With military recruitment causing severe labor shortages in American factories, Pratt recruited young women to enroll in its technical courses, such as welding, to fulfill jobs in the defense industries.
Architecture alumnus and Prix de Rome winner Erling Iverson studied the construction of bomb shelters in Europe. In 1941, Iverson joined Pratt’s faculty to teach architects and engineers his innovative approach to shelter construction and safety.
P r att c o mm i t s to a n All i e d v i cto ry a n d c o n t r i b u t e s to a m e r i c a ' s p o s t-wa r p r o s p e r i t y.
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hile news of Europe’s futile resistance to Hitler’s army descended on the American public, Pratt entered the forties with the realization that war—however much unwanted—was looming on the horizon. True to its reputation for resourcefulness and versatility, the Institute quickly adapted its curriculum to support the government’s defense mobilization efforts. Pratt’s engineering classes once again became a training ground for servicemen, many of whom came to learn how to build and maintain much-needed fleets of aircraft. The threat of devastation from aerial bombing attacks was also a paramount concern as the nation readied its defenses. To help, the military sought out the best creative minds to aid in the development of industrial camouflage, a relatively new, but essential military tactic for disguising buildings, weaponry, and soldiers. In response to the government’s needs, the leaders of the Art School organized an experimental laboratory dedicated to camouflage research and development. Dean James C. Boudreau asked Konrad F. Wittmann, one of the only architects in the country with direct experience in industrial camouflage, and Army Captain Peter Rodyenko, an expert camoufleur, to join Pratt’s faculty. Their lectures and laboratory work were so popular that more than 450 art and architecture students signed up on the first day of classes. Boudreau also arranged for students to test their designs on the Pratt family estate in Glen Cove, Long Island. A licensed pilot, Boudreau took aerial photographs that were used to develop students’ skills in intelligence gathering. Some
1940 Availability of Kodachrome film allows the art department to show color slides of paintings during art history lectures. 1941 Japan attacks Pearl Harbor. 1943 Pratt’s engineering classes open enrollment to women to address labor shortages during wartime. 1945 President Franklin D. Roosevelt dies; Harry S Truman assumes presidency; Germany surrenders. 1946 Pratt's School of Engineering creates an Honor Society for exemplary students. 1947 Pratt begins offering bachelor's degrees in architecture and art education. 1948 Jackson Pollock is the subject of a Life magazine profile. 1949 Pratt unifies its teachings in the humanities and social sciences in a new department of general studies.
125 anniversary pr attfolio
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