Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) is a private, nonprofit college founded in Providence, RI in 1877 as one of the first art and design schools in the US. About 2,500 students from around the world engage in liberal arts studies and rigorous, studio-based learning at RISD (pronounced “RIZ-dee”), where they earn bachelor’s or master’s degrees in 22 majors. Each year more than 5,800 children and adults also participate in RISD Continuing Education courses.

Lindström reached out to RISD earlier in the spring regarding a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Jewelry + Metalsmithing department, offering to supply students with tools for use and experimentation in exchange for feedback on new prototypes geared towards artists.

“Lindström DNA has always been linked to end-users. We strongly believe that working together with the industry’s future artists and jewelers will help us in anticipating their needs and improving our brand positioning, starting at the very beginning of their professional careers. Working with this young generation of jewelers supports our development of new precision cutters and pliers and helps us adapt our brand portfolio to new and emerging techniques. In addition, we will be supporting students at a critical part of their career with the very best tools from Lindstrom” says Lindström Brand Manager Ion Yarza.

“This is an exciting moment for RISD to connect directly with a world-class toolmaker to think about how tools support and expand our material experimentation,” says Vice Provost for Strategic Partnerships Sarah Cunningham. “So many RISD students and faculty adapt and modify their tools, so this is a great opportunity to be able to share their discoveries with Lindström, a maker of such high-quality products with an openness to innovation.” During the 2022–23 academic year, RISD staff and faculty may have the opportunity to visit Lindström factories in Spain, and Lindström staff will visit campus to see how faculty and staff are using the tools.

“There is an interesting intersection between academia and industry,” says Jewelry + Metalsmithing Department Head Tracy Steepy. “The partnership reduces some student expenses and provides more access to these world-class tools. I hope to be able to design classes around them, allowing students to learn and work in a way that they have never been able to in the past. As artists, we will be able to provide feedback on tool prototypes so that they are better suited to our work.”