ART! RISD Triennial Industrial Design Exhibition at Woods-Gerry Gallery, Providence

Students and alums of the Rhode Island School of Design’s (RISD) Industrial Design Department showcased their work at the opening reception of the department’s triennial student work exhibition. The art exhibit, which happens every three years, will be on display to the public at the Woods-Gerry Gallery until Dec. 7.

Students in the department learn how to research user experiences in order to create “well-conceived and executed objects, products and systems that make everyday tasks easier,” according to the department’s website.

The program is described as: “Drawing on its contribution to responsible, human-centered design, Industrial Design (or ID) teaches you to use critical thinking and the design process to enhance companies, communities and citizens. Expert faculty guide you in researching user experiences to create well-conceived and executed objects, products and systems that make everyday tasks easier.”

For Max Pratt, a critic in the department, the student work reflects “a big emphasis on craft that is sort of being rekindled,” he said, noting that a push toward digital manufacturing has resulted in “an elevation of the craft.”

Activating the first floor of a 19th-century mansion, RISD’s primary gallery for undergraduate work features group exhibitions throughout the academic year. Students learn from preparing work for exhibition, helping to mount shows and discussing their work and that of fellow students, in the context of shows open to the public.