Duke Riley, Don’t Be a Fool, Stay in School

Duke Riley received his BFA from Rhode Island School of Design and his MFA from Pratt Institute. Riley is fascinated by maritime history and events around urban waterways.  His signature style interweaves historical and contemporary events with elements of fiction and myth to create allegorical histories.  His re-imagined narratives comment on a range of issues from the cultural impact of over development and environmental destruction of waterfront communities to contradictions within political ideologies and the role of the artist in society.