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Samantha Nania, far right, and Jenna Pierson (both B.F.A. Jewelry ’13) at LOOT: MAD About Jewelry 2013 (Photo by Gulshan Kirat)
Recent Graduates Participate in Prestigious Jewelry Show Samantha Nania and Jenna Pierson (both B.F.A. Jewelry ’13), two recent graduates from the Institute’s acclaimed studio jewelry program, sold their work alongside 50 emerging and celebrated jewelry designers from around the world at LOOT: MAD About Jewelry 2013. The annual juried sale and exhibition at the Museum of Arts and Design—the only American museum with a gallery dedicated to contemporary and modern studio and art jewelry— showcased one-of-a-kind artist-made jewelry and offered the public the rare opportunity to acquire pieces directly from the innovative jewelry artists.
The Black Alumni of Pratt 2013 Creative Spirit honorees (L to R): Anita Durst, Audrey Smaltz, Michele Oka Doner, and Andrea L. Taylor. (Photo by Julie Skarratt Photography Inc.)
Black Alumni of Pratt Celebrates Creative Spirit Benefit Gala On September 12, the Black Alumni of Pratt recognized four remarkable women at its 23rd annual scholarship benefit gala, Celebration of the Creative Spirit. Lori Stokes, co-anchor, WABCTV’s Eyewitness News, hosted the glamorous gala, which was held in The Allen Room at Jazz at Lincoln Center. Renowned artist and former Pratt Trustee Michele Oka Doner received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Creative Spirit Awards were given to Anita Durst, founder and artistic director of Chashama, an organization that connects artists with vacant real estate; Audrey Smaltz, founder and CEO of Ground Crew, a fashion show and event production company; and Andrea L. Taylor, director of citizenship and public affairs for North America, Microsoft Corporation.
Alumni Office Creates Regional Networks around the World The Office of Alumni Relations is establishing regional networks that empower alumni, parents, and friends of Pratt to nurture a lifelong relationship with one another and the Institute through events and programming. Networks are already forming in Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, and Roxbury, Connecticut, where more than 40 alumni and friends from the classes of 1958 through 2013 attended a regional network event at the home of alumna Elizabeth Lacy (B. Arch. ’84). For a schedule of upcoming regional events and information on how to become involved, visit alumni.pratt.edu.