D&D BUILDING OWNER CHARLES S. COHEN PRESENTS PRATT WITH $25,000 FOR SCHOLARSHIPS

L to R: President Thomas F. Schutte, and Charles S. Cohen with undergraduate seniors in the Department of Interior Design Lisa Spears, Christopher Quiles, Alejandra Eyzaguirre, Sari Susanna Rautila, and Nikko TorresCharles S. Cohen, president and owner of the Decoration & Design (D&D) Building in Manhattan, presented President Thomas F. Schutte with a $25,000 gift for student scholarships during the annual Stars of Design Awards presentation last month.

Cohen and the D&D Building, New York City’s premier destination for luxury interior furnishings and design materials, hosted the Stars of Design event. Cohen, a longtime Pratt Institute supporter, is also hosting an exhibition of digital prints by Pratt alumni artists at the D&D Building through June 2013.

In addition to receiving the generous gift, President Schutte also helped honor designer Tucker Viemeister (B.I.D. '74), lab chief at the Rockwell Group, who received one of the prestigious Stars of Design awards for product design. Seven other creative luminaries were honored that evening, representing a cross section of the design disciplines.

Text: Abigail Beshkin
Photo: Patrick McMullan

Myrtle Hall Wins Municipal Art Society of New York Award

The Municipal Art Society (MAS) has awarded Myrtle Hall with one of its prestigious MASterworks Awards.

Municipal Art Society gave Myrtle Hall an award in the Best Neighborhood Catalyst category, commending the building for “the way it engages with the growing commercial bustle of Myrtle Avenue.” MAS also praised Myrtle Hall’s “welcoming four-story glass entry” and its masonry that fits in with the tenor of the Myrtle Avenue mercantile strip.

The new building, which enjoys the distinction of being the first LEED-Gold certified higher education building in Brooklyn, welcomed visitors for guided tours and a video screening as part of Open House New York on October 15.

Text: Adrienne Gyongy
Photo: Alexander Severin/RAZUMMEDIA

Bansky Balloon Girl, Jesus Toast, Among Winners in Comm-D Halloween Costume Contest

Devilishly Hard to Judge More Than 90 Competitors

More than 200 Pratt students turned out to attend the Halloween Costume and Pumpkin Carving Contest, a popular annual event hosted by the undergraduate Department of Communications Design for the eighth year in a row on October 28.

Cash prizes were awarded for most original costume ($500), followed by the most beautiful costume, scariest costume, funniest costume, and best mask ($300 each). The student with the best pumpkin carving won $150 gift certificate from the Prattstore, the college art supply and book store. The six winners were chosen by guest alumni and faculty including Communications Design Chair Kathleen Creighton and Assistant Chair Cecilia Almeida.

L to R: The winners — Rachel Caires (Illustration ’14), Most Beautiful Costume, “Banksy Balloon Girl”; Olivia Russin (Graphic Design ’13), Scariest Costume, “Michele Bachmann”; Madeleine Giuliani (Film ’14), Best Makeup, “Torched Hooker (Zombie)”; Hunter Hampton, (Advertising ’13), Most Original Costume, "Pygmalion's Failure"; Kaitlyn Mitschele, (Graphic Design ’12), Funniest Costume, "Jesus Toast"; Emilyann Cummings (Illustration ’14), Best Mask, “Mystical Spirit of Unexpected Deadlines"Clarissa Eck (Illustration ’14), Best Pumpkin CarvingText: Adrienne Gyongy
Photo: Jeff Winterberg (Top), Joe Roberts (Bottom)

Pratt Hosts “Cave Canem Brings the Drama” Benefit Performance

Pratt played host on October 24, 2011, to the second annual benefit performance for Cave Canem, a Brooklyn-based national organization supporting African American poets. Last month’s benefit showcased work by award-winning writers Cornelius Eady, Jessica Hagedorn, Professor May Joseph of Pratt’s Department of Social Science and Cultural Studies, Casey Llewellyn, and Claudia Rankine, with noted actors of stage and screen interpreting selections from their plays.

Actor Suzzanne Douglas performs a selection from Professor May Joseph’s play Fled.

Text: Adrienne Gyongy
Photo: Ghila Krajzman