We've got all the opinions of real people like you who purchased the services of RISD Museum (Museum) around Rhode Island area.
Now the business receives a rating of 4.7 over 5 and the rating was based on 858 reviews.
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This Museum is included in the category of Museum.
Great place to visit
RISD art museum is like no other! It holds some fantastic ancient work, plus fabulous pieces from Van Gogh, Renoir Renoir, Monet and much more! In addition, they have some contemporary art too! Not to be missed in your trip to Providence if you appreciate art.
Great art museum (especially on Sundays when it's free for)! Bigger than I thought it would be and a great variety of art.
Free Sundays are great. Something to interest everyone. I wish there were a gift shop separate from the school bookstore (with different hours).
I would have liked more focus on design
Great array of different pieces. Each exhibit is unique and put together in a way that's friendly to the eyes. Came across some pieces that I never expected to be in a museum in our smallest state. Impressive gift shop, as well.
This place is much bigger than it appears to be. Lots of beautiful artwork and a refreshing garden in the courtyard.
Amazing collection in Providence.
Great museum with great exhibitions. Everything is kept nicely as well.
So much variety! If you like textiles, painting, sculpture, or anthropology, there is something (or many things) here for you. Visited on a Sunday and was pleasantly surprised that Sunday admission is free! Plan to spend a few hours - definitely worth a visit.
We were lucky enough to arrive in Providence on the third Thursday evening of the month...when the RSID museum is free. So, without a concrete plan for the evening, we decided to puruse the museum before we went to dinner. Wow! What a wonderful museum. The museum is packed with treasures ranging from Byzantine art to Impressionists to British print works. We were only drawn away by the rumbling of our stomachs. The museum is very well curated and well worth a visit...especially if you are lucky enough to be there for a free Thursday night.
Amazing local art on display great for family fun day
Wonderful museum! It is like several museums in one with modern and contemporary art, a small but worthwhile fashion collection, PLUS an adjoining house museum with period furnishings. Sundays at the museum are even free! The historic area surrounding the museum is beautiful too. Make the trip to Providence. It is worth it!
They have a lot of original work here in their impressive collection. Not crowded and easily accessible. Free on Sundays and some Thursdays.
Amazing collections. Well worth a visit.
Great art program for special needs
This museum has a wonderful small collection. I love the impressionist room. Also, it is free on Sundays which is how I ended up there. I would give this place a five star except for a few small issues that can be fixed. One is that RISD's website is very difficult to navigate, I didn't know what I would find there even though I really tried to find out. And second, even more confusing is the museum map! Seriously! I've been to a lot of museums, and they often have not poorly made maps, but this one beat them all. Please, improve your map, it is very frustrating.
A fantastic must-see when in PVD. Sunday's and last Thursdays (?) are FREE!
The museum has a wonderful selection of art and is a definite must see! The only downside I would be concerned about is if there is a fire, no one will be able to protect the artwork as the fire extinguishers have all expired in 2014 and currently have a large thick layer of dust on them. My sister used to be apart of the fire department and was the one to identify this issue when we went. We brought the issue up to the lady at the front desk and she just laughed that we would even be telling her this. This tells us that the safety of their guests and perserving the irreplaceable works of art is not a concern for this museum.
Great exhibit. Hi Ho Silver!!
Lovely diverse art museum spanning a great range of artworks and styles. A must see in Providence. We spent several delightful hours there. I would plan about 3 hours at least for the visit. The floor plan, however, is a bit confusing with passages between different height levels and multiple entrances and exits to the same area. The "floor map" was no help at all. But the labyrinth-like layout adds to the sense of adventure.
It is really interestingly curated.
Very nice.
A wonderful collection of work is housed here. I visited in December of 2018 and saw 3 different exhibits, but sadly, the student gallery was not open--I'm assuming a new show was going up. The main collection room showcased a good range of mediums and items ranging from textiles to photography and from industrial design to sculpture. One particularly interestng facet of the museum is that instead of typical staid descriptions of the artworks, they have quotes from the exhibited artist. Sundays are free for all which is something I always like to see from museums to allow anyone who is able to get there to get in for free every week.
So many awesome pieces of art.
We were passing through and stopped for a free Sunday visit. I was impressed with the collection of old to modern. Not as enjoyable trying to corral a 4 year old. Older kids found some things of interest.
I had never been to this museum after going to school in the area, and decided the finally go. This is a really cool place to check out if you are in the area. The museum has a lot of unique and interesting places, and is a nice queit activity that you can do with others or on your own. There is a lot of space to walk and admire the work, and overall the museum has a very calm and quiet atmosphere. I would recommend this museum to anyone who wants a nice way to unwind, while admiring some great art work.
It is a very nice museum that has a wonderful collection of classical and modern art.
Loved the RISD museum will definitely bring my kids
Had a wonderful time exploring art history!
Nice experience. Free with pass from RI library.
all of the art is form the studens that go here so great
The RISD Museum is Providence's premier art showcase. The collection has a wide variety of art from paintings to furniture with two galleries changing for shows. Collections of furniture and fashion provide the public and the students of RISD majoring in these fields an opportunity to see what has come before. There is a cafe and gift shop with books, jewelry, and objects, some from RISD alumni. Free admission on Sundays and special events such as chamber music on weekends. The museum is not overwhelmingly large so you can view the collection without getting too tired. Make a day of it by having lunch in the city and talking a stroll around the historic buildings in the area surrounding Brown and RISD on College Hill.
I do not pretend to know anything about art, but this collection is incredible. A must see in Providence.
Great museam if you enjoy art and history. My 12 year old daughter actually dragged me here for the day and we had a great time. I was impressed by all the great artists they display original work from like Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh. I am also impressed with the ancient Egyptian artifacts and an actual mummy coffin and canopic jars that had organs in them. All around a great place and it is free every Sunday.
Meh. Great works of art tucked away, while post modern/feminist/"help, help, I'm being oppressed" works given prominence. I understand this is a curator decision, so blame the either the curator or my art school training bias toward the classics for this review. Sometimes they get some great works in for limited times. Only then the trip into Providence includes the RISD Art museum.
We are so.blessed to have this museum in our city. It is very convenient, affordable, and manageable. There is a wonderful selection of art, while being a small enough size to manage in a half day. Take advantage of their Sunday discount to go as often as you want!
Great Gorham silver exhibit!
Great collection of art.
ranked one of the finest art/design schools in the world what can you say. Great instructors who are into the arts themselves in a big way. some world know in their own right. well maintained buildings in walking distance to downtown Providence,RI. it has the best of all worlds. near Brown University. Has some of its own stores and shops. Students from all over the world come here and you have to have a lot of talent to get into this school. a lot. If you have talent in the arts,contact them and I am sure they will send you the info you need. Have a good friend who is an assistant to one of the school officers.
Lovely. Will be going again.
Very cool art museum and I've been to several. No lines to get in, was not crowded at all and they had some interesting stuff to look at. They had art from hundreds of years ago and photograph type art which is recent. Place was clean and quiet which was great. Parking was tough to find since it is Providence, there is no parking lot. But once you find parking, you're good to go.
The Gorham silver collection alone is worth the visit.
You won't be disappointed with this museum. Even though it is small, it does stand up to a bigger museum. You can get through it in an afternoon and still see beautiful works of ancient, classic, and modern art.
This is a great little Museum. Nice collections beautiful displays perfect place to spend a day without feeling lost and overwhelmed.
Really cool exhibits and art.
I visited the RISD museum on a Sunday morning. There is free admission on Sundays. What an absolutely incredible museum this is. So much to see! There were many college students there with their classes sketching and discussing art. It was a great experience.
Remarkable! A must see in Providence
We're so lucky to have such a gem in Providence. The variety here is surprising for a museum it's size, and there is plenty to see. Kids under 10 will be bored, but that's par for the course for that age group. There's always something new to see, or something I didn't notice during my last trip, so the museum always feels fresh.
Fantastic museum, was brought here for a college art course. Polite staff, fantastic art work.
amazingly large & generously filled with multi faceted interesting art/historical pieces
Free entry on Sundays, so do consider that before heading over! The museum is a treat for those who want a bit of everything in terms of art. I was particularly blown away with the scheduled program of Ben Nacor who played piano pieces inspired by the moon in the room of European Paintings. Allow for at least 2 hours for quite a fast paced visit
Museum is ok There was a woman who kept talking on the microphone about her art (part of exhibit) who was really super annoying No order in museum. Mixed categories. Intentional? Security was tight and scared us at times. They were hiding. 6 floors but floor 1 and 2 not part of the museum exhibit.
Absolutely gorgeous art. Very clean, safe, and organized.
Very good museum, with a surprising collection of artefacts. Parking can be a bit of pain.
Nice place
Exquisitely curated collection. Smallish, but so completely smart. I love this super-fun place!
One of the best art museums I've been too
Great eclectic museum that includes art from ancient Egypt, Greco-roman art, paintings by masters like Monet, Renoir, Rembrandt and Picasso as well as modern artists like Jackson Pollack. A little bit of everything from every continent and every era! A great place to spend 2 or 3 hours walking through history!
The museum looks deceptively small from the lobby but it does open up to spacious major wings at the upper floors, housing the rich and diverse collection of art from all over the world, some dating from antiquity. As expected, the narrative is design-centric, highlighting various aspects of design as they relate to art. We planned to be here for less than an hour but ended up staying for two. The admission fee of $15 is pretty reasonable. They also offer free admission every Sunday. There is paid street parking available but we didn't have any luck finding a spot and ended up parking two blocks north.
It could've included more African AND Egyptian art but hey, it's Rhode Island, they didn't even have Native American art there. DO BETTER than this mediocrity RISD
To be honest I went in with low expectations since we have some of the best art museums in the world in NYC. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the size of the museum and the collection. My students and I enjoyed the ancient artifacts. The number of world renowned painters they had on display was amazing. We didn’t know there was an old house attached which was fantastic. The student stuff we barely looked at. They even had a wheelchair for one of my students free of charge. We needed about 1.5 hours to see it all. I would definitely go back.
Gem of a place with a wonderful collection of impressionist paintings, Asian Art, modern art and the period house with furnishings and art. It’s free on Sundays! Don’t miss this extraordinary museum if you are in Providence or on the way to Newport! The Bolt cafe in the Lobby is worth stopping in! Staff is helpful and friendly!
Viewed the documentary the celebrity Club fabulous
I don't know why I never came here before, it was pretty great. Free on Sundays. Lots of parents on Sunday, I brought my baby and there were a bunch of other kids and babies there with their families. Very family friendly other than the lady at the front desk who didn't want me to bring my diaper bag upstairs. I was impressed at the artwork available to look at, big names like Monet and Picaso. The painting descriptions on the wall were well written and interesting.
A very nice museum with varied artists and different mediums. Some older master's and new found treasures made it very rewarding.
I found the babylonian wall sculpture that I use as my computers login background completely by accident here and it made my day.
RISD Museum is wonderful! It is free on Sundays and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. The exhibits range from temporary installations to wonderful classic examples of ancient life and art. My favourite rooms are textiles and costumes as well as one room on the sixth floor that holds a massive Japanese carved Buddha Mahavairocana (I am serious, this seated structure of the enlighted Siddhartha takes up the whole room; I have been in fascination with it since I was 9). This Sunday I really enjoyed the exhibit by Yinka Shonibare and pretty much spent my afternoon in one room but that is the norm for me (I usually end up in the same sections oohing and ahhing over ancient textiles, costume details, new installations, and Buddha). As always the museum staff is courteous and cheery in giving directions- having the name of the exhibit is best; giving them a description willl likely end up with you in a general section- pictures of what you are looking for are helpful, too. You are allowed to take pictures unless told otherwise (not allowed to touch, usually). Parking on Sundays is not so bad since all the meters are free towards the evening. However parking is a different story on any other day, anyone who has been to the courthouse or Brown Uni can attest to this. No matter where you park be ready to walk down a hill; it is rare for space near the museum to be open. The museum has a cafe and a gift shop- I cannot say much about either since I usually just breeze past them but people seem to enjoy both spaces since they are regularly busy. Overall, the museum is a great space to enjoy by yourself, on a date, or with family. Especially on a Sunday when it is free
Go for the Student shows, then wander around it's a hidden jem.
Fascinating museum. You must remind yourself as you explore the various rooms that the focus is not on a particular culture or time period, but on design itself. At times you are looking at traditional art fare - paintings and sculpture. At others, mass manufacturing process. The museum is somewhat difficult to navigate. Make sure to pick up a map and guide.
Very cool museum! Stumbled upon it while looking for things to do in Providence. Worked out that there is no entrance fee on Sundays! Lots of old (2000+ years) art, stonework, etc that is interesting. Also more modern art and as recent as 2018. Includes very well-known (Monet, Picasso, Degas, Pollock) as well as RISD student work which we very much enjoyed. Huge museum with stuff for anyone and everyone. Well worth the visit!
This small "teaching museum" is a gem. The collection ranges from Cezanne to Diane Furstenburg to Newport Chippendale furniture. The interior of the Providence home in which it is housed is also noteworthy. Overwhelmed by big city museums? Then this is a welcome small alternative.
Awesome!!! We had so much fun creating with paper, glue, siccors, etc...
Great exhibits!
Excellent art installations of different cultures and time periods, has exhibits of RISD past and present students. Can take up an entire day . Admission is free on sunday so do plan to accordingly. There is a store and a coffee shop on site
Nice little museum
So fortunate to live in RI where Art Thrives!!! As an artist I recommend going at least once a month!!
Fantastic local museum
Free on Sundays! Can't beat the price. It's fun to see the huge exhibits that have on multiple floors and multiple buildings!
So many examples of art in industry
Small, but interesting enough. They have a little bit of everything, and it's presented somewhat originally. Honestly, the coffee shop in front was my favorite part. As for the art museum, I would expect a bit more from such a famed institution. I mean, it's never gonna be the Metropolitan Museum of Art, so why try to be that when NYC is only 3 hours away.
Tons of interesting artistic exhibits, ranging from old to new art of all mediums. Paintings, sculpture, clothing, furniture and more. Well worth the trip
The RISD Museum isn’t huge. The curators have used that to their advantage, though, by keeping a diverse, but very tight and high-quality selection of works. The collections span time and place, from ancient Egypt, China, and Greece, to modern works from around the globe, with additional focus on local and RISD-affiliated artists. There’s something for everybody here, and it’s well worth repeat visits, both to see new exhibitions and rediscover favourite works.
Lovely, and they have good stuff from all around the world
Cool little museum! Actually a lot bigger than I expected
I'm uud i
Very interesting collection including some big-name Impressionists and historical furniture etc. A bit hard to navigate around as spread over two buildings - sometimes you have to take a lift up and walk through a gallery in order to go down! Unfortunately the whole fourth floor was closed for renovations when we visited. Free on Sundays.
For all the hoopla about RISD, must say, I could fill that student room with much better art myself, without any art training. That is an awful expensive school for its product.
Cool exhibits, but I would have wanted to see more of the student art pieces. Felt like it was trying too hard to be a museum with everything. That being said, the paintings in the great room were really nice.
Very nice surprise!
Excellent selection of works from ancient to modern. Free admission on Sunday. Creative hands-on activities like tracing the anatomy of featured pieces. Downtown in easy walking distance of cafés and shops.
Great Collection.
Great place loved the music venue
An excellent museum of art and design.
A bit small but otherwise a great day of art. They have a ton of works from super famous artists and the neighborhood around it is great.
This place is spectacular. The works they have on display are top notch
In a lovely part of Providence; so much to this museum! A locker was complimentary for the things I was not allowed to bring in (like my backpack-style purse)
Great works of art
Great way to see designs of today and years past Gorham silver was worth the trip.
If the person at the welcome desk demands proof that you're a student, it's my fault. I'm sorry. Cool art
A wonderful museum filled with amazing treasurers
Went to see the Gorham Silver Collection. Very nice display. They had several events and collections going on at the same time. Very crowded. Needs a future return visit. Lots of staff on hand to assist visitors.
Fascinating exhibits, could spend several hours here.
Great museum with lots of interesting exhibits! It's free for kids under 18 and has a lot of cool galleries ranging from student artwork from RISD to historical exhibits from all around the world.
Amazing museum & supports education/learning for youth under 18 by offering free admission!
Why is this museum not #1 attraction in Providence? Fabulous collection
We started on floor 6 and worked our way down going between the two buildings that form the museum. We particularly enjoyed the Egyptian exhibit, then we realized most people are there for either Contemporary Art, the great impressionistic collection, or the European Masters. We particularly enjoyed the decorative Arts as well, since it's nice to see the history of craftsmanship in New England reflected within the furniture trends.
I had so much fun there. Loved their art pieces.
So much fun! You get pulled into different areas just through a little bit of exploration. A very nice museum
Love it!
This is definitely touted as one of the must sees while in Providence. To be honest, I found the museum interesting and a good way to kill time if nothing else to do but I wasn't blown away. It is small but has several floors and mazes to wander about. I thought there would have been more original pieces on display from students but there was really only one small section. There is a Bolt coffee shop if you need some caffeine boost to help you treck your way through the museum. Entry is free on sundays!
Small, but excellent, fine arts museum which serves the larger Providence, Rhode Island community and doubles as a teaching museum for the Rhode Island School of Design. RISD student work is sometimes included in the galleries. Some of these artists later become more established and their work can be found in art galleries and museums around New England and further afield, so it's a great experience to see them first, here.
Great museum with awesome variety of exhibits. Oil paintings, sculptures, textiles, a real mummy, giant buddha. Nice little cafe offering unique breakfast sammies, knead donuts, coffee and more. Gift shop offers jewelry, post cards, tote bags and more.
Wonderful experience
We went on a Sunday afternoon which is free. We had around 3 hours as we were late and I had underestimated the time it would take to view all the galleries and the exhibits. There are tons of interesting art pieces including furniture, utensils, photographs, paintings, and sculptures. The cafe downstairs is a nice place to get together and hang out between visits. I do not pretend to have a fine understanding of all types of arts. Still, I feel a couple of additional hours (4-5 hours) total would be optimal for me. If you discern specific items minutely, it can take even more. Overall, it exceeded my expectations.
The museum has a decent collection of historic pieces that make it worth admission. We enjoyed the Gorham steel exhibit. We didn't enjoy the making history modern trend throughout out the gallery where politics and social opinions are inescapable. It just felt a bit forced on you. These pieces were more about the statement and less about the technique.
Just the right mix of accessibility and class. All exhibits were interesting aesthetically as well as engaging intellectually
Excellent museum of design and art.
Situated between Riverwalk and College Hill, this museum has a lot to offer on its own. While not encyclopedic, its collection has some very interesting pieces of artwork, such as a paint box from Egypt and a palanquin from Japan. Also, interpretive labels are informative. As is the case with some other museums that have modern addition to old house buildings, however, its floor plan is not straightforward, but probably not to the extent of being confusing.
Lots of cool stuff, free for students
This museum is slightly confusing to navigate at first, but it offers an excellent diversity of artwork from many cultures and styles. Given its affiliation with RISD, one advantage this museum has over others is its abundance of student-produced work, which presents an excellent way to understand the issues important to young people today. Although the gift shop doesn't offer a wide variety of goods (mostly cards and glassware), most if not all of it is student-made and can serve as cute keepsakes of one's visit. There's a cafeteria at the entrance and an elevator that reaches each floor. Don't use the elevator if you can help though, and you'd miss the intricate sculptures and paintings that decorate the stairways. Helpful staff regularly patrol each section, and one of them even told me about a relatively unknown set of silverware exhibit hidden in drawers that visitors can open.
I love the fact that the museum is relatively small in comparison with other major museum around the country; it took us 2-3 hours to see the entire museum. The best part about our visit was that the museum wasn't busy; I hate being in a crowded museum. Don't forget to visit the museum store to browse through curated works of art by RISD's past alumni, and they are for sale.
Super fun art museum so much to see.
Great place to visit and view art from great artists. The subject matter ranges from different time periods, as well as some great contemporary work that gets rotated around. Some of the work comes from different countries, but overall the walk through is marvelous. They usually rotate the pieces out every month, but major sections like the Asia and Egyptian sections remain the same. Although, they removed the mummy because of ethical reasons, so that's really the only change there. They have a large wooden Buddha that takes up a big part of the room, too. I believe that's in the section between Asia and Indian works. They also feature student work from the university which is refreshing to look at since it's from rising artists.
Nice way to spend an afternoon. Interesting collection
Great art! A wide variety!
Fabulous museum with a great variety of exhibits, I particularly enjoyed seeing the various dresses and some of the wonderful paintings by old masters. I was blown away to see a Van Gogh here, not to mention Picasso, and my favourite: a walk in the meadows by Monet. There's lots too see, it's well worth a visit.
RISD Museum is a happening place. It has a phenomenal coffee place as well. Come during the gallery night or their Design the Night party. They offer free membership for RI based artist, very nice generous gesture.
Great little museum. They seem to have one or two of everything.
So much to see!
Nice walk, cool stuffihht come back in a couple of years.
Fascinating place, lots of unique items to view and buy.
RISD is an amazing campus with lots of character.
Great collection, especially for a university museum! Friendly and helpful staff.
Perfect Saturday or Sunday trip!
Absolutely love it great place
Nice collections from so many places of the World.
Very cute place...spend an hr or so...sometimes have great events
Didn't expect it to be as good as it is! Many masterpiece works by famous artists were not expected when I walked in. A pleasant surprise!
Really enjoyed my visit! There are some fabulous works of art here. There are elevators and stairs. If you are into 18thC American material culture - decor, furniture, portraiture, etc. - definitely check out the Pendleton House section of the museum. There is a definite emphasis on European art with several smaller galleries for Egyptian and Asian art that we went through. Didn't get through the whole museum though! We were there for almost three hours so plan a good chunk of time to take it all in. Highly recommend!
Love this place. Great place to introduce children to art. It's free on Sundays
Funky layout, but great exhibits. Many impressionist paintings. Well worth the $15. Cafe on site.
Pleasantly surprised by the amount of historic pieces they had. The building itself is a little confusing, where if you are on one end of it you can only access certain floors. Floor 3 is the best way to transfer to the next building. It gets rather hot on the higher floors, but they have free lockers where you can unload jackets and such. And speaking of free, go on a sunday or holiday for free entry!
Loved it! Such talented artists
OMG... Wow the RISD museum is awesome! Can't wait to go back!
I can’t believe this museum is in Providence! The exhibit halls are amazing and filled with incredible examples of fine art around every turn! There are works by famous artists, whom would be recognizable by anyone... such as Picasso, Van Gogh, Warhol, Monet, among many others! Besides all the great paintings, there is a colonial era wing with period furnishings and artifacts. There’s Roman artifacts... so so much to see! Right here in Providence! Go! Check it out!
Pretty cool museum.. the provided map is useless. That place was like pans labyrinth.
The museum is amazing! Tremendous variety of great art.
Awesome admiral Dewey's Chicago
I love this place. Finally able to visit.
A good museum with a varied collection and knowledgeable staff. Don’t go to Providence without stopping in! Give yourself 2-4 hours.
Great museum to go to if you want to get through the whole thing without spending an entire day there. The layout is somewhat confusing, but an overall enjoyable time. There's also a cafe inside if you're looking to grab a drink while you're there.
Great museum, punches way above its weight. I was impressed by it's Monets, Manets, Renoirs and Picassos.
Great collection.
I had a good time with my friend Dan, will be going again.
$15 one time entry fee. If you want to return , repay to reenter. Floors 3rd through 6th have various themed design articles. Typically created by RISD architects or of era gone by . They've sourced some interesting articles too. Have a cafe on 4th floor. Can't take eatables or water during tour . Someone has to move between floors just to get to water. Some very good articles that stood out for me were Achilles killing Hector with Athena by him. It's chilling of one gets the context. Good Egyptian articles collection. The Japanese palanquin is one to look at and admire. Some of the paintings are great. The wooden Christ and buddha are extraordinary. Loved it.
Offered more to see than I thought. Rich in culture and had some of the most unique pieces of artwork I've ever seen.