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The Daily Hub

A roundup of ideas and projects from around the Institute

  • Little Wing Lee, MS Interior Design ’06, shares her thoughts on five of her most important works in advance of the Dezeen Awards, for which she will serve as a judge. “My designs are always informed by context, location, and function,” she said. “I always think about the project’s story and connect that to the design decisions I make.”

  • This year’s New York Film Festival, which is presented by Film at Lincoln Center, includes a short film by Mackie Mallison, BFA Film ’23. Live From the Clouds, which was Mallison’s senior thesis film, will be screened on October 7 and 8 as part of the Currents lineup.

  • Amanda Huynh, assistant professor of industrial design, received the IDSA Young Educator Award for 2023 for her “noteworthy impact on industrial design education within the early years of [her] academic career.” Huynh said she hopes to inspire students to “pursue industrial design as your whole selves, the same way I have come to.”

  • Maggie Brennan, MFA Digital Arts ’19, wrote and animated a new show as part of The Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim SMALLS program. Agoraphilia follows a woman named Brenda working as a nonprofit street canvasser. “This was the first time I had to think about making the animation process more streamlined and iterative while balancing my own preferences for how things look and move,” Brennan said. 

  • Pratt Trustee and alumnus Derrick Adams, BFA Art and Design Education ’96, has a new installation on display at the National Mall as part of Beyond Granite: Pulling Together. America’s Playground: DC “reflects the story of desegregated public spaces in the nation’s capital” and is open to the public through September 13.

  • Audrey Schultz, chairperson of construction management, facilities management, and real estate practice, has been awarded the 2023 CMAA Mark Hasso Educator of the Year honor. This award acknowledges excellence in teaching and “recognizes a full-time educator for outstanding professional accomplishments and a commitment to construction management education.”

  • Reid Davenport, former visiting assistant professor of film and video, is featured in GW Today in a profile of his career as a documentary filmmaker and efforts to advance the rights of people with disabilities. “The idea that disability isn’t an individual medical diagnosis but rather a political class of marginalized people with shared experiences. It’s about removing systemic barriers in society,” Davenport said.

  • Marland Backus, BID ’15, speaks with Vogue about her career trajectory and her love of wearables that reimagine what’s possible. “I like to be a little bit controversial and push the boundaries,” she said. “What’s jewelry? What’s fashion? What’s wearable?”

  • Loren Daye, MID ’06, discusses her latest projects, interests, and career in an interview with Surface. “I’m trying some new things out that I don’t have a model for, but the unfolding—not the future outcome—is the objective,” she said. “Even on the gritty days, I’m riveted at its evolution. No built project will ever keep adapting the way a group of people pursuing an idea does.”

  • Hiba Schahbaz, MFA Fine Arts ’12, offers a glimpse into her Bushwick studio for Curbed. “I started painting hundreds of myself and people I knew,” she said. “I still have them somewhere. They were all in profile because in Mughal paintings, you have the side profile, and in Persian ones, you have three-quarters. I think it took me another couple of years to face outward.”

More Pratt Institute News

Leading by Example

Spencer Giuliano, BArch ’26, thrives on the soccer field and in the studio, all while helping fellow student-athletes balance the demands of both worlds.
A young woman stands in front of an exhibition booth featuring colorful posters and materials for an architecture and arts festival. She wears a black outfit and a yellow lanyard. Beside her, another image shows her outside a modern building with glass facade, waving at the camera. The scene includes people walking in the background and urban architecture.

Designing Her Way to Her Dream Job

From Pratt Institute News

Recent alumna Renata Dominguez always knew she wanted to work in design. Now, just one year post-grad, she’s thriving at one of the biggest international branding agencies.
A spacious, elegantly decorated room with ornate detailing and large windows. Several individuals are walking around, some looking at artworks while others take photos. A table with a floral centerpiece is in the middle, surrounded by chairs. Two large paintings hang on the walls, depicting portraits and a landscape. The ambiance is bright and showcases a classic interior design.

Seeing the City: Tours, Talks, and More

From Pratt Institute News

This fall in New York City, students went to the newly renovated Frick, explored innovative materials at a circular design brand, and heard from famed director Spike Lee.