Continuing Education, Teen Design Studio Instructor
About The Position
RISD Continuing Education functions within the larger context of RISD, an institution with an unparalleled reputation for producing highly-skilled, successful, and internationally renowned creative practitioners. With more than 100 years of expertise nurturing critical making, thinking, and innovation in art and design we facilitate personal and professional development by engaging students in sustained exploration and learning in the creative disciplines. With a commitment to centering inclusivity, diversity and equity in executing key responsibilities, RISD Continuing Education instructors plan, organize, teach, and provide feedback to promote and direct student learning in keeping with the institutional learning-centered values and in a manner that meets essential competencies of artists and designers. RISD Continuing Education is seeking an instructor interested in supporting the growth of teens who plan to attend an art and design institution. Applicants should be prepared to deliver a course to a diverse group of students with various abilities and experiences. We welcome candidates whose teaching experience addresses historically underrepresented communities. The successful candidate for this role will need to have in-depth knowledge of course development. This role is contracted to teach the course and separately contracted to develop the course following RISD Continuing Education guidelines and standards. Course development for this program involves ongoing collaboration with the program manager and drawing instructor. This summer, we are offering a two-week academic intensive to international high school students seeking a college-level learning experience. This program includes two one-week courses (Drawing and Design) that focus on RISD’s hands-on approach to studio learning. Through consecutive, daily studio classes, students develop critical thinking and concept-driven work on a fast-moving timeline. All assignments are completed during class with guidance from the instructor, enabling students to create portfolio-ready work aligned with their personal interests and goals. The Instructor plays a critical role in demonstrating skills, techniques, and materials usage, as well as facilitating class discussions and critiques. We are particularly interested in candidates whose pedagogical approach and personal studio practice can resonate with our student body. We are seeking an available instructor to teach Design during the 2026 Summer term (see Course Schedule below). Although this course does not involve an online teaching component, the successful candidate should be prepared to collaborate with the program manager and drawing instructor by using online tools. Below is the current version of the course description: Design is a planning process and way to create impact, essential for any artist or designer. This course enhances your critical thinking skills by engaging in a series of hands-on design projects that encourage you to think creatively and solve problems through material exploration. Through observation and experiments, investigate how concepts can be expressed in both two- and three-dimensional forms. Assignments emphasize the core elements and principles of design, such as balance, shape, color, pattern, and space. By the end of the course, you will produce a portfolio-ready work that demonstrates your ability to ideate, experiment, and communicate visually. This course focuses on making by hand and does not allow students to use computer programs or tablets to create artwork. As our students come from a range of backgrounds with varied art education, successful candidates will be able to respond to students with a range of existing skills. Please indicate how your professional work experience relates to this course in your statement of interest.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree
- Teaching experience in a collegiate and/or high school setting
- Ability to meet RISD’s technology requirements
- Experience developing courses that challenge students creatively and intellectually while maintaining age-appropriate pedagogy
- Demonstrated expertise in design
- Demonstrated ability to generate high-caliber student work
- Ability to keep students engaged throughout full-day studio courses
- Accept and act upon constructive feedback from course evaluations by students and staff
- Experience leading classes and critiques that model constructive, inclusive discussions in an environment of diverse learners
- Ability to tailor instruction to meet the needs of students with a wide range of pre-existing skills
- Ongoing professional creative practice
- Proficiency with online collaborative tools such as Google Suite
Nice To Haves
- Master of Fine Arts or equivalent in established professional practice in the area of study
- Teaching certification/certificate
- Ability to contribute to RISD’s strategic priorities of just societies, sustainability, and creating new knowledge
- Experience developing inclusive curriculum that centers artists of historically underrepresented backgrounds
- Interest in collaborative curriculum planning
