INTtalks: Assembling System Changes with Marisa Rapezzi and Lauren Cooper

Content Advisory: This presentation addresses sensitive topics related to sexual violence. If you experience discomfort or unwanted emotions, please feel free to exit the Zoom meeting. For additional support, we recommend contacting the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673, reaching out to the Pratt Counseling Center at therapy@pratt.edu or 718-687-5356. In case of an immediate emergency, dial 911.

After Professor Sameera Chukkapalli Holmes presented the thought-provoking question, “Can Design Heal?” to their first year graduate options studio, Marisa Rapezzi and Lauren Cooper embarked on an exploration of issues within their immediate community. Their exploration of issues led them to investigating the systemic problem of sexual harassment and assault and how it translates on a smaller scale for the students of Pratt Institute. They encountered impactful testimonials from students highlighting challenges in the current system that Pratt Institute employs to communicate resources for reporting and aiding those affected by sexual harassment and assault.

As they present their research, Marisa and Lauren aspire to cast a spotlight on these critical matters, sparking conversations around campus.

Their shared goal is to be advocates for heightened transparency in these systems, fostering a collective call for meaningful change through design.

Marisa Rapezzi was born in 1998 and is based in Queens, NY. In May 2021, she received her BFA in Art with a double minor in Art History and Photography from Pace University in New York, NY. She is currently attending Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY, where she is pursuing her MFA in Interior Design. As a student and artist, Marisa is interested in ways to study and analyze the intricacies of everyday life, as well as ways we embody the space around us.

Marisa has also exhibited her photographic work around New York City and the country, from the Box Factory Gallery in Queens, NY to Wailoa Center in Hilo, HI, and many more. Recently, she assisted with the curation of and presented work in Gweny Jin’s exhibition “Ebb & Flow: Discourse of Craft and Narratives of Making,” in Brooklyn, NY.

Website: https://marisarapezzi.com/

Instagram: @m___ezzi & @___ezzi

Email: mrapezzi@pratt.edu

Lauren Cooper was born in 1998 in Charlotte, North Carolina. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts with a concentration in photography and minor in Art History from The University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Lauren is a thesis year graduate student at Pratt Institute pursuing her MFA in Interior Design. She combines her love of art history and is fascinated by the interplay of history, culture and individuality in the interior environment. Lauren wants to focus on residential interior design upon graduation and incorporate visual storytelling through historical context in her interiors.

Website: https://laurencooper9.squarespace.com

Email: lcoope69@pratt.edu

This event is open to the public and will be recorded.