Collaboration Includes Lectures and Studio Visits by
Renowned Artists Rashaad Newsome, Heather Rowe and Alyson Shotz
Swarovski crystal company professes a straightforward goal—to “add sparkle to people’s everyday lives.” Now, through an immersive sponsored studio course at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), the company is inviting art students to enhance that sparkle by creating innovative fine art made with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS.
The class will begin the first week of the new year with a trip to Swarovski US headquarters in Cranston, RI, where students will be introduced to the history, materials, philosophy and technical capabilities of the company. Throughout the six-week winter semester, well-known contemporary artists will visit RISD, giving evening lectures and sharing ideas with students who are exploring the myriad possibilities—both formal and metaphorical—of working with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS.
Swarovski / RISD Fine Arts Wintersession Lectures
Rashaad Newsome of Marlborough Gallery, NYC
RISD’s Metcalf Auditorium | Chace Center | 20 North Main Street | Providence, RI
Thursday, January 5, 5PM
Heather Rowe of D’amelio Terras, NYC
RISD’s Metcalf Auditorium | Chace Center | 20 North Main Street | Providence, RI
Thursday, January 12, 6PM
Alyson Shotz of Derek Eller Gallery, NYC
RISD’s College Building | Room 412 | 236 Benefit Street | Providence, RI
Thursday, January 19, 6PM
All lectures are free and open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis.
Led by RISD Painting Critic Mary Jones, the intensive Wintersession workshop will offer students from diverse majors an experimental, hands-on approach to working with new materials and techniques to realize their concepts. Finished pieces will utilize a wide range of SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS, from chandelier materials and figurines to beads, crystal thread and crystal appliqué.
The class will culminate in a curated exhibition of student work to be shown at Swarovski’s US headquarters.
“Ranging from hip-hop bling to the sublime geometry of abstraction—all can be encompassed with SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS,” notes Professor Holly Hughes, head of RISD’s Painting Department.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Swarovski on this studio and this series of public lectures with world-class visiting artists,” says RISD’s Dean of Fine Arts Anais Missakian. “The partnership will enable fine arts students to explore the possibilities of using this multifaceted material in new and innovative ways.”
“Swarovski has a long history of support and commitment to the art and design communities as well as nurturing the next generation of talent. We are excited to see how these artists and designers interpret our mission in their own innovative way using SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS & GEMS. Having our US headquarters based in Rhode Island, we are also proud to continue collaborating with a local institution that has global reach—the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design,” said Daniel Cohen, Executive Board Member & President, Swarovski US Holdings.
For further information and PR material, please contact:
Swarovski North America
Alexandria Nahlous
[email protected]
212 601 2555
www.swarovski.com
Rhode Island School of Design
Jaime Marland
[email protected]
401 427 6954
www.risd.edu
