In the Making: 150 Years of Collecting at the RISD Museum
November 21, 2026, through August 1, 2027
Museum of Art, Rhode Island School of Design | RISD
Providence, Rhode Island
risdmuseum.org
In 2027, Rhode Island School of Design and the RISD Museum will celebrate 150 years in Providence. From the beginning, the museum has been an integral part of RISD’s educational mission, providing students with direct access to works of art and design and creating a resource for teaching, learning, research, and creative discovery. Over the past century and a half, both the college and museum have evolved, along with the communities, artists, educators, and ideas that have shaped them.
At the heart of the museum’s anniversary programming is “In the Making: 150 Years of Collecting at the RISD Museum.” Bringing together 51 works from across the collection, the exhibition explores how and why objects entered the museum and how the collection and collecting strategy has evolved alongside RISD’s teaching mission, the changing field of museums, and the communities the college and museum serve.
[Image: Aaron Siskind, American (1903-1991), Pleasures and Terrors of Levitation 37; , from the portfolio, Pleasures and Terrors of Levitation, 1953. Gift of Aaron Siskind. RISD Museum, Providence, RI.]
