Stephanie Van Riet

MFA Sculpture

Trails of being

Gaining consciousness through trails of contemplation, my artistic practice is informed through my sensing the world and making sense of the world. Fascinated by how living beings sculpt the contours of our planet and develop collective intelligence through movement, I organize my observations and research through sculpture, printmaking, artist books, and installation. Due to the communication limitations inherent in interspecies collaboration, I often work with scientists to better understand the daily routines and inner worlds of nonhuman beings. Each project is linked to an observational journey visualized through material activation, scientific reference, and narrative thought.

Large spiraling lines covered in a sawdust-like material sitting on top of a green chalkboard with wooden borders. The lines extend beyond the board, and there are lines of chalk on the floor and chalkboard.

A Romance in Many Dimensions
2025
Wood pulp, steel, chalk, chalkboard
4’ x 18’ x 4’

Squares of printed material ranging in color and tones of tan to dark blue are connected in a curved shape, receding in size

Four tan squares with graphite drawings and laser cut text are formatted in an “L” shape and connected to a cube covered in navy book cloth. They are the beginning narrative pages of the unfolded cube.

Voyager
2025
Graphite, ink, cyanotype on laser cut paper
Closed: 4.25" x 4.25" x 4.25"; Open: 46" x 68"

Unique, in the Special Collections of RISD Fleet Library

Found objects connected by wire and string, suspended from the ceiling. There is a black and red typewriter ribbon that unravels from top of the piece, disappearing through a hole in the floor.

Wire and string connecting various seashells, nutshells, pieces of glass and metal, blue and red transparency sheets, film strips, and other office supplies. There are salt crystals growing on many objects

Theory of Everything
2025
Cicada wing, horseshoe crabs from a beach in Delaware, mussel shells, nutshells found in Washington Square Park, pecan shell, walnut shell, sea urchin, seashells collected over the past 5 years, snail shell, limpet, barnacles, clay, rocks, salt, soil, spray painted leaf, pencil shavings, clothespins, paper clips, typewriter ribbon, colored pencil, colored transparency, film, paint, gouache, watercolor, aluminum, bronze, steel shavings, magnets, washers, zinc, hardware, alligator clips, circuit switch, wire, string
10’ x 3’ x 4’

Department Navigation