TOP STORIES
The New York Times Architecture Critic Michael Kimmelman Offers Inspiration to 2014 Graduates
Pratt Fashion Show 2014 Wows Crowd and Generates Widespread Media Coverage
Artist and Educator Gerry Snyder Named School of Art Dean
Santiago Piedrafita Named Chair of Graduate Communications Design Department
Jorge Oliver Selected as Chair of Film/Video Department
ACROSS CAMPUS AND BEYOND
Alumnus Mitchell J. Silver Becomes Head of New York City Parks Department
Photographer Lee Friedlander Gives Talk to Launch Exhibition of His Work at Pratt Library
New Branding Strategy to Give Gateway a New Name and Home on Pratt’s Redesigned Website
FACULTY FOCUS
Christian Hawkey Created Libretto for Opera Inspired by Milli Vanilli
STUDENT SPOTLIGHT
Senior Julia Wollner Develops Final Thesis Collection for 2014 Pratt Fashion Show
UPCOMING EVENTS
M.F.A. Exhibition, Scholastic Art & Writing Award Winners Show, Lee Friedlander Exhibition
Gateway was the community newsletter of Pratt Institute published monthly by the Office of Communications, in the Division of Institutional Advancement through spring 2014. For current Pratt-related news, visit the News page on Pratt’s website.
In the wake of Haiti’s devastating 2010 earthquake, members of Pratt’s Design Incubator for Sustainable Innovation traveled to Haiti both to offer design expertise in the recovery effort and to sponsor an artist intent on studying briefly at Pratt before returning to Haiti to share his new skills with other young artists. They chose 19-year-old Alex Louis.
Video: Jonathan Weitz
Reader Comments (2)
Since most people in Haiti speak Creole or French, Alex must come from a privileged family because he speaks and understands English.. There was no mention of what segment of society he is from which I think would have added meaning to the story. Was the intention to pluck an advantaged over a disadvantaged student to bring them to Brooklyn?
Alex Louis is an amazing young man who is determined to use art as a way to pull his family out of poverty.
He lives under a tarp with no running water or electricity, in a small alley along Grand Rue, with his mother and siblings. This is an improvement from his last dwelling which was in cite Soliel. He struggles to come up with money to pay for school and to help his mother support his family. He has created an organization that works with street children to help them write, make art and to give them hope. He has the potential to become a great leader in his country and Pratt is honored to have given him this opportunity to expand his network. We were fortunate to have professors who speak French and we are working to find a place for alex to improve his English so that he might join us again at Pratt in the future.