Rafael Attias left his native Venezuela to pursue a degree at RISD. Upon graduating he began working as a graphic designer and art director with several prominent Providence and Boston firms. He creates, performs and records music, merging visuals with sound, and creates mixed-media abstract paintings. Projects include The Ear Draws Inward, an experimental album, as well as several multimedia collaborations.

Attias has taught at RISD since 1998. He has successfully balanced his professional design life with an academic career and finds the two arenas to be mutually beneficial and dynamic. In 2001 he was honored to be a candidate for the Award for Excellence in Teaching at RISD.

Academic research/areas of interest

The bulk of Attias’ teaching has been in computer-based digital media tools, an ever-evolving and constantly changing medium that shapes the way the world communicates and cannot be ignored. He has learned a great deal about the possibilities that these new tools have to offer, while at the same time keeping a solid foot on the foundation of what makes work meaningful.

Fall 2018 Courses

• GRAPH-7001-01 Interactive Text: Interactive Sound and Image Emphasis

Wintersession 2019 Courses

• NMSE-8965-11 Collaborative Study
• NMSE-8965-12 Collaborative Study
• ILLUS-3316-01 Type In Motion

Spring 2019 Courses

• ILLUS-3408-01 Illustrator As Designer