A full-service design and build studio in Providence, Functional Aesthetic Design±Build does everything – at least when it comes to “small- to midsized design and construction projects,” said Laura Moss, who co-owns the business with her husband, Gordon.
Moss, who received her master’s degree in architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2012, and Gordon successfully applied for a DESIGNxRI Providence Design Catalyst award last fall.
Out of the 13 grant recipients in this year’s cohort (2017-2018), 11 companies – or 84 percent – were founded by RISD alumni, according to DESIGNxRI. The percentage of current recipients who are RISD alumni grew from 70 percent, 12 of 17 companies, included in the inaugural 2015-2016 cohort. There was no cohort in 2016-2017.
It’s not surprising that RISD graduates would be prominent among the grant recipients, given the Providence school’s strong national reputation and the program’s focus on designers who live and work in the city. But is it a sign the local design industry has become too reliant on RISD graduates?
Even though DESIGNxRI counted 54 design degree programs at Rhode Island colleges and universities that graduate 1,100 students annually, much of both years’ applications to the nonprofit came from the RISD community.
DESIGNxRI Executive Director Lisa Carnevale does not believe the professional industry in the area is overly reliant on RISD graduates. Programs such as hers help designers launch businesses and succeed in the early years and may keep recent graduates in Providence, she added.
One reason Carnevale believes RISD graduates have dominated the program is because the prestigious art school promotes the opportunity within its alumni network.
Moss, however, says many recent RISD graduates have chosen to continue their work in Providence and does believe the local design industry is “very reliant on RISD graduates.”
Known as the creative capital, she added, Providence “has long been a very affordable place to live and has a very extensive community of artists for a support network” on which she and her husband have often drawn.
“It’s very easy to stay here and have your business thrive,” she said. “So far it hasn’t been over-saturated.”
A fellow Providence Design Catalyst winner (2015-2016) and RISD alumna, Lisa Limer feels differently about RISD’s influence in the local design industry. Owner of Providence photography-inspired fabric production company Bela Monde, she received her bachelor’s degree from RISD in 1976 and believes the local industry is representative of many schools.
“Does Providence benefit from the designers who chose to stay? Absolutely, but it isn’t exclusive to RISD,” said Limer.
The grant program helps small firms scale up by targeting certain milestones over a five-month period while receiving mentorship from local companies and design professors.
Restricted by fluctuating funding levels, the program debuted in 2015 with a $500,000 budget – $50,000 of which was earmarked for administration and $450,000 of which would fund grants of up to $35,000 provided by Providence. DESIGNxRI failed to receive funding for a 2016-2017 cohort but garnered $135,000 for the 2017-2018 program. Of that, $90,000 funded individual grants ranging in size from $5,000 to $8,500 provided by the city and Real Jobs Rhode Island.
‘There’s much less money but that doesn’t mean … [the program] can’t still help move the needle for a company.’
LISA CARNEVALE, DESIGNxRI executive director
“Perhaps it was an anomaly to have that much [money] to start,” said Carnevale. “There’s much less money, but that doesn’t mean it’s not valuable and can’t still help move the needle for a company.”
The 2017-2018 program will focus more on the development of a company through trainings and mentorship, with the grants being a bonus.
Taking a “deeper dive, a bigger look at the trainings” said Carnevale, the organization of the program has transitioned from “less structured” two- to three-hour sessions similar to “guests coming by to speak to a topic” to six-hour trainings built around a central curriculum.
Citing 42 applications received for the 2015-2016 program and 32 for 2017-2018, Carnevale does not believe the lack of funding led to diminished awareness of or interest in the program.
“It was still a good showing,” she said.
And despite the reduced program budget, Carnevale still hopes to grow the award program. She said DESIGNxRI has been in talks with Cranston and Newport to similarly fund designers who live and work in those cities.
Because the infrastructure already exists, and is in operation in Providence, Carnevale said the program would be more beneficial for future recipients because more of the funding would go to grants, rather than program administration.
