RISD, Brown alums named to 2013 Forbes 30 Under 30

A SCREENSHOT OF Studio Dunn's website displays some of the furniture and home accents designed by Asher Dunn, a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design who was named among the Forbes 30 Under 30 in the art and style category. Dunn was one of six RISD alumni to be recognized on the 2013 list. / COURTESY STUDIO DUNN
A SCREENSHOT OF Studio Dunn's website displays some of the furniture and home accents designed by Asher Dunn, a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design who was named among the Forbes 30 Under 30 in the art and style category. Dunn was one of six RISD alumni to be recognized on the 2013 list. / COURTESY STUDIO DUNN

(Updated, 2:49 p.m.)

PROVIDENCE – Seven of the 30 young artists and designers recognized on the annual Forbes 30 Under 30 list announced Monday are alumni of the Rhode Island School of Design.

The six RISD graduates who made the list were:

  • Asher Dunn (Class of ’08) – Furniture designer and founder of Studio Dunn in Providence who also founded Keeseh Woodshop and arts and business incubator Anchor Providence. (Age 27)
  • Simon Haas (Class of ’08) – Furniture designer and co-founder of Haas Brothers in Los Angeles, who together with his brother Nikolai Haas has designed furniture for celebrities including Lady Gaga. (Age 29)
  • Colin P. Kelly (Class of ’07) – Award-winning industrial designer for Redscout strategy and design firm in New York. (Age 29)
  • Jemima Kirke (Class of ’08) – Self-styled “painter-actress” who has recently earned fame in her role as Jessa on the HBO series “Girls.” (Age 28)
  • Victo Ngai (Class of ’10) – Award-winning illustrator for clients including The New Yorker, The New York Times, Scientific American, Wired and McDonald’s. (Age 25)
  • Crystal Ellis (Class of ’11) – Furniture designer and co-founder of Egg Collective design studio in New York, which makes furniture and home accents out of organic materials, including wood, glass and brass. (Age 29)

In addition, freelance graphic designer Lotta Nieminen, also featured on the list, attended RISD briefly but did not graduate with a degree. The 27-year-old Nieminen’s past clients include The New York Times, Volkswagen, United Airlines and Newsweek.

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Three alumni of Brown University were also named to the Forbes 30 Under 30, all in the social entrepreneurship category:

  • Khalil Fuller (Class of ’15) – CEO of Learn Fresh Education Co., the group behind the NBA Math Hoops basketball board game, school curriculum and mobile app that makes math fun for kids. (Age 21)
  • Tevis Howard (Class of ’07) – Founder of Komaza, a social enterprise that provides financing to dryland subsistence farmers to plant indigenous trees and make a profit selling the timber. (Age 29)
  • David Schwartz (Class of ’09) – Co-founder of Real Food Challenge, a nonprofit organization in Cambridge, Mass., that trains college students to pressure campuses to buy local, ecologically sound and humane foods. (Age 27)

The Forbes 30 Under 30 list features young, influential industry movers and innovators in 15 different categories, including media, tech, finance, science, education, Hollywood, social, music, sports, art and style, law, games, marketing, energy and food.

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