RISD SWEETHEARTS (We got more than our degrees at RISD!) In her sophomore year at RISD Lisa (Plantenga) Berry 04 PH was glad she put a lot of thought into her Lady of Shallot costume for the Artists’ Ball. That night, after she took a look at drummer John Berry 04 IL, she determined that she just had to meet the musicians playing the event. She did—and then didn’t even wait for graduation to tie the knot. The couple married right after junior year and now, eight years later, Lisa says, “John is a gem of a man. I’ve often thought that just finding him was well worth the tuition.” Since graduation Lisa has met and photographed a lot of other RISD couples and weddings. As a professional photographer, she says that RISD weddings are “hands down the most fun and beautiful celebrations. RISD grads marrying each other is—well, one of my very favorite things.” Lisa feels an instant connection when meeting RISD alumni. “They all plan the details of their weddings with such care, foregoing current trends to incorporate their own personal ideas,” she says. “And there’s nothing like seeing a bunch of alumni on the dance floor. They’re so fun to photograph!” The Alumni Relations Office wants to celebrate more couples who connected as students. If you met your sweetheart at RISD, please send us your story—how you met and a bit about your life together—and become a member of RISD Sweethearts, a frivolous little lovers’ club for creative couples. Don’t forget to include a good photo of the two of you. You’ll get a RISD Sweethearts bumper sticker or pin, and your story just may be selected to run in an upcoming issue of RISD XYZ.
John Berry 04 IL and Lisa (Plantenga) Berry 04 PH (above) found each other at RISD and have been together ever since. He’s now a painting professor at DePauw University in Greencastle, IN and she specializes in wedding photography and particularly loves photographing RISD couples getting together. Her photos of Jon Saunders 05 IL + Emily Arthur 06 ID (above right) and Joel Wakeman 06 ID + Miranda Wall 06 ID/MAT 07 are shown here. To see more, go to lisaberry photography.com.
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS BECKY FONG? As a student, Becky Fong 05 GD was active on the Student Alliance. As an alum, she has also been a committed RISD volunteer, whether living in Rhode Island, Boston or most recently in Atlanta, where she served as a club leader. This year Becky is largely on the road, visiting far-flung alumni clubs and those close to home. Her mission? To touch base with young alumni, talk about life post-RISD, share news about initiatives on campus and off, encourage people to keep 36
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connected, and remind everyone about RISD resources that could be helpful, including the Career Center, the online alumni directory and the Artworks database. Becky met with alumni in Hong Kong in late December, where a small group gathered at Club 71 in the Central District. They had fun catching up over drinks and sharing notes about President Maeda’s visit earlier in the month. Follow Becky’s blog posts about her travels at beckyfong.risd.edu.