The ten artists who will participate in Pratt>FORWARD 2022 have been selected from an open call. Launched by Pratt Fine Arts in 2021, Pratt>FORWARD connects creative thought leaders with emerging artists to support them in navigating the art world and building their own opportunities and communities. The month-long program will take place this October at Newlab in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with the Pratt>FORWARD artists creating work in its cutting-edge facilities.
Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, Taisha Carrington, Jennifer Chia-Ling Ho, Mario Joyce, Kirsten Leach, Kristyn McKinney, Sajjad Musa, Mieyoshi Ragernoir, Vessna Scheff, and Yamico will all be part of the program’s second edition. The selected artists include recent Pratt graduates as well as other emerging artists working innovatively across media, with sculpture, film, performance, installation, painting, collage, and drawing involved in their interdisciplinary and community-engaged practices.
Pratt>FORWARD is co-directed by Mickalene Thomas, BFA Fine Arts ’00, and Chair of Fine Arts Jane South.
“We are delighted to have such a diverse and talented cohort joining us for Pratt>FORWARD 2022 in October,” South said. “One of the core missions of Pratt>FORWARD is to build community among emerging artists. We will also be connecting our new cohort to Pratt>FORWARD 2021 artist alumni with the intention of creating more opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing, and mutual support.”
“We are excited to continue Pratt>FORWARD for a second year with this new group of talented cohorts,” Thomas said. “Our mission is to enhance our artists’ practices by providing professional and career opportunities which serve as a platform to connect emerging artists to a network of curators, artist mentors, art leaders, and business associates. I am thrilled to be a part of this creative ecosystem and the sense of agency and purpose it fosters.”
Newlab advances technologies that support the health of the planet. It acts as a facilitator, connector, and translator for its community of experts and innovators, helping to build, test, and scale world-changing ideas through investment, venture building, and structured collaboration with industry and government partners. Newlab’s vibrant community consists of more than 900 entrepreneurs and innovators, and its facilities and resources include 3D printing, CNC milling, wood and metal shops, an electronics lab, and more.
“At Newlab, we believe that innovation and artistic creation are deeply intertwined,” said Shaun Stewart, CEO of Newlab. “Our community is a collaborative ecosystem where both technology entrepreneurs and artists-in-residence come together to cross-pollinate new ideas, learn from and support one another, and bring their creative visions to life. Pratt>FORWARD is a wonderful program that equips emerging artists with the support to thrive in the art world, and we are honored to partner with Pratt Fine Arts and Mickalene Thomas to provide the new cohort with access to Newlab’s facilities and our vast community of entrepreneurs, innovators, and artists.”
All Pratt>FORWARD participants receive full scholarships to attend. Joining co-directors Thomas and South are the core mentors: Pratt Trustee and alumnus Derrick Adams, BFA Art and Design Education ’96; collector and art advisor Racquel Chevremont; arts organizer and Director of Company Gallery Elizabeth Lamb; artist José Parlá; and curator, activist, and Project for Empty Space Founder Jasmine Wahi.
“I’m excited to be a part of Pratt>FORWARD because it is an opportunity to learn from other artists, activate visual culture as a tool for critical thinking, and ignite collective change,” said Kirsten Leach, MFA Fine Arts ’22.
Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter said that “receiving mentorship through Pratt>FORWARD will allow me to create more agency for myself while exploring other intersections of my identity by providing the necessary access to professional development, research, studio space, and equipment to scale my art and practice.”
A series of public dialogues at Newlab coinciding with Pratt>FORWARD is planned for October with details to be announced in September.