The Museum Guild is a group of undergraduate students from local colleges and universities. Supported by the museum’s Academic Programs staff, they develop self-directed projects and programs that facilitate the engagement of college communities within and beyond the greater Providence area. They aim to share entry points for new audiences, be responsive to their interests, and stimulate thought-provoking and personal interactions. Through this work, the Guild hopes to expand critical dialogue around the collection, purpose, and future of the RISD Museum.
Contact museum-academic@risd.edu with questions.
This year's group
This year, the Museum Guild seeks student creatives interested in developing work to be featured as part of Re:Pattern – a series of events interrogating "patterns" in the RISD Museum and its collection. We invite you to create work or experiences informed by patterns, either visually or conceptually, already in the museum.
A pattern could be a repeated decorative design, a set of instructions or guidelines used in order to make something (think sewing pattern), the regular way something happens or is done (a pattern of behavior), frequent or widespread incidence (a pattern of dissent). In the museum context, specifically, a pattern might appear in prints, drawings, costume, textiles, paintings, metals, wallpapers in Pendleton House, patterns of collecting and display, or even the choreographic patterns of viewers. Through their repetition, patterns reflect collective histories, echo across generations, and offer models for new ways of doing. How can we re-pattern the museum, revising its history to create new futures?
We encourage artists/creatives to create work or adapt pre-existing work in a wide range of modes or media (visual, text-based, performance, video, etc) to share in the museum’s galleries during Re:Pattern. We encourage submissions that lend themselves to programmatic formats – for example, an alternative self-guided tour, a drop-in conversation, a workshop or guided experience, a performance, or a digital experience. Artists who are selected will be compensated $150 for their participation (with up to $75 for materials, based on need). Their work will be highlighted in the Museum during one-night, in-person events on either April 4th or April 13th. We will be accepting proposals on a rolling basis until 3/1.
Email museumguild@risd.edu for any questions, queries or concerns.
Meet the 2023-24 Museum Guild!