November 12, 2011—It’s not often that art students get their work critiqued by a master. But that's what happened November 11, when Pierre-Alexis Dumas ’91 visited campus.

As chief creative officer of the luxury goods company Hermes, Dumas oversees the selection and fabrication of hundreds of new products handcrafted each year, from the finest silk and leather, crystal and gold. In a rarified universe of artistry, he is the final arbiter of excellence. Before delivering a public lecture, Dumas visited the Granoff Center for a less formal event: a “master crit” of art works produced by RISD students.

A studio in the Granoff Center was outfitted like a gallery, with chairs, benches, and blown glass sculptures displayed on the walls and on pedestals. A select audience of RISD and Brown students, faculty, and administrators listened as Dumas, a former visual arts student at Brown, moved from station to station, sitting in chairs students had designed, picking up their glass work, and admiring their craftsmanship.

He proved an empathic and incisive critic, approaching each student’s work with care, and proposing potential artisans the students might collaborate with in France, where Dumas lives and works. One student had woven an airy but remarkably sturdy bench from reeds, and Dumas seemed thrilled at the possibilities it offered: not only a bench but the chance to revive a flagging craft in France.

The Creative Arts Council sponsored the event. Watch a video of Dumas's visit below.