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Introduction, Participants, Visit

GRAPHIC DESIGN MFA 2012 is an exhibition of books, printed matter, websites, interactive works, and videos from this year’s graduating class of MFA graphic design students at RISD.

In order to stay in line with rapidly developing technology and shifting channels of communication, educational institutions must constantly re-articulate their mission and re-situate their place within society. We, as graphic design students, have a unique opportunity to consider our own educational experience within this evolving landscape. We believe that graphic design education offers a framework for a practice that is free of the pressures and limitations of client work — a structure within which we can shape our own motives and methodologies. It is an environment which encourages learning through experience and a setting to create design for varied contexts.

We feel it appropriate to recreate this experience within the gallery — a space that helps orchestrate participation, interaction, and therefore a deeper comprehension of our work. Drawing influence from a traditional classroom environment, our exhibit is an enclosed space that houses a series of activity areas. We invite visitors to engage with each type of work within its given context.

The exhibit acts as a reflection of our educational foundation. It situates graphic design as a practice that relies on interaction, and points to design’s role in creating systems, structures, and products that exist within particular interactive contexts.

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