hey, i’m yasmine.

Currently: RISD Presidential Fellow & Master’s Graduate in Industrial Design, MID ‘24

I am an interdisciplinary artist (mechanical engineer and industrial designer by training, design/build educator by trade) who has lived in Providence since 2013, despite spending my childhood calling many different places home. Though I was born in Brooklyn, NY, I spent years of my childhood just outside of Philadelphia and Richmond, VA, before my family eventually settled in Columbus, OH.

I come from a working-class, "tri-cultural" household of African immigrants--my father is Sudanese and her mother is Sierra Leonean-born Lebanese. My work and teaching practice are deeply informed by this mixed-up identity and upbringing, but I also draw inspiration from a fascination with music of all sorts, Black and brown pop culture history, animation, old Nintendo games, magical realism, DIY & countercultural spaces, and the many communities of which I have become a part.

I want to discover new ways to empower marginalized people to reshape their environments, and examine how designers can create affordable, culturally-competent educational opportunities within formal and informal contexts. Specifically, I am interested in exploring the power of appropriate technological interventions, public art, and creative placemaking to spur dialogue, uncover forgotten histories, and subvert traditional notions of power.

Beyond exploring community-rooted, narrative-based, and discursive design practices, I’d like to understand how to collaboratively launch “for us, by us” spaces and initiatives where Black and brown youth are able to thrive while still being themselves.

Photo by Raf Rodriguez

  • Rhode Island School of Design Masters of Industrial Design, 2024. Society of Presidential Fellows.

    Brown University Bachelors of Science in Mechanical Engineering, 2017

  • DownCity Design Youth Program Manager and Design/Build Educator (2017-2022)

    Brown Humanity-Centered Robotics Initiative Project Robotics Technician (2016)

    MIT Office of Engineering Outreach Programs Engineering Design TA (2016)

    MIT Office of Engineering Outreach Programs Underwater Robotics TA (2016)

    AS220 Industries Labs Intern (2015)

  • Public Space One (Iowa City, IA) x Mipsterz ALHAMDU: MUSLIM FUTURISM Exhibition (July - August 2024)

    Rhode Island School of Design 2024 Graduate Thesis Show (May 2024)

    Rhode Island School of Design “SONDER" 2024 Black Biennial Exhibition (May - June 2024)

    El Palmar (Mexico City, MX) “Knowledge from the Land / Sabiduría desde el territorio” Gallery Show (June - July 2023)

    RISD Illustration Department "Gorgeous Gorgeous Gears" Working Art Course Final Show (May 2023)

    RISD Graduate Studies “Emotional // Durable”Industrial Design Graduate Biennial Exhibition (March 2023)

    Providence Department of Arts, Culture, and Tourism Van Wrap Selected Artist (March 2023)

    Providence Streets Coalition Hope St. Temporary Trail Contracted Fabricator (August 2022)

    RISD Society of Presidential Fellows Building Tall Fellow (2022 - present))

    RIOT Rhode Island (fka GirlsRock! RI) Board of Directors (2021 - present)

    DESIGNxRI DFWD Resiliency Challenge 2022 Cohort Member

    Public Gallery HOME Pop-up & Gallery Show Selected Artist March 2021

    Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC) Guest Workshop Facilitator (April 2019)

    Brown University School of Engineering Commencement Speaker (2017)

    Brown University LINK/SEW Grant Awardee (May 2015)

  • Languages

    English (fluent), Spanish (intermediate proficiency), Sierra Leonean Krio (limited proficiency)

    Digital

    HTML, CSS, MATLAB, JavaScript, Python, Processing, RegEx

    SolidWorks, OnShape, SketchUp, ABAQUS (finite element analysis)

    Adobe Creative Suite (Premiere, Illustrator, Audition, Dreamweaver, Photoshop), The GIMP, InkScape, Procreate, Sony Vegas Pro, Audacity, Dragonframe

    Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, + PowerPoint), Google Drive Suite

    Slack, Zoom, Trello, Asana, Notion

    Physical

    Rapid prototyping, carpentry (fine woodworking & construction-scale), casting and mold-making, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, analog + digital sketching, 3D printing, laser cutting, vinyl cutting, vacuum forming, bread boarding, circuit analysis, soldering, basic metalworking, basic screen-printing, foam carving, traditional animation techniques (hand-drawn, paper cut-out, stop motion, modified base method

    Interpersonal

    Curriculum design, teaching, classroom management, project management, public speaking, design facilitation, conflict resolution, brainstorming and rapid iteration, problem solving, fostering inclusive environments

    Interests

    Design, education, appropriate technology, writing, electronics, music (viola, bass guitar, drums, and basic MIDI production), music journalism, untold histories, D.I.Y. & culturally subversive spaces, public art, animation, video production, gardening, retro video games, narrative fiction