I spent this morning perusing the online video resource that outlines the 16 undergrad majors and 3 liberal arts concentrations. Professor John Dunnigan of the Furniture Design Department is a gentleman I’ve had the fortune of meeting on two occasions in my orientation visits to RISD since the presidential announcement. He has a soothing voice, and especially inquisitive eyes that marks him as a master of the creative profession.

In my various encounters in the world of creativity and innovation, I have always noted that the art/design instinct is always revealed in the eyes of a person. First the eyes, then the hands — one’s back posture or degree of portliness has no particular correlation I’ve discovered. Art and design are about empathy … directed outwards, inwards, towards a commercial concern, or completely free.

Also, some of the best artists and designers are great cooks. There is something to cooking that is not only inherently inventive, but also exemplifies the very nature of unselfish giving from the heart. What you could eat yourself, you choose to give to another as the most meaningful sustenance for survival. Perhaps the most literal example of this culinary connection a la RISD is Al Forno restaurant in Providence which was started by RISD alums. They give new meaning to quality in art and design as a real matter … of taste.