Shared Languages: Crafting Cross Cultural Exchange - Day Two

The two-day symposium Shared Languages: Crafting Cross Cultural Exchange will focus on platforms, programs and models established to create meaningful and reciprocal learning exchanges among art and design students, educators and artisans across the globe.

Key themes explored through panels include: the transmission of craft and design knowledge across communities of makers towards innovation and sustainability of all disciplines; platforms to create cross-cultural learning and exchange across design and craft educations; preservation and sharing of craft traditions and knowledge; and the role of craft within the built environment.

The pilot program includes a five-week travel course in Morocco for students to study craft in relationship to the built environment in Fés, a full semester on-campus course focused on the intersections of patterns within craft and the built environment, a seminar on craft in the Islamic world, and a one-week residency for members of Morocco’s craft community to be held on RISD’s campus. Each aspect of the program engages the RISD community with the depth and richness of craft in Morocco today while also showcasing the value of craft know-how and the role of craft within the built environment. A core goal of the program is to foster cross-cultural learning and exchange across languages, socio-economic realities and geographies.