Alumnus Mitchell J. Silver Becomes Head of New York City Parks Department

Mitchell J. Silver (B.Arch '87)New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio recently appointed alumnus Mitchell J. Silver to head the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation. As parks commissioner, Silver will oversee 29,000 acres of parkland and 1,900 parks.

Silver received a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Pratt Institute in 1987, and specializes in comprehensive planning, land use planning, and implementation strategies. He most recently served as the chief planning and development officer and planning director for Raleigh, N.C., where he led a comprehensive plan to modernize the city.

“I am honored to return to my hometown as Parks Commissioner. I look forward to helping New York City create a twenty-first-century park system that is equitable, innovative, healthy, and safe. I am confident the planning and design skills I developed at Pratt Institute will prove invaluable as I take this new and exciting role,” said Silver. 

Silver, who was interviewed by Gateway in 2010, brings a broad range of knowledge and experience to his new role. He is a former president of the American Planning Association—the prestigious 40,000-member organization of urban and regional planners—and has also served as a top official in the Office of Planning in Washington, D.C.

As his friend and former colleague John Shapiro, chair of Pratt’s Graduate Center for Planning and the Environment, said, “Mitchell Silver has the ideal background for running parks—an architecture degree from Pratt, a planning degree from Hunter, a history of public service running public agencies, and a successful track record as the nation’s top planner. He has played an important role in shaping and improving the public spaces that impact the lives of communities and their overall quality of life.”

The New York Times published a piece about the new parks commissioner’s first day on the job, “New Parks Chief Brings a City Planner’s Vision.” To read the article, click here.

Text: Marion Hammon, Ruth Samuelson
Image: Diana Pau

Pratt Institute Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Marc Rosen Scholarship and Education Fund for Packaging by Design at Annual Gala

L to R: Pratt Institute President Thomas F. Schutte, Chief Marketing Officer for Mary Kay Inc. Sheryl Adkins-Green, host Deborah Norville, and Marc Rosen. The Art of Packaging Award Gala, a glamorous annual event that celebrates excellence in packaging design, was held May 6 at a private club in Manhattan. The event, which was attended by 250 guests, benefits the Marc Rosen Scholarship and Education Fund for Packaging by Design at Pratt Institute. Emceed by Inside Edition anchor Deborah Norville, the event marked 25 years of the Fund, which has helped raise more than $3.5 million for scholarships for graduate packaging design students at Pratt.

Sheryl Adkins-Green, chief marketing officer for Mary Kay Inc., accepted the Art of Packaging Award, which honors the art form of package design, on behalf of the beauty brand.

“It is truly an honor to be recognized by Pratt Institute and to have been selected for this prestigious recognition by Marc Rosen,” said Adkins-Green. “I am struck by the values and philosophies that Marc and Mary Kay share. First is a commitment to changing lives. The second connection is sales: high impact packaging design is essential to creating products that are easy to love and easy to sell. The third is appreciation of inner and outer beauty.”

Marc Rosen, an award-winning designer, and Pratt alumnus, trustee emeritus, and faculty member, was also presented with a special citation from Governor Andrew M. Cuomo that celebrated Rosen’s 25 years of support to emerging packaging designers.

The only scholarship in the world available to graduate students looking to pursue careers in cosmetics and packaging design, the Marc Rosen Scholarship has helped nearly 200 Pratt students, many of whom have become industry leaders. The winners of this year’s Marc Rosen Scholarship are Chenchen Hu (M.S. Package Design ’14), Tonya Oberlender (M.S. Package Design ’13), Jessica Vande Werken (M.S. Package Design ’13), and Ivy Chen (M.S. Package Design ’13).

Text: Amy Aronoff, Ruth Samuelson
Image: Patrick McMullan Photography

Photographer Lee Friedlander Gives Talk to Launch Exhibition of His Work at Pratt Library

Richard Benson and Lee Friedlander Lee Friedlander, one of America’s most prolific and celebrated photographers, recently participated in a rare talk to students on Pratt’s Brooklyn campus alongside longtime collaborators who have helped reproduce his iconic images in books: master photographic printer Richard Benson, graphic designer Katy Homans, and printer Thomas Palmer. The discussion coincided with the opening of Lee Friedlander: The Printed Picture, an exhibition including five decades of Friedlander’s monographs, held at the Pratt Library.

The event, which took place on April 30, was moderated by Stephen Hilger, chair of Pratt’s Photography Department. Benson, Homans, and Palmer provided insights into and anecdotes about the book-making process with the award-winning artist to current photography seniors and special invited guests.

Friedlander, who received an honorary degree from Pratt in 2013, has said, “The book is more my medium than the wall.” The discussion revealed how intimately Friedlander is involved in the bookmaking process—from deciding which photos to use and in what order—and showcased how the production process has changed with the shift from analog to digital technologies. While there are themes that course throughout his work, Friedlander does not work with particular subject matter in mind when he photographs. Instead, he is constantly taking photos, finding themes that emerge as he develops his work in the darkroom.

After several initial questions from Hilger, Pratt students and audience members were invited to ask questions of the panel. The final question was from a graduating senior about what advice the artist would give. “Go out and work,” he said.

The exhibition, which was reviewed in The Wall Street Journal, was curated by Hilger and Visiting Associate Professor of Photography Peter Kayafas, will run until October 6 at the Pratt Library on the Brooklyn campus.

Image: Peter Tannenbaum

New Branding Strategy to Give Gateway a New Name and Home on Pratt’s Redesigned Website

In September, Pratt’s online newsletter, Gateway, will be renamed Pratt News and its content will be hosted on the News page of the Institute’s recently redesigned website.The change is an important step in implementing the Institute’s new brand strategy, which includes a strong and powerful visual identity, messaging platform, and positioning statement. Pratt has created a video to showcase the brand identity. (To view the video, click the arrow on the image above.)

The new branding has been integrated into the Institute’s website, which has re-launched with a complete visual redesign and a host of new features such as platforms to display student and faculty work, an Institute-wide events calendar, a dynamic news area, and a responsive design that adjusts to all mobile devices. The new brand allows the Institute to more effectively communicate its role as a global leader in art and design education. It emphasizes Pratt’s location in a cultural hub and its history of innovation as key to establishing a living lab of craft and creativity, where students and faculty come together to focus talent and passion into meaningful expression.

Text: Marion Hammon