In my home country, the Dominican Republic, I would sand and make things. My father taught me so I would have skills. My papa and I would play pool. I made the pool table with my dad. It doesn’t matter that I’m deaf. I am the same as others who can hear. I’m learning American Sign Language. Everything is visual to me. I know what I see and have to trust it. It’s what I have. I am the only deaf person I know here at RISD. It gets lonely sometimes being the only deaf person. Just because I don’t hear don’t think that I don’t know everything that’s going on. I want people to see a strong worker and someone who contributes. I always have my eyes open to find the treasure in the day. I love being at RISD.

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2011

Mike Fink

Professor | Literary Arts + Studies

I have learned that we become more “artistic” with the passing decades because we appreciate the little things more, the glimpses of beauty wherever we come across them, from the flowers of spring to the red leaves of fall and the snowflakes of winter. It’s the consolation for our losses, the gain of gratitude and the wealth of memory.

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2011

Sam Andrus

Illustration '11

I have ideas about creativity that can impact the world and make people generally happier. I’ve seen some interesting research about how to generate ideas and increase productivity. It is healthy and productive to let your mind wander and make train-of-thought lists of things, not caring whether things make sense. I dream of a world where no one stays “stuck” or “bored.” These are mindsets we can’t afford to be in. I want to set an example for sheer creative output that shows this idea inaction. Simply mix and match random elements to form new connections to generate an idea, and the boundaries of creativity are limitless.

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2011

Tila Adams

Director | RISD Store

My vision for my future is to be content living a simple life… To be at a point in my life where I can give more than I take, from nature and from society.

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2011

Toussaint Wallace

Architecture '13

The slang I speak dont change that Im deep.