Career Event Recordings

Interviewing: Everything You Need to Know

Do you ever wonder what really happens during an interview? Want to feel more confident navigating job or internship offers, including when and how to negotiate salary? Join us for a Lunch & Learn focused on demystifying the hiring process in art and design fields (lunch will be provided). We’ll walk through what organizations look for during interviews, how to effectively present your portfolio and experiences, and best practices for evaluating and responding to offers. Come hungry and bring your questions for a practical, real-world conversation designed to help you feel more prepared for your next opportunity.

Art of Business Series: A Creative Freelancer's Roadmap

Freelancing in the creative industry is overwhelming. There is no clear roadmap, no steady paycheck, and a hundred questions about where to even begin. But here’s the truth: you don’t need to have it all figured out before you start. In this talk, photographer and director Grace Rivera shares a candid look at the essentials of building a freelance career in today’s creative economy. From setting yourself up as a business to finding clients, managing projects, and sustaining both your finances and your inspiration, she breaks down the practical steps every freelancer needs to know, framed through lived experiences in photography, commercial directing, and advertising. Students and alumni alike will walk away with a clearer understanding of what freelancing actually looks like, the confidence to take their first steps, and the tools to treat their creativity not just as a passion, but as a sustainable career. Because freelancing isn’t about waiting until you feel ready — it’s about starting now, learning as you go, and forging your own path.

Career Resources for First Year Undergrad Students

Be ready for future internships, jobs, exhibitions, awards and more. At this talk, you will learn how to start exploring career paths, begin developing your professional materials, and start discovering professional opportunities. In this session, we will break down the career development process and help you map out ways to make progress towards your goals. Whether you know exactly what you want your career to look like or have no idea, this talk will help you get started on the right path. You'll be inspired to take the next steps in exploring the numerous professional paths available to artists and designers!

Art of Business Series: Strategies for Managing Uneven Income

Managing money in a way that truly supports your work can feel overwhelming, especially when you are just launching your career. This workshop will give you the tools to maintain agency over your earnings and bolster your financial confidence. Join Tamara Bates, financial coach to learn essential financial strategies made specifically with artists in mind.

In Strategies for Managing Uneven Income, Tamara will offer practical tools for how to pay off debt, save for the future, and other protective factors when your income fluctuates month to month. 

Jobs & Internships: Find, Target, Apply

Learn best practices for finding fine arts and design opportunities that align with your goals. Gain practical tips on how to get the most out of ArtWorks, RISD’s job and internship database, along with other leading job-search platforms.​ We'll show you how to use LinkedIn to connect with professionals to gain real-world advice through the RISD alumni network and how to register an internship for academic credit​. All students are welcome.

Prepare for the Design Portfolio Review

Get ready to make the most of your meetings and your networking opportunities. Learn what to include in your portfolio, what to say about your work, what questions to ask reviewers and more. Acquire essential skills to research companies of interest, to conduct an effective portfolio review and to follow up for future opportunities.

Create Your Portfolio & Demo Reel

Portfolios and demo reels are influential in gaining an internship, job, exhibition, or freelance work. Learn the ideal methods to curate and present your work to make a bold first impression and to stand out against the competition. Have you ever wondered what employers, potential clients, or fine art organizations want to see? We'll share insights from renowned creatives and recruiters who are seeking RISD talent. Whether you're just starting out or looking for fresh ideas to display your work, you will come away from this program with a clear strategy and inspiration.

Art of Business Series: 5 Good Legal Habits for Working Artists

In this workshop, arts and entertainment lawyers will discuss five good (legal) habits for working artists: specifically, best practices in (1) treating your creative practice as a business, (2) protecting the creative works you plan to publicize; (3) key elements in a professional contract; (4) how to distinguish employees from independent contractors; and (5) starting to planning your creative legacy.

Fulbright Info Session w/ Fulbrighter Q&A

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed Study/Research projects for 9-12 months in over 140 countries. This remarkable opportunity is open to all disciplines and all kinds of creative projects. During their grants, Fulbrighters meet, work, live with, and learn from the people of the host country. Through thoughtfully designed project activities, research, and artistic practice, Fulbrighters have meaningful engagement in the community and promote mutual understanding. Enrolled Seniors, Fifth Years, and Graduate Students, and recent alumni up to three years after graduation may apply through RISD. (Students may begin the application process in their Junior year but cannot submit an application until the fall of their Senior year.) Applicants must have a bachelor degree before the start of the grant and must be a U.S. citizen.

This Information Session will provide you with an overview of the program and the application process, along with motivation to develop your ideas and jump in! We are thrilled that RISD Fulbrighters Bhen Alan ’22 MFA PT to the Philippines and Sydney Abady Foreman ’18 TX to Chile will join us to contribute their insights and share their experiences. 

Exploring Artist Residencies

Learn how residencies can support you with time and space for your practice while expanding your resources - including access to equipment, connection to community, and new exhibition opportunities. They can also provide you with a great summer internship! You'll hear how residencies are research and development labs for the arts with over 500 programs in the U.S and more than 1,500 world-wide. Discover resources to help you find programs focused on your social practice, the environment, and the sciences, as these residencies bring together artists, designers, and scholars from all disciplines.
 

Art of Business Series: Taxes for Artists & Creative Freelancers

What can I deduct? Do I bring receipts to my accountant? How do I deduct my home studio? Why do freelancers have to pay taxes quarterly, and how do I do that? Hannah will discuss the basic tax equation, self employment tax and the estimated quarterly tax system, audit concerns for the creative person, and other tax issues relevant to artists, designers and makers.

Maharam Fellowship Info Session

Receive $5,000 for your summer internship and be part of RISD's prestigious Maharam Fellowship! Learn everything you need to know to make a strong and compelling application. This award has been opening new avenues for RISD talent in organizations where artists and designers are not typically found or where artists/designers can contribute to the mission of the organization in a meaningful way. Maharam is committed to making the art and design world more fair, diverse, and creative. The Fellowship will support internship work that aspires to advance social progress or safeguard the environment or even combine both of these important issues. At the Info Session, you’ll learn about the Fellowship and hear from past RISD Fellows about their successful experiences.
 

How To Follow Up - Internship Connect 2025

Learn the best methods to follow up with professionals after Internship Connect. We'll cover common strategies for your initial outreach to people you just met, and even those you missed at the career fair. Discover valuable resources like the list of participating professionals, the ArtWorks Employer Directory, and LinkedIn. Hear how to keep in touch with your top prospects as you pursue internships and jobs in the spring. Internship Connect gathers companies interested in RISD talent. Now is the perfect time to build up your professional network in preparation for the busy spring recruitment season. Note: First Year Undergraduate Students are not eligible to attend Internship Connect, but are welcome to attend this program.
 

Art of Business Series: Carving Out an Authentic Creative Business

Muralist, illustrator, brand designer, and organizer Amanda 陳 Beard Garcia will share her journey of unexpected avenues towards running a creative business. From graduation, to day jobs, to freelancing, finding community, successes, challenges, and everything in between, Amanda will speak on the joy of venturing into a unique, rewarding, and ever-shifting career.