pratt people CLASS notes presented a related workshop at the 2009 American Library Association Annual Conference. James Hawk Krall, B.F.A. Illustration/Comm-Design ’99, had a busy 2009 summer. He wrote for seriouseats.com about lesser known regional hot dogs in Hawaii and drawingforfood.blogspot.com, where he shared his various culinary journeys of discovery. Krall’s illustrations were promoted on thrillist.com and his comic about apartment living appeared in Big
2000s James Byrne, B.F.A. Art DirectionComm-Design ’00, Karyn Cernera, M.F.A. ’06, Lee Heekin, M.F.A. ’08, Rachel Hines, M.F.A. ’08, Anthony Ingrisano, M.F.A. ’08, Richard Smith, B.Arch. ’70, and Flint Weisser, M.F.A. ’08, were participants in the Patchogue Arts Biennial exhibition held in October 2009 at Briarcliffe College, Patchogue, N.Y. Beth Giacummo, M.F.A. ’09, was co-curator.
PARTNERS+LIFE
Tokyo-based boutique, Nubian, to celebrate Nubian’s fifth year anniversary. This collaborative effort features a T-shirt with Wood’s iconic “Count” taking on the form of a coloring bookinspired design. Ronald “Ron” Grosinger, B.I.D. ’02, is an alternative fuel teacher in Memorial York High School, in West New York, N.J. As a teacher he has worked with his students to build full size electric cars. Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao, B.F.A. ’03, showed his recent work as part of the exhibition, “Urban Panoramas,” at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, Calif., in February 2010. Jeffery Dodson, B.F.A, Computer Graphics ’04, spoke on a panel at the OFF 2009 festival in Portugal. He shared his expertise in sound, composition, and motion graphics.
SEPTEMBER 15 - NOVEMBER 5, 2009 CURATED BY LYNN SAVILLE
Bau-chu Chen, M.I.D. ’95, designed the exterior and interior of the Luxgen, a Taiwanese car brand. Chen is currently chief designer of this project, which includes MPV, SUV, and MPV-CEO style of cars. Joseph Minuta, B.Arch. ’96, was selected as one of Orange County's 2009 Rising Stars. Minuta is lead architect at Minuta Architecture PLLC, the firm he founded eight years ago. For the past two years, Minuta Architecture has been named the fourth largest architectural firm in the Hudson Valley by the weekly news publication HV Biz. The annual Rising Star awards are bestowed upon individuals under the age of 40 who are leaders in the community. Jean Shin, B.F.A. Painting ’94, M.S. History of Art ’96, and Brian Ripel, B.Arch. ’96, had their sculpture, Transplanted Ornament, exhibited at the Brooklyn Public Library in September 2009. Amy DiGi Yedowitz, B.F.A. Art and Design Education ’96, was part of the “New York Cityscapes” exhibition held at the Publicis Healthcare Communications Group in New York City in summer 2009. Susannah “Suskey” Tamarkin, M.S. Library and Information Science ’98, has been chosen as a MetLife Fellow in the Teachers Network Leadership Institute, an honor shared by several hundred exemplary public school teachers across the nation. Her action research addresses the impact of the American Association of School Librarians’ Standards for the 21st-Century Learner on library teacher practice. Tamarkin 56
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Funny, a new comics newspaper. He also contributed to the Las Vegas Weekly with a piece, titled “The 2012 Radiohead Football Apocalypse,” and his artwork was part of a show, titled “2 Pieces & a Biscuit,” in Baltimore, Md.
William Rihel, B.F.A. ’00, had an exhibition, “Lifeboat + William Rihel,” at the Virtuoso Studios in Portand, Oregon, in December 2009. Mickalene Thomas, B.F.A. ’00, had a recent project commissioned by MoMA, titled Le Dejeuner sur l'Herbe: Les Trois Femmes Noires, which will remain in the museum’s 53rd Street window until December 2010. Thomas also exhibited in “Dress Codes: The Third ICP Triennial of Photography and Video,” at the International Center of Photography in New York City. John Ullman, B.Arch. ’00, and his New York City-based non-profit, Architecture for Tibet, hosted AFT’s first significant fundraiser to generate financial backing and raise awareness about its plans to provide aid, via architecture, to the children of Manjushree Orphanage in Tawang, India in October 2009.
Hadieh Shafie, M.F.A. ’99, was part of a visual arts event in July 2009 in Baltimore, Md. In autumn 2009, Hadieh also participated in various exhibitions: “Cross-Currents: Trends in Contemporary Art Media” at Sarah Silberman Art Gallery in Bethesda, Md.; “I RAN Home (In America)” at The Fridge DC in Washington, D.C.; and “Hidden Wounds, Paper Bullets: Iranian Contemporary Art” at the Grand Central Art Center in Fullerton, Calif. Chris Wright, M.F.A. ’99, had his piece, Takeout, included in a group exhibition, titled “What's the Rush: Topics on Convenience,” at California State University, Fullerton in winter 2009.
Jeffery Woodbury, M.F.A. ’00, participated in the exhibition, “The Map as Art: Contemporary Artists Explore Cartography,” which was held at the Christopher Henry Gallery in New York City in November 2009. Brian H. Wood, B.F.A. Fashion Design ’01, collaborates with musician Mickey Factz and
Sarah Morgan, M.I.D. ’04, had her handbag collection eenamaria on bagtrends.com and celebrated her collaboration with Wathne Ltd. at an August 2009 party.
Monica Paez Perez, M.F.A. ’05, was part of the collaborative artist team, Tangrama Collective, who presented Contra la validez del espacio (Against Space Validity) at Cámara de Comercio in Bogotá, Colombia, in fall 2009. Perez is a multidisciplinary artist who currently lives and works in her hometown of Bogotá, Columbia. She will soon be part of an artist residency in Rio de Janeiro. Sharmistha Ray, M.S./M.F.A. ’05, was selected as one of 103 Fellows for TEDIndia for 2009. Ray also published two articles in December 2009; one in Vogue India, titled “Launch Pad,” and the other in Verve, titled “The Business in Art.” Kristina “Krissy” Wedo, B.F.A. ’05, graphics designer at MZBerger & Company, was part of a team that won the 2009 Best New Disney Product from the Walt Disney Co. The award was presented for a line of bubble baths based on Disney characters.
Erin Treacy, B.F.A. Painting ’04, is a 2009-2010 awardee for a Fulbright Fellowship to Ireland. She will have a painting residency in Ballyvauaghan, where she will develop her abstract work with interpretation of the Irish natural landscape. Jeremy Alden, M.I.D. ’05, exhibited his 50 Dozen chair at an exhibition of architecturally inspired art, modern furniture design, and textiles at FL!PP in San Francisco, Calif., in December 2009. Samuel Cochran, B.I.D. ’05, Kevin McElroy, B.I.D. ’09, and Diane Ruengsorn, M.P.S. ’05, were presenters at the World Usability Day 2009 Conference held at the School of Visual Arts in New York City in November. The conference explored the challenge of sustainable design with leaders in social entrepreneurship, product design, and interaction design. Simeon Gilmer, B.F.A. Painting ’05, was a participating artist in a show, titled “Economy,” which was held at Compton-Goethals Art Gallery in New York City. The exhibition was part of a series sponsored by the Northern Manhattan Photography Group.
Save the Date Friday, September 24, 2010 School of Information and Library Science
The 23rd Annual Pratt Institute Nasser Sharify Lecture For more information, please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at 718.399.4447 or alumni@pratt.edu.
Tracy Llewellyn, B.I.D. ’06, recently traveled to Uganda to do volunteer work. Pratt’s Office of Alumni Relations sent Pratt tote bags for her to distribute to children in the schools and villages she visited. She volunteered with 13 others from Forefront Church and a non-profit program called LEAD Uganda, an organization that gives children there a chance at a great education at the best schools in Uganda. All the children in the program are AIDS orphans, former child soldiers, former child laborers, or former sex slaves. She went there to teach academic and creative seminars during their summer break. Eve Mosher, M.F.A. ’06, planted over 600 plants in 100 modules through her organization, Seeding the City, with the help of staff and kids from Covenant House New York. She also was invited to be a visiting artist at the Eugene Lang College at the New School, New York City, where she explored visionary and alternative methods for urban architecture. The final public project was part of Art in
Odd Places, a festival in October 2009.
Diana Pau
Design Education ’06, Rossana Martinez, M.F.A. ’96, Brian Ripel, B.Arch. ’96, Jean Shin, B.F.A. Painting ’94, M.S. History of Art ’96, and Michael Volonakis, B.F.A. ’74, were all part of an exhibition, titled “Partners in Art and Life,” presented by the Brooklyn Public Library in September 2009. The exhibition, featuring artistic couples and how their art impacts upon each other's lives, was curated by Lynn Saville, M.F.A. ’76.
pratt CLASS people notes
Jacob Selvidio, M.F.A. ’06, was a participating artist at Hendershot Gallery, New York City, last August. His photographs were included in a video, titled Indecisive Moments: Photographers Using Video. Shannon South, M.I.D ’06, founded reMade USA in summer 2009 after she saw an opportunity to use her skills and newfound knowledge to be a leader for sustainability in the fashion world. Her company upcycles used materials to make one-of-a-kind objects. Reed Korch, Assoc. in Occupational Studies ’07, was a production assistant for the film Pelham 123, which was released in summer 2009 and starred John Travolta and Denzel Washington. Bibiana Medkova, B.F.A. Photography ’07, had her documentary, Czech Republic 1998-2008: Perspectives from an Immigrant Child, presented at MediaNoche in New York City in autumn 2009. Philip Duke Riley, M.F.A. ’07, presented a performance event, “Those About to Die Salute You,” on August 13 at the Queens Museum of Art. Duke flooded one of the remaining structures from the former World’s Fairgrounds in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens, N.Y., and hosted a naumachia, a recreation of an ancient Roman naval battle. Art dignitaries and others were forced to battle from boats representing the five boroughs of New York City. All of the boats where made directly from materials recovered from the abandoned World’s Fair Ice Rink and trash from the park. Riley also had an exhibition, by the same name, at the museum in November 2009.
Sebastian “Lou” Ambrogio B. Arch. ’76, is vice president of Global Engineering at Pfizer, Inc., the world's largest research-based pharmaceutical company, which he joined in 1980 as a construction engineer. Today he has engineering, maintenance, and utility operational responsibilities for 27 production sites across the world. “Nearly 30 years later, I’m still enjoying working at Pfizer as much as I did when I first started,” he says. “I have had the opportunity to interact with many cultures around the world and have visited more countries than I could ever have imagined.” He credits Pratt’s architecture curriculum with training him effectively for his subsequent success: Many of the projects he worked on at Pratt were based on group effort, which prepared him well for leading teams later in his career. “Working with Associate Professor Jerzy Glowczewski in his regional planning courses formed a strong basis for skills I needed in site selection and master planning,” he recalls, “and Adjunct Associate Professor Brent Porter, who is still at Pratt, was teaching sustainability before the word was invented.” Recently, energy conservation has been an area of key focus for Ambrogio. His sites have reduced energy consumption by 20% in the last two years with a goal of 20% in the next two years. His sites worldwide are using renewable forms of energy and have aggressive plans for water conservation. “Through the Pratt Center for Community Development I had the unique experience of supporting a sweat equity group in the East Village as they installed the first solar hot water system in New York City,” he remembers, citing it as an experience that helped instill the importance of sustainable principles in the operations he is responsible for today. Born in Sicily, Ambrogio immigrated to the United States as a teenager, and attended Pratt at the suggestion of a high school substitute physics teacher, who was an alumnus of Pratt’s School of Engineering. At the wedding of his Pratt roommate, Jeff Mangiat, B.F.A. Illustration ’75, Ambrogio met his future wife, Cindi, whom he married in 1978. The couple reside in Croton-on-Hudson, New York, where they raised two boys, Francesco (26) and Tom (21).
Theodore Southern, M.F.A. ’07, captured the second prize in the 2009 Astronaut Glove Challenge sponsored by NASA and Volanz Aerospace, Inc. The Astronaut Glove Challenge seeks innovative
In the ensuing years, Ambrogio has been active in alumni affairs, has taught international project management in Pratt’s School of Architecture, Facilities Management graduate program, and has chaired his local chapter of the New York Construction Users Council.
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