Cool Aid: RISD Alums Raise Money for Students
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Tough times call for creative solutions, a skill RISD students can boast with pride. But ideas don’t pay for an education, and a lack of scholarship funds is driving many talented current and prospective art students out of Providence. RISD students Emma Shapiro (RISD ’10) and Alexandra Surdovel (RISD ’11) have created a new Student Leadership initiative to get their peers more involved in the local art community while at the same time helping current students in financial need. The "Students Helping Students" scholarship committee recently hosted a gallery opening for RISD student and faculty works in the new Black Sheep Projects venue.
“Providence is such a diverse city with its own unique art culture, which I think RISD has helped to develop and strengthen,” said event volunteer Stephanie Rudig (RISD ’10). “Supporting RISD is absolutely vital to the Providence economy--graduates stay and work here, open new businesses, bring freshness and innovation to the professional downtown world. RISD students definitely want to give back in every way they can.”
A sophisticated alternative to the typical ‘buy a hot dog on the street from a kid with a weird haircut and neon tracksuit’ approach to art school fundraising, the idea behind Students Helping Students is to bring RISD outside of its protective bubble and reach out to the public in an accessible, open to anyone kind of way. Previous events have included student art street-sales and live music from student bands. Support local art and be on the lookout for more, coming soon. In the meantime, check out the RISD graduate student show currently on display at Black Sheep Projects on 65 Eddy Street.
