Instructor Spotlights
Meet some of the creative professionals who teach for RISD Continuing Education.
Are you a RISD CE instructor who would like to be featured by #risdceSPOTLIGHT? Fill out this Google Form or email cemedia@risd.edu to learn how.
Instructor Spotlight: Zachary Pelham
Instructor Zachary Pelham began teaching with RISD Continuing Education in 2024 when he moved back to Massachusetts after spending several years in Chicago, attending graduate school and teaching at the School of the Art [...]
Instructor Spotlight: Jason LeClair
RISD Continuing Education instructor Jason LeClair began his journey with a single course in cartooning at 15 years old. More than two decades later, a colleague’s recommendation led to a position teaching Critical Studies [...]
Instructor Spotlight: Taylor Pate
Taylor Pate’s background as both an artist and an educator inspired her to be part of a program that encourages students to explore new ideas, take risks, and develop their own artistic voices. RISD [...]
Instructor Spotlight: Yikui (Coy) Gu
Meet RISD CE instructor Yikui (Coy) Gu. In his recent mixed-media autobiographical series, he layers paint, stock imagery and everyday objects. Through the combination of political, cultural and domestic imagery, he hopes to subvert [...]
Instructor Spotlight: Bruce Campbell
"My Journey with RISD Continuing Education began when I completed a faculty swap with my lecturer position at the University of Washington. Charles was teaching at RISD CE but wanted to perform research activities [...]
Instructor Spotlight: Tim McCool
“My journey to becoming a RISD CE instructor began when I was asked if I could adapt my abstract painting class into an online format. Setting up asynchronous courses was a challenge because I [...]
Instructor Spotlight: John Gonzalez
“I grew up in Providence and wanted nothing more than to attend RISD as a student, which I did as an undergraduate in the early 2000s. RISD really is a special world. When I [...]
Instructor Spotlight: Matthew Manning
Get to know Matthew Manning, a RISD Continuing Education instructor for animation and stop-motion courses: Matthew started animating as a child with a Super 8 camera in his parent’s garage. He attended California State [...]
Instructor Spotlight: Katy Dika
“My journey to RISD began when I set foot in the Nature Lab. I went on a tour when I was about 17 years old and knew I had to be a part of [...]
Instructor Spotlight: Taleen Batalian
"Everyone sees differently–students start trusting their process more once they see their drawings developing in ways they hadn’t imagined.” —Taleen Batalian, RISD CE Drawing instructor; recipient of the 2020–2021 RISD CE Teacher of Excellence [...]