First-year RISD students learn the art of criticism

First-year undergraduate students at RISD are immersed in creating, developing their skills, and finding inspiration and context for their work in studios, liberal arts classes, and everything they see around them. Through a process of questioning and repetition, they refine their work and learn to take each project from concept to completion. A key element of this process is criticism – both giving and receiving constructive criticism – and developing this skill is an important part of the Experimental and Fundamental Research (EFS) curriculum.

Students in the EFS Design Studio, led by Associate Professor Mimi Cabell MFA 11 PH, share works in various mediums that they have created in response to the “be a cowboy” prompt. The goal of the activity is to convey meaningful messages through objects, spaces, and experiences that incorporate the cultural and historical aspects of the topic while demonstrating the fundamental design principles they are learning.

Cabell began the project with a wide range of references, starting with 19th-century Mexico vaqueros who inspired cowboys of the American West, the commercial Marlboro Man of the late 20th century, and today’s queer cowboy aesthetic. “It’s interesting how these images travel,” he says. “One of the students, who grew up in China, watched cowboy movies with her dad to become familiar with American culture before coming here.”

The class gathers around a table to watch a rifle built by one student out of wire. Cabell encourages everyone to pick up the item and look at it from different angles. “If you hang it close to the wall, you get a lot of interesting shadows,” he notes. “You can also use it in a performance.”

They then examine a pair of illustrations, using white ink on black paper, of an ultramasculine cowboy, first in a group and then alone, naked except for his hat. “I deliberately drew him with his back to me,” notes the artist. “I was inspired by themes of loneliness and sexuality.”

“Black paper was a conscious choice,” Cabell emphasizes. “It’s kind of a reversal of expectations. You’ve hung the illustrations at a comfortable height, but the edges of the black paper against the white wall are noticeably rough. You might want to clean them up.

Another student happily shares an oil painting she painted of two nude figures standing back, seemingly praying to the head of a red bull in the corner of the canvas. “I really love your brushstrokes,” one student says, and Cabell encourages her to say more. “They are thick and rough and feel rough,” adds the student. “There is a lot of tension in the composition,” notes another student, “and the nudity creates a sense of vulnerability.”

The artist reveals details about the work’s intended meaning, and Cabell reminds the class that viewers bring their own point of view when considering a work of art. “Remember that more is more,” he says. “There’s nothing wrong with us seeing things in a song that you didn’t intend.”

Another international student shows off an intricately carved wooden dagger with a fringed leather sheath, reminiscent of Native American crafts. “What stories do the details tell?” Cabell asks the class. “Where is your brain going?”

“I see it as a tool of power and domination,” says one student. “I would like to know how a given piece relates to the creator’s experience,” suggests another student. “It seems like a vague interpretation of Native American culture.”

Once again, Cabell steps in to lead the discussion, encouraging the class to be generous with their critiques and consider how these ideas have been exported around the world. “For example, in the US it is no longer considered appropriate for children to play cowboys and Indians, but in other countries this is not necessarily the case. When you dig deeper into the context of the work you’re working on, politics and concerns about cultural appropriation often come to the surface. This is a lesson for all of us.”

Simone Solondz / photos: Kaylee Pugliese
October 24, 2024