Julie Mehretu Delivers RISD Commencement Address to Class of 2026

Artist Julie Mehretu delivered the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) commencement address on behalf of the Class of 2026. In her speech, she reflected on her own journey as a queer artist from a Michigan family of Ethiopian origin, who worked as a server before pursuing art. She apologized to graduates for the state of the world—citing ecological collapse, political extremism, and technological extraction—and urged them to use their training in the 'radical imaginatory' to create new possibilities. Drawing on Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing's book 'The Mushroom at the End of the World,' Mehretu used the Matsutake mushroom as a metaphor for flourishing in ruins. She emphasized the importance of intuition, collaboration, and staying open to uncertainty. The address was published by Hyperallergic on June 2026.