Notable Alumni of Rhode Island School of Design

Paul Graham 1964–

Programmer, venture capitalist and essayist

Also attended: Harvard University, Cornell University

Spouse: Jessica Livingston (Bucknell University)

Brian Chesky 1981–

Co-founder and CEO of Airbnb

Joe Gebbia 1981–

Co-founder of Airbnb

Hashim Sarkis 1964–

Lebanese architect, dean at MIT School of Architecture

Also attended: Harvard University

George Boas 1891–1980

Philosophy professor at Johns Hopkins University

Also attended: Brown University

James Franco 1978–

Actor and filmmaker

Also attended: University of California-Los Angeles, Yale University, Columbia University in the City of New York

Sibling: Tom Franco (California College of the Arts, University of California-Santa Cruz)

Sibling: Dave Franco (University of Southern California)

Seth MacFarlane 1973–

Creator of Family Guy; actor and comedian

Animation

Gus Van Sant 1952–

American film director, photographer and musician

David Byrne 1952–

Founding member and lead vocalist of Talking Heads

Robert Richardson 1955–

Cinematographer known for Oliver Stone films

Also attended: American Film Institute Conservatory, University of Vermont

Kara Walker 1969–

Contemporary artist known for silhouette tableaux

Michael Dante DiMartino 1974–

Co-creator of the Avatar Legends franchise

Jenny Holzer 1950–

Neo-conceptual artist

Master of Fine Arts

Also attended: University of Chicago, Ohio University-Main Campus

Tina Weymouth 1950–

Bassist and founding member of Talking Heads

Spouse: Chris Frantz (Rhode Island School of Design)

Sibling: Yann Weymouth (Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Martin Mull 1943–2024

Actor, comedian and painter

Master of Fine Arts

Francesca Woodman 1958–1981

Photographer known for black-and-white pictures

Father: George Woodman (Harvard University, University of New Mexico-Main Campus)

Mother: Betty Woodman (Alfred University)

Jemima Kirke 1985–

Artist and actress known for HBO series Girls

Sibling: Lola Kirke (Bard College)

Dale Chihuly 1941–

Glass artist known for large-scale blown glass sculpture

Also attended: University of Puget Sound, University of Washington-Seattle Campus, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Spouse: Leslie Jackson Chihuly (University of Washington-Seattle Campus)

Heather Nova 1967–

Bermudian singer-songwriter

Chris Van Allsburg 1949–

Children's author and two-time Caldecott winner

Also attended: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Bryan Konietzko 1976–

Co-creator of the Avatar Legends franchise

Shepard Fairey 1970–

Street artist and founder of OBEY Clothing

Charles Rocket 1949–2005

Actor and Saturday Night Live cast member

Julie Mehretu 1970–

Ethiopian American contemporary painter and visual artist

Also attended: Kalamazoo College

Martha Coolidge 1946–

Film director, former president of the Directors Guild

Also attended: New York University

Chris Frantz 1951–

Co-founder and drummer of Talking Heads

Spouse: Tina Weymouth (Rhode Island School of Design)

Ilene Chaiken 1957–

Television producer and co-creator of The L Word

Mary Lambert 1951–

Film director, mainly of horror

Marissa Nadler 1981–

Singer-songwriter

Angus MacLane 1975–

Pixar animator, director of Lightyear

Brian Selznick 1966–

Author and illustrator of The Invention of Hugo Cabret

David Macaulay 1942–

Illustrator and writer, author of Cathedral

David Mazzucchelli 1960–

Comics artist of Batman: Year One

Spouse: Richmond Lewis (University of Rhode Island)

Roni Horn 1955–

Visual artist and writer

Also attended: Yale University

Walt Simonson 1946–

Comic book writer and artist known for Thor

Spouse: Louise Simonson (Savannah State University)

Nicole Eisenman 1965–

Artist known for paintings and sculptures

Justin Lo 1976–

Hong Kong singer-songwriter and actor

Carol Twombly 1959–

Type designer, formerly at Adobe Systems

Also attended: Stanford University

Shahzia Sikander 1969–

Pakistani-American visual artist

Sam Hyde 1985–

Comedian, co-founder of Million Dollar Extreme

Bachelor of Fine Arts · Film production · Class of 2007

Also attended: Carnegie Mellon University

Jill Greenberg 1967–

Photographer known for anthropomorphized animal portraits

Kenneth Goldsmith 1961–

Poet, artist and founding editor of UbuWeb

Spouse: Cheryl Donegan (CUNY Hunter College, Rhode Island School of Design)

Salima Hashmi 1942–

Pakistani painter and former dean of National College of Arts

Arno Rafael Minkkinen 1945–

Finnish-American photographer

Also attended: Wagner College

Meri Katrantzou 1983–

Greek fashion designer based in London

May Hong 1995–

Korean-American model, actress and artist

Jason Lutes 1967–

Cartoonist and comics creator

Bachelor of Fine Arts · Class of 1991

Jessica Walsh 1986–

Graphic designer and art director

Spouse: Zak Mulligan (Arizona State University-Tempe)

Walton Ford 1960–

Painter and printmaker in naturalist illustration style

Tobias Frere-Jones 1970–

Type designer teaching at Yale School of Art

Grace Lin 1974–

Taiwanese-American children's author and illustrator

Acacia Johnson 1990–

Alaskan photographer focused on the polar regions

Also attended: University of Virginia-Main Campus

Deana Lawson 1979–

Brooklyn-based photographer and artist

Also attended: The Pennsylvania State University

Anton Refregier 1905–1979

Russian-born painter and muralist

Charles Ying 1979–

Hong Kong Cantopop singer and actor

Victo Ngai 1988–

Chinese-American illustrator raised in Hong Kong

Charwei Tsai 1980–

Taiwanese multidisciplinary artist

Sam Posey 1944–

Former racing driver and sports broadcast journalist

Lynne Jewell 1959–

Olympic champion sailor

Also attended: Northeastern University

Prince Carl Philip, Duke of Värmland 1979–

Swedish prince, son of King Carl XVI Gustaf

Attended until 2008

Sibling: Victoria, Crown Princess of Sweden (Yale University)

Prince Peter of Serbia 1980–

Prince of Serbia and graphic designer

Attended until 2000

Sibling: Prince Alexander of Serbia (University of San Francisco)

Archduke Dominic of Austria 1937–

Habsburg-Lorraine family member and industrial designer

Sibling: Archduke Stefan of Austria (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)