Learn about ways to more closely participate, engage, and collaborate with the RISD Museum.
- For artists
RISD Museum Research Residency for Artists
Local artists and designers are invited to apply for the 2026 RISD Museum Research Residency for Artists. One selected artist will receive a stipend of $10,000, professional development support, and the opportunity to work closely with the Museum’s collections and staff members. Please note: housing and/or studio space is not provided.
Share your vision for activating our collections and exploring artistic materials and processes.
Submit a proposal - For collectors
The Collector's Journey
Whether you’re an aspiring collector, a design enthusiast, or someone who simply wants to learn about the art market, The Collector's Journey is the perfect way to immerse yourself in the world of art collecting. This program is designed for those who want to turn their curiosity about art into a meaningful, informed collection.
Learn from art world insiders, connect with other like-minded emerging collectors, and build the confidence to start your own collection—no art degree required. The RISD Museum will help unlock the creative process and empower you to participate actively in the meaning and making of art and design.
- For Teens
The RISD Museum offers different ways for high school students to access the collection and its staff.
RISD Art Circle
The RISD Art Circle (RAC) is a group of high school artists and art enthusiasts who explore the Museum collection and activate the galleries through events, interpretative projects, community collaborations, and hands-on learning activities, inspiring all of us to see the world in a creative way.The group meets most Saturdays from late September to early June from 11 am-2 pm. High school students entering their sophomore, junior, or senior year are eligible to apply.Informational Interviews
High School students can request a 45-minute experience to connect with staff and learn about career paths and current museum practices. There are a limited number of these each semester; and not all departments can accommodate based on museum policies and guidelines.
Please complete this form to request an Informational Interview.
Research Projects and Assignments
High School students can request museum education staff support on research related to objects and artworks in the museum collection, as well as careers in museums. These are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and depend on availability.
Please complete this form to request Research Assistance.
The RISD Museum works with local high school and community organizations to provide behind-the-scenes opportunities related to work-based learning. Museum staff work directly with school and organizational staff to provide these opportunities.
If you are a student interested in this, please reach out to your school administration or connect with a local organization. Currently the RISD Museum is working with PCTA (Providence Career and Technical Academy) and Hope High School. In the past we have worked with Prepare RI, the Met High School, the Career Technical Education (CTE) programs in Providence Public Schools.
There are opportunities to explore the museum and its collection as part of classroom visits, after school programs, both onsite and offsite.
Other RISD Programs
Project Open Door is a college-access program that supports creative teens from Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Woonsocket through free arts + design programming.
Whether online or in-person, courses for youth ages 6 to 17 allow students to grow creatively as they develop and refine their artistic abilities.
- For College Students
Annually RISD undergraduate and graduate students are invited to submit proposals for temporary, site-specific projects at the RISD Museum. These artistic interventions may take the form of physical, digital, or programmatic encounters, that examine or critique the Museum’s historical and contemporary contexts, collections, architectural idiosyncrasies, habits of visitation, and/or web presence.
One proposal is selected by a jury to receive a cash prize and implementation funds. The winning proposal will be on view, or scheduled to take place, during the spring semester. Proposals are due in January (01/26/2025).Museum Guild
The Museum Guild is a group of undergraduate students from local colleges and universities. Supported by the museum’s Academic Programs staff, they develop self-directed projects and programs that facilitate the engagement of college communities within and beyond the greater Providence area. They aim to share entry points for new audiences, be responsive to their interests, and stimulate thought-provoking and personal interactions. Through this work, the Guild hopes to expand critical dialogue around the collection, purpose, and future of the RISD Museum.
RISD THAD Museum Fellowships
In collaboration with RISD’s Theory and History of Art and Design department, the museum offers selected THAD concentrators (undergraduate or graduate students) a semester-long, credit-earning fellowship within curatorial, education, registration or conservation departments. This program, administered by THAD, allows students to learn firsthand about museum professions.
RISD Graduate Assistantships in the RISD Museum
The Museum participates in RISD’s Graduate Commons Project Assistantships program, providing assistantship positions in the museum during the academic year and, in some cases, over the summer. Openings vary and usually range from curatorial to museum education, installation, digital initiatives, and graphic design, providing students insight into potential career paths in museums. Graduate assistantships are paid and administered through Academic Affairs. Openings are posted in summer for positions beginning in the fall semester.
The RISD Museum’s internship programs offer undergraduate and graduate students an introduction to the museum field. Working within one of the Museum’s departments, interns gain in-depth experience in a specialized area of museum work, and participate in group seminars discuss museum practice, build professional skills for working in the arts, and learn about how museums live up to their missions.
Various departments in the Museum have work/study opportunities for RISD students.
Spalter Teaching Fellowships
Spalter Teaching Fellows are trained as RISD Museum educators and are responsible for teaching and working with children and youth ages 5 to 18. They undergo rigorous training with the Museum’s educators, who introduce them to the Museum’s collection and pedagogy. Fellows support learning from original works of art and the development critical thinking, problem solving, and creative interpretation. The Spalter Teaching Fellowship is open to RISD and Brown graduate and undergraduate students from all disciplinary backgrounds.
Joan Hall and Mark Weil Conservation Fund Fellowship
The Joan Hall and Mark Weil Conservation Fund Fellowship is a two-year, part-time position working with the museum’s Objects Conservator. The Hall/Weil Fellow will receive professional conservation training to introduce them to the collections care and preventive conservation activities relating to the museum’s permanent collection and will assist the conservator, supporting both the short-term and long-term care of original works of art, including condition reporting, written and digital photo-documentation, dusting and basic cleaning of art, stabilizing of art, preparing art for loan and travel, as well as monitoring works on display and in storage. The Joan Hall and Mark Weil Conservation Fund Fellowship is open to undergraduate students from all disciplinary backgrounds.
Jean Segal Fain Memorial Internship
The Jean Segal Fain Memorial Internship offers a selected RISD student in-depth experience in the conservation and preparation of works on paper. In addition to practicing basic techniques, the intern engages in deeper exploration of various academic areas of study and artistic practice by learning about materials required to promote longevity of artwork, and how to respectfully include all stakeholders in decision making around conservation process and accessibility to art. The Fain internship is designed as an advanced opportunity for a student with prior museum and/or conservation experience, and is awarded to a current work-study student or THAD Fellow in the museum’s prints, drawings, and photographs department.
Brown Graduate Proctorship
In collaboration with Brown’s History of Art & Architecture department, doctoral students can apply to be placed in a curatorial department for a year-long proctorship. This program, administered by Brown, offers extensive immersion in curatorial work and the chance to explore museum practice with staff mentorship.
- For Teachers
Faculty Research Fellowships
Together with RISD Academic Affairs, faculty research fellowships in the museum's Costume & Textiles and Prints, Drawings, and Photographs departments engage faculty members from across disciplines in object-based teaching and research, peer-to-peer engagement, and collections care. The fellowships represent an opportunity to expand on one’s own pedagogical practices and to contribute to enriching the pedagogies and activities of knowledge production of the museum. During the two-year appointment, fellows are in residence in the curatorial department and function as a member of the department’s team. They learn the collection, engage faculty and students with it, and conduct research with the collection that is related to their area of expertise or that helps them develop an emerging area of expertise.
- FOR EVERYONE
Share your vision for activating our collections and exploring artistic materials and processes.
Submit a proposalEmployment
RISD and the RISD Museum offer a supportive, collegial, and inclusive work environment and a competitive benefits package.
The RISD Museum relies on long-standing ties to two important community organizations that exist to support the museum's mission:
We are currently recruiting volunteer educators, also known as docents, for September 2023, to provide rewarding learning experiences for museum visitors of all ages through guided gallery visits. You can read more about the role and submit your application here. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis through July 10, 2023.
Founded in 1956, the RISD Museum Associates are a dynamic group of volunteers who give their time and talents to support a range of museum initiatives through an annual spring fundraiser. Email email@example.com to inquire about getting involved.
K-12 and college students can explore museum work through internships, student groups, and other programs, described above. The museum is committed to compensating all students involved in the museum through these programs.