Rhode Island School of Design Museum
RISD in Providence is a museum associated with Rhode Island School of Design. It comprises a large number of collections featuring international art, fashion, decorations and paintings, making it the 20th biggest art museum in the United States.
What to see
Ancient Art
The Ancient Art department is divided into several collections dedicated to Greece, Rome and Egypt. Visitors can see a wide range of ancient items. They have the chance to dive into the past exploring Greek coins, Roman jewelry, bronze vessels, mosaics and stone sculptures that defined the lifestyle of ancient nations. They can also take a look at the Egyptian exhibition where a coffin and mummy are displayed. The Ancient Art collection is highlighted by two breath-taking masterpieces: a bronze Aphrodite statue and a marble head of a Greek woman. For those that want to see how the painting looked like tens of centuries ago, there are is a corner dedicated to the works of prominent ancient painters, including Nikosthenes and Reed painters.
Asian Art
Asian culture enthusiasts have also what to see at Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art. The collection of Asian art includes paintings, costumes, ceramics and traditional prints. One of the highlights is a collection of Japanese prints dating from the 19th century. Also, RISD is home to the largest wooden Asian sculpture in the USA, featuring the supreme spiritual god, Buddha. The Japanese textiles steal the show at the Asian Art department with a wide selection of Kesa and Noh robes embellished with floral and gold prints as well as other traditional patterns that render the glory and magnificence of Japanese ceremonial clothing. Smaller, but still generating much interest is a collection of Chinese robes that gives an insight into Chinese traditional garment style. Asian Art room also features collections that honor Indian, Persian and Turkish cultures.
Contemporary Art
The contemporary Art collection contains a rich variety of paintings signed by pioneering modern painters, as well as sculptures, videos and media materials. The department is also concerned with organizing exhibitions that aim at raising awareness of modern issues and identifying trends in contemporary art. The department has a strong affiliation to the Rhode Island contemporary art movement, exhibiting the works of local artists and School of Design graduates. So if you want to make yourself familiar with Rhode Island’s history, art and lifestyle, the best destination for you at RISD Museum is the Contemporary Art department.
Costumes and textiles
Once you have finished your journey to art departments, you can take a look at the collection of historic textiles that comprises textiles and prints as old as hundreds and thousands of years. Some of the highlights are the Indian American mocassins and Hawaiian barkcloth that can tell a lot about the first inhabitants of American lands. Also, you can witness a piece of Ancient Egyptian tomb, as well as earlier items dating from the Elizabethan era and the Italian Renaissance. Some of the newest exhibits are textiles from the most reputed European designers of the 20th century that include fancy coats and blankets.
Decorations
Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art harbors a vast collection of decorative arts, including furniture made by the brightest New York cabinetmakers of 18 and 19 centuries, wallpaper collections by French designers, as well as silver and glass exhibits from the Medieval era to the present. The collections allow you to experience how the furniture style has changed over time, how silver items have changed their shape and decorative patterns throughout centuries and observe many other interesting things by analyzing the collections.
Is it worth visiting?
If you want to have some fun in Rhode Island while expanding your cultural horizons, RISD Museum is your perfect destination. The Museum is divided into departments dedicated to different arts. If you are passionate about the ancient world, you can visit the Ancient Art department, enjoying Roman and Greek bronze vessels and coins and Egyptian mummies. If you are enthusiastic about Asian culture, explore the Asian Art department abounding in Japanese prints and paintings, Buddhist robes and Chinese ceramics. Costumes and textiles, decorative arts and fashion, there are so many collections that wait to be explored by you at RISD Museum, so don’t hesitate to pay a visit.