Kylee Hong (BRDD 2026) and Team Win ADU Design Competition
In collaboration with AARP RI, RISD's Interior Architecture department organized a design competition the design problem of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). Guest-judged by state legislators, the design charrette inspired conversation about the need for flexible, accessible, and affordable housing options in Rhode Island. Kylee Hong (BRDD 2026, Interior Studies Adaptive Reuse, Urban Studies) and her team took first place.
2024 BRDD Exhibition “While the Sap Flows” Featured in News from Brown and Brown Daily Herald
While the Sap Flows, BRDD's 16th annual student-organized exhibition, is profiled in the Brown Daily Herald and News at Brown. Featuring 44 artworks in various mediums by 31 artists enrolled in the program, the exhibition is on view on floors 2 through 4N of Brown's Granoff Center for the Creative Arts from January 20 through February 25, 2024. News at Brown calls the show "a shining example of the imagination that comes from pursuing multiple paths of study." Anay Agarwal (BRDD 2028, Undeclared), Naya Lee Chang (BRDD 2024, Furniture, History) Lucinda Drake (BRDD 2025, Illustration, Literary Arts), and Alysha Lai (BRDD 2028, Undeclared) are quoted in the coverage.
Njari Anderson (BRDD 2024) Co-Moderates RISD's 2024 MLK Series Panel
RISD's annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Series celebrates the life and enduring contributions of Dr. King in creating a more just and democratic society while highlighting the role of art, design and creative endeavor in advancing justice and democracy. Along with Schiller Family Assistant Professor Naimah Petigny, Njari Anderson(BRDD 2024, Sculpture, Modern Culture and Media) co-moderated this year's signature event, a panel discussion with architect Gabrielle Bullock (RISD BArch '84), artist Walter Cruz, and educator/author Salamishah Tillet.
Noah Howard (BRDD 2025) and ID Classmates Design Objects for Providence's Zoo
This fall, students in RISD's Design for Animal Enrichment course worked to develop engaging puzzle feeders and toys that encourage the animal residents of Providence's Roger Williams Park Zoo to exhibit behaviors typically displayed in the wild. Noah Howard (BRDD 2025, Industrial Design, Anthropology) and his classmates spent hours observing the animals, speaking with zookeepers and researching animal behavior before creating these enrichment devices. Pictured here, a tamandua (a genus of anteater) enjoys yogurt from Noah's puzzle feeder.
Elizabeth Goodspeed (BRDD 2016) is First US Editor-at-Large for It's Nice That
Elizabeth Goodspeed (BRDD 2016, Graphic Design, Cognitive Science) has joined the team of UK art and design website It's Nice That as its first US Editor-at-Large. In addition to her editorial work, Goodspeed is an "independent designer, art director, and writer specializing in branding, packaging, and book and editorial design. She also publishes Casual Archivist, a design history focused newsletter."
Nikolas Bentel (BRDD 2017) Forges New Lanes in Design
In The Architect's Newspaper's "In the Know" Column, Nikolas Bentel (BRDD 2017, Industrial Design, Modern Culture and Media) is profiled as one of four "architects not making architecture, but forging new lanes in design." After graduating from the Brown|RISD Dual Degree program, Bentel earned a Master of Architecture from Columbia University. Now, he works as "an artist and designer who creates ... limited-edition clothing, furniture, accessories, and homewares that focus on narrative as much as function."
Work by Yukti Agarwal (BRDD 2024.5) Highlighted in Article on Jacquard Design Course
A recent RISD News and Events article titled "RISD Textiles Students Weave Personal Narratives" documents the fall 2023 Jacquard Design course's mid-semester critique. The piece highlights a project in wool, cotton and linen project by Yukti Agarwal(BRDD 2024.5, Textiles, Theory and History of Art and Design, Contemplative Studies, and Psychology) that is based on routes she walked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ethan Hoskins (BRDD 2024) Featured in Hyperallergic
Ethan Hoskins (BRDD 2024, Apparel Design, Psychology) challenged himself to create a new painting each week for a full year using materials including cardboard, conte crayon, colored pencil, charcoal, graphite, fabric, papier-mâché, and “the forgotten medium we all have at our fingertips: time." In Hyperallergic, Ethan talks with curator Chenoa Baker about markmarking, music, and “the curse of perfectionism.”
"Sometimes we come across promising young talent that we know has a fruitful career ahead of them," writes UK art and design website It's Nice That. "Such is the case with US-based illustrator Joey Han" (BRDD 2022.5, Illustration, Modern Culture and Media). While Joey's illustrations span multiple media and influences, they are tied together by a sense of nostalgia and a deep attention to place and environment.
Biomimetic Designs by Kate Reed (BRDD 2021) in Parametric Architecture
Parametric Architecture highlights the Beyond Biomimicry collection by Kate Reed (BRDD 2021, Industrial Design, Independent Concentration in Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship). The collection "[utilizes] interspecies collaboration in the design process—both computationally and physically." For example, the genesis of the Root Shoe the differential growth logic naturally found in mushrooms.
