Student Skill Exchange

Louie Rigano
Design For Social Entreprenuership Spring 2010
Student Skill Exchange
A place where RISD students can trade skills, facilities, and abilities to asist
with projects and to promote cross-discipline involvement.
Personal Interests
I am interested in fabrication and building things.

I am eager to learn about as many different types of techniques, process,

machinery and tools as possible. Taking classes that deal with all of these,
in addition to required classes, is nearly impossible.
The Steel Yard
The Steel Yard
The Steel Yard is an organization commited to cultivating an environment of
experimentation and a community strengthened by creative networks.
The Steel Yard
The Steel Yard encourages small business incubation and provides rental
spaces to programs, businesses and artists in need of a place to hatch
ideas. Some of the current tenants include Recycle-A-Bike and the Woonas-
quatucket River Watershed Council.
The Steel Yard
Facilities:

-Welding, blacksmithing, jewelry, ceramics, and glass

-Ceramics Cooperative
-Jewelry Cooperative
-Studio Access Opportunities
-Outdoor multi-use work and exhibition space
The Steel Yard “Hire a Yardie”
What are the needs of the community?
As a RISD Student, what are the specific needs that I have observed directly
related to the student community?

I have often observed that students can be just as helpful, if not more help,
than faculty and professors. Students are always around and eager to help
out.
What are the needs of the community?
RISD has a wealth of facilities that are only accessible to the few students
who belong to that particular major. What if I want to learn how to use a
knitting loom, or a project I am pursuing requires a part to be welded, or a
pattern made?
The RISD Community
The RISD Community
Historically, the RISD community lacks cross-departmental exchange.
The RISD Community
If not enrolled in a class in a particulr major, the facilites, machinery and
tools are off limits. Can there be a way to open up the schools many
resources to students in a productive, organized, and efficient manner?
The RISD Community
Julien Nguyen
Class of 2013
Painting

“I had a project this past Fall semester where I had to make a

sculpture out of cardboard. I was hoping to do something new,
like laser cutting or at the very least, use a few power tools.
Looking back it definitely would have been nice to have know an
upperclassman in a design major who could maybe have helped
me out.”
The RISD Community
Alison Dubois
Class of 2010
Illustration

“This past Wintersession, I was in charge of props for the RISD

Musical. I was hard finding people to help make some of the
larger backdrops and structures.”
The RISD Community
Elena Penny
Class of 2010
Graphic Design

“The timing is crazy! This would have been awesome, right now
I have to find someone who knows how to work with metal. I
have to make a book cover for my degree project, which is due
this Thursday, out of a cut sheet of tin. If you can do it or you
know someone who can, let me know! Please!”
What are students using now?
What are students using now? Craigslist
What are students using now? RISD Pedia
What are students using now? RISD Intranet
What are students using now? Email
What are students using now? Word of Mouth
The Website
Student Skill Exchange
+
RISD
Implemetation
Support from RISD’s Office of Information Technology is essential for Stu-
dent Skill Exchange to come to fruition.

Students would simply use thier existing RISD User Name and Password,
which are already in use for accessing RISD email accounts and the RISD
Intranet.
Thank you!!