POD + Workshops

POD provides RISD graduate and undergraduate students and Teaching Artists with the opportunity to design and teach either a single workshop or a series of after-school workshops. These free after-school workshops are open to teens who are current participants in POD programming as well as other students that attend public high schools in Providence, Pawtucket, Central Falls, and Woonsocket. POD invites RISD students to submit proposals for workshops that encourage teens to think and make in new and creative ways. Once a proposal is accepted, the RISD student-instructor receives support from POD staff to ensure the success of the workshop.

check out our most recent workshops!

  • jewelry + Metals

    In this two-session workshop, teens were introduced to techniques and skills of jewelry and metal work! In the first session teens learned basic jewelry skills to make a pendant that expressed their personalities. In the second session,teens used refined techniques to create a ring. Over the entire workshop they learned cutting, smoothing, stamping and hammering and polishing, and will have personal jewelry finished and ready to wear!

  • Hot Glass workshop

    In this exciting pop-up workshop led by RISD Glass Senior, Syamini Breathwaite, POD teens explored the versatile medium of hot glass in RISD’s hot glass workshop and studios.

Past Workshops

  • Stained glass

    Bridget Proven (RISD MA '22) led a one-time, virtual workshop for POD teens. Teen participants looked at contemporary stained glass artists and then created simple designs together over zoom. After the workshop, Bridget turned the teen's sketches into actual stained glass pieces that POD teens were able to keep.

  • Webfolios

    We ran our first virtual website design class called Webfolios, which was open to current POD teens and alumni. This class was created and led by Teaching Artist Natalia Spritzer (RISD MA '22). Teens were encouraged to develop themselves and their unique artistic identities through a digital context. Throughout the program, teens learned basic web-design skills and designed their own site space.

  • Character Design 101

    In this 5-week virtual workshop led by teaching artist and character designer, Jordan McCracken-Foster, teens learned the fundamental principles of creating a fully realized character design! They discussed the importance of story, shape language, style, and color to analyze pre-existing characters, and used these techniques to create unique characters from scratch.

  • Figure Drawing

    In this 5-week virtual course led by Teaching Artist, Jonathan Peck, teens practiced drawing the figure in a multitude of ways. Teens learned how to break the body down into individual forms and parts. They discussed how these discrete parts relate to each other to form an entire figure.

  • Visual Mixtapes

    Visuals Mixtapes was a 4-week long workshop led by RISD Printmaking Grad Student, Edward Steffanni, taught in Project Open Door's studio. 15 high school students explored painting, printmaking, and collage together with appropriated imagery as both a source of inspiration and material for their own artwork.

  • body building

    Body Building was a one day workshop run by Aimee, Jack, and Kern, three RISD Undergraduate students from Dr. Shana Cinquemani's Artist and Designer As Teacher course. The undergrads introduced POD teens to a really simple and fun way of casting body parts using plastic wrap and tape. In just a couple of hours, they created some incredible pieces!

  • IntAR

    IntAR was a 3-week workshop led by RISD Graduate students, Madelyn Albright and Emily Jones. This workshop led 8 local teens in exploring what interior architecture means and how it impacts our everyday lives. The class learned how the shapes and forms around us impact us as humans. They learned how to make mood boards, build models, read plans, and design their own dream learning environment.

  • Selfies vs. Self-Portraits

    This 10-week course led by RISD grad student, Jessina Leonard, focused on self-portraiture and deconstructing the selfie craze. Through group discussions and demonstrations, hands-on activities, writing exercises, visiting artists and portrait sessions, teens were introduced to basic skills of photography. The course finished with teens compiling their photographs and written reflections from throughout the course to create their own zine.