Nurturing Curiosity

A lifelong love of discovery leads to an extraordinary commitment to support the RISD Library by Judith Bowering Funkhouser 63 IL

The library across the street from her childhood home was a source of fascination for Judith Bowering Funkhouser 63 IL P 89. “We didn’t have much money, so the library was a place where I went to explore. I loved unearthing hidden gems and following my interests wherever they led.”

Her appreciation for libraries endured when she came to RISD to study art and design. “I developed my discovery process and way of seeking out new things at RISD. I enjoyed doing research at the library and at the Nature Lab,” she recalls.

Funkhouser so values her time as a student that she has included RISD in her estate plans. Her future bequest will support the Fleet Library at RISD and establish the Judith Bowering Funkhouser 63 IL Fund to assist RISD in attracting experienced library professionals to guide students in their research endeavors and keep pace with technology and an evolving curriculum.

Of the gift, she says, “I want to advance exploration for all RISD students and ensure that they will always benefit from a well-supported library. They deserve to have the enriching research experiences there that I enjoyed.”

“RISD gave me the tools to research, organize and solve problems. That ability has never left me and allowed me to do a variety of things over the years, such as designing new houses and restoring a badly burned estate. I was able to accomplish the restoration on a limited budget. RISD taught me how to do that,” says Funkhouser.

She remains committed to sharing art and knowledge. Funkhouser became involved with the Chinese Culture Connection in Malden, Massachusetts—a non profit organization that builds bridges between American and Chinese people throughout New England. She curated many exhibits of Chinese artifacts for the organization and constantly added to her collection, named for her mother Ella V. Bowering. She has also shown some of that collection at RISD. The Puppets Have Arrived! was a much-loved exhibition of Chinese puppets from her collection that was on view at the library in 2011.

Funkhouser is also a dedicated painter. Since 1999 she has studied Chinese ink painting with Ma Qingxiong and was the founding president of the Chinese Painting Guild, an association of artists whose work blends traditional Chinese brush painting with western modes of expression. The association organizes exhibitions of members’ artwork, including Funkhouser’s, throughout New England.

Through her volunteer efforts, artwork and philanthropy to RISD, Funkhouser is dedicated to strengthening art and design. “I believe artists and designers improve the world and how we experience it. I am thankful for my time at RISD and pleased to champion the library’s work supporting student research.”

If you would like to learn more about how you can support RISD through your estate plans, contact Rebecca E. Dupras at rdupras@risd.edu or call toll-free at 844 454-1877.