Jennifer Liese

Director
401-277-4829
jliese@risd.edu

Before coming to RISD, I was an editor at Artforum and Cabinet, wrote about art, and worked in museums and galleries. I recently edited an anthology of artist's writings called Social Medium: Artists Writing, 2000–2015 (Paper Monument, 2016). At RISD, I've taught courses on graduate thesis writing, professional practices, and experimental publishing. Whether working with individual students or on institutional publications, I try to provide tools and inspiration for artists and designers to share their work and perspectives with wide and varied publics.

Anne West

Graduate Written Thesis Faculty Mentor
awest@risd.edu
Request a biweekly meeting

As a faculty member in Graphic Design and the Graduate Commons, A&L faculty mentor, and author of Mapping the Intelligence of Artistic Work, I support students across disciplines in conceptualizing and writing their Master's thesis. Using a process of appreciative inquiry, we work together to draw out, clarify, and nurture the root of your work, locate and build ideas, develop a voice, and give meaningful form to the thesis document.

Vishakha Ruhela

MFA Graphic Design
Peer Tutor
they/them
Additional Languages: Hindi

With a deep affinity for education, I've successfully taught, trained artisans, and spoken at public forums in various capacities. Drawing upon this experience, my substantial background in textile design, and my ongoing graphic design education, I always consider different viewpoints in providing feedback to others. Whether it’s organizing your research, brainstorming or reviewing your drafts for your creative writing, design projects or professional applications, I'm excited to help you in a way that works best for you.

Sathya Munagamage

MLA Landscape Architecture
Peer Tutor
she/her/hers
Additional Languages: Sinhala

I believe that our words shape our thoughts and writing is a process of translating those shapes into a physical form. I am here to join with you in this continuous translation process. I have experience in publishing academic papers and mentoring students in public speaking during my college years and I look forward to sharing that experience, knowledge and skills.

Susana Garcia

BFA Illustration, LAS concentration
Peer Tutor
they/them

I'm a queer Latine who loves making art of any kind about the dark and macabre. I'm a huge creepypasta fan, love goth and punk rock, and am obsessed with web history and culture. I started writing as a child who was engrossed in storytelling. My favorite thing to write is paranormal fiction, but I'm adept at taking the skills I've developed out of passion for writing and using them to clearly articulate myself in an academic setting.

Arete (Ari) Xu

BFA Sculpture, THAD Concentration
Peer Tutor
she/her/hers
Additional Languages: Mandarin Chinese

Writing is a thrilling craft filled with its fair share of challenges. As a Kiwi-Chinese immigrant, I'm deeply invested in removing barriers to access in writing and helping you find your unique expression. I want to share the beauty of the language and how it can carry your personal narratives. My work is based on my interest in art history, literature, and mythology. Let's work together and grow your creative visions to their fullest potential.

Yukti V. Agarwal

BFA Textiles, THAD Concentration
BA Psychology and Contemplative Studies, Brown University
Peer Tutor
she/her/hers
Additional Languages: Hindi, Sanskrit

I am a multidisciplinary thinker, and more than anything else, I care about creating meaningful work. My work leverages my skills in design, research, and psychology to combine systems-level thinking and human-centered approaches. I specialize in helping others incorporate research—especially around visual and material culture in relation to identity and heritage—into all forms of creative expression, from academic papers to student publications.

Sarkis Antonyan

BFA Interior Architecture, LAS Concentration
BA Urban Studies, Brown University
Peer Tutor
he/him/his
Additional Languages: Armenian

As a poet and essayist, I use writing to unpack topics and generate unforeseen ideas. I bring my love for experimentation, revision, and specificity to the writing process to convey arguments in nuanced, vivid ways, often by successively layering information to hunt for hidden themes. I relish the fact that writing, through its flow and impressionism, can simultaneously heal and invigorate both writer and audience. I specialize in creative writing, art journalism, academic research, and resume drafting.

Senjuti Sangia

MA Global Arts and Cultures
Peer Tutor
she/her/hers
Additional languages: Bengali, Hindi and Marathi

Growing up in a multilingual home, I have always had to process and articulate information across languages. Over the last few years, my practice has metamorphosed from a designer to a researcher, although primarily existing at the intersections, the “in-between spaces.” My praxis has been an exercise in translation, between languages and between design disciplines. As a tutor, I would like to facilitate your translations so that we can learn and articulate together.

Lily Berman

MLA Landscape Architecture
Peer Tutor
she/her

I believe that creativity thrives in community and that good writing starts from good conversation. My academic training is in political science and my professional background is in theater design and directing. These experiences taught me how to communicate across audiences, styles, and media. Whether you are brainstorming, drafting, or editing, I am eager to help you deepen your thinking and move your work forward.

Zhechuan (Kevin) Zhang

BFA Illustration
Peer Tutor
he/him/his
Additional Languages: Mandarin Chinese

As an illustrator skilled in transforming concepts into visuals, I offer a unique perspective on effective communication. My experience in simplifying complex ideas equips me to convey them in clear, accessible language through the process of organizing ideas. Being a non-native speaker, I empathize with the challenges of fluent writing. I'm enthusiastic about assisting with coming up with content topics, various ways of organizing thoughts, and composition stages from brainstorming to meticulous draft revision.

Jude Bigboy

BFA Printmaking, CTC and THAD Concentrations
Peer Tutor
they/them

Having written creatively and academically since my pre-college career, writing is now an important part of articulating my artwork—especially when it’s technologically or conceptually intensive. My biggest interests include media analysis and research, especially in the intersections between Art and STEM studies. I approach tutoring as a way to learn about what others are making and learning, and to grow in my own ever-evolving writing experience alongside my peers.

Henry Ding

B.Arch Architecture, LAS & NCSS Concentration
Peer Tutor
he/him/his
Additional Languages: Mandarin Chinese

As much as I enjoy writing, trying to express myself can oftentimes become frustrating. But then I remember how language has offered me tenderness in moments of strife, happiness in moments of love, and dedication in moments of inspiration. From creative writing, to journalism, to research—word by word—I always fall in love again. Stop by because we all deserve an impactful relationship with writing!

Mina Troise

BFA Illustration, LAS Concentration
Peer Tutor
she/her/hers

A common refrain of mine is that if I weren't an artist, I'd be holed up somewhere writing novels and reading my days away. As a tutor, I hope to fuel that love of language in my peers, whether it be public speaking, creative writing, or ideating your next best thing. Finding my own voice is a joyous lifelong pursuit. It is an even greater joy to help others find theirs!

Grace Demopoulos

BFA Film Animation Video
Peer Tutor
he/him, she/her

Coming from a background involving academic and creative writing, I am thrilled to offer an extra set of eyes and work together with peers to perfect their vision. My strengths lie in my ability to research and my eagerness to connect. Communication is a crucial skill regardless of career or personality type—my goal is to make the language behind it accessible and clear.

Alexandra Reintjes

MFA in Sculpture
Peer Tutor
she/her, they/them

I am interested in the nexus between theory and practice, language and non-language, and in the thresholds where ideas and experiences move between those things. My process is grounded in the materiality of language and in the mundane, which have the paradoxical potential to be transformative. I have a background in philosophy and experimental writing and in creating neuro-inclusive environments for students. I hope to explore both conventional and new ways of writing with you.

Avrie Allen

MFA Graphic Design
Peer Tutor
she/they

With a background in art history, fine arts, graphic design, and humanities, I am passionate about interdisciplinary, research-based, and feminist/queer approaches to art and design. My creative and writing processes always begin with talking to people I trust. Whether I can support you in talking through your ideas, highlighting strong threads in your work, crafting arguments, or reviewing materials, I want to make you feel confident about sharing your ideas beyond A&L.

Julia Cheng

BFA Illustration
Peer Tutor
she/her/hers
Additional Languages: Mandarin and French

While my current life revolves around art, my first love has always been language. I grew up reading anything I could get my hands on, and became especially interested in research and narrative writing. Now, my focus is largely on organizing abstract ideas and streams into something communicable as I navigate my identity and place in the world. Stop by anytime to chat about pop-culture, media, or whatever else you're up to!

Angel Wang

BFA Industrial Design
Peer Tutor
she/her/hers

Bio coming soon.

Zheyun Chen

MLA Landscape Architecture
Peer Tutor
she/her/hers
Additional Languages: Mandarin

As a non-native speaker, writing in English bridges my Mandarin and English mindsets and other languages I know. I appreciate writing as a confrontation with solutionism, for writing helps me analyze the overarching structure and fundamental logic of certain problems, question them rather than answer them. Leveraging my landscape architecture background, I enjoy instilling systems thinking to brainstorming and organizing ideas.

Amelia Jeoung

BFA Illustration
Peer Tutor
she/her

As a visual storyteller and avid reader who was raised overseas by linguists, language has been intrinsic to my life. I am always writing, whether for fun, for routine, or for my creative process, which hinges on a balance of practiced methods and spontaneity. From tackling grand ideas in brainstorming to fine-tuning the final details of your writing, I look forward to working with you at any stage of the process!