Crystal Williams – writer, poet, advocate, leader, and President of the Rhode Island School of Design – believes that education, art and design, and commitments to equity and justice are essential to transforming our society. For more than two decades, her work to elevate and amplify the multiplicity of human experience in higher education has galvanized the imagination about who we have been and who we can become.

In her inaugural address, she asked: “Can you imagine a single national or international movement in which the arts were not a motivating and defining force? … For instance, in this country, the civil rights movement is often characterized as being driven by orators, attorneys, and activists; and yet when you unpack the requisite strategic components of the movement, beside the visionaries, activists, and strategists we typically call, were yet other visionaries, activists, and strategists, these narrating, depicting, influencing via graphic design, visual arts, performance, literature, film and television. Their worked galvanized the imagination, influenced perception, helped drive strategy, and helped to drive change. … This is not superficial work, it’s serious work.”

Join Malcolm Clemens Young, Dean of Grace Cathedral, for a conversation with Williams about the power of art in a changing world.

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Meet Crystal Williams, RISD’s President

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About the Guest

Crystal Williams believes that education, art and design, and commitments to equity and justice are essential to transforming our society. For more than two decades, her work to elevate and amplify the multiplicity of human experience in higher education has galvanized the imagination about who we have been and who we can become. The daughter of an educator and a musician, Williams was raised in Detroit, MI and Madrid, Spain, where she was immersed in arts and culture from an early age. Today, when not on campus or connecting with RISD alumni and friends of RISD around the globe, one can often find her wandering art galleries or museums, at live theater—one of her first loves—reading or watching British murder mysteries and spending time enjoying the company of beloved friends, both human and canine. Williams earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from Cornell University. In April 2022, she became the 18th President of Rhode Island School of Design. Learn more.

About the Moderator

The Very Rev. Dr. Malcolm Clemens Young is the dean of Grace Cathedral. He is the author of The Spiritual Journal of Henry David Thoreau and The Invisible Hand in Wilderness: Economics, Ecology, and God, and is a regular contributor

About The Forum

The Forum is a series of stimulating conversations about faith and ethics in relation to the important issues of our day. We invite inspiring and illustrious people to sit down for a real conversation with the Forum’s host and with you. Our guests range from artists, inventors, and philosophers to pop culturists and elected officials, but the point of The Forum is singular: civil, sophisticated discourse that engages minds and hearts to think in new ways about the world.  More about Grace Forum Online.

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