Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, Providence, RI Providence, Rhode Island - Southern New England's Most Comprehensive Art Museum in Downtown RI Capital

Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, Providence, RI also known as RISD is located at 224 Benefit Street in the downtown area of this southern New England capital. There is the Farago wing entrance on Benefit Street at Waterman Street and an entrance at 20 N. Main Street through the Chace Center.

The museum opens Tuesday-Sunday from 10 AM -5 PM though on every third Thursday it stays open until 9 PM except in the month of December. As of 2009, was closing for the month of August. It is also closed on January 1, July 4, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

On Sunday mornings admission is voluntary. It is free on Thursday evenings when open, as well as the last Saturday of each month except in December. Children under 5 always enter free as do students at RISD and Brown University as well as their faculty and staff.

Three of the five buildings that house the Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, Providence, RI, were built between the 1890s and 1926. Two of the buildings were added in 1993 and, most recently, 2008.

The RISD Museum is the only major art museum in the south east of New England, with 84,000 objects in its collection. It was founded in 1877 in the drive to improve manufacturing design in this state, which emerged as the most industrialized in the nation after the Civil War.

Its collections today include Asian art, ancient art, contemporary work, decorative arts and textiles. Practically all mediums are represented here, including sculptures, paintings, crafts, prints, photos and drawings. Several visiting exhibits can always be found here alongside the permanent collection.

There are free guided tours of the museum on Saturdays and Sundays at 2 PM and at 12:15 on weekdays. There are hands on workshops and performances for families and children on weekends. The museum also hosts a paid lecture series on Tuesdays.

The Rhode Island School of Design Museum of Art, Providence, RI, often schedules musical events on Thursday and Friday evenings. Museum admission is free of charge to members of the museum who give annual support. There are several membership packages available, each one bringing different benefits for joining.

Adult and student groups and tours are booked one month in advance of a planned trip to the museum.

The Chace Center hosts the RISD's store which sells items designed and produced by students and faculty of the design school. Books, apparel, fine art, posters, jewelry and even kitchen items can be found here that were designed by current and past students.

The museum has produced teacher's guides and other educational materials. It also has a learning program specifically for Providence schools.