Participants who are accepted and who meet low-to-moderate (LMI) income criteria for their county receive a full tuition waiver, and are eligible to apply for a seed capital grant in Design Catalyst’s Phase 2.

*Note: Design Catalyst grants are dispersed as reimbursement grants. Seed funding is not guaranteed by acceptance into the Design Catalyst Program. Grant funding requires a separate application process, and is contingent upon available funding.

Dara Benno is a transdisciplinary designer committed to advancing sustainable systems that address both environmental and social challenges. Her life-centered approach is rooted in the intersection of applied art and design thinking, focusing her practice on addressing complex issues through a strategic, holistic lens. Through her integration of a systems-thinking mindset with a hands-on creative practice, Dara designs accessible models, objects, and experiences that spark critical thought and engage individuals and communities in shaping a more resilient future.

Deon Marie is the founder of The Style Studio and brings over a decade of experience in the beauty and fashion industry. Trained by leading wardrobe stylists, she has assisted on editorial shoots for some of fashion’s most renowned publications, including Vogue Magazine. Deeply connected to both her Jamaican heritage and her Newport, Rhode Island roots, Deon effortlessly bridges cultures and connects with clients from all walks of life—bringing authenticity, elegance, and confidence to every styling experience.

Haoying is an object designer exploring design through the lens of global Indigenous materials  and technologies. Her work seeks to celebrate the materials that supported early human  development and reintroduce them into contemporary design as a way to reconnect with both  our roots and the natural world. 

Upon graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, Haoying narrowed her material  focus to gourds—one of the first plants domesticated by humans, which hold cultural  significance across the globe. This exploration serves as a reflection on her cross-cultural  background and a way to deepen embodied and inherited understanding through objects.

Jay Costello is a designer and new media artist working with pneumatic installations and immersive environments. They are the founder and principal of Field Objects, a creative studio that bridges art practice with technical implementation for creative partners across New England. Jay holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from The Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design and a Master of Architecture with a focus in Digital Media from Rhode Island School of Design, where they received the Presidential Fellowship. They are a 2025 CODAworx Emerging Artist, recognized internationally for their engagement with emergent technologies. Jay’s work investigates material transformation and agency to reveal how controlled environmental conditions alter spatial experience.

We are Rhode Island-based designers working at the intersection of industrial craft, sculptural form, and social practice. Our work integrates material intelligence with fabrication to produce objects and environments that are both functional and expressive. Both our creative and freelance operations revolve around precision metal working that starts on the beds of mills, lathes, or the welding table and often expands into casting, kinetic robotics and static sculpture. This industrial literacy allows us to generate works exuding theatricality and excitement by harnessing methods of making typically reserved only for industry. Our goal is to generate objects that open up previously unseen worlds for consumers, clients, and public audiences, distilling a sense of understanding from an increasingly complex world.

Hello, I’m Juno, also known as Sleepy Thyme Art! I’m an illustrator and merchandise designer who runs an online store and sells at events all over the country. While I work with manufacturers to get my designs professionally printed and made, all of the art used for them is designed and drawn by myself. My work is bright, colorful, fun, and joyful.

Lilly Manycolors is a mother, aunty, interdisciplinary artist, youth arts educator, scholar, and founder of AUNTY’S HOUSE, a community arts studio in Providence RI offering arts programming and events. Manycolors works in the arenas of trans-species encounters, performance art as culture building, and youth’s right to arts and literacy education. Manycolors is Executive Director of AUNTY’S HOUSE and adjunct faculty at Rhode Island School of Design.

M Arida is a Providence-based barber and owner of a private hair studio specializing in precision haircutting for masculine-of-center individuals. With a strong focus on serving the LGBTQ community, M offers an alternative to the traditional barbershop experience. Since beginning their career in 2019, M has trained with world-renowned educators and industry leaders, developing a sharp eye for detail and advanced technique. Continuing education remains central to M’s craft as does their dedication to continuous improvement. In June of 2024, M relocated from Boston to Providence and opened their private studio. Through in-depth consultations, they consider each client’s specific circumstances and goals while prioritizing suitability. M’s work combines technical excellence with a modern, tailored aesthetic. Known for delivering consistently polished results, M has built a reputation for precision and genuine care to deliver haircuts that empower clients to feel confident and authentic.

Mia Schon is a Providence-based mosaic artist, educator, and community collaborator. Her work transforms public and private spaces through mosaic murals that weave together cultural, historical, and personal narratives. Drawing on both traditional and contemporary techniques, Mia emphasizes collective storytelling by inviting communities to participate in the mosaic making process. In addition to large-scale murals, she leads workshops that offer hands-on opportunities to learn and explore her technique. 

Schon has created site-specific works in hospitals, schools, community centers, and other shared spaces, each reflecting the voices and stories of its participants. She continues to expand her practice through public art commissions, teaching, and collaborations that highlight the power of mosaics to build bridges across communities.

Muffy Brandt is a multidisciplinary artist based in Providence, Rhode Island.  Her design business is primarily focused on hand silk screened textiles.  

Pieces include unique designs printed onto garments and small runs of yardage that  she uses to make accessories and decorative items.  

A love of all things textiles leads her to also incorporate hand dyeing, knitting, and  embellishment techniques into her limited edition offerings.  

She is regularly experimenting with ways to put designs on material and thinking of what  types of wearable and artistic applications her fabrics could be constructed into. 

Additionally, she offers a small run of cast jewelry pieces.  

BFA RISD 2004, Salt Institute for Documentary Studies 2012.

Wellsbuilt is a furniture collection and custom woodworking studio operated by Nolan Wells, located in Rhode Island. The collection is ongoing and evolving and draws inspiration from elements of Shaker, Mid-century and Scandinavian furniture design, among others.

Nolan learned woodworking at Maine’s Center for Furniture Craftsmanship and primarily works with sustainably sourced domestic hardwoods with natural oil finishes.

When he isn’t covered in sawdust, Nolan’s often hiking with the family dog, Mossy, or playing guitar. He works and lives in Providence with his wife and their two kids.

Rachel Maeve is a Providence-based photographic artist working primarily in wet plate collodion tintypes, ambrotypes, cyanotypes, and experimental image-making processes. Her work has been exhibited in galleries and public art contexts and published on the cover of poetry collections. She is currently a Community Heritage Artist Fellow with the Providence Preservation Society, where she leads Dreams for the Waterfront, a project documenting the environmental and human stories of South Providence’s shoreline.

She has held a research fellowship at the American Antiquarian Society, studying 19th-century tintypes as artifacts of radical intimacy and memory. Her practice often blends historical research with contemporary community engagement and exhibitions that make space for collective reflection and radical imagining.

As both an artist and a parent, Rachel seeks sustainable creative rhythms that allow her to interweave artistic creation with caregiving and community collaboration.

Sam Burgess is a chef and entrepreneur living in Providence with projects that take him worldwide. His experience includes high-end catering, food product R&D consulting, corporate cheffing, commercial composting infrastructure, authoring nearly 400 recipes, and a stint cooking at holiday parties at the White House in 2023. With a hunger for startup energy, he is involved with a variety of projects rooted in community health, regenerative food systems, and incredible cuisine. He is VP of Culinary for Forge To Table Knives (www.forgetotable.com/) and the Director of Culinary for food content brand, Food & Company LLC (www.foodandcompany.co/). He is excited to embark on a journey with the DESIGNxRI Design Catalyst program for his newest venture.