Art and Design Commons^™

Creating An Index To Graduate Theses To Support Their Discoverability, Ellen Petraits

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

As a Research and Instruction Librarian, one of the most frequent questions I'm asked is how to find past theses on a particular topic or theme. There is an active thesis culture at RISD that goes beyond writing and binding a text. An exhibition is held in the graduate gallery to celebrate a curated selection of theses at the beginning of the academic year. (See Book of Thesis Books) Theses can range in format from an artist book to a loose-leaf portfolio. Many emphasize the visual and are a bridge to the student’s studio work. They may include unusual or …

Connecting Old Techniques With New Ideas, Brendan Ryan

Undergraduate Research Conference

Metalworking is an ancient field that provides numerous methods to create a similar outcome. This semester I’ve been studying several traditional techniques in jewelry making while attempting to incorporate my own designs. The techniques that I have been focusing on are casting and stone-setting. For casting, I have been experimenting with both lost-wax casting and sand-casting in order to create thoughtful, one-of-a-kind works. Casting is often the best method to use when creating organic designs. My designs include snakes and historic Viking imagery that is often easier to create by carving wax and manipulating sand molds.

The inclusion of precious …