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The Daily Hub

A roundup of ideas and projects from around the Institute

  • The Research Yard led by Pratt was named the “Winner in Interior Design – Workplace / Office” by the BLT Built Design Awards. Located in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Research Yard was designed as a “space for Pratt Institute students and researchers to develop innovative strategies bridging art, design, engineering, and technology.”

  • First-year Historic Preservation student Siena Leone-Getten was announced as a 2024 Zabar Scholar by the Preservation League of New York State. The award provides scholarship funding to “the best and brightest preservation students studying in NYS.”

  • Beyoncé wears pieces by two Pratt alumni in her recent Super Bowl Verizon commercial and the videos for her new singles. Laurel DeWitt, BFA Fashion Design ’06, created a metal bra for “Texas Hold ‘Em” and a chain dress and hat for “16 Carriages,” while Sarah Sokol, BFA Interior Design ’11, designed two hats for the Verizon commercial.

  • Anton Ginzburg, adjunct assistant professor of graduate communications design, has a solo exhibition opening at Contemporary Calgary on March 13. Featuring paintings, sculpture, and generated video, Anton Ginzburg: Surface is “a reflection on the use of technology as it relates to cultural labour, data aesthetics, and machine learning.”

  • Pat Steir, BFA Graphic Arts ’62, is interviewed in T Magazine about her early career, creative process, and how being colorblind inspired her latest series of abstract paintings, on view now at Hauser & Wirth’s West Hollywood gallery. “The thing is, I only wanted to be an artist,” she said. “I only wanted to do this work in my life. Nothing else.”

  • Edel Rodriguez, BFA Painting ’94, was awarded the 2024 Hamilton King Award by the Society of Illustrators. His work, which has been commissioned by The New York Times, TIME Magazine, and The New Yorker, is “an examination of identity, cultural displacement, and mortality.”

  • Pratt President Frances Bronet was invited to contribute to the “50 Ideas for a Stronger and More Equitable Brooklyn” report by the Center for an Urban Future and Brooklyn Org and she called for launching a universal climate literacy campaign. “Every Brooklynite must be climate literate so that they can address the tremendous environmental challenges that confront us,” Bronet wrote. “Climate literacy starts with the understanding that we all share a planet and our humanity.”

  • Simon Arizpe, visiting instructor of undergraduate communications design, has been selected as a 2024 artist-in-residence for Zion National Park in St. George, Utah. The art created during the monthlong residency program “helps visitors understand and appreciate Zion and reflects the National Park Service’s mission to conserve the park’s landscapes, plants, animals and history.”

  • Mickalene Thomas, BFA Fine Arts ’00, and Jane South, chair of fine arts, will be honored as a “Dynamic Duo” at the 2024 Badass Art Woman Awards hosted by Project for Empty Space on April 10. “Together, Mickalene Thomas and Jane South founded Pratt>Forward, which is a free platform that inspires and mentors emerging artists by nurturing artistic exploration, bolstering career development skills, empowering cultural advocacy, and collaborating to develop new artist-led models for cultural engagement.”

More Pratt Institute News

A woman with dark hair styled in a braid is smiling, wearing large golden earrings and a black outfit. She is engaged in conversation, and people are blurred in the background, suggesting a social setting or event. The lighting is dim, adding to the intimate atmosphere of the gathering.

Archival Fashion by Legendary Designer Mary McFadden Arrives at Pratt

A portion of the iconic fashion designer’s world-renowned archive has officially relocated to Pratt’s Brooklyn campus. A generous gift from the McFadden family will support ongoing scholarship, preservation, and the promotion of the collection.
Four artists are creating paintings in a park. The first artist, on the left, sits on a sidewalk, holding a paintbrush and palette, focusing on a landscape. The second artist, in the middle, works on a larger canvas, while the third artist, on the right, uses a paint palette and sits on grass, wearing sunglasses. The fourth artist, also on grass, is finishing a green landscape painting. The surroundings include trees and fallen leaves, indicating autumn.

Capturing Light in Fort Greene Park

From Pratt Institute News

Pratt students took a stroll to paint serene fall scenes.
A person with a beard and glasses stands next to a display table featuring electronic components. The table has a transparent device with lights, various wires, and wooden pieces arranged on it. The background is a plain white wall, and there is printed information on the table. The individual is wearing a navy blue polo shirt.

Biocircuits Wins 2025 Material Lab Prize

From Pratt Institute News

The winner of the 6th annual prize tackled the growing problem of e-waste.