Eric Telfort is a multidisciplinary artist who earned his BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design, and after working as a production artist in the video game industry, earned an MFA from the New York Academy of Art in 2009. Telfort has lectured throughout the US and internationally in Japan, and Zimbabwe where he was a Visual Arts Initiative artist in residence. In 2019 he received a Robert and Margaret MacColl Johnson fellowship to explore the concept of creativity in poverty, and to pursue a personal independent visual novel. This fall of 2025 Eric will enter his first year as dean in the division of Fine Arts at the Rhode Island School of Design where he will engage in ongoing transformative initiatives.
David 2023
Oil on Paper 2x(20″x14″) 20″x16″
Additional Info
Artist Instagram: @etelfort
Part of Growing the NetWorks
This artist was selected by a past NetWorks Rhode Island participant as part of Growing the NetWorks — a 2025 exhibition presented by WaterFire Providence, at the WaterFire Arts Center, celebrating peer-nominated artists from across Rhode Island. Learn more at waterfire.org/growingthenetworks
Highlighting the work of selected artists who have played vital roles in shaping the contemporary visual arts community in Rhode Island. This collection of brief video portraits provides a window into the lives, practices, and cultural contributions of professional artists.
