RISD Continuing Education

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RISD Continuing Education RISD Continuing Education provides an immersive and innovative art and design education for everyone, at all stages of life and all levels of experience.

Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education offers a rich variety of traditional and digital art and design courses and certificate programs for adults, teens + children. All ages and skill levels welcome!

This fall, draw in Block Island with . Learn more & enroll—link in bio.
10/02/2026

This fall, draw in Block Island with . Learn more & enroll—link in bio.

This fall, teens can take their ideas from first sketch to finished work in “Visual Arts: From Sketchbook to Studio” at ...
09/30/2026

This fall, teens can take their ideas from first sketch to finished work in “Visual Arts: From Sketchbook to Studio” at RISD Continuing Education.

Led by RISD alum and illustrator Michelle Perez Michelle Perez, students in grades 10–12 will explore illustration through storytelling, experimentation and real-world creative projects—from magazine covers and product design to illustration. Along the way, they’ll learn how to develop ideas, make purposeful visual decisions, respond to feedback and bring a concept to its final form.

A creative practice is more than making art—it’s learning how to think, communicate and bring ideas into the world.

Starts October 3. Online. Grades 10–12.

Explore the course and enroll → Link in bio.

09/17/2026

🏙️ The air is getting cooler, the days are getting shorter, and it’s the perfect time to get back into the studio.

Whether you’re looking to pick up a creative practice, try something completely new, or give a teen in your life space to explore their ideas, CE offers in-person courses for Adults and Teens this fall.

Try:
Drawing & Illustration
Painting & Printmaking
Digital Design
…and more.

Explore—link in bio.

Meet CE instructor Adam S Doyle, teaching Adult and Teen courses this fall.Adam was a student and fell in love with Rhod...
09/11/2026

Meet CE instructor Adam S Doyle, teaching Adult and Teen courses this fall.

Adam was a student and fell in love with Rhode Island School of Design. Many years later, after teaching here and there in NYC, he taught at RISD Pre-College Programs, which led to the opportunity to teach his own online courses for Continuing Education.

“This format works great for me so I can focus on my work and teach seasonally from my home in Boston.”

Adam has four courses in rotation. Two for teens; “Digital Drawing & Painting”, and “Pen & Ink Drawing”, along with two for adults; “Children’s Book Illustration”, and “Illustrating Card Decks.”

“I’m really excited about my newest course, where students gain first hand experience in the art of playing, trading, and tarot decks. We go into their histories, their design, and by tuning into the essence of each kind of deck; make them personal. It’s a unique and intense six week journey that’s made for everyone at all levels. When I talk about Art, I identify that at its most fundamental level, Art is about communicating the human experience. Art is how I relate to the world, process what I’m feeling, and offer something meaningful to my community. At the heart of all of my courses is the desire to enliven these qualities in my students.”

The online program is a wonderful opportunity for people to continue with their lives while simultaneously diving into an enriching creative experience. Adam’s goal for his students is to gain comfort with the subject they signed up for. He hopes that each person gains a new perspective and a little bit of momentum to continue exploring on their own.

“If you haven’t had a reason to embrace your creativity in a while I encourage you to give yourself permission to go for it.” —Adam Doyle [Adam S Doyle].

Pen & Ink Drawing for teens starts in October! Take the next step in your creative journey! Enroll now!

🍂 Fall Adult Session I begins this week! Over 80 in-person and online courses are available in session one— find yours a...
09/09/2026

🍂 Fall Adult Session I begins this week!

Over 80 in-person and online courses are available in session one— find yours and start creating.

*Registration for Session I online adult courses closes at 11:59 PM EST Thursday, September 10. In-person course registration closes 2 business days before the start date—enroll now.


What if your sketchbook could become more than a collection of ideas?This fall, teens can take their creativity from “wh...
09/08/2026

What if your sketchbook could become more than a collection of ideas?

This fall, teens can take their creativity from “what if?” To “here’s the finished work.”

Designed for students in grades 10-12, “Visual Arts: From Sketchbook to Studio offers a hands-on complement to high school academics. During this online course, explore real world, creative projects, build an artistic voice, get feedback from professional illustrator and Rhode Island School of Design grad Michelle Perez, and discover where your ideas could take you.

Learn about this course and the instructor— link in bio.

Artist Credits:

“Weybosset Parade,” an exterior mural painted on the facade of the Old Providence National Bank Providence Preservation Society on Weybosset St. in Downtown Providence, Rhode Island in the summer of 2023.

Cover Illustration of The Boston Globe Magazine; 2025 Hispanic Heritage Month cover. AD: Keilani Rodriguez.

Portrait of Orson Welles for the “Beneficial Shock! Fun & Games” Issue. AD: Gabriel Solomons.

Top left: Illustration of Joaquin Phoenix, from "The Master.”

Bottom right: Illustration for a piece about the films of Vittorio de Sica; in reference to his 1948 film “Bicycle Thieves.”

Mock DVD cover insert for the 2000s Canadian cult-classic horror film, Ginger Snaps.

Mock DVD poster insert for the 2000s Canadian cult-classic horror film, Ginger Snaps.

MOTIF Magazine Halloween 2023 cover.

Packaging illustration and typography design for Jaffal chocolates, a Rhode Island based chocolate maker.

Did you know we offer courses at the Westerly Education Center?Minutes from the beautiful Rhode Island coast, explore “B...
09/04/2026

Did you know we offer courses at the Westerly Education Center?

Minutes from the beautiful Rhode Island coast, explore “Botanical Watercolor” and “Observing Nature: Drawing, Composition, and Color” while collecting inspiration from the landscapes, plants, and coastal surroundings right outside the classroom.

Expand your creative horizons. Come learn where nature is part of the classroom.

Enroll now for both in-person courses—link in bio.

ONE WEEK TO GO! 🎨Fall Art and Design courses begin next week. Whether you’re picking up a new medium, building your skil...
09/03/2026

ONE WEEK TO GO! 🎨

Fall Art and Design courses begin next week. Whether you’re picking up a new medium, building your skills, or making time for a creative practice, there’s still time to find your course.

Explore:

Painting, Pastel & Watercolor
Drawing & Life Drawing
Nature & Botanical Illustration
Digital Painting & Figma
Comic Book Illustration
Woodcut Printmaking
And more!

Classes begin next week. Find your course and start making—link in bio.

Meet Pre-College instructor Tucker Houlihan, who taught Furniture Design this summer on campus. Inspired in part by seei...
09/01/2026

Meet Pre-College instructor Tucker Houlihan, who taught Furniture Design this summer on campus. Inspired in part by seeing his own child experience RISD Youth Courses, he saw an opportunity to introduce young artists to the process of designing and building full-scale, fully functional furniture. For Tucker, one of the most rewarding parts of teaching has been seeing students and their families experience the pride and excitement of creating a piece they can bring home and enjoy.

Tucker taught the RISD Pre-College Programs Furniture class. “A Shaker Bench is the starting point for this design challenge. That means the bench form in no way has to look like a Shaker Bench. The Shaker Bench form is chosen for its strength and function through the usage of cherry stock, efficient joinery methods, and triangulation.”

His advice to students? “Try to slow down and realize what is right around you, what you find interesting. Take that moment and try to infuse it, use its influence, abstract it, etc. and make it a part of your work. As in most things, perhaps all things of value, that it is a process. Don’t let perfection get in the way of pretty darn good. If you are not making mistakes, you are not learning. And it’s not what you’ve done, it’s what you are going to do when a mistake occurs/unforeseen consideration. Problem solving is key to the artist/designer-maker.”

Furniture Majors, what was your biggest takeaway this summer? leave a comment below!

Meet teaching “Portfolio Prep” for teens this fall on campus!Since completing an MFA in Painting at Boston University, ...
08/31/2026

Meet teaching “Portfolio Prep” for teens this fall on campus!

Since completing an MFA in Painting at Boston University, Ivo has become an experienced member of the Rhode Island School of Design teaching community. He has taught Drawing Foundations and Painting Majors during RISD Pre-Collegiate Programs, as well as Anatomy for Teens. This fall, he will teach Portfolio Prep for Teens on the Providence campus.

Ivo is excited to teach “Portfolio Prep” because it is a new course, giving him the opportunity to design a class from the ground up around what young artists need as they develop their work and prepare to present it.

His approach to teaching goes beyond helping students create a collection of strong individual pieces. He encourages students to recognize their own growth from one work to the next—to identify recurring questions, challenges, discoveries, and improvements that can help guide their artistic development.

Drawing from both his experience as an educator and his own studio practice, he combines attention to craft and technique with broader questions about how artists think, experiment, and develop ideas. Students are encouraged to build an independent studio practice and develop an “internal compass” for evaluating their own work, rather than relying solely on grades or outside feedback.

He also emphasizes that becoming a stronger artist involves more than making art. Time management, organization, consistency, collaboration, and other everyday habits help create the momentum necessary for a sustained creative practice.

With experience teaching teens at RISD and maintaining an active painting practice of his own, he brings a combination of professional artistic experience, hands-on teaching expertise, and a genuine commitment to mentorship in the classroom.

Registration for Fall Teen In-Person Courses are open. Learn more about creative opportunities and Portfolio Prep for teens – link in bio.

Address

20 Washington Place
Providence, RI
02903

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

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