Rosanne Somerson

Rosanne Somerson (born June 21, 1954) is an American-born woodworker, furniture designer/maker, educator, and former President of Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). An artist connected with the early years of the Studio Furniture, her work and career have been influential to the field. Early life In an interview on Amy Devers' podcast Clever, Somerson discusses her upbringing and how it affected the path she took. She attempted to join a woodworking/shop class in middle school, but wasn't allowed to participate and faced repercussions for asking. Somerson also made most of her clothes throughout high school. She attributes this to her reliance on hand-me-downs, along with her want to have unique clothes that she couldn't otherwise afford. Education and early career Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, she began her undergraduate degree at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) in photography, but switched her focus, and received her B.F.A. degree in Industrial Design in 1976. During this time of transition, she took a semester off of her studies at RISD to attend full-time furniture making workshops at Peter's Valley Craftsmen (Peter's Valley School of Craft). After graduation, Somerson worked as a correspondent for Fine Woodworking magazine. She also assisted for photography with her former professor and mentor Tage Frid's three-part book series "Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking" published by Taunton Press (1996). Academic career She taught woodworking with the Harvard Extension School from 1977 to 1978, and at the Boston Architectural Center in 1981. Somerson joined the Rhode Island School of Design faculty in 1985. Starting in 1985, Somerson ran the M.F.A. Graduate Program in Furniture Design and she co-founded the creation of the Furniture Design department in 1995. She served as RISD's interim associate provost for Academic Affairs from 2005 to 2007, as interim provost from 2011 to 2012, as provost from 2012 to 2013 and as interim president from 2014 to 2015. The RISD Board of Trustees appointed her the college's 17th president on February 18, 2015.