Our A+D team supported @risd1877 this morning as they kicked off @nycxdesign with a panel conversation hosted by The Future Perfect New York. The discussion, moderated by @thefutureperfect founder @DavidAlhadeff , featured @thefutureperfect Managing Director and RISD alumna Laura Young (@lauraannyoung ), and @risd_furnituredesign Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director Pete Oyler (@peteoyler ).
Guests heard how the two organizations foster, champion, and celebrate contemporary creatives, and had a chance to view the Dudd Lite exhibition (@duddhaus ) and @studioathenacalderone ’s debut collection, Assembler I.
RISD will also participate in the International Contemporary Furniture Fair @icff at @wanteddesign , where @risd_furniture design will present “Intrinsic Values” a selection of works from BFA and MFA students that examine the role of furniture in contemporary life and the values that shape its creation. The exhibition will be on view at the Javits Center, booth W981, from May 17-19. RISD faculty and alumni will also take part in ICFF talks and related exhibitions across New York City throughout the weekend; for a full directory see the link in our bio.
Happy art fair week! Our VisArts team toured Frieze, NADA, Independent, and Future Fair. While a full selection of our favorites would take three posts, here are some highlights.
On May 20, join San Francisco Bay Area-based Metropolitan Architecture Practice (@map_studio_2022 ) co-founders Katherine Lambert, AIA, and Christiane Robbins in conversation with Jack Murphy (@yhprumkcaj ), editor in chief of @archpaper , at @rizzolibookstore to mark the release of the firm’s new monograph. Created between 2022 and 2024, Architecture x Architecture: A Dialectic captures a pivotal moment when architecture began to grapple with its own synthetic reflection and traces how machine vision and generative AI are shaping multidisciplinary design practice in the 21st century.
Edited by Oscar Riera Ojeda / ORO Publishers (@oscarrieraojeda.publishers ) with project direction by Christiane Robbins, the volume includes a foreword by Kum-Kum Bhavnani, essays by Lambert, Robbins, Bill Seaman, Kyle Steinfeld, and Amanda Wasielewski, and an afterword by Aaron Betsky. MAP leads projects across residential, commercial, and cultural environments, while MAP Studio, the firm’s research lab, investigates architecture as a media ecology shaped by AI and emerging image cultures.
Doors at 5:30. Free RSVP at the link in our bio.
RISD Representation: Of the 30 artists commissioned by Barack & Michelle Obama for the Obama Presidential Center, opening June 2026, seven have ties to @risd1877 .
MacArthur Award-winning artist, RISD alum, and 2026 Commencement speaker juliemehretu’s work — “Uprising of the Sun,” a vibrant, 83-foot painted glass window — welcomes visitors from the north side of the building.
Other friends of RISD with works commissioned by the Obamas include alums @jennyholzerstudio and Spencer Finch, past honorary degree recipients @maria_magdalena_campos_pons , @nickcaveart , and @theastergates , Jr., and Associate Professor of Printmaking @tyanna_buie . Alum David Wiseman also contributed a nature-inspired, bronze and porcelain Radial Branch chandelier.
Head to the link in @risd1877 ’s bio to learn more on risd.edu and the @nytimes .
Images Courtesy @obamafoundation , Theaster G
ates Studio, and Kaylee Pugliese/RISD
Today, we attended The Art of Intimacy, a symposium inspired by Intimate Unthinkables, an exhibition of work by Adrian Elisheva Parr Zaretsky and Liu Shiming.
The symposium was produced by the Liu Shiming Art Foundation and the European Cultural Centre as part of the broader Future Cities; Livable Futures initiative, bringing together artists, architects, designers, and theorists to explore intimacy as both a personal and political condition.
Don’t miss the exhibition, which opens to the public on May 9 at Palazzo Mora.
@lsmartfund
Khaled Sabsabi’s multidisciplinary installation “khalil” opens the Bienale’s main exhibition “In Minor Keys.”
Meaning “friend” in Arabic, “khalil” invites viewers to engage with the artwork’s scent, sound, and circular path of projected images.
Similar to Sabsabi’s exhibition “conference of oneself” in the Australia Pavilion, curated by Michael Dagostino, the installation draws on Sufi philosophies, exploring human collectiveness and the relationship between inner and outer experience.
“khalil” will be on view from May 9 - November 22, 2026.
Last week, @ulinewyork recognized the 17-story Urban League Empowerment Center headquarters, designed by @beyerblinderbelle , with the 2026 Award for Excellence in Mixed-Use Development!
In the center of Harlem on 125th Street, the Urban League Empowerment Center houses the headquarters of the @naturbanleague , the city’s first civil rights museum (opening later this year), Class A office space for other mission-driven tenants such as @studiomuseum , national retailers including @traderjoes and @target , and 171 affordable apartments, 51 of which are set aside for young adults aging out of foster care.
Please join us in congratulating @beyerblinderbelle , the development group — @brp_companies , @lmdevpartners , Taconic Partners, @theprusikgroup , @dabardevelopment , Empire State Development — and the whole project team!
Photos by @_as__ap_ (1, 3-5), ULI New York (2), courtesy of Beyer Blinder Belle.
If you’re in Venice for the Biennale, don’t miss Khaled Sabsabi’s work “conference of one’s self” in the Australia Pavilion, curated by Michael Dagostino.
Honoring Australia’s modern history as one inextricably linked to global migratory patterns, “conference of one’s sense” explores spirituality, migration, and the vastness of shared humanity.
“conference of one’s self” will be open to the public from May 9 - November 22, 2026.
Last Friday night, Maine College of Art & Design hosted their annual Fashion Show.
BFA students presented original work, at showcasing looks designed, developed, and constructed entirely by themselves. Flip through this lookbook teaser of their creations, or click the link in @mecaart ’s bio for the livestream!
“It Starts with a Question” — @risd1877 President @crystalannwilliams ’ new video interview series — launched in October 2025 and has quickly become a rich editorial platform for conversations with thought leaders, art and design luminaries, alumni, and “friends of RISD” about issues surrounding contemporary art-making.
In the latest installment, Williams sits down with award-winning designer and RISD alum David Weeks (@shinerbot@davidweeksstudio ), widely considered the founding father of North American lighting design. Inspired by his Cubebot toy robot created 25 years ago, Weeks also recently returned to RISD’s industrial design department (@risdid ) to teach a Wintersession toy design course.
The episode’s varied discussion explores the potential of a studio critique, and the benefit of being able to give and receive constructive criticism for iterative projects in art, design, and scholarship. Watch the full episode on RISD’s YouTube channel!
Reel courtesy of RISD.
Next week, our VisArts team will be in Venice to support Khaled Sabsabi’s presentation in the Australia Pavilion for the 61st International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia, curated by Michael Dagostino. In a historic first for an Australian representative, as announced by La Biennale di Venezia, Sabsabi will also present a work in the Biennale Arte 2026’s main exhibition, “In Minor Keys.”
In anticipation of Sabsabi’s two new works, we’d like to highlight several of his past works:
- “At the speed of light” (2016)
- “Bring the Silence” (2018)
- “Knowing Beyond” (2024)
We look forward to sharing more updates from on the ground in Venice!
Last night, A+D’s Michelle DiLello (@shellydilello ) attended the Open City Benefit at 3 World Trade (@wtc ) with @beyerblinderbelle to celebrate 25 years of @openhousenewyork . Founded following 9/11, OHNY promotes public access to the city through the annual OHNY Weekend festival and year-round programming, enabling New Yorkers to peek behind the scenes of some of the city’s most intriguing buildings and meet the people who keep the city running.
In addition to celebrating OHNY’s silver anniversary, the organization recognized three extraordinary honorees at its largest annual fundraiser: Scott Lauer, Founder, OHNY; Lisa Silverstein, CEO, @silversteinproperties ; and Lillian Valenti, Chief Emeritus, @theportauthority_ny_nj . Congratulations!
