Prattfolio - Summer 2015

SUMMER 2015

PRATTFOLIO THE MAGAZINE OF PRAT T INSTITUTE

LENSES Film and Video Moves to Myrtle | On the Red Carpet | Altered Perceptions

In Focus A production still from Days of Dust, the short film produced and directed by Pratt Film/Video student Emily Erhart (B.F.A. ’15). Senior thesis project films such as Erhart’s reflect students’ mastery of the technical, aesthetic, and conceptual skills and understanding of the theoretical, historical, and cultural contexts necessary to communicate creative ideas at a professional level. The project exemplifies the role that Pratt’s Department of Film/Video plays in training students to focus their talent and passion into meaningful expression.

SUMMER 2015

PRATTFOLIO THE MAGA ZINE OF PR AT T INSTITUTE

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FILM AND VIDEO MOVES TO MYRTLE Pratt opens its state-of-the-art center for visual storytelling.

ON THE RED CARPET Pratt alumni rise to stardom on the screen.

ALTERED PERCEPTIONS Pratt artists reimagine our world through the lens.

CORREC TIONS AND CL ARIFICATIONS SPRING 2015:

ABOU T THE COVER

The Table of Contents featured two images that were not credited. The image used for the feature “Books in the Digital Age” shows Defiant by Natasha Otrakji (B.F.A. Photography ’09, M.F.A. Digital Arts ’14) and the image used for “The Art of the Yearbook” is from the series created by Robert Pike (B.F.A. ’67) for the 1967 Prattonia.

Office Door, 2013, pigmented inkjet print Presented in the 2013 solo exhibition Low Relief, Office Door is one of a series of images created

by Assistant Professor of Photography John Lehr that seek to present a modern form of trompe l’oeil to the viewer. Using digital manipulation to adjust the quality of light and color to those he first observed when shooting, Lehr makes images that focus on the intersection and interaction of light and shadow, surface texture, and color saturation. Lehr has continued this exploration in his recent series If There Was, which was on view at the Kate Werble Gallery in New York from April 11 to May 22, 2015.

Departments 2 SOCIAL@PRAT T 3 FROM THE PRESIDENT 4 INSPIRED Sheila Metzner, B.F.A. Advertising Design ’60: Fendi and Fendi Uomo campaigns 6 INSIDE LOOK At Home with Kevin Walz, Fine Arts ’71 40 NEW AND NOTEWORTHY Items in the Marketplace Created by Pratt Alumni, Faculty, and Students 44 RYERSON WALK Recent Campus News and Activities 48 BEYOND THE GATES Pratt's Presence in the Public Realm 54 FINAL THOUGHTS On Mentorship

In the “Art of the Yearbook” feature, the list of design team members for the 1980 Prattonia (p.29) did not include Daniel Mark Fay (B.F.A. Communications Design ’80) and Jack Palancio (B.F.A. Communications Design ’80), who were responsible for the yearbook’s content, design, and editing. Creating an annual yearbook is a team effort, and we recognize that hundreds of Pratt alumni have worked on Prattonia over the years.

While space constraints do not permit us to list everyone who has contributed to Prattonia, we have made every effort to list the design team leads.

The article on the Brooklyn Fashion + Design Accelerator (BF+DA) opening (p. 39, Beyond the Gates) stated that the event was attended by former Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. That was not the case; Diana Reyna, Deputy Brooklyn Borough President, attended.

SOCIAL @ PRATT: BEST OF 2014–2015 It’s no secret that Instagram has massively changed the landscape across the photography, film, design, architecture, and fine arts fields and beyond.

Pratt students, faculty, and alumni are at the forefront of this brave new digital and hashtagfilled world, capturing campus and beyond in ways that explore and expand the capabilities of the Instagram-eye. Check out a gallery of a few of our favorite Pratt community Instagrammers, and make sure to follow us @PrattInstitute and hashtag your work #PrattInstitute to join the photo-sharing conversation.

1. Student Alex Herzog, @insufficientfare 2. Alumnus Lyle Owerko, @lyleowerko 3. Alumnus Kevin Truong, @kevkevtruong 4. Faculty member Sarah Palmer, @sarah_palmer__ 5. Student Sam Light, @lightboy_ 6. A lumnus Travis Huggett, @travishuggett

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Join the conversation and stay up to date with all the latest from Pratt on social media.

PrattInstitute

@PrattInstitute

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S U M M ER 2015

PRATTFOLIO T H E M AG A ZI N E O F PR AT T I N S T I T U T E

FROM THE PRESIDENT Thomas F. Schutte

Prattfolio is published by the Office of Communications and Marketing in the Division of Institutional Advancement for the alumni and friends of Pratt Institute. ©2015 Pratt Institute

This spring, Pratt Institute unveiled its new Film/ Video building on Myrtle Avenue near Pratt’s Brooklyn campus, welcoming students and faculty members alike to expand their academic and creative horizons through the tremendous resources made available by this cutting-edge facility.

With the increasing prevalence of motion-picture cameras, which have become a standard feature on smartphones and other devices that we carry everywhere we go, visual storytelling has become as important as writing. Industries ranging from fine arts and communications to global finance and government rely on the power of images to engage, inform, and inspire. This new building, and the enhanced Film/Video curriculum it supports, will give Pratt students and faculty greater opportunity to explore the art of filmmaking and video production and will help the Institute meet the growing need for accomplished visual storytellers. In addition, the new facility’s location at the heart of the burgeoning Brooklyn film and video industry will foster closer relationships between Pratt students, faculty, and other creative professionals. At the same time, relocating the Department of Film/Video has allowed Pratt’s Department of Photography to expand and create new gallery spaces on campus.

In celebration of these exciting developments, this issue of Prattfolio showcases the new film, video, and photography facilities on Pratt’s Brooklyn campus and also highlights many of the Pratt faculty and alumni who have used their visual storytelling talents to entertain and enlighten viewers around the world. Whether focusing on unnoticed aspects of our city, creating Academy Award-winning special effects, or animating the characters that have become part of our cultural lexicon, these artists reflect Pratt’s long history of preparing students to become compelling image-makers in a variety of media.

I hope you enjoy this special preview of the Institute’s new Film/Video building and share my sense of pride in the work that your fellow alumni, as well as our faculty and students, are doing. I look forward to welcoming you back to campus on Saturday, September 19 for Alumni Day 2015, when you can tour the new facility and reconnect with old friends and classmates. We will be sending further details over the coming weeks, so mark your calendars now to take part in this wonderful celebration.

Thomas F. Schutte President

Pratt Institute 200 Willoughby Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11205 Interim Vice President for Institutional Advancement Nancy Walker Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Mara McGinnis Managing Editor Charlotte Savidge Creative Director Mats Håkansson Associate Creative Director Kara Schlindwein Senior Editorial Manager Marion Hammon Graphic Designers Erin Cave Rory King Copy Editors Jean Gazis Brandhi Williamson Staff Contributors Amy Aronoff Harris Solomon Jolene Travis Associate Director of Project Management Bryan Young Senior Production Manager David Dupont Staff Photographer Peter Tannenbaum

Please submit address changes to alumni@pratt.edu or call 718.399.4447.

The editorial staff of Prattfolio would like to hear from you. Please send comments, ideas, questions, and thoughts to prattfolio@pratt.edu.

Unfortunately, we cannot publish all submissions, but we consider all ideas and greatly appreciate your feedback.

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INSPIRED Sheila Metzner, B.F.A. Advertising Design ’60: Fendi and Fendi Uomo campaigns

Renowned for her exquisitely composed, almost painterly fine art photography, Sheila Metzner began her career in advertising and went on to success in fashion, editorial, and commercial photography, with assignments for such clients as Ralph Lauren, Bloomingdale’s, Perry Ellis, Revlon, Shiseido, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Valentino. Her photographs are included in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the International Center of Photography, the Getty, and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, among others.

Knowing of Metzner’s work for Vogue magazine, Paulette Dufault of Elizabeth Arden asked the artist to create the imagery for the 1986 Fendi perfume ad campaign. Three years later, she was commissioned to develop the same for the launch of the men’s fragrance, Fendi Uomo. Prattfolio talked to Metzner about the creative process behind these iconic images.

P: What inspired you to create the image for the Fendi Uomo campaign?

The idea of creating a passionate story incorporating the colors of Rome, as well as ancient Roman artifacts and architecture, came from Paulette Dufault and Karl Lagerfeld, who led the creative team for the original Fendi fragrance. With the iconic image of the girl kissing the statue, it was obvious to me that in the Fendi Uomo campaign the statue would come to life as in Ovid’s narrative poem Metamorphoses, in which the sculptor Pygmalion falls in love with his creation and, upon kissing it, discovers the statue has turned into a woman.

Right: The marble statue in Metzner’s Fendi image becomes a man in her image for Fendi Uomo.

P: What challenges did you face working on the campaign?

The biggest challenge turned out to be our greatest stroke of luck. We had planned to shoot the original Fendi image in an Italian garden. However, the guards denied us access, insisting we had the wrong papers.

We went back to Alda Fendi’s home to formulate a new plan, and saw an exquisite marble bust of a man right there in the foyer. The model walked right up to it, put her head next to it, and looked up. That became the main image of the 10 in the campaign.

P: What gives the images their pointillist quality?

They were shot on AGFA 1000 film, which is very grainy, and printed by the Atelier Fresson in France, which uses a unique direct charcoal process. I still use the Fresson printing process for all of my images, as it is the only truly archival color printing process in the world.

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INSIDE LOOK At Home with Kevin Walz (Fine Arts ’71)

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Above, L to R: Kevin Walz in his New York City apartment, A cork bowl cut from an outgrowth on a Mediterranean oak in Sardinia; Opposite: The Afghan daybed made of wood and woven goat gut served as Walz’s bed in Rome.

It is said that all roads lead to Rome.

That was certainly the case for Kevin Walz, whose relocation to the Eternal City was foretold by a psychic well before the designer ever contemplated applying for the Rome Prize.

The prestigious fellowship at the American Academy in Rome in 1994 turned out to be not only Walz’s ticket to Italy, but also to a new life following the passing of his beloved wife, Barbra.

Enchanted by the easiness of life in the city and its human scale, Walz remained in Rome for nearly 19 years. During that time, he acquired a number of items that reflect the elegant simplicity he found in Italy—a country where one can still find a neighborhood green market within walking distance in almost every city and town. These include a natural cork bowl from Sardinia, where cork bark is harvested from Mediterranean oak trees every 10 years to ensure that it is the proper thickness

for bottle stoppers, and a Roman Department of Sanitation broom made of natural twigs.

Perhaps the item that was most central to Walz’s Italian experience is an Afghan piece given to him by a friend just a few months after his arrival in Rome for what he expected to be a one-year stay. “When I told her I had decided to remain in Italy, she asked if she could send me a bed,” recounts Walz.

What arrived was a daybed that would have served as its Afghan owner’s sole piece of furniture, acting as a low table during the day and a place to sleep at night. Walz admires both the conceptual and physical simplicity of the piece, which he slept on for four years—albeit topped off with a handmade Italian mattress. “I never slept better,” he says.

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Film and Video Moves to Myrtle

Photography by Alexander Severin Pratt opens its state-of-the-art center for visual storytelling

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In an increasingly visual society, the role of the moving image in commerce, communications, and the fine arts has never been more prominent—and the demand for film and video skills never greater. Opened in spring 2015, Pratt’s new Film/Video Department building at 550 Myrtle Avenue, which previously housed the Prattstore, provides stunning new facilities to train students across disciplines in the essential skills and artistry of visual storytelling.

Designed by Pratt alumni at WASA/Studio A, including lead architect Jack Esterson, AIA (B.Arch. ’75), Sebastian Touzet (B.Arch. ’02), and Brian Dobrolsky (B.Arch. ’12), the 15,000square-foot facility allows Pratt’s Film/Video Department—led by Chair Jorge Oliver and under the direction of School of Art Dean Gerry Snyder—to expand its course offerings, significantly increase its enrollment, and introduce a new film minor for students across the Institute in other departments. In addition, with its close proximity to Steiner Studios in the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the new building will further position Brooklyn as a premier destination for film education and production and a hub of motion media.

Design Concept WASA’s design concept was to honor the open quality of the building’s expansive interior space. Anchored by striking architectural features, the facility was built using free-span trusses, giving it 23-foot ceiling heights and no internal columns, making it ideal for the needs of a large-scale studio (pictured on previous spread).

Screening Room The 96-seat screening room features a Digital Cinema Package projector and 7.1 surround sound.

The state-of-the-art auditorium will be used for presentations of student films and for film screenings open to the community (pictured at right with a still from Madura by Lourenca Alencar, B.F.A. Film/ Video ’14).

P R AT T F O L IO Lobby The entire entrance lobby features metal-panel artwork designed by Pratt alumnus and Professor of Architecture Haresh Lalvani (M.Arch. ’72), who created the work specifically for this project.

Fabricated by MILGO/BUFKIN, Origins was inspired

by Lalvani’s interest in the origin of fundamental physical phenomena as well as the pixel—the most basic unit of space in digital media and technology.

With materials and fabrication donated by Bruce Gitlin, chair of Pratt Institute’s Board of Trustees and CEO of MILGO/BUFKIN, Origins captures four foundational elements of film and video media in the panels’ imagery: light, motion, sound, and the pixel (pictured on previous spread with a still from Waterfall by Charlie Cole, B.F.A. Film/Video ’14).

Sound Mixing and Recording Studio Generously underwritten by the George I. Alden Trust, the sound mixing and recording studio offers surround-sound capability (pictured at left).

Green Screen A small soundstage features an infinity green screen (pictured at right).

Building Exterior The Film/Video Building opens onto Myrtle Avenue and a new pedestrian plaza (pictured below).

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A Conversation with Film/Video Chair Jorge Oliver

Having concluded your first year as Chair, what most excites you about the film and video work happening at Pratt?

Getting to know my students and witnessing their work is one of the best aspects of my job. Each student in our program reflects a unique perspective in their work.

As we screen and critique student work at each level, one can appreciate their growth as artists. Since our task is to provide the guidance and tools for these students to be able to accomplish their vision as filmmakers, experiencing the culmination of their work and seeing their projects come to fruition is quite rewarding.

How has your background as a filmmaker influenced the direction of the department?

In my work, I have explored many different types of expression, including documentary, narrative, and experimental film.

In the Film/Video program, we seek to expose our students to a diverse range of cinematic expressions so that they come out of the program with a broad understanding of cinema as an art form. At the

same time, they have the freedom to choose which type of moving image expression they would like to explore in depth. Our task is to provide them with a safe environment in which to test their ideas. We want to form students who will be able to adapt and contribute to wherever film will be headed in the future.

What are some of the benefits of leading the Film/Video Department as it settles into its new space?

New beginnings are always full of possibilities, making this an exciting time to lead the department. The new space is beautifully designed and is starting to attract more students to the program, which adds diversity to our student population and fosters a richer creative environment. I also think that the new building’s prominent place on Myrtle Avenue gives us a more visible, formal presence in the film and video renaissance taking place in Brooklyn. That visibility can help us establish closer ties with the surrounding creative community and develop relationships and partnerships that will benefit our students, the Institute, and the larger community.

How are the new building’s resources shaping the curriculum?

Thanks to the new state-of-the-art building, we now have facilities on par with those being utilized in the motion picture industry, such as soundstages, a production cage, and the sound recording studio. We also have access to the latest technology including highresolution digital film cameras, surroundsound capability, and postproduction suites, all of which allow our talented faculty to teach students using cuttingedge tools. All of these features will help us expand the curriculum into areas that require highly specialized space and materials. For instance, we can now teach students how to build and light a set on a soundstage or do surround sound for film—things that simply weren’t possible before. This coming year, we will continue to incorporate these new resources into our curriculum.

Top: Jorge Oliver Right: The large soundstage can be converted into two discrete spaces, which can also be used for classes. In total, the facility offers 3,000 square feet of soundstage space.

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Photography Gallery The new Photography Gallery on the lower level of the ARC building just opened in February, but it has already had a substantial impact on the Pratt community. More than 4,300 people have passed through the gallery doors to see BFA senior thesis exhibitions by photography students and to hear a new series of talks and public critiques associated with each show. “This series wouldn’t be possible without this new space,” says Photography Department Chair Stephen Hilger.

“It is exciting to have a new, expanded gallery to show the work of our talented students.” With the gallery, the department’s exhibition space has doubled to nearly 1,500 square feet and features new, lofty ceilings, cutting-edge projection and sound equipment, and a moveable wall that will allow for a variety of exhibition configurations.

In addition to student work, future exhibitions will showcase artwork by faculty as well as emerging and established artists from beyond the Pratt community. To kick off the fall series, students from the department’s “Curatorial Practices” class will curate In the Public Domain, an exhibition of photographs drawn from the public collections of the Museum of the City of New York.

Right: The Vicarious Median exhibition of work by Anette Roqueta (B.F.A. ’15); photo by Anette Roqueta

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Nasreen Alkhateeb Judi Barrett Ron Barrett Jonathan Dorfman Szymon Weglarski Brett Purmal David

On the Red Carpet Pratt Alumni Rise to Stardom on the Screen

by Charlotte Savidge

“And the Oscar goes to . . .” aren’t usually the first words that spring to mind when people think of Pratt Institute. Yet ever since School of Engineering alumnus Bill Garity gave voice to Steamboat Willie in the 1928 Walt Disney classic, the Institute’s graduates have played a key role in some of the moving image industry’s greatest achievements and most acclaimed productions. Today, Pratt alumni are using the skills, expertise, and contacts they made during their time at the Institute to make a name for themselves on both the silver screen and the flat screen. Prattfolio talked to a few of these notable alumni about their film and video careers, and the role that their Pratt education played in their success.

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Nasreen Alkhateeb Transmedia Director and Producer

Nasreen Alkhateeb (B.F.A. Sculpture ’07) is an award-winning transmedia director-producer whose content has been broadcast internationally. Having curated and created original content for NASA, TED, the United Nations, WITNESS, AMC’s The Walking Dead, Coachella, and IFC Films, Alkhateeb has also participated in and done programming for AFI DOCS, SXSW, and Sundance. The Washington Post hailed her immersive transmedia production as “visually smart” and “terrific, surreal visual design.”

What role did your Pratt education play in your film career?

Monster makeup, experimental film history, and the opportunity to build my own productions were essential. I learned to make my first plaster molds with Professor Gerald Siciliano, and journalism Professor Eleanor Bader helped me refine my voice as a storyteller. My first short film was a zombie chase in Pratt’s sub-tunnels.

How did you break into the film world?

In addition to six internships, I immersed myself in the independent film process.

Video Professor Sarah Hanssen created an opportunity for me to attend Sundance, which allowed me to witness the inner workings of one of the most successful independent film festivals.

What has been the highlight of your film career thus far?

What person, living or dead, has most influenced your work in film?

What has been the most fulfilling aspect of your work in film?

Right: Nasreen Alkhateeb

Contributing special effects makeup design for The Walking Dead was a complete honor, and a dream come true. It has been incredible documenting NASA’s construction of the largest space telescope ever built, the James Webb Space Telescope, as was the opportunity to produce a TED talk for NASA in Costa Rica.

Developing a story from inception to completion, through a collective unified voice, by combining different perspectives.

What has most surprised you about working in the film industry?

Finding the right core group of collaborators who work seamlessly together is as important as finding the right lens, light, or location.

What advice would you give current Pratt students and recent alumni looking to break into the film world?

Don’t be afraid of creating your own dream job. Some of the most exciting projects I’ve worked on, I helped pitch and develop. Keep current with your own storytelling methods, write your own content, and produce your own shorts. They will lead you to your next project.

John Carpenter taught me to embrace the humor in horror. Francis Ford Coppola taught me to persevere. Ridley Scott taught me to foster an unrestrained environment.

Guillermo del Toro taught me to embrace my nightmares. John Hughes taught me to always be human. Stan Winston taught me any visual effect is possible.

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Judi Barrett and Ron Barrett Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators

Author Judi Barrett (B.F.A. Advertising Design ’62) and illustrator Ron Barrett (B.F.A. Advertising Design ’59) are the creative team behind Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, which has sold more than six million copies globally, been adapted for two motion pictures and an upcoming TV series, and was named one of The New York Times 10 Best Illustrated Books. Judi has written 23 other children’s books, which have been published in many foreign languages, made into audio recordings and DVDs, and read on television shows such as Captain Kangaroo, Reading Rainbow, and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

Ron has illustrated and authored 26 books for children and adults. His work has appeared frequently in The New York Times and National Lampoon, for which he created the comic strip “Politeness Man.”

What role did your Pratt experience play in your career?

Judi: Majoring in advertising gave me an incredibly valuable, in-depth understanding of the basics of fine design, and the use of color, which has been of inestimable value to me in creating and visualizing my books. And I met Ron! He was my freshman leader for orientation day.

Ron: Herschel Levit widened my world to include Mozart and Peruvian textiles.

Rowena Reed exposed me to “dynamic tension.” James Brooks showed me the subtleties of design as well as how to get dressed. And, as Judi said, we met at Pratt. That was ultimately to change my life and my career.

How did Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs come to be a film?

What most surprised you about having your book turned into a film?

Judi: That it actually got made into a film!

It was a dream come true. And, that I really liked it even though it did not follow the storyline, contain the characters in the book, or use the book’s illustrative style.

Ron: That it took an act of sheer serendipity to get it done.

Judi: The story is that two men from Sony Pictures who grew up reading and loving the book walked into a bookstore in Los Angeles and rediscovered it. They called my publisher and asked if they could option the book for a possible film. And the rest is history.

What advice would you give current Pratt students and recent alumni interested in working in the film industry?

What was the most fulfilling aspect of having your book turned into a film?

Left: Ron Barrett and Judi Barrett

Judi: Seeing the unique, giggle-inducing idea come to life on the silver screen and realizing that it would be viewed worldwide.

Ron: It wasn’t just seeing some of the images I’d created or our names up there on the screen—it was having them become plastic toys in a Happy Meal. When I held the leftover garbage truck in my hand I knew I could die happy. Immortality was mine if only for a moment.

Judi: Go for it! It’s an innovative and exciting field and getting more so each day.

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Jonathan Dorfman and Szymon Weglarski Visual Effects Artists and Commercial Directors

Jonathan Dorfman (B.F.A. Computer Graphics ’02) and Szymon Weglarski (B.F.A. Computer Graphics ’02) are the co-founders of HiFi 3D, a digital visual effects and animation studio, and members of the award-winning visual effects team for HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.

Dorfman’s clients include Coca-Cola, HBO, MTV, Rockstar Games, Microsoft, IBM, HP, Verizon, and AT&T. He received a 2012 Emmy Award for his work on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. Weglarski’s clients include Coca-Cola, Dodge, FedEx, GEICO, M&M’s, Michelin, and Nissan. He received a 2011 Visual Effects Society Award for his work on HBO’s Boardwalk Empire.

What role did your Pratt education and experience play in your career?

Jonathan: I took classes in traditional animation, photography, sculpture, and anatomy, as well as computer graphics, all of which gave me skills that I use every day. I also met my business partner Szymon Weglarski, with whom I started HiFi 3D. Szymon: I formed some of my most important personal and professional relationships while at Pratt, in particular the one with Jonathan Dorfman.

How did you break into the computeranimation world?

Szymon: Breaking into the professional world was a challenge. Fellow Pratt alumnus Miles Southan (B.F.A. Computer Graphics ’02) was working at Curious Pictures. He helped me get an internship in their computer graphics department, which after three months turned into my first staff job in computer animation.

What has been the highlight of your career thus far?

Jonathan: In 2012, Szymon and I were part of the visual effects team for HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. I was one of the team members that won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role. It is awesome to get that kind of recognition from your peers.

Szymon: Getting to see our work on a 3-D model of the Galileo spacecraft on screen at the Museum of Natural History’s planetarium show Dark Universe.

What has been the most fulfilling aspect of your work?

Jonathan: I get a lot of satisfaction from bringing together a great team for a project. Computer animation is a team sport. There is nothing better than collaborating with people you trust, and creating a great final product.

Szymon: The feeling you get when you overcome practical and creative challenges to deliver something great.

What has most surprised you about working in the industry?

Szymon: How volatile and competitive the industry is.

What advice would you give current Pratt students and recent alumni looking to break into the industry?

Jonathan: Try all of the different aspects of computer graphics, figure out what you have a knack for, and focus on that.

Knowing the basics of the other specialties will help you work in a team, and having a specialty will get you in the door.

Also, learn the history of visual effects.

The tools may have changed, but the concepts are the same.

Szymon: Only show your best work on your reel, be persistent, and remember that connections go a long way.

What three words would you use to describe the experience of winning an Emmy Award?

Jonathan: Exciting, inspiring, and pointy.

Left: Szymon Weglarski and Jonathan Dorfman

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Brett Purmal Visual Effects Artist and Animator

Brett Purmal (B.F.A. Computer Graphics ’02) is a freelance animator whose feature film credits include Tomorrowland, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Godzilla, Muppets Most Wanted, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Walking with Dinosaurs 3-D, and Happy Feet 2, as well as King Kong and Avatar, for which he received Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects in 2005 and 2010, respectively.

two years later. At the conference job fair, I applied for an animation position using a demo reel of my work from Larger Than Life Productions, where I had interned after graduating from Pratt, and from Psyop and Betelguese Productions, the two studios where I had subsequently worked. That studio experience and the resulting reel got me my first job on a feature film—working for Weta Digital in New Zealand on King Kong.

What role did your Pratt education and experience play in your film career?

What has been the highlight of your film career thus far?

While I still refer to my foundation year teachings every day, something Computer Graphics and Interactive Media Chair Rick Barry told me before I even started at Pratt inspired my entire future as an artist: “At Pratt, we teach you to ask yourself ‘why?’ instead of ‘how?’” I feel that the most original and authentic art is created when you ask yourself ‘why?’

The ‘how?’ is the easy part.

What was your career path from Pratt to film?

During my senior year, I served as chair of the first student chapter of ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) SIGGRAPH, which ultimately gave me the opportunity to document the annual SIGGRAPH conference in Los Angeles

Every day feels like a highlight, but the top ones have been my mother crying with joy at seeing my name in the credits for the first time; leading my first team of professional animators; working on a Muppet movie; cowinning “best overall shot” at Industrial Light and Magic for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; animating King Kong, Optimus Prime, and Bumble Bee; and working with Peter Jackson, James Cameron, Brad Bird, and the late Robin Williams.

What has been the most fulfilling aspect of your work in film?

Sitting in a theater screening of a show I’ve worked on and watching the audience’s reactions. I love being part of a process that will inspire viewers for generations to come.

What has most surprised you about working in the film industry?

The hours. It’s incredibly daunting.

Maintaining the lifestyle takes a passion for the art and good physical health.

What person, living or dead, has most influenced your work in film?

Three people: Walt Disney, Jim Henson, and Will Vinton.

What advice would you give current Pratt students and recent alumni looking to break into the film world?

Learn as much as you can as soon as you can; network, network, network; and ask for feedback, not a job.

What three words would you use to describe the experience of winning an Academy Award?

“We did it!”

Right: Brett Purmal

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David Shirk Digital Matte Artist, Animator, and Animation Supervisor

David Shirk (B.F.A. Film/Media Arts ’89) is an award-winning digital matte artist, animator, and animation supervisor whose credits include Transformers; Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest; Mission: Impossible III; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; Eight Below; The Island; War of the Worlds; Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith; Disney’s A Christmas Carol; and Gravity; for which he received both a BAFTA and an Academy Award. Shirk’s early career included animation work for AT&T, FedEx, Frito-Lay, GE, Gillette, HBO, Johnson & Johnson, Lifetime Television, Nike, Pepsi, Saturday Night Live, Syfy, and Walt Disney World.

What role did your Pratt education and experience play in your film career?

As a film student mixed in with a lot of exceptionally talented fine artists, I found foundation year to be quite challenging.

That year stretched me in many ways and helped me to make curiosity and discipline an integral part of my approach to art.

What was your career path from Pratt to film?

I was fortunate to come through Pratt when the computer-based animation industry was just getting on its feet in New York.

I was fascinated by the idea of creating on a computer and made friends with

the computer lab staff and became a fixture there. This led to freelance work and ultimately became the basis for my career.

What has been the highlight of your film career thus far?

A lot of people involved in my business trace their passion back to a particular film. For me, it was Star Wars, so working as a digital matte artist on Episode III was pretty special. Working with Alfonso Cuarón on Gravity was also thrilling for me. I’d been an admirer of his films for years and it has been a unique situation to have so much public interest in how we created the work.

What has been the most fulfilling aspect of your work in film?

I sometimes have to pinch myself over the opportunities I have to collaborate every day with such incredibly talented people.

What advice would you give current Pratt students and recent alumni looking to break into the film world?

Technology has evolved to a point that it’s simple and much cheaper to fulfill the technical requirements to make a film now, and that’s the best way I know to find your way in: tell your stories, demonstrate excellence in that. In terms of animation and visual effects, it’s now a truly global business, so it’s

important to be willing to move yourself between countries. Experience still counts, but entry doesn’t require it; hiring decisions tend to be very democratic and based on work quality. In that respect, expectations are very high: I have hired and worked with plenty of people who are just out of school, but it’s critical that the quality of their work is absolutely on par with that of experienced professionals.

What three words would you use to describe the experience of winning an Academy Award?

Unreal, overwhelming, humbling.

Right: David Shirk

Altered Altered Altered Pratt Artists Reimagine Our

Perceptions Perceptions Perceptions World through the Lens

by Harris Solomon

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Imagine your adrenaline pumping, explosions happening around you, and the whiz of flying bullets while you ready your camera for the perfect shot. But you’re not a war photographer, as you might readily imagine. Rather, you’re taking pictures inside a video game. Your subject? Not the other players surrounding you, or the violent scene unfolding, but rather, the landscape.

While this may sound surreal, it is a typical experience for Visiting Assistant Professor of Digital Arts Justin Berry, whose digital photographs explore the often-overlooked “natural” settings in which some of the world’s most popular video games unfold.

He is one of a wave of Pratt artists who have chosen to train their lenses on moments and places that we don’t readily dwell on, drawing our attention to and playing with our perception of that which is often overlooked in the world around us.

Berry’s photographs appear, at first, to document veritable natural landscapes in the style of great nature photographers like Ansel Adams. In reality, Berry records his images by playing firstperson fighter games and searching out locations he wants to photograph. Berry will often play a game over and over again in order to return to these places, where he takes multiple screen shots to capture the location in question. While these lowresolution images are fairly flat, Berry gives them definition and depth of field by weaving multiple shots together in Photoshop.

For Berry, toying with our sense of location and perception delivers great satisfaction. “There is power in the gesture of turning away from the game to see what you are not supposed to be looking at,” he explains. “You’re not looking at the world in terms of the designer’s expectations, but rather focusing on the background, the landscape. It asks the viewer to treat the virtual world as a real space, a world with weight and consequence.”

Optical Illusions

Berry isn’t alone is his goal of heightening our awareness of the spaces we take for granted. Assistant Professor of Photography John Lehr aims to cast a new light on urban surfaces from

the commercial landscape, including billboards, shop windows, and signage in his series, Low Relief. However, these aren’t average close-ups of city grit. Lehr works to “make the images about the act of looking by showing the viewer a collision of imagery that doesn’t immediately register.” By photographing flat surfaces and printing them in the exact proportions that he encountered them, Lehr achieves a trompe l’oeil effect, causing the viewer to wonder if he or she is seeing a photograph that shows peeling tape or the peeling tape itself. This profoundly impacts our understanding of the surfaces we see, and makes us more able to appreciate the play of light through a grimy window, or the striations of etching on glass.

In many ways, Lehr attempts to re-create the feeling of discovery that he first had when happening upon the subject of the photograph. “Many people still think about photographs as being an exact image of the world,” explains Lehr. “But I’m interested in making pictures occupying a middle ground—photographs that force the viewer to slow down and contemplate the space between an objective view of the world and a subjective rendering of it.”

Like Berry, Lehr believes that the contemplative space he creates for those examining his photographs is one free of the associations we carry with us in everyday life. His pictures are links to our world, rather than direct representations of it.

Right: Auto Body, 2013 by John Lehr Page 36, top to bottom: Obelisk and Rust Vale by Justin Berry Page 37: Dry Gulch by Justin Berry

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“ Many people still think about photographs as being an exact image of the world. But I’m interested in making pictures occupying a middle ground—photographs that force the viewer to slow down and contemplate the space between an objective view of the world and a subjective rendering of it.”

Constructing the Cityscape Representing our world is, at first glance, exactly what Pratt alumnus Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao (B.F.A. Photography ’03) seems to be doing. His large-scale panoramas of New York, which have been shown everywhere from the J. Paul Getty Museum to the Museum of the City of New York, appear to capture bustling, lively spaces at one particular moment in time, such as Times Square at night or a surge of people in front of the Flatiron Building after Hurricane Sandy. However, Liao, like both Berry and Lehr, plays with the viewer’s perception of reality and the documentary nature of photography.

While it may appear that the camera has managed to capture the gestures of everyone in the frame simultaneously, in fact, Liao takes many individual pictures and stitches the frames together to produce a larger image, sometimes using more than 200 shots to create a final scene. These stitched-together panoramas create what seem, at first glance, to be completely plausible cityscapes before we realize their impossibility— the light on the same intersection is both green and red, or two large balloons occupy the same space as they float over the Thanksgiving Day Parade. In certain photographs, the markers are even subtler, such as the differing quality of light and shadow, creating a gradient of twilight across the sky.

Mediating Reality

Whether it’s through video games, urban surfaces, or cityscapes, Berry, Lehr, and Liao are examining how, as Lehr puts it, their subjects “are utterly transformed by the medium of photography.” All three have all chosen the intermediate space between

documentary photography and the image as fictional representation, and though their aesthetics differ, the similarities in their approaches are clear. Their work is as much about using photography as a medium that can shape people’s perception of the world as it is about carefully tweaking what they find to achieve a desired result. Indeed, image manipulation is central to the careful construction of each artist’s works, and their processes expand our understanding of what photography is and can be. In fact, the medium has even helped photographers themselves re-envision their role as artists. “I realized that cities are my stage,” Liao says. “I could pick and choose moments that I wanted to join together—somewhat like a painter.”

Left, top to bottom: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York, 2012 and Yankee Stadiums, Bronx, 2008 by Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao

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NEW AND NOTEWORTHY Items in the Marketplace Created by Pratt Alumni, Faculty, and Students

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Sapphire Clock Sarah Mimo (B.F.A. Communications Design ’11) $150

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Sarah Mimo produces each of her handmade clocks with both beauty and functionality in mind. Laser-cut from Baltic birch wood, each clock is stained, finished, and assembled by hand. The Sapphire Clock is available in six colors, with the option of a silent gearbox.

Available at sarahmimo.com.

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Module Side Tables Dylan Farrell (B.I.D. ’98) Price on request Designed by Dylan Farrell and produced by Jean de Merry, the Module Side Table was named Best of Year in Furniture: Residential/Side Tables

by Interior Design. Inspired by the idea of sharing gourmet chocolates, the side tables have an ebony grain wood finish with antiqued bronze.

Each table fits together with others in a jigsaw format and is equally striking whether used on its own or in triplicate. Available at jeandemerry.com and hammelandfarrell.com.

Dark City Lynn Saville (M.F.A. ’76) $50 (released September 2015) In her new book of photographs, Dark City, Lynn Saville captures the emptiness of urban landscapes during twilight and dawn. Shuttered stores, blank billboards, untended lots, ghosted figures, and abandoned industrial sites suggest the cycle of change and renewal in which places become spaces and vice versa. Available at damianieditore.com and amazon.com.

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Slim Tote Karen Stone, Adjunct Professor, Industrial Design (M.I.D. ’94) $290 Karen Stone, director of design at Knoll, unites form, function, and felt with the Totes and Travel Collection. Perfect for everyday essentials, this wool felt tote with leather gussets and belting leather straps is available in heather gray, deep red, or bright orange. Combining seasonal style and classic design, the collection also includes a backpack, duffel bag, and weekender bag. Available at knoll.com.

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Chained Turquoise Arrow Ring Stasia Salvucci (B.F.A. ’10) $300

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Stasia Salvucci creates hand-forged, darkened sterling silver two-piece rings inspired by myth and nature. These one-of-a-kind pieces are created with rare natural turquoise from American Southwestern mines, stamped with the mine name for authenticity. Available at freepeople.com and etsy.com.

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John Balestrieri’s Waterlogue application lets users see the world like an artist by transforming photos into luminous watercolors.

It captures the essence of photos in brilliant liquid color, and allows users to share them over social media. Available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, Waterlogue was selected

by Apple for inclusion in its “App Store Best of 2014” and was featured in Apple’s “Start Something New” campaign. Available on the App Store.

The Packaging Designer’s Book of Patterns, Fourth Edition George L. Wybenga (B.F.A. ’69) and Lászlo Roth $90 8

For more than two decades, The Packaging Designer’s Book of Patterns has served as an essential source of ideas and practical solutions for a wide range of packaging design challenges. Containing more than 600 scalable patterns and structural designs for cartons, boxes, and containers, The Packaging Designer’s Book of Patterns helps readers save hours of trial-and-error design time and carry out projects with confidence. Available at amazon.com.

Submissions Alumni, Faculty, and Students We invite submissions to New and Noteworthy.

Send information and images of your latest creation for sale in the marketplace to prattfolio@pratt.edu with the subject “New and Noteworthy.”

Waterlogue Application John Balestrieri (B.F.A. Communications Design ’96) $2.99

Thiki Greece-Inspired Cases Nadia Synetou (B.F.A. Communications Design ’02) Various Prices Designer Nadia Synetou has created “cases” for phones, pouches, and pillows that evoke the deep blue sea and bright lights of Greece.

Inspired by Greek history, Thiki products, named after the Greek word for “case,” are designed for contemporary products but have an aesthetic that is minimal and classic.

Available at duty-free shops internationally and thikigreece.com.

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RYERSON WALK Recent Campus News and Activities

The Engineering Quadrangle was redesigned through the generosity of Trustee Emeritus Bruce M. Newman (B.F.A. ’53).

Pratt Ranked Eighth Most Beautiful College Campus in the Nation

and its Brooklyn location give it the perfect balance of classic college atmosphere and city excitement.”

Pratt’s campus has been recognized by College Magazine, which ranked Pratt number eight in its list of “Top 10 Most Beautiful College Campuses,” and by the Municipal Arts Society, which honored the Institute’s Engineering Quadrangle with its 2015 MASterworks Award for Best Urban Landscape.

The Municipal Art Society (MAS), the distinguished New York organization dedicated to creating a more livable city, recognized The Engineering Quadrangle project for creating a new open space that contributes to New York’s livability and resilience and is a hub for the neighborhood and school community. The project, which was made possible through the generosity of Pratt alumnus and Trustee Emeritus Bruce M. Newman (B.F.A. Interior Design ’53), involved redesigning and rebuilding the space, allowing for better circulation, enhanced aesthetics, and an increased cohesiveness with the rest of campus.

A daily guide to campus life that reaches millions of college students across the country, College Magazine ranks campuses based on factors that include location, architecture, and atmosphere.

According to the rankings, the Institute’s “blend of building styles

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Scholar and administrator Kirk E. Pillow has been appointed Pratt’s new Provost.

Photo by CJ Harker

Cathleen Kenny has been appointed Pratt’s new Vice President for Finance and Administration.

Pratt Institute Names Kirk E. Pillow as Its Next Provost

Cathleen Kenny Named New Vice President for Finance and Administration

Pratt Institute has named distinguished scholar and administrator Kirk E. Pillow as its next provost. Pillow will assume the position in July 2015, succeeding Pratt’s current Provost Peter Barna, who announced in January 2015 that he would be returning to the faculty after a yearlong sabbatical. Barna has served as Pratt’s provost since 2004. The provost is the chief academic officer for the college and reports directly to President Thomas F. Schutte.

Pratt Institute has named Cathleen Kenny as its new Vice President for Finance and Administration. She will assume the role on July 1, succeeding Ed Rutkowski, who will retire this summer after having served in the position since 1993.

Pillow is currently the interim president at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, where he served as provost from 2011–14.

He is an established scholar in the field of philosophy and has published widely on aesthetics and the philosophy of art.

“Kirk is a phenomenal individual with the energy, enthusiasm, and experience to lead the Institute in fulfilling its academic mission,” said Schutte. “He is a true visionary in academic administration and has a stellar reputation as an accomplished leader who listens, moves priorities forward, and embraces the collaborative nature of collegial governance.”

Before joining the University of the Arts, Pillow served as a dean, provost, and interim president at Corcoran College of Art + Design, and before that as a chair, associate dean, and professor at Hamilton College. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Trinity University and master’s and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University, all in philosophy.

“Pratt is an extraordinary hub of creative energy and excellence,” said Pillow. “It’s a dream come true to be chosen for this role, and I very much look forward to joining the Pratt community.”

Kenny, currently the Vice President for Finance and Administration at Mount Saint Mary College in Newburgh, New York, brings to Pratt nearly 24 years of experience in higher education. She has extensive knowledge of finance, accounting, and higher education administration, as well as broad experience in her various roles working closely with all campus groups, including academic leaders and faculty members.

“I am confident that Cathy’s enthusiasm and thoughtful, collaborative leadership style will enable our community to continue to work together in the interest of moving the Institute forward,” said Pratt Institute President Thomas F. Schutte.

Kenny has also held posts as Vice President for Fiscal Affairs at Dominican College, Chief of Fiscal Services at the Anderson Center for Autism, and as Controller at Mount Saint Mary College. Kenny earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Pace University and a master’s degree in administration from Marist College.

“I feel privileged to have the opportunity to help build on Pratt’s impressive record of success,” said Kenny. “I look forward to joining the Pratt team and working collaboratively across campus to help achieve new initiatives that will move the Institute toward an even more successful future.”

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L to R: Anita Cooney (B.Arch. ’91) has been named dean of the School of Design; Maira Rey Seara has been named dean of the Center for Continuing and Professional Studies (CCPS).

Pratt Names Deans of School of Design and Center for Continuing and Professional Studies Pratt Institute has named Anita Cooney (B.Arch. ’91) as dean of the School of Design and Maira Rey Seara as dean of the Center for Continuing and Professional Studies (CCPS). Both appointments were effective on April 1, 2015.

Cooney served as acting dean of the School of Design from July 2014, when the school was formed, through March 2015. For nine years (2005-14), she was chair of Pratt’s Interior Design Department, where she led the creation of one of the nation’s top interior design programs. Cooney has also served as assistant chair of the Institute’s Undergraduate Department of the School of Architecture (1996-99). A designer with more than 20 years of experience in professional practice, Cooney is owner-principal of acoo design llc and has worked at prominent firms, including Takashimaya and Robert AM Stern Architects.

Seara, who is currently Director of Continuing Education Program Development at CCPS, brings 14 years of experience in continuing education and professional development to the newly created role of CCPS dean, a position that reflects the increasingly prominent role that continuing education and professional studies play in the careers of creative professionals.

Before coming to Pratt in September 2014, she served as Director of Professional Development Studies at Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information College Avenue Campus. She has also held senior leadership positions at Bloomfield College and Miami Dade College, where she led the Center for Excellence, an initiative she established to address South Florida’s workforce development needs.

Pratt’s Brooklyn campus is a source of inspiration for the Institute’s art and design students.

USA TODAY Ranks Pratt Number 1 College for a Degree in Fine and Studio Arts USA TODAY has ranked Pratt first in a list of the top 10 colleges for a degree in fine and studio arts in the United States. The list comes from College Factual and the rankings are based on a combination of 10 different factors, including outcomes such as graduation rates and early and midcareer salaries. Pratt was among other top-tier institutions named in the rankings.

According to the rankings, “Pratt enhances students’ skills through open and honest critique from fellow classmates, professors, and art critics . . . Graduates of [the fine arts] program have gone on to become prominent members within the art community.”

Two New Trustees Elected to Pratt Institute’s Board Pratt Institute has appointed Adam D. Tihany and Anne Noland Edwards to its Board of Trustees. Their appointments were effective December 17, 2014, and March 12, 2015, respectively.

Widely regarded as one of the world’s preeminent hospitality designers and an early pioneer of the restaurant design profession, Tihany has created restaurants for Thomas Keller, Daniel Boulud, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Charlie Palmer, and Wolfgang Puck, among others. His work in the hospitality field includes such properties as One&Only Cape Town resort, the Beverly Hills Hotel, and the Four Seasons Resort Dubai. Tihany’s outstanding contributions to the world of design have earned him numerous honors and awards, including induction into the Interior Design Hall of Fame in 1991.

Edwards is a trustee of the Delaware College of Art and Design, which was established by Pratt Institute and the Corcoran College of Art and Design. She was previously affiliated with Corcoran Gallery and College of Art and Design for 15 years as a trustee and a member of the Board of Overseers, and also chaired the Corcoran board’s Committee on Education and Public Outreach, which oversaw the operations of the college and the museum’s public activities.

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Kenneth Snelson’s Black E.C. Tower is the newest sculpture to be installed on Pratt’s Brooklyn campus.

Pratt neighbors and friends enjoyed the antique steam-whistle celebration orchestrated by Pratt Chief Engineer Conrad Milster.

New “Tensegrity” Sculpture by Kenneth Snelson Installed outside Pratt’s Myrtle Hall

Hundreds Gather on the Brooklyn Campus for Final New Year’s Eve Steam Whistle Ceremony

Black E.C. Tower, a work by contemporary sculptor Kenneth Snelson, has been installed in front of Pratt’s Myrtle Hall.

The sculpture belongs to a class of structures called “tensegrity,” invented by Snelson in 1948. Tensegrity structures are composed of a network of taught tension wires enclosing an assembly of internal compression struts. Many of Snelson’s sculptures can be seen in public places and museums throughout the world.

The sculpture is on loan from Marlborough Gallery and will be on display at Pratt for a minimum of one year, according to Pratt Sculpture Park curator David Weinrib.

A crowd of hundreds joined Pratt Institute Chief Engineer Conrad Milster as he blew his historic collection of steam whistles for the final time on New Year’s Eve, marking the end of a 50-year tradition on the Brooklyn campus and filling the air with sound and clouds of white steam at the stroke of midnight to start the new year. Revelers who attended the festivities and campus passersby were treated to the sounds of about a dozen antique steam whistles from railroads, factories, and ships, and a steam-powered calliope that Milster built in 1999. The collection included a steam whistle from the SS Normandie, a sleek Art Deco ocean liner from the 1930s that was the precursor of the Queen Mary. The ceremony was covered extensively in the press, including The New York Times, NY1, and the New York Daily News. Though 2014 was the final year for the steam whistle ceremony, Milster will continue in his position as the Institute’s chief engineer.

Pratt Institute Offers New Graduate Program in Urban Placemaking and Management In fall 2015, Pratt Institute will launch a groundbreaking new graduate program in Urban Placemaking and Management, the first of its kind in the country.

The four-semester program, which leads to a Master of Science degree, will be part of the Institute’s Programs for Sustainable Planning and Development (PSPD) in the School of Architecture.

It will be coordinated by former New York City Department of Design and Construction Commissioner David Burney, fellow of the American Institute of Architects (FAIA). As program coordinator, he will lead an esteemed faculty including Ron Shiffman, founder and former director of Pratt Center for Community Development; Stuart Pertz, community planning advocate and FAIA; Meg Walker, vice president and director of design at Project for Public Spaces; Signe Nielsen, landscape architect and chair of the New York City Public Design Commission; and Jonathan Marvel, architect and security and public space expert.

The program will prepare students from a variety of architecture, planning, and design backgrounds for this rapidly growing field and will provide them with the tools to work in a range of institutional, governmental, nonprofit, and private-sector settings.

New York Foundation for the Arts Awards Fellowships to Fine Arts Professor John O’Connor and Alumna Kako Ueda Two Pratt Institute professors were awarded fellowships from the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) in January.

John O’Connor (M.F.A. ’00), visiting assistant professor of fine arts, was awarded a New York Foundation for the Arts Artists’ Fellowship in Printmaking, Drawing, and Artist Books. Kako Ueda (M.F.A. Painting ’99) received the award in Crafts and Sculpture.

NYFA’s Artist’s Fellowships awarded cash grants totaling $630,000 to 93 artists throughout New York State. A disciplinespecific peer panel selected O’Connor and Ueda out of 4,117 applicants across 15 different disciplines that included crafts and sculpture; digital and electronic art; nonfiction literature; poetry; and printmaking, drawing, and artist books.

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BEYOND THE GATES Pratt’s Presence in the Public Realm

Pratt celebrated distinguished alumni (L to R) Brad Lander (M.S. City and Regional Planning ’98), Kristina Drury (M.I.D. ’09), Duke Riley (M.F.A. ’06), Norman James (B.I.D. ’56), Barbara Nessim (B.F.A. ’60), Robert Beach (B.Arch. ’82), and Jun Aizaki (B.Arch. ’96) at the 2015 Alumni Achievement Awards.

Pratt Honors Distinguished Graduates at 2015 Alumni Achievement Awards On March 26, Pratt trustees, faculty, friends, and alumni came together at the University Club to recognize seven distinguished graduates with Alumni Achievement Awards: Jun Aizaki (B. Arch. ’96) received the International Career Achievement Award; Robert Beach (B. Arch. ’82) received the Community Commitment Award; Kristina Drury (M.I.D. ’09) received the Early Career Award; Norman James (B.I.D. ’56) received the Career Achievement Award; Brad Lander (M.S. City and Regional Planning ’98) received the Distinguished Service Award; Barbara Nessim (B.F.A. ’60) received the Lifetime Achievement Award; and

Duke Riley (M.F.A. ’06) received the Mid-Career Achievement Award. A number of previous Alumni Achievement Award recipients also attended the awards luncheon, including Roger Cook (B.F.A. Communications Design ’53), Jack S. Esterson (B. Arch. ’75), Nancy S. Grossman (B.F.A. ’62), Sherry O. Handlin (B.F.A. ’67), Pratt Trustee Gary S. Hattem (M.S. City and Regional Planning ’75), Frances P. Huppert (B. Arch. ’74), Daru-Jung Hyang Kim (M.F.A. ’80), Betsy Lewin (B.F.A. ’59), Ted Lewin (B.F.A. ’56), Pratt Trustee John F. Morning (B.F.A. ’55), Louis Nelson (B.I.D. ’58, M.I.D. ’64), Sylvia E. Plachy (B.F.A. ’65), Adam Selman (B.F.A. ’04), Ronald Shiffman (B. Arch. ’61, M.S. City and Regional Planning ’66), RitaSue Siegel (B.I.D. ’61, M.I.D. ’68), Richard J. Smyth (B.S. Construction Management ’78), and Deborah Willis (M.F.A. ’79).

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First Lady Michelle Obama and Publicolor student Elisha Almonte with Pratt alumna and Publicolor Founder and President Ruth Lande Shuman (M.I.D. ’89), who received the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award | Photo courtesy of Publicolor

Pratt alumna RitaSue Siegel (B.I.D. ’61 and M.I.D. ’68) received the 2015 Rowena Reed Kostellow Award.

The White House Honors Alumna Ruth Lande Shuman with Prestigious Youth Program Award

Rowena Reed Kostellow Fund Honors Alumna and Design Recruiter RitaSue Siegel

First Lady Michelle Obama awarded Interior Design alumna Ruth Lande Shuman (M.I.D. ’89) the nation’s highest honor for out-of-school arts and humanities programs, the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award, at a White House ceremony in November. Shuman received this award, which recognizes the achievements of programs that celebrate the creativity of America’s young people, for her nonprofit organization Publicolor—one of 12 programs chosen from a pool of more than 350. Publicolor, which Shuman founded in 1996, uses color, collaboration, design, and commercial painting to engage at-risk students, providing design-based programs that empower students to make their schools more beautiful while learning skills to prepare them for college and a career.

On March 10, RitaSue Siegel (B.I.D. ’61, M.I.D. ’68) was honored with the Rowena Reed Kostellow (RRK) Award for her support and enhancement of the industrial design profession at an event benefitting the Rowena Reed Kostellow Fund. Established in 1988, the fund supports scholarships and communicates the philosophy of its namesake, one of the founders of the Industrial Design Department, through programs and published work. Event speakers included Pratt Institute President Thomas F. Schutte, Acting Industrial Design Chair Scott Lundberg (M.I.D. ’98), Louis Nelson (B.I.D. ’58, M.I.D. ’64), and Fund Chair Tucker Viemeister (B.I.D. ’74).

Museum of the City of New York Presents Solo Exhibitions by Pratt Alumni Paul Rand and Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao The Museum of the City of New York recently held concurrent solo exhibitions by two prominent alumni: iconic graphic designer Paul Rand (Illustration ’32) and photographer Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao (B.F.A. Photography ’03).

Everything Is Design: The Work of Paul Rand, on view through July 19, showcases projects from Rand’s long career, including more than 150 advertisements, posters, corporate brochures, and books designed by Rand for clients such as IBM, ABC, and UPS, among others. The exhibition highlights Rand’s design philosophy, as well as his role in incorporating Cubist and Constructivist ideas into American graphic design.

Jeff Chien-Hsing Liao: Assembled Realities was a retrospective of large-scale photographs encompassing 10 years of work and featuring more than 40 of Liao’s images of the ever-changing landscape of New York City. Combining multiple exposures of the same location taken over the course of several hours, Liao’s panoramic photographs document the city's energy and diversity.

Pratt Students Work with New York Public Library Program to Answer Inmates’ Questions For the past two years, as part of the Pratt School of Information and Library Science (SILS) course “Information Services and Resources,” taught by Associate Professor of Information and Library Science Debbie Rabina and Visiting Assistant Professor Emily Drabinski, SILS students have responded to reference queries from incarcerated people, who lack access to the Internet and other information sources. The class assists the New York Public Library’s (NYPL) Correctional Services Program run by NYPL Correctional Services Supervising Librarian and Pratt alumna Sarah Ball (M.S. Library Science ’10), whose team responds to as many as 60 letters each week from people incarcerated in New York and across the country.

Alumnus Gaspar de Jesus Competes on New Ellen DeGeneres Television Series Gaspar de Jesus (B.I.D. ’01) was one of six designers selected to compete on Ellen’s Design Challenge, a new HGTV series from the Emmy Award-winning entertainer and comedian Ellen DeGeneres. De Jesus, who showcased work that he had created for his senior thesis project at Pratt, has credited his time at the Institute as essential to securing his spot on the show.

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(L to R) Surface magazine Editor in Chief Spencer Bailey, Jeffrey Deitch, and Stefan Sagmeister (M.S. Comm. D. ’89) at Pratt Presents

The Pratt CONNECT Lounge designed by Pratt Interior Design students and faculty for the SOFA Art Fair in Chicago

Pratt Presents and Surface Magazine Host Stefan Sagmeister in Conversation with Jeffrey Deitch

Senior Interior Design Students Featured at SOFA CHICAGO Art and Design Fair

Pratt Institute and Surface presented a conversation between Jeffrey Deitch and Stefan Sagmeister (M.S. Comm. D. ’89), on March 31 in Memorial Hall, as part of the Pratt President’s Lectures and Surface magazine’s Design Dialogues. Creator of the influential Deitch Projects gallery, Deitch facilitated the rise of a new generation of artists for nearly 15 years. From 2010 to 2013, he served as director of the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Deitch is now working on bringing his influential Art in the Streets exhibition to New York. Sagmeister, a Pratt alumnus, is one of the most renowned graphic designers and typographers working today. He is co-founder of Sagmeister & Walsh, a design firm that creates identities, commercials, websites, apps, films, books, and objects. Deitch and Sagmeister spoke with Spencer Bailey, editor in chief of Surface magazine, about Deitch’s new book Live the Art, designed by Sagmeister.

Alumnus Stephen Douglas Portrays His Grandfather in Feature Film by Angelina Jolie Pratt alumnus Stephen Douglas (B.F.A. Film/Video, ’10) makes his on-screen debut in Angelina Jolie’s recent feature film, Unbroken.

Adapted from The New York Times bestselling book Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand, the film tells the story of Zamperini, who survived 47 days at sea and more than two years in Japanese prisoner-of-war camps after his plane was shot down during a search-and-rescue mission in the South Pacific in 1943. Douglas, who ordinarily works in the film industry behind the camera, plays the part of his grandfather alongside actor Jack O’Connell, who portrays the film’s lead, World War II hero Louis Zamperini.

A group of students from Pratt’s Interior Design department traveled to Chicago in November to participate in SOFA CHICAGO (Sculpture Objects Functional Art + Design), an annual art and design fair that draws 35,000 visitors from the United States and abroad.

The students, part of a Senior Interior Design Studio class taught

by Associate Professor of Interior Design Deborah Schneiderman, composed one of six international university art and design teams that contributed to CONNECT, an exhibition of designed spaces incorporating seating, lighting, and objects. Participants designed, built, and installed a unique lounge on the show floor where visitors could interact and discover new works and trends.

Pratt’s lounge, titled “Call + Response,” was inspired by the topographic landscape of Chicago and the improvisation of jazz music. The lounge included a piece of wearable technology— a felted pin developed by Associate Fashion and Industrial Design Professor Rebeccah Pailes-Friedman (B.F.A. Fashion Design ’85)—that visitors could customize using a programming app.

Exhibition of Photographs by Alumna Sylvia Plachy Opens in Hungary Work by world-renowned photographer and Pratt Institute alumna Sylvia Plachy (B.F.A. ’65) was on view as part of a major solo exhibition titled When Will It Be Tomorrow at Mai Manó Haz, a prominent photography museum in Budapest, Hungary.

The exhibition spans half a century of the photographer’s work, including many images made during her nearly 30-year career as a staff photographer for The Village Voice.

P R AT T F O L IO

(L to R): Pratt Board of Trustees Chair Bruce J. Gitlin, Kravis Center Board of Trustees Chair Jane M. Mitchell, Robin Oglesbee-Venghaus (B.I.D. ’15), Pratt Trustee Emeritus Bruce M. Newman (B.F.A. ’53), Kravis Center CEO Judith A. Mitchell, and Pratt President Thomas F. Schutte at the Kravis Center

A screen shot of TenHoor’s project

Students Travel to Palm Beach to Present Innovative Sculpture Designs

Metropolis Magazine Names Architecture Professor Meredith TenHoor’s Architectural Collaborative a “2015 Game Changer”

Robert Langhorn, Associate Professor of Industrial Design, guided a group of eight industrial design and architecture students in a competition to create a site-specific sculpture recognizing donors to the Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. The competition was conceived by Pratt Institute Trustee Emeritus and alumnus Bruce M. Newman (B.F.A. ’53) and held in partnership with the Kravis Center. The students traveled to Palm Beach in April to present their projects to a jury of esteemed art and design leaders and elected officials, including Norton Museum of Art Director Hope Alswang, City of West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio, and Pratt alumnus Joseph Sanches (B.P.S. Construction Management ’89). Robin Oglesbee-Venghaus (B.I.D. ’15) was named the winner of the competition for his project, The Embrace. The judging was followed by a dinner and awards ceremony recognizing the students and their innovative work.

Alumnus Kadir Nelson Creates Postage Stamp Honoring Basketball Star Wilt Chamberlain A new set of postage stamps honoring famed National Basketball Association (NBA) player Wilt Chamberlain will feature images

by Kadir Nelson (B.F.A. Illustration ’96). Approximately 50 million Forever stamps with Chamberlain’s image will be printed.

Nelson created two images for the stamps, which are the first ever to honor an NBA player: one depicting Chamberlain in his early days playing for the Philadelphia Warriors, and the other showing him later in his career, when he played with the Los Angeles Lakers.

To emphasize Chamberlain’s famously tall seven-foot-one frame, the stamps are almost two inches long, almost one-third longer than a typical stamp. Nelson’s previous commissions from the United States Postal Service have included images for stamps honoring baseball players from the Negro Leagues and the pioneering tennis champion Althea Gibson.

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Associate Professor of Undergraduate Architecture Meredith TenHoor’s Aggregate Architectural History collaborative was named one of five “game changers” in Metropolis magazine’s fifth annual survey of the foremost forward-looking talents in the world of architecture and design.

A forum for collective research, Aggregate is made up of architectural historians from prestigious higher educational institutions, among them Harvard, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, UCLA, University of Toronto, and Pratt Institute. TenHoor currently serves as executive editor for the group and served as its chair from 2012 to 2014.

New York State Study Shows Pratt and Other Independent Colleges and Universities Add Billions to Local Economy A recent study published by New York’s Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (CICU) found that in 2012 Pratt Institute and other similar institutions contributed $49.5 billion to New York City’s economy and more than $74 billion to New York State’s economy in 2013.

According to the study, New York City’s independent colleges and universities directly employ nearly 100,000 people. The findings showed that students and visitors alone contributed $4.5 billion to New York City’s economy.

Contributing to Community Arts

Contributing to Pratt “The practical skills I have gained at Pratt allow me to bring the arts to underserved communities while supporting developing artists.”

–Alumna Lucia Rollow (Masters of Professional Studies Arts and Cultural Management ’15)

Bushwick Community Darkroom founder Lucia Rollow (M.P.S. ’15) is just one example of myriad Pratt students and alumni who are having a profound impact on the world around them—thanks in large part to the essential resources provided by The Fund for Pratt. From scholarships and financial aid to faculty development and study abroad opportunities, The Fund for Pratt touches every Pratt student every day.

Make your gift today at www.pratt.edu/give.

The Fund for Pratt

Shaping Pratt’s future begins today. That future begins with you.

Making a planned gift to Pratt means making an impact on the Institute for generations to come. From retirement accounts to naming the Institute in your will, Pratt offers a variety of ways that alumni and friends can lay the foundation for the creative leaders of the future. Your planned gift will also benefit you and your heirs— for example, by providing you with income for life or helping offset income or estate taxes.

To find out more, contact Drew Babitts, Major and Planned Gifts Officer, at dbabitts@pratt.edu or 718.399.4296.

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P R AT T F O L IO

FINAL THOUGHTS On Mentorship

by Stephen Hilger, Chair, Department of Photography

Mentorship, at its very heart, is about building a relationship that helps to sustain one’s creative life over time.

It builds one’s sense of community and allows both the mentor and the mentee to share a dialogue about their practice that goes beyond the classroom or the workplace. Mentorship also affords a lifelong opportunity to continue growing and learning.

My appreciation for mentorship stems from my experience with Thomas Roma, director of photography at Columbia University, where I studied visual arts as both an undergraduate and graduate student. Roma has a unique point of view, having gone from working as a technician in Pratt’s photography lab and manufacturing his own cameras to having a solo exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art and publishing more than a dozen monographs. I still fondly recall his passionate and pointed critiques, which were sometimes painful but always strengthening

and inspiring. Such experiences led me to become a photographer and an educator.

I was reminded of the tremendous value I place on my relationship with Roma when I visited him recently to discuss the new book of photographs that I am making. My work spread out before us, I found myself ambitious and confident, and the result was some very searing criticism that reminded me of my student days. While I left the meeting feeling unsettled, his comments allowed me the opportunity to reflect on the project. Later, Roma called me to say that he had been thinking about my book and how some of the issues might be resolved.

to the public. In addition to fostering dialogue on issues in contemporary photography, the guest lecturers hold group and individual critiques with Pratt students. This access can help students connect to influential professionals, giving them a better chance to secure internships and jobs as well as important publishing and exhibition opportunities.

These experiences can form the basis of mentorships that last a lifetime. Such relationships are crucial in creative fields, where a great deal of accumulated knowledge, business acumen, and artistic experience cannot be fully conveyed in a classroom setting.

As I have learned time and again from Roma, a valuable mentorship is about giving and receiving both inspiration and criticism, being challenged and being offered guidance. As the chairperson of the Photography Department at Pratt, I strive to foster a culture of mentorship, and am proud of our faculty’s ability to instill knowledge and inspire our students every day. We are fortunate to count many luminaries in the field as faculty members and as guest speakers for the Pratt Photography Lectures, which are also open

For me, Roma has made the commitment to remain a mentor, and we have reached the point where we can offer each other perspective. As artists, it is important for us to remember the professors, peers, and experts who have lent us a discerning eye—and those individuals for whom we have done the same. We have an ongoing opportunity to be both students and mentors. It’s a perpetual condition that affords constant challenges and opportunities, and for which we should all be thankful.

C U B A

Creativity knows no bounds.

Get inspired with Pratt Institute and fellow alumni on an intimate, once-in-a-lifetime Cuban art and architecture adventure.

February 12–20, 2016 Immerse yourself in Cuba’s rich culture and fascinating history, and experience the country’s warm hospitality when you visit the studios and homes of some of Cuba’s leading artists.

Cost: $5,895*

Program highlights include: ··meetings with local artists in Cárdenas ··private reception at the Ludwig Foundation for the Arts ··curatorial tour of the National Museum of Fine Arts ··after-hours visit and reception at the Ceramics Museum ·· excursions to Ernest Hemingway’s country retreat, Finca la Vigía, in nearby San Francisco de Paula, and to Matanzas, where highlights include a tour of the Pharmacy Museum and lunch at Xanadu, the former Dupont mansion ·· specially arranged theater, music, and dance performances ··lectures on Cuban history and art Space is limited. To reserve your place on this exclusive Pratt Institute travel program, visit pratt.edu/cubatrip or call Alumni Relations at 718.636.3635. * Program cost includes double rooms in all accommodations, roundtrip flights between Miami and Havana, Cuban visa fee (excluding Cuban-born travelers), Cuban departure tax, limited Cuban health insurance policy (for travelers under age 80), as well as basic gratuities for local guides and drivers, taxes, service, and porterage charges. A limited number of single rooms are available for an additional $695. A deposit of $1,500 per person, of which $500 is nonrefundable for administrative fees, is required with the reservation application, payable by credit card or check to Academic Arrangements Abroad. Balance due by October 15, 2015.

PRATT STORE .COM

PRATT INSTITUTE Institutional Advancement 200 Willoughby Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11205

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It begins with you. Come back to campus and celebrate your Pratt connections.

Pratt Institute Alumni Day and Reunions Saturday, September 19, 2015 | Pratt Institute Brooklyn Campus Alumni Day: All alumni welcome Join us for the opening of the Pratt Institute Alumni Exhibition!

Register: Visit alumni.pratt.edu/alumniday | Call 718.636.3635 | Email: alumnievents@pratt.edu

Reunions: For Pratt alumni with class years ending in “0” or “5” Register: Visit alumni.pratt.edu/reunions | Call Alumni Relations at 718.399.4447 | Email alumni@pratt.edu