Holly Gaboriault (she/her) is a storytelling producer crossing filmmaking, curation, design research, education and programming centered in the power of story. Moving between archives and museum collections, her “narrative recovery” projects address design histories and legacies often undocumented, hidden and forgotten. Holly has a BFA in Illustration and a MA in Global Arts + Cultures from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). She produces and directs film and media expanding interdisciplinary dialogues among artists, designers, and creative scholars ranging from fashion and textiles to performance and curatorial dialogues.
Holly is the 2026-2028 Faculty Fellow in the Costume and Textiles Department at the RISD Museum of Art. As a faculty member at the RISD in the Illustration Department, she has lectured in the Theory + History of Art + Design, Liberal Arts Department, served as an Assistant Professor-in-Residence, and as interdepartmental Graduate Lecturer and Critic. Her courses focus on creative research methods, design exploration and community storytelling.
As a faculty member at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), she has lectured in the Theory + History of Art + Design, Liberal Arts Department, served as Assistant Professor-in-Residence for the Illustration department, and as an interdepartmental Graduate Lecturer and Critic. Her courses integrate tools for narrative activation research and curatorial practices emphasizing responsibility for sustaining community stories.
Holly’s current and ongoing exhibition and book projects feature untold queer histories of mid-20th century fashion designers and textile illustrators; early histories of theater and costume innovation; and reframing forensic interconnectivity of hidden creative labor and interdisciplinary research.
Story-driven projects + collaboration
Collaboration being a crucial in her work, Holly has held positions as a designer, illustrator, creative director, curator, director of programming, strategic storytelling consultant and community board member. Serving as a storytelling producer for the Brown Arts Institute at Brown University (2023-2026), previous projects include RISD Research Perspectives (2020-2023) and The RI Art Archive Project (2012-2016).
Holly’s current projects feature rediscovered queer histories of mid-20th century fashion designers, illustrators, and textile makers; early histories of modern theater and costume innovation; and reframing narratives of hidden creative labor and interdisciplinary research.
Collaborators + Clients
Fellowships + Awards
Faculty Fellowship, Costume + Textiles 2026 – 2028
Museum of Art, RISD
Humanities Fund Grant. 2023
Faculty Research Fellowship 2022 – 2023
Fleet Library + Archives, RISD
Maharam Fellowship in Art + Design 2020
Pedagogical Innovation Fellowship 2020
Graduate Fellowship 2019 – 2020
Best Feature Film: Female Forces 2016
RI Art Archive Project
Boards + Committee Support
Art League of Rhode Island
Aurea Ensemble
Foundry Artists
Gallery Night Providence
LitArts RI
Newport Art Museum
Open Studios / Arts Marketplace
Pawtucket Arts Collaborative
Providence Athenæum
Providence Preservation Society
Public Art Works
Rhode Island Council for the Humanities
Rhode Island Historical Society
Rhode Island State Council for the Arts
RISD Faculty Fleet Library Programming
RISD Holistic Student Wellness Initiative
Exhibiting Artist
19 On Paper
5 Traverse Gallery
ArtProv Gallery
Art League of Rhode Island Gallery
AS220 Project Space Gallery
Attleboro Arts Museum
Bannister Gallery, RI College
Candita Clayton Gallery
Graphic Arts Workshop, San Francisco
Jamestown Arts Center
Kathryn Schultz Gallery
Keeseh Studios
Krause Gallery, Moses Brown
Newport Art Museum
Pawtucket Arts Collaborative Gallery
Pool Art Fair, New York
Portsmith Artist Guild
Providence Art Club
Providence Arts Windows
Providence Public Library
RI State Council for the Arts Gallery
ISB Gallery, Illustration Department, RISD
Museum of Art, RISD
Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, NY
Salve Regina University Gallery
Sol Koffler Graduate Gallery, RISD
University of Rhode Island Gallery
Warwick Museum of Art
Woods Gerry Gallery, RISD
Start a conversation
Film + Media Projects
Design Research + Curation
Guest Speaking
Arts + Culture Programming