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The Daily Hub

A roundup of ideas and projects from around the Institute

  • Visiting Assistant Professor of Creative Enterprise Leadership Innocent Ekejiuba (MPS Arts and Cultural Management ’23) presented at the dmi Diversity in Design Conference in DC/Baltimore. In his presentation, Ekejiuba explored the question: “How do we create cultures of inclusion that leverage the power of community to lead as if life matters and address the crises we are facing?” 

     

  • Joan Semmel, BFA Art Teacher Education ’63; MFA ’72, was featured in AnOther Magazine, Wallpaper, and Ocula on the occasion of her latest exhibition in Brussels. The 91-year-old figurative painter is lauded for “sex-positive paintings,” which “celebrat[e] natural urges which to this day are laden with shame and stigma,” writes Emily Steer in AnOther.

  • Pratt’s BFA in Communications Design (emphasis in Graphic Design) was ranked #12 in TechGuide’s list of “The Best Bachelor’s in Graphic Design Degree Programs for 2024,” which recognizes an “unwavering commitment to academic excellence.” TechGuide considers factors such as tuition, student-to-faculty ratio, admission and graduation rates, and alumni success in its ranking process.

  • Pratt is named among the prettiest campuses in America by Architectural Digest: “Known for its architecture, interior design, and industrial design degrees, it’s no wonder the campus is stunning.”

  • Fashion design alumni Paul Tazewell and Emilio Sosa were both nominated for Tony Awards. Sosa received a nomination for Best Costume Design of a Play for Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, while Tazewell’s nomination was for Best Costume Design for a Musical for Suffs.

  • Robert Vargas, alumnus of fine arts, will receive an honorary doctorate degree from ArtCenter College of Design and deliver the commencement address at the College’s spring graduation ceremony. “As an artist growing up in Los Angeles, I accept this honorary doctorate with both great pride and humility.“ said Vargas.

  • Chloe Scout Nix and Lena Smart, both MFA Photography ’24, were featured in Hyperallergic for their thesis exhibitions currently on view at the photography gallery in Pratt’s ARC Building. “It’s worth a trip to explore body parts like ears, arms, and hands in an unconventional way, but more importantly this exhibition challenges the distorted body images that prevail in mainstream media,” writes Daniel Larkin. The artists
    “champion the role photography can play in intervening and healing.”

  • Assistant Professor of Film/Video Eliza Hittman’s fourth feature film, Motherlove, was named a recipient of the Water Tower Feature Film Grant from Rooftop Films’ 2024 Filmmaker Fund.

More Pratt Institute News

A group portrait of nine smiling Project SEARCH interns dressed in formal and semi-formal attire, seated together on wooden steps in a brightly lit interior space. The group includes a diverse mix of individuals, with some in suits, button-down shirts, and one wearing a white ruffled dress. They appear proud and celebratory, possibly marking their graduation or completion of the program.

Workplace Ready: Project SEARCH Interns Graduate

New York City high school students received career training through Project SEARCH, a national program focused on workforce-readiness for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Pratt Names Courtney Knapp New Chair of the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment

From Pratt Institute News

An award-winning scholar and professor in the Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment’s Urban and Community Planning program, Knapp will assume the role on July 1, 2025, succeeding Eve Baron, who is stepping down to join the full-time faculty.
Two smiling individuals dressed in formal attire pose on a red carpet holding Tony Awards. The man on the left wears a blue tuxedo with a colorful bow tie, while the man on the right wears a black suit with decorative details and a white high-collared shirt. The background includes logos for CBS, Paramount+, and the Tony Awards.

Alumni Harvey Fierstein and Paul Tazewell Shine at the Tony Awards

From Pratt Institute News

Esteemed writer and actor Harvey Fierstein was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his contributions to the theater; Oscar-winning designer Paul Tazewell won for Best Costume Design in a Musical.