The mission of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), through its college and museum, is to educate its students and the public in the creation and appreciation of works of art and design, to discover and transmit knowledge and to make lasting contributions to a global society through critical thinking, scholarship and innovation. The RISD Museum believes that art, artists, and the institutions that support them play pivotal roles in promoting broad civic engagement and creating more open societies. Established as part of a vibrant creative community, the museum stewards works of art representing diverse cultures from ancient times to the present. The museum interprets the collection with a focus on the maker, and deeply engages with art and artists, presenting ideas and perspectives that can be inspiring and complex. The museum aspires to create an accessible and inclusive environment that fosters meaningful relationships across all communities.

Funding from FCI would support RISD’s efforts toward specific sustainability goals outlined within our most recent strategic plan (2020-27). These goals include a commitment to approaching all improvements to our historic buildings and new projects as opportunities to conserve energy and employ green best practices. Three of the RISD Museum’s main buildings do not meet current energy efficiency standards and have had ongoing problems due to related issues. These issues must be fully understood before RISD can create an implementation plan to address them and integrate them into a systematic institutional assessment. RISD will hire a building envelope consultant to review the envelopes of three of the RISD Museum’s main buildings. The study will be understood through a lens of energy inefficiency and observed material deficiencies. RISD’s Operations team will perform an audit of the mechanical systems to provide a full picture of the buildings’ usages. This work will result in a report including all findings and clear recommendations, directly informing an implementation plan.