FACULTY AND STAFF NEWS AND NOTES
Johanna Bauman, visual resources curator for the Pratt Libraries, chaired the Visual Resources Association session, “Beyond the Slideshow: Teaching the History of Art and Material Culture in the Age of New Media,” presented at the College Art Association’s annual conference in February. The Visual Resources Association is dedicated to furthering research and education in the field of image management within educational, cultural heritage, and commercial environments.
YIPPIE! team members at the opening of the YIPPIE! exhibition. From Left: York Project Coordinator Larese Miller; graduate Industrial Design student Ivey Lian; graduate Industrial Design student Donell Hutson; Sahar Ghaheri (M.I.D. Industrial Design '11); Sara Dierck (M.I.D. Industrial Design '11); and Professor Fred Blumlein.
Fred Blumlein, adjunct professor, Industrial Design, oversaw the launch of a new public art contest designed by master’s degree candidates spanning his 2010–2011 Graduate Exhibition Design course. Titled YIPPIE! (York Improvement Project for Pride, Involvement, and Empowerment), the contest was conceptualized by Pratt students in collaboration with York College, CUNY, as a way to get experience working with a real-life client, and as an opportunity to promote 3-D public art. The students helped organize the contest, and mounted the exhibition of finalists at York College in April. The contest was open to applicants from around the country, and entries were judged by York College and Pratt Institute’s Graduate Industrial Design department. A student from the Savannah College of Art and Design emerged as the winner.
Erin Cadigan, visiting instructor, Fashion Design, launched her new product line THREE Erin Cadigan at an event on June 2 at The Morgan Bar in Bushwick that featured a runway show of Cadigan’s products. The line encompasses both fashion and art pieces with an emphasis on eco-friendly materials and design.
Myrel Chernick, adjunct associate professor, Foundation, is the editor of The M Word: Real Mothers in Contemporary Art (Demeter Press, May 2011), with Jennie Klein of Ohio University. The M Word includes full-color photographs and contributions from such artists as Renée Cox, Patricia Cué, Denise Ferris, Jane Gallop, Cheri Gaulke, Judy Glantzman, Youngbok Hong, Mary Kelly, Andrea Liss, Monica Mayer, Ellen McMahon, Sherry Millner, Margaret Morgan, Mignon Nixon, Gail Rebhan, Aura Rosenberg, Barbara T. Smith, Susan Suleiman, Marion Wilson, and more. The book earned advance praise from Amelia Jones, the Grierson Chair in Visual Culture, Department of Art History and Communication Studies, McGill University, who writes: “The M Word puts the most hallowed and fraught life relationship of all into the center of visual culture. Working through feminist ambivalence about motherhood, this collection offers a crucial corrective to the dearth of discussions about life choices and living tensions for creative women in art and art discourse.” The book is available online from Demeter Press.
Carol Crawford, adjunct assistant professor, Interior Design, recently exhibited “Carol Crawford: Mixed Media Constructions” at the Long Island City Art Center, as part of the Long Island Open Studios Festival, which ran from May 14–22. The annual Open Studios event provides visitors the opportunity to explore visual art, film, theater, and music in a unique loft/studio environment. Crawford’s mixed media constructions include 3-D landscapes, as well as wall-hung and freestanding pieces.
Carla Gannis was appointed the new assistant chair of Digital Arts. Gannis comes to the position with more than 16 years of teaching experience in the Pratt Digital Arts and Graduate Communications Design departments. She has been involved in personnel committees, curriculum development, and academic vision work at the department, school, and Institute levels at Pratt in addition to her extensive exhibition history.
Bill Hilson, adjunct professor, Graduate Communications Design/Packaging Design, made an appearance on ABC’s 20/20, in a segment that aired the evening of May 20. Hilson showed off his Photoshop expertise in a segment that investigated misleading photo manipulation in weight-loss advertising. Hilson demonstrated the ease with which images can be transformed using basic computer design technology.
Pratt Libraries faculty members Leana McCarthy, assistant professor, image cataloger and reference librarian, and Holly Wilson, assistant professor, research and instruction librarian, co-presented a panel discussion titled “Projecting an Image: A Field Guide to Visual Literacy” at the Association of College and Research Libraries’ national conference in Philadelphia, which took place from March 30–April 2.
Brenda McManus (M.F.A. ’11), visiting assistant professor, Graduate Communications/Package Design, presented her senior thesis on June 7 at Galapagos Art Space in Brooklyn; it was the culmination of her master’s degree requirements that led to her faculty appointment at Pratt. McManus and nine other outstanding designers showcased their thesis projects in the second annual “My Dog and Pony: Fresh Blood 2: Fresher Blood!” event, which represented some of the most innovative work among graduate design programs in the New York area. The event was sponsored by the New York chapter of AIGA, the professional association for design, and moderated by the chapter’s vice president, Scott Stowell. McManus also holds a master of science degree from Pratt and began teaching at the Institute in 2010.
Debbie Rabina, associate professor, Information and Library Science, and Anthony Cocciolo, assistant professor, Information and Library Science, received funding from the Goethe Institute—the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institution operated worldwide—to complete research and development on the GeoStoryteller project. GeoStoryteller is a mobile, augmented reality application that brings library and archival collections to the streets to enhance student learning and promote historical understanding. The first application of this platform will be German Traces NYC, a learning experience that focuses on German cultural heritage in New York City.
Jill Song (M.F.A. Digital Arts ’03), formerly assistant to the department chair, Digital Arts, has moved to the Office of the Dean of the School of Art and Design as administrative assistant. Song has been involved in the Department of Digital Arts community for 11 years, and has worked in the DDA Office for seven years.
Photo: Courtesy of Fred Blumlein
Gateway Editors
Reader Comments (3)